Jobs News Ireland: 2012

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Free current accounts in Ireland - AIB

I used to have an account with AIB so it will be easier for me to talk about this particular bank. One thing I like about their website is the colour and how everything is well organised. You cannot get lost on the website.
Now, charges. Obviously hidden in the bottom right corner where nobody looks at. So again it is a PDF file difficult to read as it is in a funny format so you have to zoom in. But luckily you dont have to do it as I will tell you in this article how much you actually pay for your account.

So basically you will pay €4.50 per quarter just for having your account open. Whenever you use your account you will pay €0.20 for automated and self service transactions such as ATM Withdrawals, Standing Orders, Direct Debits, Automatic Lodgements (e.g. salary) AIB Phone & Internet Banking Transactions, AIB Debit Card Transactions or if it requires paperwork/member of staff you will pay €0.30 PER TRANSACTION and that includes Cheques, Withdrawals, Lodgements, Incoming Credit Transfers, Staff Assisted Transactions at any AIB branch counter
or in the Post Office. 20 or 30 cent doesn’t seem much but just think how many transactions do you have on your statement weekly, monthly and how many quarterly. It will build up to a significant amount.

Fees are applied quarterly on the last working Friday of February, May, August and November and charged in the following month. They must have worked out that majority of the accounts will be charged €12.70 or less so they decided not to provide you with any breakdown of the fees if your charge is that much or less unless you ask for it.

When you go on holidays they will charge you €0.20 each time you use your debit card - which is fair enough for abroad transactions, however you pay that regardless if you are abroad or home. In my opinion 20 cent charge abroad is fair, at home - NOT! On top of that if your transaction abroad is in other currency than euro 1.75% (Minimum €0.46, Maximum €11.43) - which again is fair.

When you withdraw some cash from the ATM abroad you will pay a commission of 1% of value
(Minimum €1.27, Maximum €6.35) and if it is a foreign currency you will also pay “up to 3% of value depending on the currency” - which means they can charge you ANYTHING they like up to 3%. If you have a Master Card under the Master Card Scheme then you should also know that there are additional charges. Master Card executives need their holidays funded too. And if you have a Banklink Card there are some additional stupid charges too. After all noone has a clue how much they will be charged for the dinner they buy in a hotel restaurant unless paid by cash.

Of course they are so generous they make their banking free from maintenance and transaction fees under certain criteria: at least one purchase transaction using the debit card (fair enough) AND at least one transaction using AIB phone and Internet Banking (also fair enough). Unfortunately these criteria were too easy to meet AIB introduced new criteria. And as from Monday 28th May 2012 the new criteria are:

Maintain a minimum daily credit statement balance of €2,500 in the account for each fee quarter - that means keep over €2,500 in your current account every day all the time you want your account to be free. Go below €2,500 even once and you will be paying all the maintenance and transaction fees - NOT NICE AT ALL. Who keeps that amount of money in a low interest current account? This is a very big minus for AIB as meeting free banking criteria is very unlikely for an average person. What is more it widens the gap between poor who will have to pay fees and rich who will avoid to pay fees.
And just so you know they also say that By qualifying for this offer customers will benefit from free mobile top up transactions. WERE YOU GOING TO CHARGE ME FOR TOPPING UP MY PHONE?! Not only that you are making money from each top up as a sales partner to mobile companies but you also want to charge me for topping up? Not cool at all.

Then they give you some tips on how to minimise your fees... use your debit cards instead of writing cheques (who writes cheques?), make payments online, use their credit card as there are no transaction fees and you can just pay it back at the end of the month in one transaction (and get into more debt), or take my tip: switch your bank account.

You can find more traumatic AIB current account fees and charges (such as overdraft) on their website.

Sunday 15 July 2012

Free current accounts offered by Irish banks - Bank of Ireland

Bank of Ireland website - When I first visit the website it seems full of information. Maybe a little bit too full. There is so much going on on that website.

