I worked in the IT industry and was made redundant in March. I have been unable to find further employment in the IT sector in my local area. I have a sister living in Germany. She has suggested that I go and look for work in Germany. I have heard that it may be possible to transfer my unemployment benefit to Germany but am unsure if this is true. Can you advise me whether I would be entitled to claim my unemployment from Ireland while living in Germany?

If you have been receiving Unemployment Benefit in Ireland for at least 4 weeks and wish to go to a country covered by EC Regulations to look for work e.g. Germany, you can receive payment of this benefit there for a period of three months which may be extended to six months.

To transfer your unemployment benefit from Ireland to Germany, you must fulfill the following conditions:

1. You must have made yourself available to the employment services of the country that pays your benefits for at least four weeksafter becoming unemployed. Exceptions can be made.

2. You have to apply for a U2 form at your local social security office. This document will allow you to register with the employment services abroad.

3. Within seven days after leaving, you have to register with the employment services of the country where you want to look for a job. You then have to comply with the obligations and the control procedures organised by the employment services there.

4. If you are not able to find a job, you have to return before the expiry of the period specified on your U2 form. If you return later, without the explicit permission of the employment services of the country that pays your benefits, you will lose all remaining entitlements.

To obtain further information on transferring your Unemployment Benefit to Germany, I recommend that you contact International Records Section, Social Welfare Services Office, Floor 1, O'Connell Bridge House, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 8748444.

I am an Irish national and have recently qualified as a teacher in Scotland. I assumed that I would be able to immediately commence teaching in Ireland but have been advised that this is not the case. Instead, I have to obtain formal recognition of my qualifications here in Ireland. What evidence of my qualifications is the Department of Education entitled to ask me to produce?

Recognition of qualifications in the EU is provided for under Directive 2005/36.  Under this Directive, the competent authority of the Member State in which you wish to exercise a professional activity may require:

• proof that you have professional experience of at least two years for the profession concerned: this proof may be requested if neither the profession nor the training are regulated in your Member State of origin but the profession is regulated in the host Member State (see questions 9 and 12), all the documents should be taken into consideration. Thus, you do not have to submit a certificate from a competent authority. For example, pay slips or attestations from employers must be accepted by the host Member State, though it remains essential that the document clearly identifies your professional activity;

• information on your training but only to the extent necessary to determine the possible existence of substantial differences with the national training required; as a general rule, you only need to provide the following information: information on the total duration of your studies, subjects studied and to what extent, ratio of theory to practice.

Further information on recognition of qualifications in the EU may be obtained from the following website:  http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/qualifications/index_en.htm

I have been requested by my Irish employer to take up a temporary position in Spain for a period of ten months. My employer has advised that I will remain insured under the legislation of Ireland for social security purposes for the duration of the posting. Is this correct or will I be at a disadvantage as regards my social security entitlements as a result of the posting?

If you are sent by your employer to work in another country, you will remain insured under the legislation of your country of origin if you fulfil the conditions which apply to posted workers.

This means that you can work there up to a maximum of 24 months on behalf of your employer who is based in the sending country. Before leaving, you should make sure you get an ‘A1’ document from your local social security office.  The A1  certifies that you are covered by the legislation of the country from which you are posted. Your employer declares your situation to the competent social security institution.

This solution aims at avoiding frequent changes in your social security situation in the case of short periods of work abroad.