Need some guidance about Financial Wellness? Chat with us now.

Are you looking for information, advice or guidance about Financial Wellness? Get answers to your questions through our Youth Information Chat service.

What can you chat to us about: 

• Any advice about budgeting?
• Do I need a job to get a student loan?
• How much could I get a student loan for?
• I need a loan for college – where can I get one?
• How long does it take for student loan approval?
• How much would a student loan cost me in total?
• Does the Credit Union give loans out to students?
• What is a loan guarantor and do I need one for a student loan?
• Does the Credit Union give education bursaries or scholarships?
• Any other questions you might have about student loans and financial wellness

The Youth Information Chat service will be closed from Wednesday, 22nd December until Tuesday, 4th January. You can submit your query to the service and our Officers will reply when we are open again.

If you need mental health support, free-text YIC to 50808 to start an anonymous conversation with a trained volunteer.

How does the chat work?

Our online chat service is as easy to use as WhatsApp and puts you in touch with a Youth Information Officer who can help you. Simply click the link below, fill out your information with your question, and start chatting.

When is the chat service available?

The chat service is available between 4pm and 8pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). If you want to chat to a Youth Information Officer during that time, start a conversation now. 

If you leave a message outside of these hours, we will get back to you by email as soon as we come back online.

Who will you be talking to?

Our chat service is staffed by Youth Information Officers from centres across Ireland. Youth Information Officers are trained in providing information that is impartial, accurate, relevant to your question, in a non-judgemental and easy to understand way. The Youth Information Officers staffing the system are from YMCA Ireland, Crosscare and Youth Work Ireland.

The most important thing is your safety!

If you tell us that you are under 18 and are being harmed, are at risk of being harmed, or have been harmed in the past while under 18, we must report this information to Tusla – the Child and Family Agency – and possibly the Gardaí. To make these reports, we need your full name, your age and the county you live in. If you choose not to share this information with us, we will be unable to make a report.

Are you in a crisis?

This is not a service for people experiencing a mental health crisis, but if you need mental health support right now, free-text YIC to 50808 to start an anonymous conversation with a trained volunteer – 24/7.