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Relocating from California

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AmericanLass
  9/6/2017 14:57 EST

Hello, I have enjoyed reading the posts and responses on this site. I noted that several members are retired. We are a young family nonetheless the feedback is very helpful and insightful. Although my husband and I are in our early 50's we have a young family, 22 month old, five year old, six year old, fourteen year old and nineteen year old. The older two are biological and younger three are an adopted sibling set. Our children are, in part, our motivation for moving. We live in an area of California with a very high cost of living. We are a dual income family and the stress level as a result is high. Like many I had ancestors that left Ireland in the late 1800's. Certainly we may have romanticized the idea of returning to the home our ancestors originated from. I want to make sure not to allow this to cloud our judgement as I understand it is irrelevant to all but us. Our reasons for deciding to give it a try are as follows: Significant equity in our home, good head start on retirement savings, and a strong ability to secure work. My husband is a board certified and experienced doctor. He is on the "Critical Skills" list. He has registered with the Irish Medical Council and has an agency offering him positions. We have not yet narrowed down an area as this will depend on job offers. We do love Wicklow County, Greystones, and other areas within commuting distance of Dublin. We are seeking to become a single income family allowing me to actually raise our younger children. Our daughter would like to finish high school in Ireland and attend medical school (which is a $250,000 endeavor in the States). She will be a permanent resident and on her way to being an EU citizen by the time she completes undergrad. This means medical school is tuition free. This will have a positive impact on our savings particularly as older parents with very young children. Our older daughter is early in her nursing career. and this appears to also be in high demand in most of Ireland. We love the fairness of the tax system and social benefits for those in need, the cost of homes, even in Dublin, compared to our area, We are happy that my husband has a skill that is needed and that we can contribute.

I am nervous about my children being outsiders. I am nervous about being homesick for all of the conveniences of home. I am nervous about making a financial mistake and just a little scared in general. We have learned most schools in urban areas have a wait list. This is a concept unfamiliar to Americans insofar as our public school system operates. We are prepared to invest in private school if necessary. We are seeking a slower, family centered life, urban with walking ability to services and schools (ideally). We have lived in the North West region of the USA and find the weather to be very similar to Ireland and very tolerable. We understand we can always return "home" if things go awry however this becomes more and more difficult with jobs, starting over, and children. Any suggestions or advice for a family with young children would be welcome.

dave8408e
  9/6/2017 18:39 EST

Hello, and welcome to our little forum. I'm one of those retirees living in Ireland that you mentioned, and while I can't offer any pertinent suggestions on jobs and such, I have had the opportunity to interact with young people of various ages and have listened to their experiences at school, as well as having seen some of their course materials and visited facilities. If you haven't already done so, please make a trip with the family here and if at all possible have the kids that are of school age spend a week in a classroom setting. Having lived in SoCal, and having spent a brief period as a substitute teacher, I think you will find Irish education FAR superior to public schools your children presently attend. One challenge will be catching up on Irish language, which is mandatory. Also, read up on the junior and leaving cert tests -- how I wish the US adopted this testing protocol, which is demanding. I think you'll find that your kids will not face any extreme hazing due to their American accents; many Irish students have American relatives. I can't offer much else in the way of insights, but I thought I'd suggest a visit if you haven't already checked out 'the neighbourhood'.

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AmericanLass
  9/6/2017 19:27 EST

Valuable information, thank you!. I am happy to know that you are impressed with the schools. We are in a good district in California but that is certainly not the norm as you know. Yes, I know my children will need to study Irish. I believe my 14 year old will be exempt due to her age. She is a talented student and I am thrilled she will have this opportunity. I will ask our relocation assistant if they can arrange a "sit in" in the classroom. This would be fantastic. My adopted children are Native American and European. Likely not many Native Americans in Ireland? I know my little ones will do well! They are outgoing and confident kids.

How long have you been in Ireland? If I may ask where do you reside? What are your favorite experiences and your least favorite? Any challenges unique to living in Ireland specifically? Are you pleased with the Medical system? This will be quite a change for my husband. I know I am bombarding you with questions. Thank you!!

Joshuak
  9/7/2017 16:41 EST

To Americanlass: I am a Dual citizen (US - Irish) and live in Florida retired. I have been a bit negative toward US retired citizens with no Irish background moving to Ireland. However, in your case I think your Husbands skills are really needed. Ireland has a problem with not having enough Doctors and or facilities. The Government knows this is a problem and have promised to Fix it. My wife and I lived in Wexford County for one full year, and in Cork (My Mother's Birthplace) for the better part of 1/2 year. I have had a Irish passport for going on 30 years and have visited many times. Unfortunately I have no knowledge of the school systems as I never had children of that age when we were there, but do have some knowledge of many other subjects in Ireland. The Wicklow area is a nice area with the mountains and even some snow in winter. The main Bus route from Wexford goes through the Greystone / Wicklow area on the M11 / N11 highway that connects into Dublin downtown and the Airport. Daytime a bus every hour or two. There is also train service from Greystone often into Dublin. Housing is not cheap in that area, but I would bet if your Husband has a job offer, the Hospital or Government will assist in finding something to get you there. As I said, he is sorely needed. If you need any information and I can help, you can contact me via the private message on this website.

FlowerFairy
  9/7/2017 17:14 EST

With your husband being a Doctor, you will have no problem apart from the obvious one of adapting to a new country. Happy Days.

