My experience of moving to Cork
Jan 21st 2011, 3:58 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1
My experience of moving to Cork
Hi All
I have been using (some might say abusing) this website over the past couple of weeks. My company has recently expanded into the Middle East, so I have using this website to seek advice from those in the know.
As an expat myself, I therefore felt it may be fair to “give something back” and share my experience of relocating from Bristol to Cork. It may or may not be useful to anyone else moving across the water.
We moved to Cork in November 2008. My husband is from Fermoy, Co Cork, and he was keen to come home. Being a city dweller myself, I agreed to the move, but I couldn’t agree to be in the countryside, so we decided that we would live in the centre of Cork City.
We moved on the ferry – with 2 cats in tow!
We moved just as the recession was really kicking in, which in hindsight, probably wasn’t the best idea.
Thankfully, my husband had already secured a job before we moved over, and because the wages are so much higher here than in the UK, we were able to survive the first 5 months while I was looking for a job.
A couple of general observations.
Ireland is VERY different to the UK in my experience. I don’t know what I expected, I guess I just assumed as they were so close that the cultures would be very similar. Not so.
People are extraordinarily friendly (unlike London where I was born), and I have never experienced any of the anti-English attitude that some people fear. Except in the 6nations of course!
Most people will tell you that the cost of living is much higher over here – but I’m not sure this is strictly true. Of course it is the case that you are paying €4.50 for a pint in pub. And you can’t buy a bottle of wine in the supermarket for under €6.99.
However, in Bristol we used to pay £600 per month in rent for a two bedroom house, plus council tax of £100, and water, gas and electric. We now pay €775 per month, no council tax (except €10 per month bin charge), no water (yet), plus similar gas and electric bills.
Plus the wages (and the social welfare) are higher, and the tax rates, even after the budget, are much more favourable.
Neither myself or my husband drive, so I can’t offer any experience on this.
I’m not pretending that it has been all plain sailing of course!! I’ve found it quite difficult to make friends – even after 2 years. When you reach my age(!) most people have made their friendship groups and if can be a little difficult in “break in”. Plus family is obviously a big thing in Ireland, and everyone has siblings and cousins they are close to. I appreciate that is also down to myself to make the effort with people – invite people for dinner etc. And the more settled I am the more confident I am in this.
In terms of finding somewhere to rent, and this is only in relation to Cork City of course, there are hundreds of properties available, but it can take some time to sift out the crap in order to find somewhere suitable and pay a reasonable rent. If you are moving and it is a possibility for you, stay somewhere temporarily for a month or so, to give you an opportunity to look properly. Unlike the UK, renting a property can move quite quickly here. You can find somewhere and move in within a few days, rather than waiting a month.
I’m happy to give advice to others, for what it’s worth.
This is a great site, really useful. I wish I’d have thought to look for it when I first moved.
I have been using (some might say abusing) this website over the past couple of weeks. My company has recently expanded into the Middle East, so I have using this website to seek advice from those in the know.
As an expat myself, I therefore felt it may be fair to “give something back” and share my experience of relocating from Bristol to Cork. It may or may not be useful to anyone else moving across the water.
We moved to Cork in November 2008. My husband is from Fermoy, Co Cork, and he was keen to come home. Being a city dweller myself, I agreed to the move, but I couldn’t agree to be in the countryside, so we decided that we would live in the centre of Cork City.
We moved on the ferry – with 2 cats in tow!
We moved just as the recession was really kicking in, which in hindsight, probably wasn’t the best idea.
Thankfully, my husband had already secured a job before we moved over, and because the wages are so much higher here than in the UK, we were able to survive the first 5 months while I was looking for a job.
A couple of general observations.
Ireland is VERY different to the UK in my experience. I don’t know what I expected, I guess I just assumed as they were so close that the cultures would be very similar. Not so.
People are extraordinarily friendly (unlike London where I was born), and I have never experienced any of the anti-English attitude that some people fear. Except in the 6nations of course!
Most people will tell you that the cost of living is much higher over here – but I’m not sure this is strictly true. Of course it is the case that you are paying €4.50 for a pint in pub. And you can’t buy a bottle of wine in the supermarket for under €6.99.
However, in Bristol we used to pay £600 per month in rent for a two bedroom house, plus council tax of £100, and water, gas and electric. We now pay €775 per month, no council tax (except €10 per month bin charge), no water (yet), plus similar gas and electric bills.
