Feeling worried about the recession? Well, it all depends on which industry you’re working in or planning to work on after your studies. The jobs experts now tell us that some industries are not being as badly affected as others.

So, students, you should ask yourselves ‘ Is my career recession-proof?’ This means finding out if your career is the kind of job which could help you survive the tough times. One of the most popular Irish job sites lists healthcare as the number one survival job. They think that healthcare will always  be needed so it could be a good area for you to work in.

The average salaries in health care and child care change depending on how much work experience you have  had, and of course depending on your education qualifications. Take a look at this website with payscale information and see what you could earn in Ireland.

The childcare industry is another area where the experts predict growth. Many parents are being forced to return to work these days and need extra care for their child.  Some of the jobs you could take include nannying, working in a creche or as a maternity nurse. Of course, you’ll need to take the right course to get these jobs.

Abbey College offers you some training options if you’re interested in any of these jobs.  You could take:

• Healthcare Support Course
• Nursing Studies Course
  
• Childcare Studies. This is a new one-year course. Check the website soon for full details.

Weekend Tip

Howth Music Festival Take the Dart or a bus out to Howth and listen to all kinds of music from electro to rock with some reggae thrown in. Have some fish and chips at the famous Beshoff’s cafe!

Dublin Pride Parade Watch or walk in the parade. Go to the Garden of Rememberance in Parnell Square at 13.00 on Saturday and join thousands of people for the free parade and shows

Dublin Farmers' Market

A student’s life can be hard, and studying English in an expensive city like Dublin can be difficult.  So you need to be smart with your money to make sure your time here is fun!

We’ve put together some advice to help you save money while you study.

Eating

We eat every day and it’s easy not to realise how much money you’re spending.

Try writing down how much you spend on food every week; this will help you see where you are wasting money.

One easy way to save is to bring your lunch with you to the College. If you aren’t sure what to bring with you, look at this Lunch Recipe site for some ideas.  This Dublin food blog will also give you some inspiration.

Farmers’  Market

These markets are great places to find cheap and healthy fruit, vegetables and other healthy food. There’s even a Temple Bar Market on Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm.  Many Dublin suburbs hold their own markets – look at this site to find the  Dublin Market nearest to  you.

Household Bills

Reduce your bills by up to 25% by plugging out TVs and other applicances when you’re not using them.

Don’t forget to turn off the immersion heater when you’re finished in the shower.

Wear an extra jumper in the evenings instead of turning up the heat.

Change your light bulbs to the environmentally friendly CFLs.

Do you have any tip for saving money in Dublin?

WEEKEND TIPS FOR YOU!

This weekend you should head over to Merrion Square. The Street Performance World Championships are on! Dancers from Australia, France, American and more are putting on a show like you’ve never seen before…and it’s FREE

As the song says It’s summer time and the living is easy. It’s time to put down the books and get out in the sunshine. Remember in Ireland when the sun shines you should go outside because it could rain again in a few hours!

We’ve made a list of some of the exciting festivals and places to go in Dublin

Dublin Events Summer of 2009

• Cross the street to Temple Bar.  June 20 – 21 sees the Midsummer Festival and this will  be followed by the Circus Festival. Check the Temple Bar website for details.
• Learn all about guitar music and listen to musicians from around the world at the International Guitar Festival on July 1st – 5th. Free concerts and events will take place in the city centre during the festival.
• Watch some Irish sports at Croke Park. The stadium is near the top of O’Connell Street, you can easily walk there. It’s difficult to get tickets for the All-Ireland Football or Hurling finals but try for the smaller games.
• See some dancers on the street on June 18 – 20 in Merrion Square. It’s in the city centre so you could walk to see the Street Performance World Championships.
  
• The Dublin Horse Show comes to Ballsbridge from August 5 – 9.  Ladies you could enter the Ladies Day Competition and win €10,000!  And watch international show-jumpers compete for the Nations Cup. You can take bus number 7/7a or 8 from O’Connell Street or even walk if it’s sunny.

But you don’t have to wait for the festivals, there’s plenty to do!

• Do you like being outdoors? Have you been to Phoenix Park yet? There’s plenty of space to play frisbee or have a picnic.  If you’re feeling energetic , you could hire a bicycle for the day.  It’s easy to get there , take the bus or the Luas.
• And you know, it does get hot here sometimes! So you should try the beaches. You can take the Dart from Tara St station or Connolly.  Some of the nicest beaches are at Malahide,  or Dollymount Strand at the Clontarf Dart stop.
• Do you know there’s a horse fair every month in Smithfield? It’s only two stops on the Luas from the city centre. The next one is on July 5;  check here for other dates.
• For people who like walking, you could go to the Wicklow Mountains. Glendalough is a beautiful area with lots of picnic spots and walking paths.

And if you need even more to do,  go to the Dublin Tourist Office and they’ll help you book tours or day-trips to anywhere you want to go

Have you any other ideas for your classmates?