I like the top menu: Personal, Business or Corporate. So you know where you are. Then the next step is >current accounts< and the site highlights all the current accounts offered. What I am interested in is the standard current account which is shown as the first one.

everything goes well - I click on >find out more< What I find out is that they have branches - good - not that I will use them much but in case I want to see someone I can. They offer 24 hour banking - Internet and telephone - another good thing. They offer a debit card - now the question is what debit card - visa? laser? No clue.

Also you can top up your phone with your BoI current account - am I really bothered? Do people actually do it? You can set up direct debits and standing orders - they should also add that you can pay in and pay out money as well as check your balance and accept wages directly to your account - things that you would expect anyway. VERY basic account - no awesome features and for that "no frills" banking you have to pay a fee.

Before I tell you what you have to pay, there is a "but". You do not have to pay any fees for:

Withdrawals.
Lodgments.
Direct debits and standing orders.
Debit card transactions and cash-back.
Cheques

if... (It is so annoying that you have all those various conditions that use terms that can be misleading and can mean something that you would not expect or understand. )

if you... lodge at least €3000 in a "fee quarter (what the hell is a fee quarter)" and make 9 debit payments using 365 Phone/Online and/or Mobile banking - and direct debits or standing orders do not qualify - and it makes me go AAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! So what qualifies!? Sending my money online to my grandma 9 times? And why 9 times? Why not 10 or 20? Or why not complicate it a bit more? One word: Annoying

OR if you... maintain a balance of €3000 in your account for the throughout the full quarter. I know that people generally do not have that amount of money in their current accounts. If they do they keep it in their savings accounts. I'm going to check if putting that amount of money in a savings account would earn you interests to cover the fees.

And what are the fees? the fees are RIDICULOUS!

28 cents for EACH transaction into or out of your account

or

11.40 for first 90 transactions and then again 28 cents for EACH transaction into or out of your account.

So lets find out more about the fees and charges of the Bank of Ireland... in their Schedule of Fees and Charges for Personal Customers AKA boring shit.

First of all I have to say that when I look at their fees and charges booklet it makes me feel sick. It is boring, difficult to understand and designed to confuse and make you just not read it, get on with it and pay for whatever they ask. So I will read it and convey the most important details of their "VERY standard" current account.

Chapter 1: Introduction - blah blah blah... we keep your money... blah blah blah...

Ok so If you lose, damage or have your card stolen you pay €5.90 each time.

If you want overdraft you pay €25 on establishment of an overdraft, €25 every time you re-negotiate (change the limit) and €25 annually on renewal anniversary. I think it is a bit dear just for the ability to borrow - that is not the cost of borrowing. Every time you use your overdraft you have to pay more: 15.9% annually and they say that includes the €25 facility fee.

I dont understand how a percentage can include a fee. That is what they say:
“The current variable standard overdraft interest rate (including the overdraft facility fee) is 15.9% APR”
but if I use my overdraft to borrow €1 and the fee itself is €25 that means I am paying 2500% APR. I studied financial economics and I don’t get that HOW ON EARTH AN AVERAGE PERSON CAN GET THAT!?

So now you have your overdraft, you don’t really know how much you’re paying for it and what happens if you use your debit card once too much and go over your limit? And here is a surprise: first time (per quarter) you do it - nothing happens. That is a big plus to the bank. Going over the limit can happen to anyone and I can see that they really understand that.

I will not bother you with the cheques as people who use them don’t use Internet.