Plus the wages (and the social welfare) are higher, and the tax rates, even after the budget, are much more favourable.
Neither myself or my husband drive, so I can’t offer any experience on this.
I’m not pretending that it has been all plain sailing of course!! I’ve found it quite difficult to make friends – even after 2 years. When you reach my age(!) most people have made their friendship groups and if can be a little difficult in “break in”. Plus family is obviously a big thing in Ireland, and everyone has siblings and cousins they are close to. I appreciate that is also down to myself to make the effort with people – invite people for dinner etc. And the more settled I am the more confident I am in this.
In terms of finding somewhere to rent, and this is only in relation to Cork City of course, there are hundreds of properties available, but it can take some time to sift out the crap in order to find somewhere suitable and pay a reasonable rent. If you are moving and it is a possibility for you, stay somewhere temporarily for a month or so, to give you an opportunity to look properly. Unlike the UK, renting a property can move quite quickly here. You can find somewhere and move in within a few days, rather than waiting a month.
I’m happy to give advice to others, for what it’s worth.
This is a great site, really useful. I wish I’d have thought to look for it when I first moved.
Jan 21st 2011, 4:18 pm
#2
Senior Moment
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: On the edge
Posts: 20,460
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
I was touring round Ireland a few years back and went into a very busy town pub for lunch. It was crammed. I got to the bar and ordered my Guiness, and also a couple of meals. I offered to pay but he told me to go and sit down. They bought the drinks and then the meals and left us to it. We could have walked out afterwards and no one would have been able to notice. There seemed to be a lot more trust in Ireland than in the UK.
Jan 24th 2011, 4:04 pm
#3
Éireann go Brách
Joined: Mar 2006
Location: White Man in Hammersmith Palais
Posts: 2,932
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
Good luck qualifying for it. The whole unemployment, FAS and job seekers benefit is a joke. Whats even funnier is the belief among the nation that half of eastern Europe and Africa is here on it.
Feb 20th 2011, 6:26 am
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 264
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
We are in a new Ireland now, rampant unemployment, dear petrol, expensive pubs, unattainable restaurants etc etc
However, we have been through worse over the years and Ireland will get out of this recession later rather than sooner.
1. The Pubscene (with a few exceptions) is dead. Drinking alcohol is nearly confined to a bottle of wine purchased in the local supermarket and enjoyed at home. There is a saying "The new going-out is staying-in."
2. Dining out in decent restaurants has become a distant memory for most. However, if you must dine out there are Early Bird menus available at around €23.00 per person. There may be conditions like arriving at the restaurant before 7pm. But, restauranters are copping on big-time and the Early Bird menus are being extended to later in the day and weekends.
3. Two years ago supermarket carparks would be full and difficulty would be found in finding parking. Now you could park a truck easily even in busy periods.
4. Ireland is now multicultural, but this is always the way it was. The only difference we now have Africans and Eastern Europeans. We had the Brits for 800 years and we had a saying "More Irish than the Irish Themselves" - Believe it or not this was to immigrants from the UK who adopted Irish customs, culture and language probably more than us. The same will happen with the new immigrants.
5. You are more likely to find a Manchester United supporter in any Irish town than in Manchester.
6. Hotel accommodation is now affordable. Ring before you book. Believe me, you will getter a much better deal than through the internet and will probably have dinner thrown in also.
However, we have been through worse over the years and Ireland will get out of this recession later rather than sooner.
1. The Pubscene (with a few exceptions) is dead. Drinking alcohol is nearly confined to a bottle of wine purchased in the local supermarket and enjoyed at home. There is a saying "The new going-out is staying-in."
2. Dining out in decent restaurants has become a distant memory for most. However, if you must dine out there are Early Bird menus available at around €23.00 per person. There may be conditions like arriving at the restaurant before 7pm. But, restauranters are copping on big-time and the Early Bird menus are being extended to later in the day and weekends.
3. Two years ago supermarket carparks would be full and difficulty would be found in finding parking. Now you could park a truck easily even in busy periods.
4. Ireland is now multicultural, but this is always the way it was. The only difference we now have Africans and Eastern Europeans. We had the Brits for 800 years and we had a saying "More Irish than the Irish Themselves" - Believe it or not this was to immigrants from the UK who adopted Irish customs, culture and language probably more than us. The same will happen with the new immigrants.
