'Some civil servants here earn extravagant wages'

TY TALK:Confey College Kildare

ON SELF-DEFENCE

Gavin Colgan: “Self-defence forms part of the Transition Year programme here. Speaking from personal experience, it’s important to be able to defend yourself and get out of bad situations.”

ON X FACTOR PARTIES

Susanne Dalen: "A lot of people have been staying in on Saturday night to watch The X Factor.I watch it with friends, eating sweets and popcorn. I think the show's really good this year: I was a huge fan of John and Edward [Grimes]."

ON TEACHER STRIKES

Uzair Kundi: “Teachers and other public sector workers have to remember the current conditions of our economy, but the Government has to acknowledge that teachers and other public sector workers have had a huge wage cut already this year. There are other sources of Government spending which can be cut down and have a significant impact on the budget, social welfare being one.

Also, some civil service professionals in this country earn extravagant wages compared to other countries.”

ON WORK EXPERIENCE:

SD: “We’re currently writing about our work experiences in English class. I spent a week working in the airport and another working in Asset’s model agency, so I’ve seen a lot and have had two very different experiences.”

ON THE JACK AND JILL FOUNDATION

Sean Maher: “Last week, Jonathon Erwin, the founder of Jack and Jill, spoke to us about how collecting old mobiles can help raise money for children with disabilities. It’s a really worthwhile charity and this school is going to get involved.

ON PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Julianne McCall: We had a retreat last week, and it wasn’t what we expected at all. It was focused on understanding yourself, talking, and meditation, and I learned a lot from it.