Q & A

Q: I`ll be doing my Leaving Cert in June and I don't want to do any further study at the moment. Are there any jobs in Aer Lingus other than those for pilots or cabin crew?

- Offaly student

A: Apart from pilots or cabin crew, seven other areas of employment are available with Aer Lingus - cargo transport, catering, finance, general clerical, ground operations, information technology and reservations. You have plenty choice within an area like the cargo division to find a slot in sales, accounts, or customer service where you need five passes in Leaving Cert to include maths and English to qualify and keyboard skills are desirable.

In addition two other areas, data processing and warehouse staff, will accept applications from those with a good standard of education, although for data processing you need excellent keyboard skills and for warehouse staff you must have a current clean driving licence.

For the catering department, you must be 19 by March 31st, 1998. No formal skills or education requirements are necessary.

In finance, the options are in revenue accounting services and and accounting operations and group treasury/risk management. Both of these require five passes in Leaving Cert to include maths and English and you must be 18 by March 31st, 1998. A business/tourism qualification is an advantage for the former and a business subject is useful for the latter.

The same requirements apply for general clerical work. Ground operations includes customer service agents, cleaning and loading staff. Customer service agents must have the usual Leaving Cert requirements and an age of 18 by March 31st, 1998. To qualify for the other two, you must have a good basic education and a full clean, driving licence and be 19 by March 31st, 1998.

For reservations and information technology, the usual Leaving Cert requirements are necessary but you must have a proven interest in information technology for the latter.

A variety of jobs, permanent and temporary, full-time and part-time, will be filled up to June. For many you must be available to work irregular hours and shift work. At the moment, areas such as cargo are not recruiting but you can pursue future opportunities by getting the information now.

Q: I live in Dublin and would like to be a fireman. What do I need to get in? Who should I apply to? Do I have to be a certain age?

- Dublin student

A: Since you live in Dublin it might be best for you to apply to Dublin Corporation's fire brigade service. Most fire fighters are part-time in the provincial areas with the bigger boroughs providing whole-time brigades. These are located in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway while Drogheda, Dundalk and Waterford are staffed by both whole-time and part-time fighters.

Each authority recruits its own personnel but generally candidates should have a good second-level education with a minimum of five Ds including maths and English in the Junior Cert or an equivalent exam.

Generally if you have a higher educational qualification than the minimum (such as Leaving Cert), you will be awarded additional marks. This is also the case for those who have recognised engineering or architectural qualifications, technical or trades training, experience of driving heavy vehicles or service in the Defence Forces, FCA or the Civil Defence Organisation.

Minimum age of entry is 18 and there are strict requirements as regards physical fitness, hearing, eyesight, height and physique. Certain conditions also disqualify such as vertigo, epilepsy, bronchitis, asthma, chronic skin disease etc. You must also have a clean current driving licence.

Dublin Corporation generally recruits from a panel and the last panel closed on January 31st, 1997. These competitions are advertised in the press and, if you satisfy all the requirements, you must attend aptitude tests and interview.

If you wish to work in the Dublin fire brigade, you must also live within the area of the county borough or county of Dublin and you may be required to serve in any station from time to time. If successful, you will be required to undergo a period of training followed by a 12-month probationary period.

There are promotional opportunities to a number of higher grades depending on length of service and suitability.

Q: How can I become a valuation surveyor? What is the work like? What are the courses like?

- Limerick student

A: A valuation surveyor deals with the acquisiton, disposal, management, development and valuation of land and buildings of all types such as houses, factories, hotels, shops, offices. The surveyor may advise clients on sale and letting as well as legislation on planning, rents, landlords and tenants, rates, probate, mortgages, insurance and investment.

Work can be in town and country areas dealing with farms, estates, sporting rights, deposits of sand, gravel etc. Businesses of all types can be covered including furniture, stock, plant and machinery.

Most students now take a full-time course in a college approved by the principal professional body, the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS), such as DIT Bolton Street or Limerick IT. Alternatively, you could get practical training in an office approved by the SCS and do its qualifying exams.

DIT Bolton Street offers a full-time four-year degree course in property economics (valuation surveying FT110) which prepares you for valuation surveying, property auctioneering, investment and management and estate agency in Ireland and abroad. It provides an education in the financial, legal, planning and construction aspects of property in the context of the investment market in general. Minimum requirement is Leaving Cert in six subjects to include 2HCs and maths and English or Irish.

Limerick IT also offers a degree in construction economics and management (valuation surveying LC018). This is a four-year sandwich - two years' full-time study, one year practical work and a final year of full-time study. Points requirements for FT110 in 1997 was 395 (random selection applied) and for LC018 they were 330.

Queries can be answered only through this column and not by phone or post. Write to Sile Sheehy, Education & Living, The Irish Times, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 - or by email to education@irish-times.ie