5. You are more likely to find a Manchester United supporter in any Irish town than in Manchester.
6. Hotel accommodation is now affordable. Ring before you book. Believe me, you will getter a much better deal than through the internet and will probably have dinner thrown in also.
Last edited by Leper; Feb 20th 2011 at 6:28 am.
Feb 20th 2011, 4:16 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 36
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
We've been here nearly 10 years now - down in beautiful Kerry after initially moving to Tipperary.
Yes, it's expensive here but there's no point in keep comparing what things would cost back in the UK. In fact, I reckon we would be worse off in the UK. My wife gets 28K euro here, where the exact same job with the exact same firm in the UK would be £16-18. We are only between 10 and 20 mins from 4 good sized towns yet live in a fantastic rural area with the most gorgeous views.
There is complete silence, no artificial light and the pace of life is gentle.
We will probably move back some time (mainly because of family and friends) but I can't see us ever living anywhere that is a patch on where we are now.
Yes, it's expensive here but there's no point in keep comparing what things would cost back in the UK. In fact, I reckon we would be worse off in the UK. My wife gets 28K euro here, where the exact same job with the exact same firm in the UK would be £16-18. We are only between 10 and 20 mins from 4 good sized towns yet live in a fantastic rural area with the most gorgeous views.
There is complete silence, no artificial light and the pace of life is gentle.
We will probably move back some time (mainly because of family and friends) but I can't see us ever living anywhere that is a patch on where we are now.
Mar 29th 2011, 3:57 pm
#6
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2011
Location: England
Posts: 6
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
No doubt about it, living costs are high in Ireland. But when I lived in the outskirts of Cork for six months, it was the poorest and happiest that I've ever been.
Living in England until then, I didn't realise that the night sky wasn't supposed to be orange and the sea isn't naturally brown and frothy. Ireland's countryside was idyllic and towns still had independent stores instead of the generic Next, H&M and Debenham's I was used to seeing in any English centre. Tesco is trying its hardest to "remedy" this though.
I have to say that I did experience some anti-English sentiment, but it was generally when people were full of guinness and I couldn't deny that the historical English presence in Ireland is tragic.
Referring to the economy, I was frequently greeted with the question "What the hell would you be doing here now, Don't you know Ireland is f****d?". Well, I don't think it is. I think it's a beautiful place and when people weren't depressing over the current financial situation, I saw a (sometimes subconsciously) content people with a deep history and belonging to the place.
Living in England until then, I didn't realise that the night sky wasn't supposed to be orange and the sea isn't naturally brown and frothy. Ireland's countryside was idyllic and towns still had independent stores instead of the generic Next, H&M and Debenham's I was used to seeing in any English centre. Tesco is trying its hardest to "remedy" this though.
I have to say that I did experience some anti-English sentiment, but it was generally when people were full of guinness and I couldn't deny that the historical English presence in Ireland is tragic.
Referring to the economy, I was frequently greeted with the question "What the hell would you be doing here now, Don't you know Ireland is f****d?". Well, I don't think it is. I think it's a beautiful place and when people weren't depressing over the current financial situation, I saw a (sometimes subconsciously) content people with a deep history and belonging to the place.
Mar 31st 2011, 1:36 pm
#7
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2011
Location: county cork
Posts: 1
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
hi all
My wife and I moved to county cork in 2005 with our 5 children. We were simply fed up of life in the uk, I am Irish but was raised in the UK and my wife is Welsh. We wanted to raise our family in a nicer, safer environment. We are not religious at all and have found people friendly. Our neighbours are lovely and very welcoming, they loved to see a young family moving into the area. Things are not great with the recession and all, but the country will get over it. Some people say the cost of living is higher but we have found that has not been the case in our experience. Raising a family in the countryside is wonderful, I do not regret the move for one minute, I would recommend county cork to any family wishing to move from the UK.
My wife and I moved to county cork in 2005 with our 5 children. We were simply fed up of life in the uk, I am Irish but was raised in the UK and my wife is Welsh. We wanted to raise our family in a nicer, safer environment. We are not religious at all and have found people friendly. Our neighbours are lovely and very welcoming, they loved to see a young family moving into the area. Things are not great with the recession and all, but the country will get over it. Some people say the cost of living is higher but we have found that has not been the case in our experience. Raising a family in the countryside is wonderful, I do not regret the move for one minute, I would recommend county cork to any family wishing to move from the UK.
