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Are you a PAYE worker and working full or part-time from home? You could be in for a tax rebate!If you’re working part of the time at home and the remainder at a ‘normal place of work’, working full time from home or working on the move with visits to your ‘normal place of work’, you could be in for a Tax Rebate, and going forward a substantial tax relief that you might not be aware of.Are you an e-Worker? According to Revenue.ie an e-Worker is a person who is;<ul><li>working for substantial periods outside the normal place of work</li><li>logging onto a work computer remotely</li><li>sending and receiving email, data or files remotely</li><li>developing ideas, products and services remotely.</li></ul>So if the above applies to you your employer can make a payment of €3.20 per workday to you without deducting Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) or Universal Social Charge (USC). It may not be a fortune but it’s your entitlement and every little helps! This payment is to cover the additional expenditure that you will incur for heating and electricity costs.Your employer can also provide the following items to you for business use to without you incurring any benefit-in-kind:<ul><li>computer or laptop</li><li>printer</li><li>scanner</li><li>software to allow you to work from home</li><li>telephone, mobile and broadband</li><li>office furniture.
</li></ul>Recent statistics from the CSO show that the number of people working from home is growing by 2,000 people per year with estimations suggesting that over 100,000 people are now &quot;mainly working at or from home&quot;.<a href="https://www.joe.ie/news/taxback-work-from-home-ireland-665916"></a> More Information;https://www.revenue.ie/en/employing-people/employee-expenses/e-working-and-home-workers/index.aspx

Working full or part-time from home? You could be in for a tax rebate! 

Director & Chief Biscuit Dunker

Sean Breen

ODD JOBS The weirdest jobs in the world from working as a professional armpit smeller to tasting dog food for €50k or testing water slides.
Some people are paid to be full time armpit sniffers. Sound odd? Amazingly, it&#39;s not the weirdest job out there.
MOST of us would do everything in our power to avoid smelling another person&#39;s BO.
But for some people, smelling armpits is all in a day&#39;s work.
Working as a professional armpit smeller isn&#39;t everyone&#39;s cup of tea.More and more people are signing up to be professional armpit smellers - employed by fragrance and cosmetics companies to test the effectiveness of perfumes and deodorants.
But, unbelievably, it&#39;s not the the most bizarre job on the planet.
Last year a university in California put a call out for anyone who wanted to earn money by eating avocados for three months to see if it aided weight loss.
They were inundated with applications and 250 people managed to snag a place on the three-month trial.
It&#39;s far from the only odd job out there though.
From cuddling people for money to mourning the deaths of strangers on a day-to-day basis, there&#39;s a whole glut of unusual and downright wacky jobs if you&#39;re looking for a career change.
Even better, most of them don&#39;t even require prior training or experience.
So if you&#39;re desperate to get out of the office for good, here&#39;s a look at some of the strangest jobs that you could be doing - and how to apply for them.
Job: Professional armpit smeller
Employer: The International Fragrance Association
Salary: €45,000
How to apply: <a href="https://www.ifrauk.org/careers-jobs/">Apply via their website
</a>We&#39;ve all had days where we&#39;ve got to work and been forced to spend the day sat next to a colleague who&#39;s got a particularly pungent odour emanating from their pits.
But you could put an end to that by making sure lacklustre deodorants don&#39;t make it to the market.
Could you work as a professional armpit smeller?Armpit smellers are employed by companies to help test out the latest products that combat sweat and body odour - and all you have to do is give a big whiff to someone who&#39;s just been working out on a treadmill for an hour.
The average income tallies up to €45,000 a year, so it&#39;s not so bad.
Businesses may call on nose judges to determine the effectiveness of cat litter or shoe insoles at controlling unpleasant smells too.
There&#39;s a job out there for anyone with a well-trained nose.
Job: Professional sleeper
Employer: NASA
Salary: €15,000 for 70 days
Most of us can&#39;t get enough of it no matter how hard we try - but NASA hires professional sleepers who are, you guessed it, given the arduous task of having to sleep for days on end.
Why? It&#39;s all in the name of science.
Volunteers get paid up to €15,000 to sleep for a whopping 70 days in a row so scientists can study the effect of different air pressures on the human body.
Bed rest studies offer scientists ways to see how the body adapts to weightlessness. Participants must live, eat, and even shower in the same position.
This causes their bodies - and cardiovascular systems - to adapt as if they were in space and they are continuously monitored to understand how their bodies change.
Results allow countermeasures to be devised that will help astronauts on space missions, as well as bed-ridden people on Earth.
So you get to sleep through seven Mondays and you get to help the future of the human race in the process - could there be a better job?
If space isn&#39;t your thing, then you can try the same thing a little closer to home in Finland.
Helsinki&#39;s Hotel Finn hires full-time sleepers to test the comfort of their beds in order to help them improve their guest experience. 
Job: Professional dog food taster
Salary: €20K- €50
How to apply: Contact your pooch’s favourite pet food brand with a CV, or check their website for vacancies.
We&#39;d always thought that it was humans that tested on animals - not the other way around.
A pet food taster has the rather disgusting job of being sent the latest pet food flavours and giving them a try.