If you really want to read more visit Bank of Ireland website or see their Schedule of Fees and Charges for Personal Customers

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Renewing focus on growth, jobs and trade

It is less than a year since President Obama stood on Dublin's College Green, the site of Ireland's first parliament and in front of the historic Trinity College, and uttered the Irish words: “Is féidir linn. Yes we can.” And the hearts of the enormous ...
Read more:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://irishecho.com/%3Fp%3D70409&ct=ga&cad=CAEQAhgBIAAoATABOAFAxoup-wRIAVAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=XwL_4T2GWC4&usg=AFQjCNFQe35EeHjg-79WXzvZETxOhkQUXw

Irish jobs in jeopardy as Game moves to appoint administrators

Retailer Game conceded defeat in its survival battle today after failing to raise new funding, adding to fears that dozens of Irish jobs could be in danger. The group, which was reportedly battling to raise £180m (€216m) this week, said it intended to ...
Read more:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/irish-jobs-in-jeopardy-as-game-moves-to-appoint-administrators-544351.html&ct=ga&cad=CAEQAhgBIAAoATAAOABAxoup-wRIAVAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=XwL_4T2GWC4&usg=AFQjCNEHjgoEFg9x8joBN-NFMBeQPFkBpw

No better time to invest in Ireland

It is less than a year since President Obama stood on Dublin’s College Green, the site of Ireland’s first Parliament and in front of the historic Trinity College, and uttered the Irish words “Is féidir linn. Yes we can.” And the hearts of the enormous crowd that had turned out to greet him surged with the hope that is so essential for the difficult road Ireland has traveled and continues to face.

More:
http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/216865-no-better-time-to-invest-in-ireland

100 sales jobs at New Stanmore call centre

RECRUITERS are seeking unemployed people to fill 100 sales jobs at a new call centre to open in Stanmore.
Travel firm International Cruise and Excursions (ICE) Europe said it needs to expand after buying two cruise holiday websites - 1st4cruising.com and voyana.com - from a rival.
The company is based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, has a customer service centre in Cork, Ireland, and is looking to hire outbound travel sales agents for its first London office.
Interested jobseekers can attend recruitment fairs, where immediate interviews will take place, at Suite 8, Buckingham House East, The Broadway, Stanmore, today between 10am and 4pm, tomorrow (Wednesday March 21) between 12noon and 8pm and Thursday from 10am to 4pm.
The company has not disclosed the exact location of its call centre.
Warren Joy, ICE Europes senior vice president, said: The acquisition of these website domains and associated customer databases has further strengthened our position as a world leading provider of innovative cruise and travel programs.
"New recruits for the Stanmore operation will preferably have a background in sales, but they dont necessarily need travel industry experience as they will go through a four week training programme to introduce them to the range of ICE products and our proven customer relationship management systems.
"The creation of our new out-bound contact centre in Stanmore will enable us to introduce more customers from 1st4cruising.com and Voyana.com to the wide range of holiday options we offer though our established loyalty reward schemes including cruises and resort packages."

Source: http://www.harrowobserver.co.uk/west-london-news/local-harrow-news/2012/03/20/new-stanmore-call-centre-seeks-100-employees-116451-30579487/

Belfast boosted with new jobs

More than 100 legal jobs are to be created in Belfast after an international company announced plans to set up in the city.
New York-based Axiom, which offers legal services to businesses around the globe, is coming to Northern Ireland with the support of more than £1.6 million of government money.
Invest NI has stumped up £1.1 million, with the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) diverting nearly £500,000 to aid skills development.
Enterprise minister Arlene Foster welcomed the announcement.
"This significant investment by an innovative, global company is testament to the reputation of Northern Ireland's workforce," she said.
"The new centre will employ over 100 lawyers and paralegals and pay salaries significantly above the Northern Ireland private sector median, contributing almost £4 million a year to the local economy.
"This is the kind of high quality inward investment that Invest Northern Ireland seeks to attract in order to help develop a knowledge-based economy with long-term sustainability.
"It will further strengthen the cluster of international legal and financial services companies that are now operating in Northern Ireland."
DEL minister Stephen Farry added: "Axiom's decision to set up a centre in Belfast is not only a boost to employment but also to our skills base.
"The company is the leader in the rapidly growing commercial contracts outsourcing market and has developed proprietary tools, methodologies and skills, with which it will be equipping the Belfast team."

Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5glN2OQQqc26_pf7VanQykQiuFYwQ?docId=N1220261332255279795A

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Cork jobs expo cancels ticket sales after huge demand

The Working Abroad Expo, which will kick off in Cork tomorrow, had to cancel online ticket sales after receiving unprecedented demand for the event.

The exhibition, which aims to help people secure jobs abroad, made the decision to cancel advertising and stop online tickets in light of the Dublin event.
The RDS experienced queues so long that gates were closed at 2.25pm to prevent any further admissions.
Responding to criticism that the Dublin exhibition was out of control, exhibition director, Stephen McLarnon, said many people thought the British Columbia construction association that were over offering 300,000 construction jobs, and the Working Abroad Expo, were the same event.
"The British Columbia region had a stand and a few people from the British Columbia construction association were on the stand. We didn’t know they were coming, they were only one of the participants so we hadn’t anticipated the huge numbers."
Mr McLarnon said he would strongly advise anyone attending the event to look on their website and come to the event only if their is something that you are interested in.
Over 800 tickets have already been pre-booked online and the organisers are looking into extending the opening hours.

UP TO 145 new jobs are to be created by three firms in Dublin and Galway, it was announced yesterday.
Cloud computing company SourceDogg.com is to create 80 jobs at its operations centre in the IDA Business Park in Galway.
SourceDogg.com, which was set up in 2009 by Mark Scanlon and John Quigley, has a growing number of customers across five countries, including recent signing Aer Lingus.
The company has developed procurement software which allows users to find and evaluate new suppliers with an easy-to-use application.
The 80 jobs are across the company’s engineering, IT support and professional services areas, and follows the recent addition of 12 staff late last year following an investment from Nucleus Venture Partners.
Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation Richard Bruton said: “If we are to reach the levels of employment and economic growth which we are determined to achieve, we must create a powerful engine of indigenous enterprise.
“Crucial in this will be exporting companies, and in particular high-tech, engineering-driven companies, and the Government’s action plan for jobs spells out a range of measures we will take to support these companies as they expand and create jobs.”
Meanwhile in Dublin, data collection firm Datalogic ADC plans to establish a shared services and customer management centre which will create an additional 30 jobs.
The company, a division of the Datalogic Group, will offer work to accountants, accounts payable/receivables, order management and inside sales personnel.
Elsewhere, Western Union is to create 35 jobs at its European office in Clonskeagh, south Dublin, taking the workforce to almost 100.
Western Union is the world’s largest money transfer and payment services provider operating in more than 200 countries and territories.
Announcing the jobs, Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton said: “Western Union, and the 35 new jobs announced today, are helping to spread the benefits of Ireland’s success in attracting international financial services beyond the IFSC to areas such as Clonskeagh in the southeast of the city.
“This commitment greatly contributes to meeting the Government’s target of creating 10,000 new jobs in the financial services sector by the end of 2016, and is a significant boost to the local area.”

source: irishtimes.com

Saturday 25 February 2012

Looking for a job? Look on Twitter!

Who to follow on twitter for the latest job offers?

Silicon Ireland News @siliconireland

Tracking Tech startups in Ireland,via events,meetings,media & reporting on it. Also there's a Jobs Board & Startup Academy