Aug 17th 2011, 4:17 pm
#8
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
I'm from Cork and I have to say that I'm delighted that so many people have moved here and are doing well - relatively speaking. Personally, I find Cork people very clannish and slow to change. I'm saying that after moving back after 5..5 yrs living in Scotland. Only started to get to know people about 4 yrs ago!
Costs of eating out etc are a lower now but the city is expensive, I say to anyone to move out a bit. Some friends of mine moved to Bandon and its the best thing they've done.
Costs of eating out etc are a lower now but the city is expensive, I say to anyone to move out a bit. Some friends of mine moved to Bandon and its the best thing they've done.
Nov 12th 2011, 5:12 pm
#9
Banned
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 284
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
I could not agree more with you Londonuck.
Thousands are being refused social welfare due to failing the Habitual Residence Condition. Yet all you hear from the Irish is that all the Eastern Europeans and Africans are getting more social welfare than them. In the economic boom of the Celtic Tiger years 1994-2007 the Eastern European immigrants were welcomed with open arms by the Irish as they needed cheap labour. Now it is economic bust you hear the same old argument; the immigrants are taking all the jobs and milking the social welfare system. Back in the boom years many of the Eastern Europeans took the dirty work, long hours, low pay, poor working condition jobs that the Irish turned their noses up as they were too snobby. Now they are hungry for work they are blaming those same immigrants who plodded along and kept their minimum wage jobs. I know all about the social welfare system myself, having personally been refused Job Seekers Allowance as I failed the Habitual Residence Condition. I have lived in Ireland 2 years now, you would think that proves my centre of interest is Ireland wouldn't you? Apparently not.
Dec 5th 2011, 12:47 am
#10
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2011
Location: London
Posts: 1
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
Hey guys,
I was wondering if any of you can give me some advice on moving to Cork.
I currently live with my parents in London and i have always loved Ireland, i need a fresh start and to reinvent myself but i have no idea where to get started.
I was planning on saving money over 2 years for a mortgage or is renting better in Ireland because in London its cheaper to get a mortgage.
Some advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
I was wondering if any of you can give me some advice on moving to Cork.
I currently live with my parents in London and i have always loved Ireland, i need a fresh start and to reinvent myself but i have no idea where to get started.
I was planning on saving money over 2 years for a mortgage or is renting better in Ireland because in London its cheaper to get a mortgage.
Some advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
Dec 5th 2011, 1:59 am
#11
Banned
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 284
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
Hey guys,
I was wondering if any of you can give me some advice on moving to Cork.
I currently live with my parents in London and i have always loved Ireland, i need a fresh start and to reinvent myself but i have no idea where to get started.
I was planning on saving money over 2 years for a mortgage or is renting better in Ireland because in London its cheaper to get a mortgage.
Some advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
I was wondering if any of you can give me some advice on moving to Cork.
I currently live with my parents in London and i have always loved Ireland, i need a fresh start and to reinvent myself but i have no idea where to get started.
I was planning on saving money over 2 years for a mortgage or is renting better in Ireland because in London its cheaper to get a mortgage.
Some advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
you wont get a mortgage from an Irish bank now. They are not lending to anyone, even if you have a perfect credit rating and 2 years proof of working in Ireland. Renting is your only option. There is currently an abundance of property following the Celtic Tiger boom years, so you can negotiate on rent. Daft.ie and Rent.ie are the best sites to look for property to rent.
There is very high unemployment here, and so you may want to consider moving closer to the capital city of Dublin for work. Cork and Galway are the second and third cities respectively, and there is little or no work in either.
You wont be eligible for any state benefits until you have lived in Ireland for 2 years due to the HRC (Habitual Residence Condition).
If you are currently claiming Job Seekers Allowance in London you can transfer it to Ireland (at the UK rate).
I would advise you to only come to Ireland if you have enough savings to support yourself for 2 years.
Realistically you may need all of that 2 years to gain employment. I lived in London for 32 years, and moved to Ireland 2 years ago. I am unemployed.
I have a 1.1 BA (Hons), a Masters Degree, and 14 years previous experience and I can't get a job. Most of the Graduates in Ireland are emigrating to Canada or Australia in search of work.
I think there are more employment prospects in Dublin rather than Cork.
I wish you the best of luck in emigrating.
Dec 19th 2011, 5:32 am
#12
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 5
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
Hi everyone!
I am desperately seeking advice on moving to Ireland.