While dogs and cats have different tastes to us, it&#39;s a tasters job to make sure each ingredient is &quot;balanced in the right way&quot;.
Some people make a living as professional animal food tasters
Phillip Wells, a former taster for Lily&#39;s Kitchen pet food, told Sun Online that the job has even helped him improve his own cooking skills.
“Trying the food is also a good way to pick up on the nuances of the cooking; this works especially well on the dry kibbles,” he says.
Impressively, the salary can range from anywhere between €20,000 and €50,000 depending on how long you&#39;ve been doing the job and just how refined your tastebuds are.
Job: Professional cuddler
Employer: Cuddle Party
Salary: €70 an hour
How to apply: <a href="http://www.cuddleparty.com/facilitator/">sign up for a 10-week virtual training course</a>
In a world where we meet everyone through apps, sometimes the intimacy of face-to-face contact is missing from people&#39;s lives.
That&#39;s where professional cuddlers are here to help.
They&#39;re cashing in up to €70p/h for non-sexual hugging, and experts claim that the rise in their popularity is down to an unlikely factor - Donald Trump.
Marcia Baczynski, co-founder of Cuddle Party, said that the state of the world is driving people to look for comfort in the unlikeliest of places.
Professional cuddlers can earn £60-an-hour at cuddle parties
Professional cuddler Ian Carmen, who&#39;s been doing the job for a couple of years now, insisted that it&#39;s not as sexual as people may think.
He told Sun Online: &quot;When I&#39;m with someone there&#39;s sometimes a sexual moment but you learn to deal with and acknowledge it but you don&#39;t encourage it and it eventually passes&quot;.
Job: Professional Queuer
Employer: Same Ole Lines Dudes
Salary: €20 an hour
How to apply: <a href="http://www.sameolelinedudes.com/home/">Find positions through their website
</a>Whether it’s a sample sale or the latest iPhone model, people are now paying money for professional queuers to wait around in line for them and call when they’re near the front. So instead of sitting around for six hours, you can enjoy your day while someone does it for you.
Could you be a professional queuer?
One man based in NYC, Robert Samuel, got so much business that he’s since started up his own company in the US.
Surprisingly, not all of his clients are just super rich: “It’s all everyday people too.
“Sometimes I get a customer who can’t get out of work on time to wait for a movie premiere, or somebody on the Upper East Side who really wants a new Xbox but doesn’t want to stand in the cold for seven hours before it goes on sale. It’s a whole medley.”
It’s not just people that will employ you to queue. Sometimes brands will pay money for you to stand outside their stores in a bid to make them look more popular, and therefore attract more potential customers.
It’s win win. You can usually earn around 20p/h on the job, which requires absolutely no skill apart from an ability to stand around doing nothing.
Job: Professional water slide tester
Employer: First Choice
Salary: €30,000
How to apply: Contact First Choice directly
If you loved water parks as a kid then this may just be the perfect job for you - but there&#39;s a catch - only one person gets to do it so competition is seriously tough.
Water slide maker First Choice selected Seb Smith to be their water slide tester in 2013.
He beat out over 2000 other applicants for the role, and since then has got to travel around the world for six months every year testing out the latest rides and rating their fun-factor.
“It can be tough when it’s chilly and you have to strip off, but otherwise it’s great,” say previous employee Tommy Lynch.
“Getting to check out the flumes is by far the best bit. But there is a serious side and it carries a lot of responsibility.”
The job pays £26,000 over the six month period every year, so you&#39;re basically free to just chill for the other six months.
First Choice only hire one expert, so you’ll have to wait until Seb’s ready to quit unfortunately!
Job: Professional pusher
Employer: Tokyo travel authority
Salary: DOE
How to apply: At the local station
If you think your commute is bad, then spare a thought for those in Japan who literally find themselves being shoved onto a train so the doors can stay shut.
Tokyo is home to one of the busiest and most efficient rail services in the world, but it doesn&#39;t happen without help during peak hours.During rush hour, the trains become so overcrowded that subway pushers - or Oshiya - are hired to cram as many people inside as possible.<a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7219602/weirdest-jobs-armpit-smeller-dog-food-taster-water-slides/">Original source.</a>

Weirdest jobs in the world - from Pro Armpit Smeller to Dog Food Taster

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, defended the company&#39;s &#39;996&#39; work schedule - which expects employees to submit to 12-hour shifts between 9am and 9pm during a six-day week. 168 hours in a week, Alibaba employees are expected to spend at least 72 of them while in work and they should be grateful.

I personally think that being able to work 996 is a huge blessing.

Many companies and many people don&#39;t have the opportunity to work 996. If you don&#39;t work 996 when you are young, when can you ever work 996?

In this world, everyone wants success, wants a nice life, wants to be respected. Let me ask everyone, if you don&#39;t put out more time and energy than others, how can you achieve the success you want?

Compared to them, up to this day, I still feel lucky, I don&#39;t regret (working 12 hour days), I would never change this part of me.

After getting backlash online and being called an evil capitalist, he addressed it&#39;s not about money but self improvement:

He said 996 is not exploitation.

Artists, scientists, athletes, politicians are all 996 because it&#39;s their passion.
People who committed to 996 must have found their passion, and their happiness and not for the sake of money.

People said this only applies to Chinese staff:

I dare you to ask your American staff to work 996, you&#39;d get sued.

You glorified overworking in China because government won&#39;t enforce labour law and corporates can do whatever they please.

Only talk of working hard, but silent on wages – this is typical language used by people who exploit others.

996 practice is definitely illegal, even in China&#39;s standard.

4 years ago, Jack Ma said that his biggest regret is spending too much time on work and cannot be with his family.

If I still can have a next life, I will never do a business like this. I will be my own self; I want to enjoy my life

China has overtaken Japan in terms of the number of people who die from overwork every year. The figure hit 600,000 in 2014. That works out to about 1,600 deaths every day.

In 2014, a pregnant worker died from large blood loss after working overtime until midnight. She showed warning signs of an ectopic pregnancy, yet she didn&#39;t go to her regular check up because a day-off would affect her performance evaluation.

In 2015, a 14 year-old boy worked himself to death on one of the factories on Alibaba. The company has only been fined 10,000 Yuan (US$1,491).
Last month, a group of tech workers made 996.ICU [By following 996, you are risking yourself getting into the ICU], attaching a full copy of China’s labour law, which prohibits more than 36 hours of overtime per month. The creator called on tech workers to come forward with examples of companies abusing staff by demanding uncompensated overtime. Alibaba and JD are named.

