Living in Ireland and Getting a Job

Apart from the number of rainy days that Ireland endures annually, the nation has so much in its favour from its international social and economic standing to its views on equal rights and freedom of speech, from the standard of living one can enjoy to the availability of decent employment opportunities, free education and subsidised health care.

With all of these factors and many more stacked up in its favour it’s unsurprising that Ireland is such an in demand location with expatriates from around the world.  In this article we look at the practicalities and realities of living in Ireland and getting a job if you’re an immigrant – no matter from where you herald originally.

The first thing you need to be aware of is that unless you’re a citizen of the European Union you can’t just move to Ireland and start your new life. 

If you do herald from the EU originally then yes, you can move to Ireland without need for a visa and live there for three months – but thereafter you need to apply for a work permit which will allow you to remain living in Ireland and take a job. 

If you’re British then you can hop on over the water and work without restriction – and if you come from anywhere else you need to apply for a resident or work visa to go and live and work in Ireland…or if you just want to visit Ireland and determine whether it is the right country for you and your family to live in then you need to apply for an entry visa.

The best place to find out about any restrictions, rules and regulations affecting your personal status or to apply for a visa is at your nearest Irish embassy or consulate.  Alternatively you can find out more from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs’ website.

Once you have your paperwork in order you can either move to Ireland confident that you can secure employment after you’ve settled in – or possibly more sensibly you can begin looking for employment opportunities before you relocate! 

Remember that if you hold professional qualifications from your own home country you should ensure that these are accepted in Ireland as being valid and of the same standard and value in Ireland. 

To check the validity of your qualifications find out which is the professional body in Ireland for your particular trade or skill – you can then write to them or email/telephone them with details of your country of origin and the qualifications you hold and they should be able to tell you whether you can practice professionally in Ireland or whether you will need to take additional courses or undergo retraining programmes.

In terms of the type of jobs available in Ireland, there are openings in such a broad range of fields from estate agency to IT, from agriculture to teaching for example.  In Dublin many multinational IT based companies have established significant operations in recent years – for example you have the likes of Google and Microsoft with large offices in Ireland – so if you have a technical background Dublin may be the best place for you to head in terms of your search for employment.

In fact, because around 40% of all residents in Ireland actually live within about 100 kilometres of Dublin, this is where the vast majority of jobs are to be found.  To begin looking for work you can search on job sites on the internet, you can apply directly to relevant companies in Ireland with your resume, or if you’re living in Ireland you can look in the local newspapers and apply for positions advertised.

Unemployment used to be very high in Ireland which is why the nation suffered something of a significant brain and population drain – but thanks to its membership of the EU, its forward thinking government, the encouragement of foreign direct investment and the significant amounts of money invested in the Irish people for education and re-training, unemployment is now far more manageable and this means that if you’re living in Ireland, you’re hardworking and determined, you’re honest and you speak English fluently you stand a very good chance of securing a job.