I currently reside in Denmark with my husband and three children and can honestly say i hate it here, the Danish do not want any "non-Danes" here, no matter where you come from. Feel free to read how we are treated over here and you will see what i mean:
http://portal.foreignersindenmark.dk...ee2783c8563a5b
Let me tell you a little more about myself first, so you can get a better picture of my situation. I hope i don't bore you half to death hehe.
I was born in Zimbabwe and my parents immigrated to South Africa when i was 8 after Mr.Robert Mugabe took over and decided he didn't want any white people living there anymore.
I had my first child at 21 and decided that i did not want her to grow up in such a hateful environment. So i moved to England with her father. We had another child but it didn't work out between him and I, after 7 years we were divorced. I then met a dane, we got married and moved here to Denmark about 4 years ago. We have been married a little over 5 years now and we have a 1 year old son. Our kids are really happy and well adjusted.
The problem is, i just cannot live here anymore. I won't go into it as it will take far too long, but i have added a link to an ex-pat forum and you can read up on how we are treated over here, for youself.
Now, the thing is, i don't really belong anywhere, i can never go back to Africa as it really is not a place to raise children in my opinion. My husband refuses to even considder England but he has shown some interest in Ireland.
I have done my best to find out as much as i can about moving to Irealnd and found that Cork seems to be the best place for us to move to. I need to be sure that i am not making a huge mistake though.
My husband can get a job in customer service, speaking Danish and it pays a min of 19500 p.a, is that a good wage? (some companies pay much better)
I have been looking at renting a house just outside of Cork, like Mallow or Midleton, one of the small towns or something.
I have worked for the NHS in England as a healthcare assistant, so i am hoping that i can get a job doing the same thing in Irealnd, it pays around 10 euro an hour. I need to know if our combined salaries will be enough and if we will be treated better than we are here.
I don't expect it to be easy of course, i know it is not a fairy land with butterlfies and glitter, i just want to live somehwere i can feel at home.
My daughter is 17, my son is 9 and our baby is 1. I would be devastated if my children found it difficult to settle in. How are the children in Ireland? I found that the children in the area i lived in England were really very violent (Burnley)i think it was jsut the area i lived in though. What are they like in Ireland? I have really nice kids and i'm not just saying that because i am their Mum, they really are lovely kids and i am hoping they can make some good friends and have a good life.
I also need to know a few other details, like the cost of living in Cork, not in the city but the outskirts like i said. How much is daycare, car taxes, allt hat kind of stuff.
I would appreciate any advice you could give me and perhaps once we have made the move, we can meet up with other families and make some friends.
Thankyou for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
I am desperately seeking advice on moving to Ireland.
I currently reside in Denmark with my husband and three children and can honestly say i hate it here, the Danish do not want any "non-Danes" here, no matter where you come from. Feel free to read how we are treated over here and you will see what i mean:
http://portal.foreignersindenmark.dk...ee2783c8563a5b
Let me tell you a little more about myself first, so you can get a better picture of my situation. I hope i don't bore you half to death hehe.
I was born in Zimbabwe and my parents immigrated to South Africa when i was 8 after Mr.Robert Mugabe took over and decided he didn't want any white people living there anymore.
I had my first child at 21 and decided that i did not want her to grow up in such a hateful environment. So i moved to England with her father. We had another child but it didn't work out between him and I, after 7 years we were divorced. I then met a dane, we got married and moved here to Denmark about 4 years ago. We have been married a little over 5 years now and we have a 1 year old son. Our kids are really happy and well adjusted.
The problem is, i just cannot live here anymore. I won't go into it as it will take far too long, but i have added a link to an ex-pat forum and you can read up on how we are treated over here, for youself.
Now, the thing is, i don't really belong anywhere, i can never go back to Africa as it really is not a place to raise children in my opinion. My husband refuses to even considder England but he has shown some interest in Ireland.
I have done my best to find out as much as i can about moving to Irealnd and found that Cork seems to be the best place for us to move to. I need to be sure that i am not making a huge mistake though.
My husband can get a job in customer service, speaking Danish and it pays a min of 19500 p.a, is that a good wage? (some companies pay much better)
I have been looking at renting a house just outside of Cork, like Mallow or Midleton, one of the small towns or something.
I have worked for the NHS in England as a healthcare assistant, so i am hoping that i can get a job doing the same thing in Irealnd, it pays around 10 euro an hour. I need to know if our combined salaries will be enough and if we will be treated better than we are here.