Alibaba Founder Expects Staff To Work 12-Hour Shift On 6-Day Week

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Employees who force themselves to smile and be happy in front of customers -- or who try to hide feelings of annoyance -- may be at risk for heavier drinking after work, according to researchers.A team of researchers at Penn State and the University at Buffalo studied the drinking habits of people who routinely work with the public, for example people in food service who work with customers, nurses who work with patients or teachers who work with students.They found a link between those who regularly faked or amplified positive emotions, like smiling, or suppressed negative emotions -- resisting the urge to roll one&#39;s eyes, for example -- and heavier drinking after work.Alicia Grandey, professor of psychology at Penn State, said the results suggest that employers may want to reconsider &quot;service with a smile&quot; policies.&quot;Faking and suppressing emotions with customers was related to drinking beyond the stress of the job or feeling negatively,&quot; Grandey said. &quot;It wasn&#39;t just feeling badly that makes them reach for a drink. Instead, the more they have to control negative emotions at work, the less they are able to control their alcohol intake after work.&quot;While previous research has shown a connection between service workers and problems with drinking, Grandey said the reasons why were not known. She hypothesized that by faking or suppressing emotions in front of customers, employees may be using a lot of self-control. Later, those employees may not have a lot of self-control left to regulate how much alcohol they drink.&quot;Smiling as part of your job sounds like a really positive thing, but doing it all day can be draining,&quot; Grandey said. &quot;In these jobs, there&#39;s also often money tied to showing positive emotions and holding back negative feelings. Money gives you a motivation to override your natural tendencies, but doing it all day can be wearing.&quot;For the study, the researchers used data from phone interviews with 1,592 U.S. workers. The data came from a larger survey funded by the National Institutes of Health, called the National Survey of Work Stress and Health, which included almost 3,000 participants who were representative of the U.S. working population.Data included information about how often the participants faked or suppressed emotions, also called &quot;surface acting,&quot; as well as how often and how much the participants drank after work. The researchers also measured how impulsive the participants are and how much autonomy they feel they have at work.The researchers found that overall, employees who interacted with the public drank more after work than those who did not. Additionally, surface acting was also linked with drinking after work, and that connection was stronger or weaker depending on the person&#39;s trait-like self-control and the job&#39;s extent of self-control.&quot;The relationship between surface acting and drinking after work was stronger for people who are impulsive or who lack personal control over behavior at work,&quot; Grandey said. &quot;If you&#39;re impulsive or constantly told how to do your job, it may be harder to rein in your emotions all day, and when you get home, you don&#39;t have that self-control to stop after one drink.&quot;In particular, the researchers found a stronger association between surface acting and drinking when employees who are highly impulsive also worked in jobs where employees have one-time service encounters with customers, like a call center or coffee shop, rather than relationships, like health care or education.Grandey said people in these jobs tend to be younger and in entry-level positions, and may lack the self-control tendencies and the financial and social rewards that can buffer the costs of surface acting.According to Grandey, the results -- recently published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology -- suggest that surface acting is less likely to create problems when the work is personally rewarding to the employee.&quot;Nurses, for example, may amplify or fake their emotions for clear reasons,&quot; Grandey said. &quot;They&#39;re trying to comfort a patient or build a strong relationship. But someone who is faking emotions for a customer they may never see again, that may not be as rewarding, and may ultimately be more draining or demanding.&quot;Grandey added that employers may be able to use these insights to create healthier workplace environments.&quot;Employers may want to consider allowing employees to have a little more autonomy at work, like they have some kind of choice on the job,&quot; Grandey said. &quot;And when the emotional effort is clearly linked to financial or relational rewards, the effects aren&#39;t so bad.&quot;###Data collection was supported by a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grant awarded to Michael R. Frone, University at Buffalo, the second author on this paper. Penn State graduate students Gordon M. Sayre and Robert C. Melloy also participated in this work.

Forcing a smile for customers linked with more drinking after work

Nudist family seeking tutor for teenage son because last one felt ‘uncomfortable’ in their home
‘We find it liberating and freeing, and aside from that we’re a completely normal family’Exam season is never easy but this year is proving particularly tough for a Coventry-based nudist couple.

The pair are struggling to find a tutor to coach their teenage son through his A-level revision, after the previous one quit because they felt “uncomfortable” in the home.

The couple, who asked only to be identified as by their first names, Martin and Ada, lead a nudist lifestyle within their house but not outside it.“Like most nudists, we find it liberating and freeing, and aside from that we’re a completely normal family,” the couple said, in an email to Tutor House, a tuition agency.

The pair said their 18-year-old son was not a nudist but that he accepted his parents’ lifestyle choice. “This is why our last tutor quit, they said that they felt uncomfortable at our house, which is fair enough we know that nudism isn’t for everyone” Martin and Ada said.The family is now seeking a tutor who is “accepting” of their nudism.

Martin and Ada told Tutor House, the agency they turned to for help, that the right candidate would not have to be nude while in their house.

Due to the slightly unusual request and with A-level season looming, the pair told the agency they were willing to pay £50 an hour for a tutor to work with their son, for up to 10 hours a week.

Their 18-year-old son needs help with Maths, Physics and French revision.The agency referred to the email in their blog, and said they were “determined to help” despite the family’s slightly unconventional needs.

It is unclear how many applications the request has attracted and despite the high rate, Martin and Ada are yet to appoint a tutor.

“The majority of requests which come through the site tend to be pretty standard, we’ve certainly never received one like this before,” Alex Dyer, Tutor House’s founder, said.

“Even though this request is a lot more out there than most, we’re sure we’ll be able to help this family find the right professional for them.”

