OPTIONS 2019
A guide for schools leavers Leaving Cert results will be available on Tuesday 13th August 2019, check with each school as to what time they will be available.
CAO OFFERS First Round CAO offers will be available online from 2pm on 15th August 2019 (also issued by e-mail and SMS text). Applicants who have not received an offer will receive a `Statement of Application` e-mail. Closing date for Round One acceptance is 23rd August 2019 at 5:15pm. Round Two CAO offers will be made on 28th August 2019 from 10am online. Closing date for Round Two offers is 30th August 2019 at 5:15pm. Round Three CAO offers will be available on 6th September 2019 from 6am online. Closing date for Round Three acceptance is 11th September at 5:15pm. For further details and information a CAO handbook can be downloaded from www.cao.ie 2
OTHER OPTIONS 1. Further education courses Post Leaving Certificate courses are intensive, fulltime, one-year programmes that prepare students for entry-level employment or progression to further study. Courses are designed as an ideal progression from Leaving Certificate or Leaving Certificate Applied for those who want an extra year to study a specific vocational area and for adults returning to education. There are many places available in a huge variety FE /PLC courses. These training programmes can lead to FETAC awards (The Further Education and Training Awards Council) and in turn some are linked to reserved places on higher education courses. Check what is available in your local ETB centre and their links to third level colleges.
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2. SUSI You can check if you are eligible and apply for the grant by going to https://susi.ie New applications priority closing date has already closed on 11th July 2019, however applications can still be sent. The closing date for priority renewal applications for those returning to college closed on 13th June 2019, however you can still send an application.
3. Leaving cert appeals process You no longer will receive an Appeals Form with your Leaving Cert results. Students should now appeal their results using the online Appeals Application and Service on www.examinations. ie which will be available from 5pm on the 16th of August, 2019. You access this service online using your Examination Number and Pin. At the end of the transaction the candidate will be provided with an Appeal Confirmation Form showing the subjects which they have opted to appeal. In orden to make a valid appeal, the must return this form to the school where the sat their examinations.
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The appeal application is only complete if the form is returned to the school and candidates have until 5pm on the 22nd of August, 2019 to do so. Candidates who took the Leaving Certificate Applied programme can obtain a personalised appeal application from their school. The appeal fee is â‚Ź40.00 per subject in the case of the Leaving Certificate and â‚Ź15.50 per subject in the case of the Leaving Certificate Applied. Appeal fees must be paid in advance. The fee will be refunded to you if your result is upgraded. The refund will be made through your school if you are entered by school. You are now permitted to bring in a mobile phone, tablet or digital camera for the purpose of copying your own scripts. You are not allowed to use the digital device for any other purpose of copying, except your own script Students must attend to view their marked scripts in person, at the appointed time only. You can be accompanied by one other person. In 2019 the results of the Leaving Certificate appeals will be released to students in the week beginning 16th September, a full three weeks earlier than the normal timeframe.
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4. Further education courses Direct employment for school leavers is difficult to source. Continuing within the education/ training system is undoubtedly the best way towards improving your employment prospects. But gaining experience in a work field is also important and helps you develop professionally and personally.
5. European and International Youth Mobility Opportunities You can volunteer, work or study abroad. There are many options to travel for FREE that are available to those aged 18- 30 years old, such as European Solidarity Corps (under Erasmus+). These opportunities are available from a minimum of 2 weeks to a maximum of 1 year. You choose where you would like to travel to and what you would like to do. Contact Letterkenny YIC for more information on these opportunities.
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6. Apprenticeship An Apprenticeship is a programme of structured education and training which formally combines and alternates learning in the workplace with learning in an education or training centre. It is a dual system, which is a blended combination of on-the- job employer-based training and off-thejob training which prepares the participant for a specific occupation, and leads to a qualification nationally recognised on the National Framework of Qualifications from Level 5 – Level 10. Additional information on www.apprenticeship.ie
7. Independent third level college/ private college In addition to the state funded colleges, private fee paying Colleges, some outside the CAO system, offer a variety of courses with recognised qualifications. Contact them directly to check availability and cost.
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There are points calculators available on www.cao.ie and also www.qualifax.ie Choose your six highest subjects and enter them into the points calculator and it will do the work.