I don't expect it to be easy of course, i know it is not a fairy land with butterlfies and glitter, i just want to live somehwere i can feel at home.
My daughter is 17, my son is 9 and our baby is 1. I would be devastated if my children found it difficult to settle in. How are the children in Ireland? I found that the children in the area i lived in England were really very violent (Burnley)i think it was jsut the area i lived in though. What are they like in Ireland? I have really nice kids and i'm not just saying that because i am their Mum, they really are lovely kids and i am hoping they can make some good friends and have a good life.
I also need to know a few other details, like the cost of living in Cork, not in the city but the outskirts like i said. How much is daycare, car taxes, allt hat kind of stuff.
I would appreciate any advice you could give me and perhaps once we have made the move, we can meet up with other families and make some friends.
Thankyou for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
Dec 19th 2011, 1:58 pm
#13
Account Closed
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 363
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
Hi everyone!
I am desperately seeking advice on moving to Ireland.
I currently reside in Denmark with my husband and three children and can honestly say i hate it here, the Danish do not want any "non-Danes" here, no matter where you come from. Feel free to read how we are treated over here and you will see what i mean:
http://portal.foreignersindenmark.dk...ee2783c8563a5b
Let me tell you a little more about myself first, so you can get a better picture of my situation. I hope i don't bore you half to death hehe.
I was born in Zimbabwe and my parents immigrated to South Africa when i was 8 after Mr.Robert Mugabe took over and decided he didn't want any white people living there anymore.
I had my first child at 21 and decided that i did not want her to grow up in such a hateful environment. So i moved to England with her father. We had another child but it didn't work out between him and I, after 7 years we were divorced. I then met a dane, we got married and moved here to Denmark about 4 years ago. We have been married a little over 5 years now and we have a 1 year old son. Our kids are really happy and well adjusted.
The problem is, i just cannot live here anymore. I won't go into it as it will take far too long, but i have added a link to an ex-pat forum and you can read up on how we are treated over here, for youself.
Now, the thing is, i don't really belong anywhere, i can never go back to Africa as it really is not a place to raise children in my opinion. My husband refuses to even considder England but he has shown some interest in Ireland.
I have done my best to find out as much as i can about moving to Irealnd and found that Cork seems to be the best place for us to move to. I need to be sure that i am not making a huge mistake though.
My husband can get a job in customer service, speaking Danish and it pays a min of 19500 p.a, is that a good wage? (some companies pay much better)
I have been looking at renting a house just outside of Cork, like Mallow or Midleton, one of the small towns or something.
I have worked for the NHS in England as a healthcare assistant, so i am hoping that i can get a job doing the same thing in Irealnd, it pays around 10 euro an hour. I need to know if our combined salaries will be enough and if we will be treated better than we are here.
I don't expect it to be easy of course, i know it is not a fairy land with butterlfies and glitter, i just want to live somehwere i can feel at home.
My daughter is 17, my son is 9 and our baby is 1. I would be devastated if my children found it difficult to settle in. How are the children in Ireland? I found that the children in the area i lived in England were really very violent (Burnley)i think it was jsut the area i lived in though. What are they like in Ireland? I have really nice kids and i'm not just saying that because i am their Mum, they really are lovely kids and i am hoping they can make some good friends and have a good life.
I also need to know a few other details, like the cost of living in Cork, not in the city but the outskirts like i said. How much is daycare, car taxes, allt hat kind of stuff.
I would appreciate any advice you could give me and perhaps once we have made the move, we can meet up with other families and make some friends.
Thankyou for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
I am desperately seeking advice on moving to Ireland.
I currently reside in Denmark with my husband and three children and can honestly say i hate it here, the Danish do not want any "non-Danes" here, no matter where you come from. Feel free to read how we are treated over here and you will see what i mean:
http://portal.foreignersindenmark.dk...ee2783c8563a5b
Let me tell you a little more about myself first, so you can get a better picture of my situation. I hope i don't bore you half to death hehe.
I was born in Zimbabwe and my parents immigrated to South Africa when i was 8 after Mr.Robert Mugabe took over and decided he didn't want any white people living there anymore.
I had my first child at 21 and decided that i did not want her to grow up in such a hateful environment. So i moved to England with her father. We had another child but it didn't work out between him and I, after 7 years we were divorced. I then met a dane, we got married and moved here to Denmark about 4 years ago. We have been married a little over 5 years now and we have a 1 year old son. Our kids are really happy and well adjusted.