Nudist family seeking tutor for son because last one felt ‘uncomfortable’ 

&#39;It&#39;s a dream job&#39;.For professional cannabis connoisseur Jose Dominguez, a day at work often begins with a draw from his vaporizer. Then maybe a joint. Then he might go fishing, or take a relaxing walk outside.“If I test indica, I like to be at home and in a more relaxed environment. Sativa would get me more active and imaginative,” Dominguez told Yahoo Finance Canada. “I always try to increase the experience.”The award-winning pot farmer from Sherbrooke, Que. is settling into his new $50-per-hour gig working for Toronto-based AHLOT. He’s lending his expert lungs to help the company come up with new curated cannabis collections to guide consumers through the vast array of newly-legal products and exotic-sounding strains.He’s one of eight successful applicants to AHLOT’s “cannabis curation committee.” It’s a diverse team of men and women chosen from about 25,000 applicants from across Canada after the company announced plans to hire a team of paid pot aficionados last fall.The eight committee members can earn a maximum of $1,000 each per month during the year-long contract. Dominguez is also the director of a cannabis consulting business called CannaCopeia.His new job involves consuming pot and scoring strains in much the same way judges would at the High Times Cannabis Cup. AHLOT will use the data to gauge the smells, sensations and flavours.“It’s quite a disciplined process,” AHLOT chief creative officer Martin Strazovec told Yahoo Finance Canada. “The core role is to evaluate strains for inclusion in future theme packs.”The company currently sells its Discovery Series Vol. 1 online in Ontario through the government-run Ontario Cannabis Store, where the five-pack of purple jars, each containing one gram of different types of pot from a different licensed producer, is currently out of stock. The same five-pack is available through the BC Cannabis Stores website, as well as brick-and-mortar retail locations in that province.‘Just like wine’When Dominguez gets a new strain, he starts with a vaporizer hit to get a feel for the aroma and flavours. A joint is usually next to see how it burns. He said the process is about pinpointing the overall effect more than simply testing the strength.“I’ll be writing down the dominant flavours. Then the under-flavours. You will have different after tastes, just like in wine,” Dominguez said. “Great cannabis starts with a great look, to a great smell, to a great experience.”A medical cannabis user for several years with a cultivation background and expertise in plant genetics, AHLOT is counting on Dominguez’s reviews to differ from his seven peers.Amanda Bladon, who also won a coveted spot on the committee, uses cannabis to boost creativity and help with anxiety. She may have a different take than Dominguez, for example.Strazovec is betting that nuanced product assessments from eight trusted sources will be key to helping consumers get their hands on the cannabis they like best.“We&#39;re the only company in Canada doing that. We curated that first pack to discover some of the broad categories in terms of cannabis strains,” he said. “Because of the branding and promotional restrictions, the average customer is somewhat lost in the market right now.”Dominguez notes that pot preferences can vary significantly among men or women, casual or heavy users, and even certain regions. That, he said, presents an opportunity to present the product in “infinite ways” through curated, theme-based offerings.“To pass on my experience and be able to say, &#39;Hey, this is the cannabis that made it to the best of the best,&#39; I think it is an incredible opportunity,” Dominguez said. “It&#39;s a dream job.”<a href="https://www.ahlot.com/ccc">Meet the full team here.</a>

Company Paying Staff $50 An Hour To Smoke Weed

A single mom from Nevada, USA said she was in &quot;complete shock&quot; after her 13-year-old son gave her a grand gift she never expected from a boy his age. Krystal Preston posted the heartwarming story on her Facebook, sharing that her son, William Rabillo, surprised her with a car.&quot;I have no words right now that can express how I am feeling at this moment,&quot; the mom wrote. &quot;The last couple weeks have literally been hell filled with so many tears, anger, confusion and heart ache. Today I got the shock of my life.&quot;Preston said her son, who had been busy mowing lawns and cleaning yards, turned into a &quot;money making machine&quot; recently. That&#39;s why she didn&#39;t question the teen when he said he had a job to go do. When he came back home, Preston realized this time was different.&quot;William came home and said, &#39;Mom I bought you a car,&#39;&quot; Preston wrote. &quot;I of course laughed and told him, &#39;Ya right!&#39;&quot;Rabillo told his mom he was serious — he really bought her a car. He told her they had to go see it &quot;with this lady.&quot; The few details coming out of her son made Preston skeptical, but when she walked outside, there was a woman in their front yard waiting to give them a ride. Rabillo jumped in the woman&#39;s car and his mom, still puzzled, followed along. &quot;I&#39;m still thinking at this point [it&#39;s] still a joke. We pull up to this house and William says, &#39;Mom that&#39;s your car.&#39;&quot;&quot;I completely lost it,&quot; Preston wrote, adding that she started to cry. &quot;I am speechless my 13 year old son bought me a car.&quot;In an interview with KOLO-TV, Rabillo said the idea came about when he was scrolling through Facebook and found someone in his area was selling a car. He reached out and offered to give them his Xbox and do some yard work in exchange for the car. The seller took him up on his offer.&quot;And here I thought it was a joke,&quot; the mom wrote. &quot;Nope I was handed the keys and paperwork to the car and I&#39;m freaking out but so in shock.&quot;The mother and son drove off together in the white 1999 Chevrolet Metro he bought her.&quot;I am so proud of my son. He is such a good kid,&quot; Preston wrote. &quot;He may have his days but OMG what 13 year old kid do you know that buys his mom a car... William I love you son and thank you. You have such a big heart and I love you ...&quot;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/krysta1.is.my.name/posts/2414401788792493">Read the full Facebook post here.</a>

