A new National Internship Scheme is being launched in July 2011. The new Job Bridge website will show all the available internships – eventually.
An internship can be a good way for people to gain experience in a working environment and to gain some relevant knowledge and skills required for a particular career.
The internships will be for a 6 month or 9 month period and Interns will receive an allowance of €50 per week on top of their social welfare entitlement.
To be eligible for a place as an intern you must be unemployed and in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance or signing for Social Insurance Contribution Credits for 3 months or more.
To try and prevent employers treating it as a free labour scheme – there are some rules in place.
The host organisation currently may not have vacancies in the area of activity in which the internship is offered.
Also the internship will not be provided to displace an employee. The scheme administrator reserves the right to review cases where it is reported that this is the case.
Jobbridge.ie is the Internship website.
They could have chosen a better name – there is already a JobsBridge website that belongs to a US jobs site. Many people are looking for jobsbridge.ie and finding nothing.
