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Job & Housing Advice - Cork or Galway?

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WindOnTheMove
  3/13/2018 21:04 EST

Evening!

I'm an American whose grandfather came off the boat from Ireland, and I'm thinking of heading back across. Assuming all goes well with my foreign birth application, I should be an Irish citizen as well any day now. I'm a 32 yo project manager by trade, just me and my cat, and frankly this looks like as good a time as any to upend my life. I'm looking at either Cork or Galway as cheaper but still vibrant and culturally rich alternatives to Dublin.

1. Jobs:
Does anyone have any advice on which city (Cork or Galway) would be easier to find a job and live in? Do you apply directly or is it smart to get a recruiter? Is a salary of $50k euro a year a good benchmark for a single person of not extravagant tastes?

2. Housing:
Is it better to rent or to buy a place? Looking at the rents vs mortgages, it looks like it's smarter to buy, but maybe daft isn't a good place to find a rental flat.

I've been reading through all the guides/FAQs, but any advice or suggestions for job and house hunting would be appreciated! Thank you--

Muddled
  3/14/2018 14:37 EST

First of all congratulations for applying for your Irish citizenship.

If you havn't already, it would be a good idea to make SEVERAL visits to Ireland. It's expensive and rains a lot.

Both Cork and Galway are nice. Cork is going through a big boom at them moment, with several multi-nationals around. This has been driving rents up.

I suggest you look on jobs.ie, monster.ie, jobsireland.ie to get a feel for where there are more jobs (my hunch is Cork, but I live in the county so can be biased!). Also look on daft.ie for housing. (Good thing you're not looking at Dublin!). Just a warning that pets are often not allowed.

If you are on Facebook a sister group to one I am in is helpful for people that want or are thinking about moving to Ireland
https://www.facebook.com/groups/359776934489572/

Hope this helps.

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Joshuak
  3/14/2018 16:57 EST

I would advise you to rent for at least a year before you buy any house. What if you find a better job after 6 months and it is clear across Ireland from where you bought ? Best to get settled and see where you want to be first. Do not rush into any house purchase. There are a lot of problems with property sales if you don't know the area or anybody local. Just because you receive a passport and citizenship does not complete the paperwork needed. You still need to deal with the Irish bureaucracy for other documents before life is normal. You will need to buy a car and get insurance for the car. They do not recognize a US drivers license for automatic reciprocal for Irish License. But you are allowed to drive for one year on US license. But then you have to start with Irish "junior" license. Insurance can also be tough to get. Just remember, you are moving to a new country, not the same as like moving from Indiana to Michigan.
Make local friends as soon as possible, but be careful. A lot of what you can do in Ireland sometimes depends on who you know.

WindOnTheMove
  3/14/2018 18:34 EST

Thank you both for the replies!

Believe it or not, the weather is a bonus. ;) I went to Ireland for two weeks last summer and was disappointed when I got sun burnt! I did a semester in London in uni, so I'm pretty comfortable with the climate.

If I believe numbeo, the costs of living are about the same from where I am now to either city. (Here: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/calculator.jsp ) Do you guys find that to be accurate, or is it missing things?

I've been stalking jobs.ie for awhile now, just trying to get a feel for what's out there. I'm a little worried that the available jobs I'm seeing are going to be not viable for self-sustainability. In regards to rent/buy, I was seeing rents in Cork for $1k or more a month, whereas a mortgage payment was $600 or less.

Is it necessary to have a car if you live in Cork or Galway proper? Or does it just depend on your commute?

Muddled
  3/15/2018 11:28 EST

I think a car is necessary unless you live near where you work.
A reminder ( I think Joshua mentioned it), your U.S. driving license is not transferable here, so you will have to sit a theory test in order to get an Irish Learner's Permit, and complete a minimum number of lessons before you can sit your driving test. Legalyy, you can drive on your U.S. Driver's License for a year, but having said that it can be tricky (and very expensive) to get an a company to insure you. With a Learner's Permit (commonly known as a Provisional License) you are also supposed to have a licensed driver as a passenger in the front seat with you. The Gards had been very lax about this rule, but that has all changed quite recently due to fatal car crashes involving Learner drivers.

I live in rural Cork so cannot speak to cost of living in the city. I am from New England and though I find Ireland expensive, where I live is comparable to the cost of living where I am from originally.

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