13-year-old boy sells Xbox, does yard work to buy his mother a car

NASA Wants To Pay You €16,500 To Lie In Bed For 2 Months And Eat Snacks. If you love NASA and laying in bed, you might just be the ideal test subject for a very lucrative study.NASA is partnering with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center to conduct a study on how long periods of living in zero-gravity affects the human body — and this time, they want to know specifically how women are affected. They’re looking for volunteers for phase two of the study, which will require lying down in a bed in a lab for 60 days. If you can handle that, you could net €16,500 euros for your time and (complete lack of) effort. According to CNN, there will be snacks including pancakes and other sweets.So basically €8,250 a month to lay around and do nothing? We know there’s food, but is the Netflix provided? Because if so, this is an actual dream job.I mean, sure, the point of the study is to test artificial gravity that’s meant to prevent muscle atrophy in astronauts who go to space. And if it doesn’t work, 60 days is definitely enough time to lose some muscle mass. But what are you really using it for, anyway? Who even needs muscles when you can get paid to stay in bed?The study is open to women between the ages of 25 and 55. It will require them to travel to Germany, where they’ll assume their horizontal position in a lab for the next two glorious months. Two thirds of the participants will be placed in a machine daily that rotates their bodies, theoretically forcing blood back into their extremities. The other third of the women in the study will be the control subjects, which means literally all they gotta do is show up and lie down. “All experiments, meals, and leisure pursuits will take place lying down,” a press release about the study reads. “Crewed spaceflight will continue to be important in the future in order to carry out experiments in microgravity, but we must make it as safe as possible for the astronauts.”Participants will also be pretty restricted in how they’re allowed to move, because any strain on their muscles during the study could skew the results. Basically, this is not for anyone but the most committed to the stay-in-bed lifestyle.In addition to laying down for 60 days, they’ll undergo a few weeks of orientation and physical therapy at the beginning and the end of the study, so the total commitment is closer to three months.This isn’t the first time NASA has offered an opportunity like this one. The first phase of the study is already underway, with 12 men and 12 women currently living their best lives lying down for science. They haven’t said yet how many women will be chosen to participate in phase two.On the <a href="https://dlr-probandensuche.de/infos/#vorteile">website</a> to apply, the following requirements are listed: Attention: Good knowledge of German is required. Attention: Good German is required.Contact details for starting your application: Tel. +49 2203 601 3472 | probanden-bit@dlr.de

NASA will pay you €16,500 to stay in bed for 2 months

We need loving individuals and families who are willing to foster an Irish Guide Dogs puppy from age 7-8 weeks to 12-15 months.<h3>What is a Puppy Raiser?</h3>Puppy Raisers foster one of our puppies from age 7-8 weeks until approximately 12-15 months.At seven weeks old our puppies begin their journey to becoming a Guide Dog for a person who is vision impaired, or an Assistance Dog for a family of a child with autism. This journey starts in the homes of our Puppy Raising Volunteers – we like to call this stage our Puppy Academy.The puppy will live with your family in your home. Under the direction of our Early Training Team, puppies learn basic rules and obedience. At approximately 14 months they move into our Training Centre with our highly skilled trainers and the hard work towards graduating as a Guide Dog begins.<h3>What are the benefits of being a Puppy Raiser?</h3>The challenge and reward of seeing a puppy develop in your home.The satisfaction that you have had a pivotal role in providing Guide and Assistance Dogs that enable people with a vision impairment or families of a child with autism to enjoy the same freedom and independence as everyone else.The opportunity to learn new dog training skills from our Early Training Team.<h3>What’s involved?</h3>Experience with obedience training dogs would be an advantage. This is a full-time volunteering role. Living in a Volunteer’s home is crucial to the development of the puppy.You will have a designated person to advise you from our Early Training Team who will provide you with the training and support necessary to educate your puppy. Your goal is to raise your puppy to become well-mannered and socialised. The training you give your puppy is an essential foundation for their future success.<h3>Where does the Puppy Raising Programme operate?</h3>Our Puppy Raising Programme is currently available in the following counties: Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Kildare, Limerick, Waterford and Wicklow.It is also available in the parts of the following counties within 2 hours of our National HQ and Training Centre: Clare, Kilkenny, Laois, Meath, Tipperary and Westmeath.<h3>How do we support our Puppy Raisers?</h3>We provide training at home and online for Puppy Raisers to aid their knowledge and assist them with dog handling skills.Our Early Training Team work closely with each Puppy Raiser, keeping in regular contact and visiting to monitor the puppy’s progress – all to enable our volunteer Puppy Raiser to successfully socialise their puppy.All veterinary fees and feeding costs are covered by Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. We’ll give you beds and leads etc and when you go on holidays we’ll find a nice home for your pup.<h3>What are the requirements?</h3><ul><li>Other dogs in the home are fine once they are sociable and neutered.</li><li>The puppy must not be left alone for more than four hours.</li><li>You must have access to a secured outdoor area.</li><li>Children in the home must be over five years of age.</li><li>You must be 18 years or older, but the whole family can get involved.</li></ul><h3>Which kinds of people make ideal Puppy Raisers?</h3>Retired people and families with children generally make good Puppy Raisers, but anyone can apply, and having pets doesn’t necessarily exclude people. The important thing is that the person is able to spend time caring for and teaching the puppy.<h3>How do I apply?</h3>Please complete the <a href="https://guidedogs.ie/puppy-raising-application-form/">Puppy Raising Application Form here</a> and a member of our Early Training Team will contact you shortly to discuss the role in more detail. If you would like to talk to one of our team please call 1850 506 300 or email futureheroes@guidedogs.ie<a href="https://guidedogs.ie/puppy-raising-application-form/">Apply here.</a>More information <a href="https://guidedogs.ie/give-support/puppy-raising/">here.</a>

Dream Job - Irish Guide Dogs are looking for puppy raisers

<ul><li>A British family is seeking a nanny who&#39;s willing to dress up as a Disney Princess every day.</li><li>The successful candidate will be tasked with inspiring 5-year-old twins by playing the parts of Princesses Anna, Merida, Belle, Cinderella, and more.</li><li>The nanny will have to pick the twins up from school four days a week, organize Disney-related activities, bake, sing, cook dinner, and sometimes put the girls to bed.</li><li>The role is part-time and comes with a salary of €46,249 while the cost of the costumes will also be covered.</li></ul>If you&#39;ve never grown out of wanting to be a Disney Princess, your dream job may have just become available.There&#39;s just the tiny matter of looking after two small children, too.A British couple are looking to hire a nanny for their 5-year-old twin girls, but with a specific and unusual addition to the role.The nanny will be required to be permanently in character as a Disney Princess.This means the successful candidate will get to spend their days dressed up as some of Disney&#39;s most iconic characters, including Belle, Cinderella, Anna, Moana, Rapunzel, and Merida.What&#39;s more, the Disney Princess nanny will be paid a salary of €46,249.06 for working part-time.The parents are hoping the nanny will teach their children about strong female role models and instil important values such as determination, fearlessness, and compassion.In the job advert posted on Childcare.co.uk, the UK&#39;s largest online platform for childcarers, parents, tutors, and schools, the mother of the twins said the family are looking for a part-time nanny to work during the week, based in Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire.