Cloud demand prompts Microsoft data centre expansion

$130 million investment in Dublin DC to support growing regional demand Peter Klein, chief financial officer, Microsoft Corporation, said "This investment shows where we are placing our bets for the future," as demand for Office 365, Windows Live, Xbox Live, Bing and the Windows Azure platform grew. The investment is a further development on the existing $500 million DC infrastructure. "We are delighted to build on the long history of Microsoft investment and partnership in Ireland, starting in 1985. As we expand our Dublin data centre, we remain committed to efficiency and sustainability. Our expanded facility will be 50% more efficient than traditional data centres, and will use renewable wind energy when available. I would like to thank the Irish government and its agencies, particularly the IDA, for its continued support for Microsoft as we grow and invest here," said Klein. Both Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD and Minster for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD welcomed the investment and the confidence it demonstrates in the Ireland. "We welcome this significant announcement from Microsoft as Ireland continues to regain its international reputation for investment and business," said an Taoiseach. "Now central to our Action Plan on Jobs we are delighted that our strategy to become the country of choice for data centres is coming to fruition. We very much recognise the role that cloud computing can play in transforming our public sector as well as being a catalyst for economic growth. Through the Action Plan on Jobs we will continue to make the necessary changes to make Ireland more attractive to companies such as Microsoft. As a long term investor we welcome this commitment by Microsoft to Ireland." Minster Bruton said that the government had targeted cloud computing "as a sector with potential for significant job-creation and economic growth for Ireland," and that the announcement endorsed the direction being taken. Microsoft Ireland managing director Paul Rellis said that the investment deepens the company's roots here and allows it to provide governments and businesses throughout the region with high impact cloud services. "Investments like this, by a company of Microsoft's calibre, reinforce our growing reputation as a leading world-wide location in cloud computing," said Barry O'Leary, CEO, IDA Ireland. The new DC "will use renewable wind energy when available," said Klein, and will be up to 50% more efficient than "traditional data centres". "Microsoft has turned up the dial on efficiency in power optimisation of the entire infrastructure of our data centres, enabling us to reduce our carbon footprint and minimize waste," said Christian Belady, GM of Data Centre Services, Microsoft. "This expansion will add a 112,000 square foot Generation 4 facility and create approximately 400 construction jobs over the next 12 months. Once complete, we will employ approximately 50- 70 people to manage the needs of both the existing and expanded facility." The company said that DC makes extensive use of outside air economisation to cool the facility year round, resulting in greater power efficiency with a resultant reduction in carbon footprint and an annual Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) average of 1.25 across the entire facility during peak usage hours. Approximately 99% of all waste at the facility is recycled, including packaging, pallets, crates, and cabling, and it uses only 1% of the water used by other similarly sized data centres in the industry, said Microsoft.

source: techcentral.ie

Wake up to a career, and good coffee at McDonald's

Named fifth best employer in Ireland for 2012, the multinational fast food chain is investing in its staff in this country via third level qualification opportunities.

"THIS was the longest executive search process that's ever been undertaken," jokes Adrian Crean as he sits in one of the trendy training rooms above the McDonald's restaurant on Dublin's O'Connell Street.

He's not wrong, though.

Last October, Crean became the first Irish managing director of the McDonald's chain in Ireland.

That's something, considering the Illinois icon opened its first outlet here, on Dublin's Grafton Street, back in 1977. For many, it was the first tangible taste of Americana. Today, McDonald's has 81 restaurants in Ireland, 12 of which are company-controlled, the rest run by a tight group of 27 franchisees.

"McDonald's has always been good at creating opportunities for really talented people," he says, sipping on one of the chain's own coffees, which he is at pains, more than once, to point out is made from freshly roasted beans and tastes just as good as anything people can get anywhere else.

11 jobs set to go at Lunn’s jewellers

One of Northern Ireland’s most prominent jewellery retailers is to make more than 10% of its workforce redundant, it emerged last night.

Eleven jobs out of a total workforce of 98 are set to go at the family-run fine jewellery business, Lunn’s, which has been operating for over 50 years.

The diamond specialist has shops at Queen’s Arcade and Victoria Square in Belfast city centre and in Shipquay Street in Londonderry.

Management are thought to have discussed redundancy packages with staff and in a statement, the company said it regretted starting a consultation process, which would lead to a “small number of redundancies”.

