One year has passed since i arrived in Dublin Ireland, so i think it is the right time to share a little bit more about my experience and share some tips with Ireland newcomers and people that are willing to move to this country.
Before Moving
After 5 years working for the same employer and after the last events that had happened in the Portuguese economy me and my wife decided that it was the time to try to build our life in a new country.
After a June weekend updating my Monster profile in the next work days i started to receive phone calls from job agencies around Europe.
The job interview processes lasted in August when i accepted a proposal made by my current company. They hired me to work in a permanent Senior Software Engineer role based in Dublin,Ireland.
Why Ireland
The Ireland choice was not hard but the arguments that convinced me were:
- A job in a different industry - Aeronautical Telecommunications
- Chance to new learn new things and work with leading technologies
- A huge cluster of International IT companies to work on with competitive remunerations and career prospects.
- A challenging multicultural environment workplace
- Fast-paced dynamic IT sector
In October of 2012 i arrived in the Dublin Airport coming from the sunny Portugal with a lot expectations and 2 bags of personal stuff to support my first year in the country.
After Arriving
In the first days, i spent most of my time doing the paperwork so for helping newcomers i created an ordered list of tasks, tips and advices that you should follow in order to get everything done without to much rush.
- Rent an apartment or a house and get a letter from the landlord saying that you live on the house (proof of address). Here is a list of websites to search for apartments and houses:
- Go to your Social Welfare Local Office and register your PPSN (Personal Public Services Number) with the proof of address and your passport.Use the Office Locator to know the street addresould
-
Apply for a Tax Certificate with the form Form12A after receiving your PPS number on the post, it usually takes 5 work days after the registering. Fill the form an send it by post to your local Revenue Office.
- Open a Bank Account on your preferred Irish bank to receive your salary.Be aware that the bank may ask you for a recommendation from your employer.
- Buy a mobile phone from a Irish mobile provider network because you may need it to call to some services, the list of Irish mobile phone providers:
- If you coming from a South European country don’t forget to buy some warm clothes because the Winter is long, cold and rainy.
Overall Experience
The overall experience in Ireland has been very positive and the most part of the people are kindly and helpful but i am still adapting to Irish culture and weather.
The city is environment is vibrant so you can find many historical and cool places to visit on the weekends.
If you planning to move to Ireland first try get a job before you come in, save some money for the relocation expenses and compare the cost of living and taxes with your city in order to properly negotiate your salary.