&quot;Like most 5-year-olds, our girls are obsessed with Disney and we feel this would be the best way to communicate some important values,&quot; she wrote.
&quot;We know this isn&#39;t a normal request for nannies, however we think it would be a great way to teach our girls about things like determination, compassion, fearlessness, and ambition from strong yet relatable female role models like Princess Tiana, Princess Anna, Belle, and Cinderella.

&quot;We are looking for someone who can commit to a character and create a really fun atmosphere in our home, but also won&#39;t be afraid to be a disciplinarian if the twins are naughty or act out — they can be little terrors at times!&quot;

The ad goes on to say that &quot;the right person will have a real creative flare as well as a passion for all things Disney and will be able to share that love of those characters with our girls.&quot;


The role will involve picking the twins up from school four days a week, organizing Disney-related activities such as arts and crafts, baking, singing, cooking dinner, and sometimes putting them to bed.

On top of the salary, the parents will cover the costs of all costumes.

&quot;We think it&#39;s a great opportunity for someone to get really creative and add a little magic to our girls&#39; lives!&quot; the mother wrote. &quot;So, if there are any Disney-mad nannies out there who&#39;d be able to help us out, please get in touch.&quot;
See the full job description and <a href="https://www.childcare.co.uk/profile/2780924">apply here.</a>

Family offers €46,000 for nanny to dress as Disney princess everyday

With the 2019 Voice UK set to be crowned in just a few weeks’ time, the producers are on the hunt already for next years’ contestants. If you are an incredible solo artist, duo or trio who thinks their voice is strong enough to become The Voice 2020 you can apply now.You have to be at least 16-years-old by 1 October 2019 in order to participate.If you want to impress the producers, you&#39;ll need to prepare one or two songs with either a backing track on an electronic device or a musical instrument.<h2>If you get an audition for The Voice 2020, what happens next?</h2>You won&#39;t meet coaches Olly, Tom, Jennifer and Will straight away unfortunately.If you impress the scouts, you will then go to an initial audition.You then go through three rounds before you even get to go before the coaches.Once you are through to the blind auditions with the coaches, you must be picked by one of the judges.If this happens you then fight your way through the battles, knockouts and live shows and you’ve won it… simple eh?Who ever said that the entertainment business was easy? If you have the talent and the will power to keep going apply now - best of luck!! APPLY HERE; <a href="https://itvuk.etribez.com/ag/itvthevoiceuk/thevoiceuk2020/preWelcome.html">https://itvuk.etribez.com/ag/itvthevoiceuk/thevoiceuk2020/preWelcome.html</a>

DO YOU THINK YOU COULD BE THE VOICE 2020?

Director & Ideation Manager

Pamela Doyle

Even if you absolutely love what you do, it&#39;s tough not to daydream about what it&#39;d be like to retire early and spend the rest of your days doing anything and everything you want. Or better yet, finding a gig that actually pays you to do just that.Well, it turns out that such a fantasy could one day be your reality, because there&#39;s a new opportunity in Sweden, promising a cool €2,032 a month for doing absolutely nothing.This wildly unique new dream job comes courtesy of a conceptual art project in Gothenburg, Sweden, which is looking for one employee to essentially do nothing beyond clocking in and out at a newly refurbished train station. The unconventional opportunity is full time and your only responsibilities are to show up to the Korsvägen train station to clock in and out. By clocking in, you turn on a set of lights over the station platform, and by clocking out, you turn them off. Otherwise, you don&#39;t even have to stick around the station and can pretty much spend your day doing whatever you want. The only stipulation is that you don&#39;t get another job. &quot;The position holds no duties or responsibilities, other than that it should be carried out at Korsvägen,&quot; reads the official job description. &quot;Whatever the employee chooses to do constitutes the work.&quot; Also, the job is open to anyone -- not just Swedes -- and is guaranteed for life.In addition to doing whatever you want during the day, the gig also comes with other perks like vacation time, annual wage increases, and a pension for retirement. The only downside here is that they won&#39;t be accepting applications for the job until 2025, just before the Korsvägen train station is set to reopen. If you&#39;re curious how and why this became a job in the first place, it&#39;s a bit complicated. Back in 2017, officials put out a call to artists to pitch design ideas for the new train station, with the winning idea getting a $750,000 prize. That&#39;s when a pair of artists proposed this conceptual art piece, entitled &quot;Eternal Employment,&quot; which is meant to be a critique of growing wealth disparities and monotonous work, according SF Gate.&quot;In the face of mass automation and artificial intelligence, the impending threat/promise is that we will all become productively superfluous,&quot; reads the proposal. &quot;We will all be &#39;employed at Korsvägen&#39;, as it were.&quot; They also insist that the piece &quot;not only offers a different understanding of work and the worker, but questions the very notions of growth, productivity and progress which are at the core of modernity.&quot;The artists won over the judging panel and got the $750,000 prize, which they will use to pay whoever gets the job. The artists said they&#39;ll be investing it in equity funds to ensure they can afford to keep paying for the position for 120 years. Fortunately, you have some time to beef up your resume and consider whether you want to throw your hat in the ring. Sweden sure seems like a lovely place to live, though.<a href="https://statenskonstrad.se/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/3-Eternal_Employment-WrittenDescriptionA4.pdf">Read the full job description here.</a>