The problem is, i just cannot live here anymore. I won't go into it as it will take far too long, but i have added a link to an ex-pat forum and you can read up on how we are treated over here, for youself.
Now, the thing is, i don't really belong anywhere, i can never go back to Africa as it really is not a place to raise children in my opinion. My husband refuses to even considder England but he has shown some interest in Ireland.
I have done my best to find out as much as i can about moving to Irealnd and found that Cork seems to be the best place for us to move to. I need to be sure that i am not making a huge mistake though.
My husband can get a job in customer service, speaking Danish and it pays a min of 19500 p.a, is that a good wage? (some companies pay much better)
I have been looking at renting a house just outside of Cork, like Mallow or Midleton, one of the small towns or something.
I have worked for the NHS in England as a healthcare assistant, so i am hoping that i can get a job doing the same thing in Irealnd, it pays around 10 euro an hour. I need to know if our combined salaries will be enough and if we will be treated better than we are here.
I don't expect it to be easy of course, i know it is not a fairy land with butterlfies and glitter, i just want to live somehwere i can feel at home.
My daughter is 17, my son is 9 and our baby is 1. I would be devastated if my children found it difficult to settle in. How are the children in Ireland? I found that the children in the area i lived in England were really very violent (Burnley)i think it was jsut the area i lived in though. What are they like in Ireland? I have really nice kids and i'm not just saying that because i am their Mum, they really are lovely kids and i am hoping they can make some good friends and have a good life.
I also need to know a few other details, like the cost of living in Cork, not in the city but the outskirts like i said. How much is daycare, car taxes, allt hat kind of stuff.
I would appreciate any advice you could give me and perhaps once we have made the move, we can meet up with other families and make some friends.
Thankyou for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
If you have a read through what people have been saying on this thread you will have a fair idea of what's happening in Ireland now.
Dec 19th 2011, 2:19 pm
#14
Banned
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 284
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
Hi Eleaya,
My advice is not to come unless you have enough savings to support yourself for 2 years. You Husband will not be able to claim any Social Welfare until he has passed the Habitual Residence Condition; and this takes 2 years typically.
There is very high unemployment in Ireland now. You will not be able to get a job working for the HSE (NHS equivalent) as the Government is making massive HSE cut backs.
The cost of living in Ireland is high, food, rent, car tax, fuel, etc.
Rent.ie and Daft.ie are the 2 best websites to research property prices.
Cork is not as multicultural as Dublin. You will find it hard to cultivate new friendships, and your children may experience some problems fitting in due to their foreign accents. You will find Dublin to be more cosmopolitan, and it will have more employment prospects than Cork.
You will find that there is much racism against immigrants in Ireland, and this is not helped by the high unemployment.
My advice is not to come unless you have enough savings to support yourself for 2 years. You Husband will not be able to claim any Social Welfare until he has passed the Habitual Residence Condition; and this takes 2 years typically.
There is very high unemployment in Ireland now. You will not be able to get a job working for the HSE (NHS equivalent) as the Government is making massive HSE cut backs.
The cost of living in Ireland is high, food, rent, car tax, fuel, etc.
Rent.ie and Daft.ie are the 2 best websites to research property prices.
Cork is not as multicultural as Dublin. You will find it hard to cultivate new friendships, and your children may experience some problems fitting in due to their foreign accents. You will find Dublin to be more cosmopolitan, and it will have more employment prospects than Cork.
You will find that there is much racism against immigrants in Ireland, and this is not helped by the high unemployment.
Dec 19th 2011, 4:31 pm
#15
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2007
Location: Dublin (ex Nottingham)
Posts: 192
Re: My experience of moving to Cork
As Sean says if you decide to try Ireland you would be better off in Dublin.
The cost of living is higher but there are many more international employers (if they're taking staff on at the moment - check their websites) who look for multilingual staff. EBAY, Paypal, Google and Facebook spring to mind but there's also companies like IBM and Microsoft etc.
You will also need savings as you won't qualify for any payouts so will need to support yourselves until you both get work. I'd forget the HSE for the time being.
The cost of living is higher but there are many more international employers (if they're taking staff on at the moment - check their websites) who look for multilingual staff. EBAY, Paypal, Google and Facebook spring to mind but there's also companies like IBM and Microsoft etc.
You will also need savings as you won't qualify for any payouts so will need to support yourselves until you both get work. I'd forget the HSE for the time being.