Managing director Peter Lunn said the jewellery firm would continue to invest heavily in its showrooms, staff and brand, which is called Portfolio of Fine Diamonds.

source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Thursday 23 February 2012

Ireland reveals plans to cut dole queues

Long-term unemployed not willing to take up training will be penalised. Dublin has reviled its plans to target the dole queues.
Also those claiming state benefits and at the same time working illegally will have their benefits reduced.
Find out more on ft.com

Ireland’s €6.5m boost for applied research

The Irish Government is to inject more than €6.5m in funding into 58 research awards, as part of Science Foundation Ireland’s Technology Innovation Development Award programme. The aim is to ultimately spin out new commericalisable opportunities from Ireland’s scientific research base.

The Minister for Research and Innovation Seán Sherlock, TD, made the announcement this morning about the funding, which is being facilitated by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

The investment is being made as part of Science Foundation Ireland's (SFI) Technology Innovation Development Award (TIDA) programme.

Sherlock said the funding would enable SFI-funded research groups to focus on the first steps of an applied research project that may have a commercial impact down the line.

The Irish government is worried about President Barack Obama’s proposed changes to his country’s corporation tax regime and fear it may impact on direct foreign investment in Ireland.
Some 600 American companies currently take advantage of the low corporation tax in Ireland but business leaders fear the Obama proposals could damage that.
Irish corporation tax currently stands at 12.5 per cent, considerably less than the 35 per cent rate in the United States.
The Irish Times newspaper reports that President Obama has proposed the imposition of a minimum tax on US companies’ foreign earnings as part of an effort to reduce incentives in the international tax system for US companies to shift income and investment overseas.
The proposals, released on Wednesday, did not state what the minimum tax rate should be when the changes are introduced late next year at the earliest.
The paper states that, at present, US subsidiaries based in Ireland do not have to pay the difference between Irish corporation tax rate and the US rate so long as they don’t repatriate their after-tax profits.
US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner outlined the proposed reforms.
He said: “The president believes we should strengthen the international tax system.

COMPUTER giant Dell has no plans to slow down recruitment or cut Irish jobs, despite a warning by the company that global sales will plunge by 7pc in the first quarter of the year.

Sources at the company said a recruitment drive in Ireland would continue, despite the trading warning.

"Recruitment is on-going across a number of business divisions within Dell's operations in Limerick and Dublin at this time," a spokeswoman told the Irish Independent last night.

Dell employs 2,400 staff in Ireland at two large centres in Dublin and Limerick and last year announced plans for further hires as it ramps up research and development (R&D) and specialist customer care in new dedicated business units.

Global online payments firm PayPal has today confirmed plans to create 1,000 new jobs in Ireland over the next four years.

The company is to establish a new operations centre in Dundalk, Co Louth. Recruitment starts in July, with 300 people expected to be recruited by the end of the year.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Ebay, arrived in Ireland in 2003 and currently employs about 1,400 people at its European headquarters in Blanchardstown in west Dublin.

The jobs are supported by the Government through IDA Ireland.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny joined senior company executives and IDA Ireland officials in Dublin to make the jobs announcement this afternoon.

“Today's announcement by PayPal of 1,000 new jobs is great news for Ireland and for the northeast. This is a great signal of confidence in Ireland and in our talented workforce," said Mr Kenny.

The new operations centre will be responsible for customer service, risk prevention, financial operations, merchant services and sales across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The company is seeking to fill roles across a range of activities including customer support, operations, finance, sales and compliance. PayPal’s operations in Ireland will deal with customers using 14 languages and half of the positions will require individuals with a second language.

“Our new employees will be joining PayPal at an exciting time. Our vision is to help people pay for things anytime, anywhere and on any type of electronic device. We’re reimagining money to work better for consumers and businesses at a time when the line between the online world and the high street is breaking down," said Louise Phelan, vice president of global operations for PayPal in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Plans to expand in Ireland were first mooted in November when The Irish Times reported that the company was assessing available office buildings in both Dundalk and Limerick. The buildings that were being considered in Limerick included the former Dell plant at Raheen which once housed 1,900 workers.

In addition to premises in Dundalk and Limerick, PayPal also considered...

Jobs News Ireland