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COLLEGE SURVIVAL TIPS Accommodation Finding accommodation can be daunting, especially in a strange town/city. Keep checking sites such as www.daft.ie , newspapers for the area (you can access the online publication) or contact the Students Union of the college you are attending for more information. Decide first if you are going to stay on campus, share accommodation with someone or find a place of your own. Deciding factors in this will of course be the cost and distance to the campus. If sharing with someone you will need to consider •
How the grocery bill will be split, will everyone buy their own food and have separate storage or will everyone contribute an equal amount towards groceries?
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What about bills? Are they included in the rent or do they need to split equally?
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Is the electricity prepay? How will this be divided?
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What about the cleaning of common areas?
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What if there is a dispute among the housemates?
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Always view accommodation first before making any decision on whether or not to rent the property and before handing over any money.
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Read the lease agreement carefully before signing – be clear on the terms and conditions of the tenancy. Do not to sign a 12 month contract if you do not intend on staying for a minimum of 12 months, you risk having to pay a fine and/or losing your deposit.
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Pay your rent on time to avoid any disputes with the landlord – set up a direct debit or standing order if possible.
FINANCES Shopping In most case it works out cheaper to buy in bulk and store the rest. Keep an eye out in supermarkets for Reduced to Clear foods. Make a list before you go shopping and STICK TO IT. This will help you stick to your budget. If you make out a meal plan for the week you will easily see what you need to buy and what you can make to use up leftovers. Cooking might be challenging. Know-how is a key. For recipe ideas check out some of the links below: www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk
studentrecipes.com
www.jamieoliver.com
realfood.tesco.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
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spoonuniversity.com
t s i l g n i p p o h S
ee Tomato Pur - Pasta d - Mixed drie - Rice herbs r e p p e P & - Salt - Tea stock - Coffee - Vegetable - Sugar cubes n - Eggs - Frozen ove - Cheese chips - Flour - Bread Oil - Vegetable - Onions - Tinned - Garlic tomatoes
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Using leftovers Don’t throw away leftovers: they could be tomorrow’s lunch! Follow these tips to make the most of them: • • • •
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Cool leftovers as quickly as possible, ideally within two hours Divide leftovers into individual portions and refrigerate or freeze Use refrigerated leftovers within two days When reheating food, make sure it is heated until it reaches a temperature of 70C for two minutes, so that it is steaming hot throughout Always defrost leftovers completely, either in the fridge or in the microwave When defrosted, food should be reheated only once, because the more times you cool and reheat food, the higher the risk of food poisoning Cooked food that has been frozen and removed from the freezer should be reheated and eaten within 24 hours of fully defrosting Foods stored in the freezer, such as ice cream and frozen desserts, should not be returned to the freezer once they have thawed For safety and to reduce waste, only take out of the freezer what you intend to use within the next 24 hours
Budgeting Keep an eye out in supermarkets for Reduced to Clear items, this is a great way of stocking up on things that you can’t usually afford, just take care to store them correctly otherwise it will just be a waste. Be sensible with your money, you will need to prioritise between what you NEED and what you WANT. It’s no good spending loads on take outs and socialising
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RIGHTS AS TENANTS Whether you are sharing a house, living on campus or renting a place of your own everyone has basic rights that they are entitled to. REMEMBER - This means EVERYONE, even the landlord or the other tenant that may have annoyed you earlier. If you have any doubts about what you are entitled to as a tenant you can contact anyone in DYS, Threshold, RTB or the Students Union for clarification. Read the lease/tenancy agreement carefully before signing – be clear on the terms and conditions of the tenancy. Do not to sign a 12-month contract if you do not intend on staying for a minimum of 12 months, you risk having to pay a fine and/or losing your deposit. Pay your rent on time to avoid any disputes with the landlord – set up a direct debit debit or standing order if possible.
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What is a tenancy agreement? This is an agreement between you and the landlord of the property you are renting. It can be verbal or written, however a written agreement is best. A tenancy agreement should include: • Your name and your landlord’s name and the address of the property which is being let the date the tenancy began. • Details of whether other people are allowed the use of the property, and if so, which rooms. • The duration of the tenancy, that is, whether it runs out on a certain date • The amount of rent payable, how often and when it should be paid and how often and when it can be increased. The agreement could also state what the payment includes, for example, council tax or fuel • Whether your landlord will provide any services, for example, laundry, maintenance of common parts or meals and whether there are service charges for these • The length of notice which you and your landlord need to give if the tenancy is to be ended. Note that there are statutory rules about how much notice should be given and the type of tenancy and why it is due to end.