New Dream Job Will Pay You €2,032 a Month to Do Absolutely Nothing

Vehicle technology company Valeo is to create 50 new jobs at its facility in Tuam, Co Galway, as part of an expansion of its Research and Development centre there. The company already employs in excess of 1,000 people in the town. Valeo has announced a €44m investment, which will lead to the new positions being filled over the next three years. The firm said much of the focus of its R&amp;D will be on Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technology. The expansion will bring to more than 500 the number employed in R&amp;D roles at the Tuam plant. Much of the work being carried out there is leading to advances in driverless technology. As well as serving as a centre for future product development, the north Galway facility produces a number of components for other Valeo plants in Europe, America and Asia. The project is supported by IDA Ireland.IDA Ireland&#39;s CEO Martin Shanahan said the new investment was an exciting project, focused on new emerging and disruptive advances in Autonomous Vehicles. &quot;As a technology leader in autonomous technologies, with a global remit, Valeo is helping in the development of a cluster in Ireland around AV. This project will add significant value to the company&#39;s operations in Tuam and will benefit Tuam, Galway and the West region substantially,&quot; he added.The Minister of State for Rural Affairs &amp; Natural Resources Sean Canney said the investment shows that global companies like Valeo can find, in regional locations, the skilled workers they require, the necessary infrastructure and services and pro-business environment, to establish and grow their operations.The company had 186 plants, 21 research centres, 38 development centres and 15 distribution platforms around the world with a workforce of 113,600 people in 33 countries.

Valeo to create 50 jobs in Tuam in €44m investment

Falcon Real Estate Development Ireland has reiterated its commitment to the Waterford North Quays and Michael Street developments, with works planned to start before the end of the year. The independent real estate developer and operator aims to develop a significant quality range of assets, meeting the company’s vision for Waterford to be the “go-to” destination for living, working, shopping and entertainment. It is currently focused on the pre-development and planning phases. Waterford North Quays, an eight hectare real estate mixed use scheme, was conferred SDZ (Strategic Development Zone) designation by the Government in 2016. It will comprise a sustainable mix of 46,900 square metres convenience and comparison retail facilities, leisure and dining destinations, and a Waterford Visitor Experience. Complementary to the scheme and core to its values of diversity are a 200-room four star hotel and conference centre, 15,000 square metres prime office space, and 300 riverside apartments will be delivered in a contemporaneous and phased approach.Waterford North Quays is set to become one of Ireland’s most modern transport hubs, connecting the site locally and nationally with rail, bus, Greenway, pedestrian and electric bus with a link-bridge to Waterford city centre across the River Suir. It will blend carefully planned infrastructure investments with tourism, retail, business and living needs.Visitors will be able to enjoy easy parking, quality restaurants and cafes with over 35,000 square metres of green open space and a riverside promenade - an integral part of the Waterford-Dungarvan Greenway. Falcon Real Estate Development’s vision is to create a new focus for Waterford city and a destination that is firmly integrated with the local community, offering opportunities for living, working and socialising.The North Quay development will mark a major economic boost for Waterford and the South East. The total investment is estimated to be €350 million in the development, phased over three to five years. 2,300 full-time roles will be created during the development of the new district, with an additional 4,500 indirect jobs.The planned completed integration of the scheme with the existing urban centre of the city will confirm Waterford as the gateway city of the South East, increasing regional and national visitation, tourism, and will serve to reverse regional economic leakage.Combined with the forecasted 2040 population growth of 181,000 people for the South East, the retail market size in the South East is expected to grow from €3.49 billion in 2015 to €6.30 billion in 2025. Source: <a href="https://www.waterfordlive.ie/news/home/369222/2-300-full-time-jobs-for-waterford-as-north-quay-works-to-start-this-year.html">Waterford Live,</a>

