You can help create jobs in Ireland and earn a tidy sum doing so

Connect Ireland founder Terry Clune

So you're enjoying your hot dog at the annual 4th of July barbecue organized by your neighborhood when your heart sinks because your annoying neighbor Bob spots you and heads over to talk. Last year he cornered you for 15 of the longest minutes of your life and here he comes again.

Bob's a braggard. He loves to tell you how great his life is; how great his job is; how great the company he works for is. You're barely listening when Bob says something that causes your ears to prick up. You ask him to repeat himself and you hear, "Yeah things are going so well that the rumor is we're going to be looking expand overseas."

There it is. "Expand overseas." You know Bob has told you before what his company does, but you never paid attention. Now you're interested and you casually learn what they do - they produce medical devices - and you get a few other details about the company's size and management structure.

You endure a few more minutes then you make your excuses and walk away from Bob, whip out your phone and save a few notes for later. Why? Because Bob's bragging might well earn you some easy money.
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Connect Ireland is a new Irish government initiative designed to help drive jobs to Ireland. If you are the first to register Bob's company on the Connect Ireland web site you'll be in line to get a payment from Connect Ireland if the company locates some jobs in Ireland.

It really is that easy. Most of the work will be done by the Irish government agencies. They're really only asking you to tip them off. If you hear a rumor about a company expanding or just relocating, let them know. That's your part done. It's their job to actually sell Ireland as a base to Bob's company.

When Bob's company decides to open a small plant in Cork employing 35 people you'll get a nice reward. For your "trouble" the Irish government will pay you €750 for each of those 35 people working in the plant 12 months after opening. That's €26,250 ($33,000) for enduring Bob's bragging for 15 minutes. That's great, but it's not the best part. The best part is they'll send you another €26,250 ($33K) if those 35 jobs still exist a year later. That's a €52,500 ($66K) pay-off for 15 minutes of suffering.

So get started today. Register with Connect Ireland and then keep your ears open this summer. You don't know what you might hear from your annoying neighbor at the barbecue or your son's friend's mother at the local pool or even from that father who never stops yellling at his son at the ball field. People love to talk about their work and it might well pay for you to listen.

{Photo from SligoToday.ie}