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OBLIGATIONS OF A TENANT You must: • •
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Pay your rent on time Pay any other charges that are specified in the letting agreement, for example, waste collection charges; utility bills; management fees to the management company in an apartment complex Keep the property in good order and avoid causing any damage. Inform the landlord if repairs are needed and give the landlord access to the property to carry out repairs Give the landlord access for routine inspections Inform the landlord of who is living in the property Make sure that you do not cause the landlord to be in breach of the law Comply with any special terms in your tenancy agreement, oral or written Give the landlord the information required to register with the RTB and sign the registration form when asked to do so Give the landlord proper notice when you are ending the tenancy You should note that it may be more difficult to assert your rights if you have broken conditions of your tenancy.
RIGHTS AS PRIVATE TENANT • • •
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You are entitled to quiet and exclusive enjoyment of your home. You are entitled to a rent book You have the right to contact the landlord or their agent at any reasonable times. You are also entitled to have appropriate contact information (telephone numbers, email addresses, postal addresses, etc.) Your landlord is only allowed to enter your home with your permission. If the landlord needs to carry out repairs or inspect the premises, it should be by prior arrangement, except in an emergency You are entitled to reimbursement for any repairs that you carry out that are the landlord’s responsibility You are entitled to have visitors to stay overnight or for short periods, unless specifically forbidden in your tenancy agreement. You must tell your landlord if you have an extra person moving in You are entitled to a certain amount of notice of the termination of your tenancy
For more information on Tenants Rights: www.threshold.ie www.citizensinformation.ie onestopshop.rtb.ie 17
TOP TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR OF STUDENT LIFE Attend orientation Orientation days may seem pointless, given that it’s just someone showing you around college and technically people could do such a thing themselves but they really are very helpful. They are added to the calendar for a reason. It’s a lot easier to get a quick tour of where your classes will be with someone who knows the place inside out.
Join clubs and societies Clubs aren’t just good for making friends; they’re also brilliant for keeping a person active. Many sports teams have gym access, which not only saves you the cost of heading in yourself, but more often than not you’ll get priority times on the machines.
Backup your notes If you decide to take notes by hand, then keep them safe and photocopy them if needs be. If you’re using a laptop, back them onto a cloud or USB because if anything happens to that laptop (stolen, broken, etc.) you risk losing everything. 18
Get the head down Nobody will force you to attend tutorials. Nobody will care if you go to a lecture or not. You are responsible for staying ahead so don’t abuse this. Nobody wants to have to explain to parents why they have to fork out extra money because you slept in instead of going to lectures. Prepare your notes for tutorials and do assignments as you get. I’ve seen what can happen to people around exam time when they realise they’ve neglected to do any study and find it all too much.
Stay informed Don’t be afraid to Google things as well, extra information gives you the edge and lecturers like to see you think outside the box. Swallowing textbooks doesn’t prepare you for the real world. Forming opinions, theories and ideas does.
Lay off the junk food Stay away from junk food. Stick to fruit and water, wholegrain rolls, and healthy snacks like nuts. They’ll keep you awake longer and eventually, when you feel really tired, it’ll be from studying and not the gunk you were eating. 19
Know your limits with drink Being drunk and wasted is not attractive, nor is it healthy by any means. Know your limits, and try and stick to them. Any lecture before 12 in the day when you’re hungover is incredibly painful, particularly the bus journey in. Do yourself a favour and don’t go mad on a regular basis. Your studies will suffer. Binge drinking is dangerous on a number of levels.
Students Union Make yourself familiar with the Students Union on campus, they will be a huge help to you while you settle in to college life. Find out where/if there is a nurse, doctor and/or counsellor on campus. Many colleges have a Financial Support Department that you can go to if you are having financial problems.
Lectures It is important to attend all of your lectures. Be on time and get to know your lecturer, you never know when you might need them to do a favour for you. They will have their own office that you can arrange a private meeting with them if you have any issues they may be able to help with. 20
Transport If you need to use public transport from your accommodation to the campus make yourself familiar with the best form of transport to the campus, the route and timetable. This will be essential to ensure that you are not late for lectures. Also look into annual passes; it may work out cheaper if you need to use transport regularly.
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