Hi,
I'm thinking of moving to Ireland in about 16-18 months... does anyone have any information they can give to me?
I'm 21 years old and from Sydney, Australia. I am hoping to get some administration work whilst staying there, and I am looking at staying over one year.
Cheers
Katie
Katie,
Start from the beginning.
1) Get a guide book for Ireland.
2) Decide why you wanna go there. Is it to explore your irish ancestry, just to live in a different country, or is there a fair bit of partying planned? None of these reasons are a bad reason to go there.
3) Would you like to sit in Ireland for the duration of your visa then fly straight home? Or would you like to explore Europe a bit, cos if so the UK's a fair bit handier than Ireland for that as it's more centrally geographically located.
4) Start reading the FAQ and the branch in general.
5) Consult the Irish govt's visa pages to find out how long you're entitled to.
6) Come up with a budget to start saving for the trip.
Christ, can you make the question any more broad?
Buy an Ireland guide book or read up on Ireland somewhere. And at least learn how to write Dublin or Doolin so more people will take you seriously and make an effort to respond.
It'll be cold and wet and expensive and jobs are really scarce (unemployment is at 11% and on the up still and that official figure is probably low). Dublin public transport is quite poor (the trams don't go too far, the train system is limited in urban use and the buses are more expensive than London), it is one of the most expensive cities in Europe. The place is strewn with half-built/empty penthouses and the banks are broke. The Tiger is dead and hide is looking a bit ratty and not worth much.
The Guinness is great though!
You should read the Irish Independent online to get an idea of what you are in for.
Get a work visa anyway but don't count on finding work, there are some predicting 17% unemployment in the next 2 years.
Doomed, we are all doomed.
Yours,
The Blue Bird of Happiness
On the plus-side Dublin is great fun, very pretty, and lots of young Aussies do what you're planning to do so it must be fairly achievable : )
I was there a couple of months ago and I could see plenty of temp agencies advertising admin jobs, and you can also find stuff like jobs & accommodation prices on the Dublin Gumtree.
I'm not trying to be pedantic here but the title of your thread says Du(b)lin but in your original post you say that you're "thinking of moving to Ireland". In future posts, you need to clarify if you're specifically interested in Dublin.
Hi Katie,
Don't take the notes of tragedy too much on-board :)
If you're from Ireland and are planning a career there then the economy is really a problem; if you're looking for 'transient' work and are okay with waitressing or barwork (which pays okay and is an instant access to a great social life) then it's not as much of a problem for you.
It is a crazily expensive city, this is true. It's also a great one.
It's pretty compact; so you can get anywhere you need on foot or bike, so the appalling public transport isn't so much of an issue. As long as you rent somewhere fairly central which, in the current market, you'll be able to do.
There's a lot to do and see and it needn't always be that expensive. The city has, over the last decade or two, started to promote an expansive arts scene so festivals, free outdoor cinema, galleries, theatre and so on are often free (especially during the summer). During the winter, well, it's going to get wet and cold but just cosy up to a pint and buy an umbrella :)
Do buy a guide book and get an idea of the layout of the city and if you have any questions about areas or anything, feel free to pm me.
Regards,
Eoin
#6, yeah, you're right. But even the transient jobs are going to be tougher to find as unemployment climbs and there aren't too many notices 'help wanted' in too many windows. Dublin is great, I love it, but right now it is probably one of the last places in Europe I would think someone should be looking for work.
And #4 I haven't seen too many Aussies working in pubs, waitressing/waitering in Dub or heard many non-tourist Oz acents, it still sems to mostly be students and Poles in central Dub transient jobs.
I'm going to live in Dublin either late this year or early next temporarily for the 3 months at a time I'm allowed under the circumstances but have yet to do my 'homework'. I am going to purchase and read a book called "Survivor's Guide To Living In Ireland" which is supposed to be a definitive guide, as well as a few other pertinent books. I'm not going to be working at all so can't offer on that front, although as the others said, I've heard it's not that easy to find work. Since you're only 21 and if you're there if you want the social stuff you might want to give the Temple Bar area a go, I wouldn't want to live there now but had a lot of more younger people and hopping scene and is centrally located. I like Dublin from what I experienced a lot, it is a lot of like San Francisco for me in the sense of a great major but pocket sized city, not intimidatingly large.