American wanting to live in ireland (dublin). Any advice or tips?

Hello everyone! I am currently living in Austin, Texas (USA) and have been thinking for quite sometime now of leaving here and going to Dublin. I have done a little research on how much it will take for me to get there (plane ticket, passport, etc) but the one thing that I have not been able to find is how much the average cost of living is there.

I would only need a 1 bedroom apartment (and to know the costs/places to go to get one of these). Is there a good website to get me started in looking? I found http://www/daft.ie (seems to be pretty good).

I am a rather simple person, so I wouldn't need a lot of "stuff" to get started. I was thinking i'd like to get off the plane and go right to my new apartment (if that is possible). I am also thinking that having mobile phone service would be a good idea, so i'll have to get that as well.

As for working, I would like to know if there is one website that is better than another to look for work. I am not sure if there is a time peroid from the time I get there to the time I will be able to work, so any advice/tips you can provide on that as well would be greatly appreciated.

And the last thing I would like to know about living in ireland is the mentality of the people. I talked to one friend that said most irish people dislike americans and it would be best if I went there to keep my mouth shut as much as possible. I have also read numerous sites that say the irish are a friendly bunch of people and they are very relaxed and take life at a slower pace (much like my own personality). I am a pretty friendly guy who gets along with most people I meet and can be pretty funny (sense of humor) at times. I am also a beginning guitar player, so maybe meeting some musicians or people who just have a love for the guitar might be nice.

Thanks in advance for helping me out with this!! :-)

I am not from Dublin but I can safely say that most Irish like Americans. I think there is lots of vacant property to rent at the moment. Ireland is however an expensive country to live and if you are coming, you need to make an assessment if it really suits you, before committing. Dublin is not Ireland but it where most of Irish go to find work. I am from a small town in the midlands and if you were prepared to play and sing in a pub you would get some work.

I am from Texas also and have been in Dublin for about 5 months now and I can say that the people are very friendly here.  Yes you can get dogged for being an American but you get that anywhere! I think that Irish have the same type of Southern hospitality we have in Texas.  I think you will have a hard time finding a job if you don't have a visa already.  You can get a 1 year working holiday visa but you must have graduated college in the last 12 months.  As far as living maybe come here and contact a hostel before hand to see if they would let you work and live for free while you get everything sorted.  As for a mobile phone you  just go into a convenience store and get any prepaid mobile sim card and pop it in your phone if its unlocked and you are ready to go. Websites to look for jobs are Irishjobs.ie, jobs.ie and monster.ie are the ones I know.   Dublin is pretty expensive to Austin but it has a lot of history and culture but the weather can be pretty crappy at times!  I hope that helps.

Hello jl79 and a warm welcome to Expat.com :)
I would recommend that you go through the Life in Ireland guide which contains useful articles on Visas, Work and Accommodation amongst others!
Hope this helps
Arlette

American woman from the USA wanting to live and work in Dublin, Ireland.

I went last summer and loved it!  I know you must have a job offer prior to moving (at least I think so).  Is it possible to move out there first without having the job, and then finding a job?  If anyone knows of a recruiter that will help an American get a job and work permit, please let me know.  Any advice or help would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Kristin

My wife and I moved here from Austin over three years ago and love it. The proximity to the continent makes short trips there so handy. Moving here is not the easiest, though.  You must have a work permit to be employed here and they don't issue work permits for certain types of jobs, e.g. service and retail. So, you can't come over and get a job in a shop (unless you do it on the sly). The immigration officers at the airport can be very picky about your documentation. If you don't have a work permit already they will issue you a tourist visa good for up to three months. If you find a job in that time you must go back to the States to apply for the work permit. Find a job that fits the criteria for a Green Card permit (salary above €60k or on a list of "in-demand" jobs). After two years on a Green Card you'll be able to apply for long-term residency. More info at [Moderated: No free advert]

Take a long-ish holiday here, a month if you can swing it, and move around the country, check out jobs, have some pints, etc. You'll get a pretty good idea if you want to go through red-tape of moving here.

Bill

Hi, I am an aussie living in Ireland, and about to move back home due to the High taxes that the government has just introduced to bail themselves out. I love it here, but if you are working in a job that is not highly paid, then you might struggle a tad.
We got over here and moved into an apartment in Clontarf, I can put you in contact with our landlord who may have apartments going, 180 euro a week, apartments are nice and modern, newly renovated, and everything is included. If you move over here by end of April we are happy to sell you our tv, furniture ect. Even our car if you want it.
As for hating americans.....I haven't found that, everyone is happy to have a chat over here, the countryside is so much better than dublin, so constant trips make you stay worthwhile.
Hope this is of some help
We love Clontarf, its by the water, ten minutes from the city on a bus, has a train station, huge walking paths, parks, we ride our bikes everywhere, its very nice.
cheers

Sometimes our sense of humour can be misunderstood as well.  Generally people will give a bit of teasing to someone and don't feel afraid to give a little back.  Generally this will get you a round of laughter and a drink so well worth it.

Hey i am from Ireland i would deff recomend living there but for sure its a high cost of living, in dublin beer and rent is crazy but thats where you will probably find work, we like every country and get long with anybody ud be invited for a beer and some pub scene and thts where u will find friends we call them drinking buddies lol.... Cork is a nice place also Galway personally id keep way from dublin even go to south east but at the moment ireland is not a country for work, maybe study for you would be better try find some job on d side,, but remember you will need plenty of euros

Best of luck

Eoin

hi,

I am a dutch woman living in Dublin, as you might know the economy in Ireland is not great at the moment so finding a job could be a bit of a challenge. Look for jobs on : jobs.ie. simple jobs like bartending in a pub etc. are a plenty.

as for a place to live: my sister in law has a very nice apartment in Dublin which is empty at the moment, she is looking for a new person to occupy the place. I dont know what she asks per month but I could get you in contact with her.  you have to place to yourself, bathroom, livingroom, 2 bedrooms. etc.

as for the attitude of the people: I personally love it, compared to what I am used to from Holland anyway. People here in Ireland are in general laid back, helpful, good sense of humor, positive, yes we joke a bit about american accents but thats about it.

Thinking about moving to Ireland. I'm a 36 year old male whose looking to experience a new place/people. I have a work from home job that only requires my computer, an internet connection, and a phone line. So I've been thinking for a while..."hey, why not do this somewhere else in the world why I have a chance to"?

I basically need as much info as possible, but I have a few specific questions if anyone can help. Oh and I am considering Clontarf although I'm not restricted to it. Also, I may have a fellow American friend join me as a roommate.

- I only make 32k/year....is it possible to live on that with a roommate?
- I do not own a car....is Clontarf a place I can get around by bus?
- Can I legally get into Ireland with a pre-existing job that I work from home based out of New York?

Help!!!

to work in ireland you will need a work permit BEFORE you come to Ireland. permits are applied from www.djei.ie

work from home or work online is NOT accepted.

if you want to set up a business you need business permission from the dept of justice to get this you will need €300,000 investment.


See: [link moderated]

What's the best way for a retired person to move to Ireland for a year??

Were you ever able to make your move to Ireland? Considering a move myself and looking into my options.