Mellis5910
  9/8/2017 03:01 EST

Welcome to the forum, Americanlass. My husband and I retired to Ireland earlier this year and absolutely love it. The cool, rainy weather is vastly superior to that of New England. We slipped into Irish life in Cork quite easily, perhaps it helps that we are dual citizens and had thoroughly researched the move. I cannot speak to what sort of challenges you children may face here, I can tell you that we've been impressed by the children we've encountered here, they're mannerly and intelligent. Family life seems to be at the forefront of Irish life. Wishing you and your family the best.

William RussellWilliam Russell
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William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

William RussellWilliam Russell

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
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Muddled
  9/8/2017 16:36 EST

Hello Americanlass,

Firstly, the school (and university system) in Ireland will be greatly different for what your children are used to, especially, secondary school. As in the US, schools and teachers vary greatly. Also, there is a big move on at the moment to seperate church and state (the majority of schools, overall, are Catholic).Your oldest can get an exemption from Irish due to her age. Also, secondary school is has firstly a "Junior Certificate" , where they are examined on subjects they studied for the previous THREE years. This is changing to the "continuous assessment" method as in the US. I think your 14 year old either be too old for the junior cert, or has missed too many years to sit. The Leaving Cert then is a few years later, again, being examined in subjects they have been studying for the previous 2-3 years. I personally prefer the continuous assessment method. An important thing to note is that depending on the points one gets on their Leaving Cert determines what third level course a person can attend. The last I knew, one needed 600+ points (top) in order to get in to course for medicine, veterinary, etc. so it is very different to the US, Although it is more affordable for citizens. I don't know how long someone has to live here to avail non-foreign tuition fees. Don't be confused by the "free tuition" claim; there is a levy set by the EU and the cost for an EU citizend to attend most ITs and universities is €3,000 per year but I do not know in your situation if your daughter would be eligible.

As for jobs for doctors and nurses, yes, the public health service in Ireland is crying out for doctors and nurses, mainly because wages have been cut and doctors and nurses are moving abroad to earn a better living. Also, the services are SO overstretched and there are very long waiting lists to see consultants. I would suggest trying to get work in private hospitals as the pay is better, although the public health system is much larger..

I wish you well in whatever you decide. If you would like to PM me, please feel free to do so. I moved here nearly 22 years ago from Massachusetts and raised my native-Irish daughter. I also work in the public sector .

AmericanLass
  9/9/2017 16:07 EST

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. Yes, having lived in the North West of the US I find the rain very tolerable too. Thank you for the feed back. We are being very proactive, travel back and forth, researching areas, schools, etc. All of the positive feedback helps with my fear. Thank you again.

DebAckley
  9/9/2017 21:58 EST

Hello! This is a wonderful site! May I ask a few ??

Do you each have 50, 000 euros in the bank, so you won't be a burden to the State? Can you get Irish citizenship for one of you ( having a grandparent or parent who was born inIE).
If your spouse can get a visa for a medical position..how wonderful!
If your children are in the elementary grades, they will need to learn a bit of the Irish language.
We tried to retire there ( Co Kerry and I have dual citizenship), we weren't able to get a mortgage as in IE mortgages need to be paid off by 64...which we didn't know.
There is a rental housing shortage in IE....so start looking.
We did come back to NY...I missed our friends and family...my husband..who is not Irish at all, loved it and would have stayed..so we will travel over yearly now. Wishing you the best of luck!

PaulSF
  12/16/2017 12:23 EST

I was going to post a question, but I have an analogous situation and I'm very curious.

I have an FBR dual citizenship. Originally it was just "because I could" and unfortunately I didn't realize I could until after my kids were born. My kids are teen or pre-teen. I am just over 50. So nobody else, including my wife, has Irish citizenship.

I'm a software engineer and my skills would conceivably be transferrable. I could also probably retire at this point in most parts of the US if I sold my house here (though I couldn't help my kids much with college expenses).

But given my age and my kids' age. I wonder is this idea totally crazy or merely very ambitious. Given that they are not eligible for dual citizenship, do they have any reasonable path to living, attending college, and working in Ireland?

I am curious if people have successfully moved their family in such circumstances. (Of course, they have to agree too. I have brought it up for discussion and I know a vacation is necessary first step.)

Joshuak
  12/16/2017 14:02 EST

What is the age of your Children ? If your children are minors, and you, a citizen of Ireland, and your wife moved there, your wife and children would be given residency status which is renewable every year for three (3) years and then all could process for citizenship of Ireland. However, I am not sure at what age the children would not be eligible for this. It could be 18 or maybe 21 or some other number. I did not take the time to look it up. It may or may not be included in the documents on Citizensinformation.ie . But there is a passage in EU law that also covers that situation. You need to look at both to find the answer or,
Call the Irish Consular General in San Francisco at 415-392-4214.

William RussellWilliam Russell
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William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

William RussellWilliam Russell

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
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dianstan
  12/26/2017 19:43 EST

Hello Everyone,

I was trying to get some information as it relates to relocation to Northern Ireland. I was given a job offer as a Nurse; hoping to start by May 2018. Can anyone share some light on living in Northern Ireland? Any Information will be useful

FlowerFairy
  12/26/2017 21:25 EST

Hello, I have a niece who is a Nurse in Northern Ireland. April Irwin who is on Facebook. At the moment she is in hospital herself after just giving birth to a baby girl. I am not in contact myself (currently living in Australia) but I am sure if you were to message her in a few days she would be more than happy to assist with info. https://www.facebook.com/april.linton.35

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