Why do I do it to myself? I was driving back from Maynooth and I needed something for the computer and thought I would make my life easy by stopping at PC World in Liffey Valley. Make my life easier – not what happened.
I have known for some time that the service in this shop is crap and therefore I drive a bit further usually and get what I need from PC World in Carrickmines – where the service is amazingly great.
I was only looking for some toner and a cable conversation.
“Hi, can you tell…”
“Sorry too busy just now” – he walks away.
Fuck – am I some sort of invisible person.
So I try again by asking at the customer service, man imagine putting those two words together when talking about this PC World.
“Hi, can you tell me…”
“Sorry, you will have to get one of the guys on the floor”
“But it says customer service here” – he just laughs, chuckles like I have not yet been switched on.
“Any ideas if I just tell you what I am looking for?”
“Sorry mate.”
Two minutes later I am back in the car wondering why I thought this was a good idea.
St Stephens Green in the centre of Dublin is one of my quiet havens of peace in a city that sometimes seems like it will explode in a chaotic frenzy. At times the city just gets so busy it is good to step away from the noise, the traffic, and the crowded pavements.
I have two favorite place for this. I grab a coffee from somewhere and head either to Stephens Green or walk into Trinity College Dublin.
Stephens Green is normally big enough to find a place of peace, however it can get very busy during warm days in the summer. At other times of the year it is great, to walk in nature in the middle of the city is a real luxury that we can enjoy. The large trees, the birds singing, and the traffic kept at a distance.
This will all change next year. The entrance to the Green will be closed from the Grafton Street end to allow work to begin on the new subway/ Luas line that will connect main stations within in the city. It is great that this is happening, but losing the Green for more than a year is tough.
Foreigners coming to live in Ireland are surprised at the lack of recycling in Ireland. Following on my my post last week about “Why do they drop rubbish in the Streets?” – I didn’t know the answer to that one.
So imagine trying to jump from there to recycling and encouraging everyone to do so. A tough job – and you would think that someone has to do it – however the Irish Government has little appetite to tackle the recycling problem in Ireland.
I don’t know if the reason is that the population is so spread out that they are not willing to burden the population with the cost. The problem ends up being that rubbish is dumped anywhere – often in the hills outside of Dublin.
Thankfully that has changed somewhat and the authorities no longer charge for the disposal of household rubbish – but that only applies to small household waste and certain types; for instance if you want to dispose of cooking oil properly and take it to one of the centres you will be charged – if you want to throw away any bulky goods you will be have to pay a fee, so furniture, timbers, DIY waste, rubble, you get the picture – so instead of going along and paying the fees, there is a small minority that will just dump this anywhere, and then it has to be cleaned up eventually, meanwhile it lies for weeks, an eyesore on this beautiful land.
Anyway we are now into the summer time hours for the Ringsend Recycling Centre – their address is Pigeon House, Ringsend, Dublin 4 and they are open Mon to Fri 9am – 8pm (until 31st Oct) and Sat and bank holidays 9am – 4pm. Make use of it.
Their slogan is laughable “the less you throw away the less you will pay” – the contrast with Vienna where I lived for a year is amazing. In Vienna there is a local dump near everyone, everyone will take their own rubbish that can be recycled and put it into the separate bins, batteries in one, papers in another, glass in another, there is a bin or skip for everything – all free, clean street they have!
by admin on April 30, 2008
Finding work in Ireland is still very easy, however there are some basic steps to take before you start.
Have your CV translated into English and have someone who is used to Irish CV’s look at it for you. The lay can be quite different between Ireland and the rest of Europe. The focus of your CV is to get a job interview and not list everything that you can possibly think about yourself. Therefore every CV that you send should be tailored for that particular position.
Reverse chronological order is normal for a CV. Start with your personal details, then education and next work
experience. Layout the work experience, if you can, in the format of bullet points.
Be easy to contact – if you are not in Ireland while applying for jobs, add your full international telephone code, check your email regularly – employers here will not wait around for days for you to get back to them, they expect a reply that day or the next.
Sending speculative CV’s is okay and may yield results. Companies like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, are always on the hunt for new talent – especially those with more than one language.
If you are replying to a job advert your letter should be short, the letter is to introduce your CV, a motivational letter will not be expected and will be seen as too over the top except for high level positions.
Be prepared for personal questions in the interview, talk about challenges that you have over come and have a few examples from a work place situation. Expect to be asked how long you are intending to stay in Ireland and what other hobbies or activities you under take.
Never be negative in an interview, never criticise a former employer, this will be taken as your character not them.