Job Seeker

"EmployAbility Service, Dublin South, aims to place people with a disability into the employment of their choice, based on the persons’ strengths, interests and capabilities, and to provide support as required.”

Eligibility criteria

Aged between 18-66​

EmployAbility Dublin South support jobseekers between the ages of 18 and 66 years who are out of work due to a long term medical condition, illness, injury, mental illness or disability.

Have a recognised disability​

You do not have to be on a disability payment or in receipt of any social welfare payment to access our service, however we may need a completed medical form from your GP/medical professional if you are not on a disability related payment.

Be job ready​

Jobseekers are required to be ‘’Job Ready’’. This is defined as having the necessary training, education, motivation, transport and ability to pursue work in the open labour market.

8+ hours per week​

Jobseekers must be willing and able to work independently for a minimum of 8 hours per week.

Available for meetings

Jobseekers must be available to attend regular meetings with a job coach.

How to get started

Get help to identify your employment or career goals and develop an employment action plan. Develop a CV that reflects your skills, experiences and interests. Your job searching will be targeted and you will be helped with interview preparation.

1.

Register for EmployAbility service

  • Get in touch with your local INTREO office
  • Find your local INTREO office here
  • Ask your INTREO Employment Advisor to refer you to EmployAbility Service

2.

Career Guidance

  • Getting to know you
  • Preparation for work
  • Identifying challenges and any support needs
  • Helping you to identify your skills and abilities
  • Preparing CVs and references
  • Matching your skills to suitable jobs
  • Developing an action plan for job searching

3.

Job Search

  • Providing support to help you look for work
  • Working together to find a job
  • Helping you to prepare for interview
  • Helping to agree the terms and conditions of employment

4.

Employed with support

  • Background Support (if required)
  • Accessing grants supporting your employer (if required)
  • Helping with any employment related questions or concerns

5.

Work independently

  • Help with developing natural supports at work with colleagues
  • Needing less support over time

Job seeker grants

There are a number of initiatives and grants available from the government that you as a jobseeker can avail of to support you into employment.
Learn more about grants available for employers >>

Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP)​

The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a 6-month, 30 hour per week voluntary work experience programme. The programme is for jobseekers that are currently getting a qualifying social welfare payment and who have been unemployed for between 4 months (if under 30 years of age) and 6 months (if over 30 years of age).

The weekly rate of payment is €335.

If you would like to re-train and gain experience in another type of employment, this programme can help you build new skills and gain work experience. You cannot take a placement where you already have built up experience in the role.

You can work part-time while you are on the programme, provided the part-time work does not impact your placement. The part-time work cannot be with the WPEP host.

Work and Access

Work and Access is a set of supports to help people with a disability get a job or stay in work. The supports aim to remove or reduce barriers in the workplace for people with a disability.

Supports for Jobseekers, Employees, Self-Employed include:

  • Workplace Needs Assessment, to assist in identifying the need for additional supports
  • Communication Support, for interview and in work
  • In-Work Support, to help you perform in your position
  • Personal Reader, to assist you in work
  • Work Equipment, to assist you in your job

Work and Access employer supports include:

  • Workplace Needs Assessment, to assist in identifying employees need for additional supports
  • Workplace Adaptation, to accommodate additional employee needs
  • Disability Equality and Inclusion Training, to provide employers and organisations with access to training for staff, to gain a better awareness and understanding of disabilities in the workplace

.

Jobs Plus.

If you have been unemployed more than 12 months your employer could be eligible for JobsPlus when employing you. JobsPlus offers grants of €7,500 and €10,000 for employers who offer employment opportunities to the long term unemployed.

Training grants​​

You may be able to avail of a grant to undertake short term training to support you to get employment. Your Employment Advisor in INTREO or your Job Coach can support and advise you on this.

Job interview interpreter grant

If you are deaf or hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, you can apply for funding to pay for an interpreter to assist you at a job interview you attend. If you start a new job, you can also use a JIIG to pay for an interpreter to help you during your induction period. Your Job Coach can support you to avail of this.

Personal reader grant

If you have a visual impairment or are blind and need help with reading at work, you may be eligible to apply for a grant to allow you to employ a personal reader.

This grant aid allows you to employ someone on a part-time or ad-hoc basis for a maximum of 640 hours a year to help you with reading at work. 

Part time job initiative

The Part-Time Job Incentive (PTJI) Scheme allows long-term jobseekers to take up part-time work for less than 24 hours per week and get a special weekly allowance instead of their jobseeker’s payment. It is intended to be a stepping stone to full-time work. You must be available for and seeking full-time work while you are on the Part-Time Job Incentive Scheme.

Work Experience Program​

We have a work experience programme that you can avail of. If you have very little work history it’s a good chance for you to get some experience, or you may think you’d like to work in a particular sector but not sure if it would suit you.

Our work experience programme allows you to try working with a company before you come off your payments or sign a contract of employment. That way you get hands on experience of the job and the company before you commit to it.

If you are on a payment, you stay on your payment during your work experience and we will give you a top up of €20 per week at the end of your work experience.

Frequently asked question

Yes. If you have a disability and need assistance to get a job, we can help you. If you are not in receipt of a disability payment you can still apply to our service.
Yes. We can help you to assess your new circumstances in relation to your work options. We can advise you and your current employer about the grants available to retrain you to undertake alternative duties in the company or to help you continue to work at your existing duties using modified techniques. We can also explore new work options and help you rebuild your career.

Unfortunately we do not always have a list of job vacancies waiting to be filled. A lot will depend on the economy and the type of work you are looking for. If you are willing to be more flexible around the type of work, hours and where you will work this will help to improve your chances of finding a job.

Our aim is to support you get a job that best suits you. We let you decide on the hours that you are looking for and have supported people into jobs ranging from 8 hours per week to 40 hours per week. Each jobseeker’s personal circumstances are different, and we can discuss with you what working arrangement is best for you.

It is not possible to say how long it will take to get a job. As much as we would like to be able to – we simply can’t promise that you will definitely get a job. However we can promise that we will do our best to help you to get a job. It is important to remember that job seeking is a partnership approach between you and your Job Coach with both of you working together to help you to progress to employment. Being flexible, available and open to opportunity will help you to find work quicker. It is also worth considering taking up temporary work experience opportunities to enhance your chances as well.

You can work and retain part of your disability allowance. This is calculated on how much you earn per week. Different payments have different rules. It will depend on what payment you are on, how many hours you work and what your earnings are. Many people can work part time and still receive some of their payment. We can discuss this with you and help you to figure out the best plan for your situation.

The disclosure of information can be a sensitive issue for many people with disabilities. Your Job Coach will discuss with you the best way to disclose information about your disability when applying for jobs. With your consent, we can discuss with prospective employers work options based on your abilities, and identify workable solutions to any challenges that may present.

Employers know that most employees (with or without a disability) at some point cannot attend work due to illness. It is important when you are sick and cannot attend, to follow your employer’s protocol for this.

Notify your employer well in advance of any hospital appointments. If you are regularly missing work days due to illness, your Job Coach may step in and reassess the situation with you and your employer with regard to different hours, further supports or putting the employment on hold until you become well again.

There are 24 EmployAbility offices throughout Ireland. Find the office closest to you.

The first step is to register with your local INTREO office. You will find the offices for South Dublin here. Once you meet with a case officer, ask to be referred to EmployAbility Service. They will send us your details and we will contact you. Please get in touch if you don’t hear from us within a couple of weeks and we can follow it up for you.

Share our services to your friends, family and network

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp
Share on email
Email

Contact

Site menu

More information

Funded by the Department of Social Protection