If you are in the process of making the decision of moving to Ireland, the below 5 might help you.
1. Very good minimum wage
The minimum wage in Ireland is calculated per hour (currently €11,30 gross), very different than most Eastern Europe countries where the minimum wage is calculated per month which makes a huge difference if you work overtime a lot. Another very positive thing is that many companies are paying the wages weekly which helps individuals who just arrive in Ireland on a low budget to start receiving some cash pretty quickly after they find a job. Also, the percentage of working legally in Ireland comparing to many Eastern Europe countries is very high, working illegally here is almost none existent. I hear many stories from my home country where workers are paid the minimum wage as taxed and receiving the rest in an envelope or even worst case scenarios where workers receive part of their wage in coupons for food which they can only spend in a specific store. The standard in Ireland is high and even with the minimum wage you can still save for travel or whatever your priorities are but only if you are a hard core smoker or drinker or “god forbid” a drug consumer, you might think twice before coming here.
I will give you an example. If you smoke 1 package of cigarettes per day which approximately costs €16, multiplied by 30 days you spend altogether €480 per month. There is ways to get cheaper cigarettes when traveling to other countries where they cost less but bare in mind in that case you are buying a carton and will most likely smoke more than usual.
The usual working hours per week in Ireland are 39, if you get the minimum wage of €11,30 and we multiply it by 4,33 weeks (average weeks in one month) that is approximately €11,30x39x4,33=€1909 gross and we take out the taxes for a minimum wage (which is a very complex calculation) you get approximately €1718 net. Take out the rent, the bills, the food and the transport (lets say €600+€100+€200+€100=€1000) and make your own mind of how you want to manage what is left. Also, all depends on your priorities in life, if your savings here are very small because you are smoking and you really don’t like the weather, you might prefer to stay home or choose another country.
2. Large variety of different cuisines
Ireland is a multinational country and there is a huge chance that you will make friends and try homemade food from countries you never tried before (so far I had the opportunity to taste Irish, Lithuanian, Brazilian, Greek, Indian, Mexican and Polish cuisine). Also, if you are missing food from your home country the probably of finding a store, a restaurant or both which offers some type of it is very big, especially in Dublin as there is almost any kind of restaurant you can imagine here. I lived in Zagreb, Croatia for 15 years and never had the chance to find products from my home country Bulgaria and the only different cuisines available were Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and Italian restaurants (in Dublin so far I went to Irish, Chinese, Turkish, Bosnian, Japanese, Asian, Thai, Mexican and Australian restaurant).
3. Big, green parks in every neighborhood
The weather in Ireland is never too hot and never too cold, that is why we call it EVERGREEN as not all trees dry up and get yellow or freeze (rarely under +0°C and over +23°C). Wherever you are you won’t need much to reach a park, big or small for a nice walk. Those parks actually saved us mentally and physically during covid. Some favorite places around Tallaght are: Bohernabreena Reservoirs Park, Dodder Riverbank Park, Tibradden Wood.
4. Easy to find a job
From my own experience and the people around me even with minimal or no English it is possible to find a job pretty quickly (of course, we are talking about harder jobs and paid the minimum wage). Also, you can easily find better and well paid job if you have a good English. I personally started with almost no English giving myself one year to learn the language working as a waitress and cashier at a grocery store. After that year, with my previous admin experience from Croatia I moved to work as a receptionist and office admin and 3 years later I got to a really well paid nice position as a data admin.
5. Freedom of speech and style
It didn’t take much after my arrival in Ireland to realize that you would rarely feel judged, if ever. No gazing or whispering no matter of the way you dressed up, how many piercings you have or what colour of the rainbow is your hair. Comparing to most Eastern Europe countries this for me was huge. Ireland is very liberal and tolerant country but sometimes going to extremes, in my personal opinion. Also, you don’t feel like a foreigner here, people are kind and open to help because 60% of them are foreigners just like you and know how hard the beginnings are. Many people speak broken English or with a noticeable accent which makes you relax and feel like you belong here. When I lived in Croatia as a foreigner, I always felt like one because there wasn’t many around and for the language barrier so I can see the difference.
All in all these are the main 5 but there is surely more positive sides of living in Ireland which I will mention in other posts.