2,300 full-time jobs for Waterford as North Quays works to start this year

<h1></h1>Irish workers are urged to &#39;check their payslips&#39; after Revenue admits overcharging PAYE tax payers by over €3.5 billion since 2010.The startling discovery was made by Fianna Fail’s Finance Spokesman Michael McGrath following a series of Dail questions.But the TD said the figure may be even higher as not all appeals have been ­processed and many PAYE employees do not even query their tax.On average, the Revenue Commissioners handed back more than €700 to each­ ­taxpayer who successfully made a claim.McGrath has urged punters to check if they might be entitled to a refund of some of the income tax they have paid in the past four years.He told the Irish Sun: “What these figures show is that each year over half a million ­taxpayers have received tax refunds after ­submitting a claim or following a request for an end of year review known as a P21 balancing statement.“However, I suspect there are many more taxpayers out there who are entitled to refunds but who have not claimed them.“Tax-payers should check their payslip. For many people who may be struggling to pay their bills, this could represent a significant refund.&quot;Overpayments can occur for a variety of reasons such as couples not being jointly assessed, a break in work, unpaid leave being taken, or medical reliefs not being claimed. You can only claim back tax for the past four years.By John Drennan - 9th March 2019 - The Irish SunInformation from Citizens Information Site re getting refunds;<h2>PAYE overpayments and underpayments of tax</h2>An overpayment of tax happens when you have paid more tax than you were liable to pay. If you have overpaid tax you will get a tax refund. You must claim a tax refund within 4 years of the end of the year in which the overpayment arose or you will not get a refund.An underpayment of tax is when you have paid less tax than you were liable to pay. If you have paid too little tax you will owe Revenue the difference between what you actually paid and what you should have paid. You may not know that you have paid too little tax, but you are still responsible for paying Revenue if an underpayment of tax has occurred. If you are a PAYE taxpayer and you are registered with Revenue&#39;s PAYE Services you can view your tax credit certificate online. You can do this using Revenue&#39;s myAccount Service online or on mobile and tablet devices using Revenue&#39;s RevApp. Your tax credit certificate will show the tax credits that your employer is deducting from your tax bill. If you find out during the year that your tax credits are not correct you should contact Revenue and any refund you may be due will be paid to you by your employer. It is also important to check you are not claiming tax credits you are not entitled to, as this will result in an underpayment of tax.To find out whether you owe tax or are due a tax refund you can request an end of year statement (P21) at the end of the year.<h3>End of year statement (P21)</h3>When the year has ended you can request a P21. This is an end of year review of your tax liability. You can get a P21 for the last 4 years. (You can only claim a refund of overpaid tax for the last 4 years.) A P21 statement gives details of your total income, tax credits, tax reliefs and PAYE tax paid for a particular tax year.There are several ways to get a P21, you can:<ul><li>Complete and return a Form 12 (pdf) to your district tax office</li><li>Complete the online eForm 12 return in Revenue’s myAccount Service.</li><li>You can view a P21 online using the myAccount Service or on mobile and tablet devices using Revenue’s RevApp.</li></ul>A P21 is often used as proof of earnings to get a maintenance grant, a mortgage for a house or a loan.<h2>Overpayments</h2>You may have overpaid tax if you become unemployed or are out of work sick. Find out more about claiming a tax refund if you are unemployed or out of work sick. You may have overpaid tax if your tax credits are incorrect or you haven’t claimed tax relief for certain expenses. Find out more about the tax credits and reliefs you may be entitled to claim.If you have overpaid tax, a cheque for the amount overpaid will be attached to your P21. If you submitted a Form 12 as part of your end of year review you can also provide your bank account details and Revenue will refund the overpayment to your bank account.<h2>Underpayments</h2>An underpayment will remain on your tax record with Revenue until it is paid. Your P21 or end of year review will show if you have underpaid tax. It will also inform you how the underpayment will be collected. Usually, you will not pay money directly to Revenue. The easiest way for Revenue to collect the underpayment is to reduce your tax credits in the following year.For example, if you get a personal tax credit of €1,650 and a PAYE tax credit of €1,650 your total tax credit for 2018 is €3,300. If you underpaid €90 tax in 2017, your total tax credit in 2018 will be reduced by €90 (€3,300 - €90 = €3,210). In this case, your total tax credit for 2018 will be changed to €3,210.An underpayment can also be deducted from any tax relief you are due. For example, if you have underpaid your income tax by €100 but are also due to get tax relief of €400 on medical expenses, the underpayment of €100 will be deducted from the overpayment of €400 and you will get a refund of €300.If you have a large underpayment which cannot be easily repaid by reducing your tax credits the following year, you can arrange to pay Revenue directly by cheque, banker’s draft or postal order. You can pay the total amount in one payment or in instalments. You will need to contact your district tax office about repaying the underpayment.Outstanding tax due to Revenue can incur interest and penalties. If you refuse to repay tax that is due Revenue can take you to court.<h2>Where to apply</h2>If you think your tax is currently being calculated incorrectly or you want to request a P21, contact your district tax office.<a href="https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax/paye_overpayments_and_underpayments_of_tax.html">https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax/paye_overpayments_and_underpayments_of_tax.html</a>

Irish workers urged to ‘check their payslips’ - Revenue admits overcharging

Legislation signed by President Higgins on Christmas Day 2018 banning zero-hour contracts comes into effect from today Monday March 4.Zero-hour contracts will be banned in almost all circumstances and workers in casual and precarious jobs will have greater certainty around the length of their working week.The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 is one of the most important pieces of employment law in twenty years and is the result of a five-year campaign by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.Welcoming the new law, ICTU General Secretary Patricia King said: “Workers’ rights have been significantly improved thanks to the trade union movement successfully pushing for legal protection around the working hours of the lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers.”She said: “Zero-hour and low-hours contracts give employers complete discretion when it comes to working hours. Rogue bosses, taking full advantage of this, unashamedly use the threat of reduced hours to keep workers in-line and to punish workers for being unavailable. It is stressful, humiliating and makes it next to impossible for workers to plan ahead or to budget for their household expenses. The day-to-day reality of such working conditions for workers has no place in a modern, wealthy economy. This new law rightly puts an end this power-imbalance.”There are four new rights for workers:1. Workers are entitled to a written statement of their terms of employment within first five days. The act legally requires employers to provide workers with a written statement of their main conditions of employment within the first five days of being hired. The statement must include details of daily and weekly working hours, rate of pay and how pay is calculated.2. Zero–Hour contracts are banned in almost all circumstances. It had become practice for some employers to employ workers without guaranteeing them a set number of working hours. Under the act, employers will no longer be able to use such zero-hour contracts except in very limited circumstances, such as to provide cover in emergency situations or to cover short-term absences.3.Workers are entitled to a minimum payment if their employer fails to provide them with work. Workers have the right to compensation from their employer if they turn up for work but are sent home without work. The minimum payment they are entitled to is 3 hours pay at the minimum wage rate, or 3 hours at the JLC rate if they work in a sector where an Employment Regulation Order is in force, such as security or contract cleaning.4. Workers are entitled to be guaranteed hours of work that reflect their normal working week. Under the act, workers have the right to be placed on a weekly band of hours that accurately reflect their normal working hours. For example, if a worker’s contract guarantees 10 hours per week but for the last 12-month period the worker has worked an average 25 hours per week, they are entitled to be placed on a band of hours that guarantees them a minimum of 21 hours per week. Any worker denied their new rights under this legislation or victimised for asking for them, should contact a trade union who will assist them vindicate their rights. Union contact details can be found on <a href="https://www.ictu.ie/">www.ictu.ie</a>.<a href="https://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/home/367591/goodbye-zero-hour-contracts-new-legislation-comes-into-effect-today.html">Original Source.</a>

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