Ninth Level Ireland

“I spent my Christmas break like most students: eating, drinking and defending the likelihood that I get a job with an arts degree to my family. A mostly comfortable existence after the flurry of first semester. Skipping right over exams (because who needs reminding), I came to what I call ‘application season’ …” (more)

[Mairead Maguire, University Times, 2 February]

“Student nurses who are currently on internships will not receive pay cuts when they graduate, the HSE has said. Student nurses have faced uncertainty in recent weeks over whether interns would be subject to pay cuts when they completed their internships, as the starting pay for a graduate nurse is less than that of a healthcare assistant …” (more)

[Emer Moreau, University Times, 23 July]

“The Irish Nursing and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have announced that final year nursing interns will not receive a pay cut this September. In a statement made on Twitter on July 9th, INMO said: ‘… the Department of Health and HSE have agreed to continue to pay interns at the current HCA rate until the end of their internship’ …” (more)

[Isobel Dunne, College Tribune, 17 July]

“An annual Irish League of Credit Unions survey published on August 19 revealed some dismaying statistics on the financial struggles of third-level students in Ireland. While 74% of students having to work during the college term to cope with costs is generally manageable, 55% of students say they often skip lectures in favour of paid work …” (more)

[Lucien Waugh-Daly, The College View, 1 September]

“As a Commerce student, the prospect of going on a year-long paid internship during my studies was one of the reasons I was drawn to doing this course in UCD. Adding an extra year to my college years, gaining invaluable experience in an industry-leading company, strengthening my CV and making money whilst doing so seemed too good to be true. Alas, it was; in 1st year, having read the small print, I learned that students have to pay UCD their student fees during the internship period …” (more)

[Alex Lohier, College Tribune, 1 May]

“A new fast-track system for accountancy graduates has been introduced to help meet the intense demand for new hires. Certified Professional Accountants Ireland (CPAI) has reached agreements with 12 third-level institutions including Trinity College Dublin, the National College of Ireland, University College Cork, University of Limerick, and the Dublin Institute of Technology …” (more)

[Michael Cogley, Independent, 30 September]

“Cold mornings, spiced coffee beverages and autumnal colours mark this time of the year for students in Trinity – the beginning of internship application season. The year has only just begun and students are already thinking about what they’ll be doing after it ends. Increasingly, over the past couple of years, there is pressure mounting on students to fill their summer holidays with yet more work …” (more)

[Kate Lait, University Times, 3 November]

“JobBridge, the controversial internship scheme, will cease to accept new applicants from Friday. Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has announced that he is to set-up a consultation process with a view to finding a replacement programme which will begin in the middle of next year …” (more)

[Kevin Doyle, Independent, 18 October]

“The myth that unpaid labour looks good on the CVs of workers in creative industries has become an increasingly persuasive means of guilt-tripping young people into working for free …” (more)

[Hanan A Khalek, Huffington Post, 4 October]

“… we are pleased to offer a Research Policy Internship Post for 9 months, based at the Higher Education Authority offices in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Please see the PDF below for further information …” (more)

[Irish Research Council, 29 October]

“International students are unable to complete their medical training in Ireland due to the high demand for ‘intern’ positions this year. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has called for ‘urgent’ action to ensure Irish/EU and international medical graduates are able to complete their ‘intern’ year, at a time when there is an acute shortage of qualified doctors …” (more)

[Lorna Siggins, Irish Times, 6 July]

“The average pay for student internships is on the rise but employers are increasingly using such work experience as a replacement for traditional entry-level jobs, a new survey suggests …” (more)

[Joe Humphreys, Irish Times, 22 June]

“Does the national unpaid internship scheme exploit workers, or give them a valuable opportunity? Or something in between? …” (more)

[Eoin Mulvihill, Independent, 15 February]

“Students and interns at some tech companies here are earning as much as workers on the average national wage, thanks to Ireland’s digital boom …” (more)

[Adrian Weckler, Independent, 29 November]

“An advanced degree? An award-winning short film? Might be worth a spot on a pretty pointless – and expensive – JobBridge course. As I ride the Luas through Dublin I see people through office windows: sitting at desks, looking flustered on phones; in meetings, being productive and bored; heading out to lunch, to discuss strategies. Everywhere I look I see people with jobs …” (more)

[Richard Duffy, Irish Times, 29 November]

“There are 24 JobBridge interns working in various Government departments. The JobBridge scheme has been a subject of intense and unfair criticism ever since its introduction …” (more)

[Lorraine Courtney, Independent, 27 October]

“The Education Minister said no real jobs should be replaced by JobBridge internships. Jan O’Sullivan’s comments come after it emerged that some primary and secondary schools are using the work scheme to fill vacancies, including teaching and special needs assistant positions …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 18 September]

“Cork County Council may stop using the JobBridge and Gateway schemes to recruit interns. This would make it one of the first local authorities in the country to opt out of using the scheme …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 10 September]

“The ‘internship culture’ created by government-backed schemes such as JobBridge is partly to blame for a ten-year low in graduate wages, the Union of Students in Ireland has said …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 9 June]

“An unpaid work placement in Newport Pharmaceuticals Ltd advertised by the Trinity Law School has been cancelled following requests for information from The University Times …” (more)

[Leanna Byrne, University Times, 30 April]