Thinking of moving to Galway - are there any jobs?

cclittlec

I'm thinking of moving to Galway city in the near future, I currently live in Dublin (as I have all my life) and really need a change of scenery or I'll go mad!! Galway has always held a real appeal for me and I'm considering moving there and see how I go. Just wondering if anyone could tell me what the job situation is like there and whether it's worth uprooting myself and taking a risk. I have a law degree and have experience teaching music but am willing to take anything really.

Any information in relation to accommodation (best places, average rent etc) would be greatly appreciated aswell.

Thanks

Mrs OBumble

cclittlec wrote: »

I have a law degree ...

Have you got much experience as a waiter/waitress? How about in fast-food?

...

Sorry, lots of unemployed lawyers here already, we don't need another one.

Music teaching might be more possible, you won't get a job in it, but if your're willing to do anything, I could be used to supplement a crap wage.

Rents are high for a town this size: if you're sharing, budget 400/month, and you might be lucky and get somewhere cheaper. Or you might not.

Re locations - wait 'til you get a job, it's not worth being tied to one side of town and working in the other side.

ErnieBert

Where you live will be determined by whether you have a car and what part of the city you work in. What age group are you in? Will you be sharing accommodation with someone or would you prefer a place on your own? One bedroom apartments are scarce and expensive.

There is a reasonable city bus service to the suburbs too.


Good luck.

Chris Hansen

cclittlec wrote: »

I'm thinking of moving to Galway city in the near future, I currently live in Dublin (as I have all my life) and really need a change of scenery or I'll go mad!! Galway has always held a real appeal for me and I'm considering moving there and see how I go. Just wondering if anyone could tell me what the job situation is like there and whether it's worth uprooting myself and taking a risk. I have a law degree and have experience teaching music but am willing to take anything really.

Any information in relation to accommodation (best places, average rent etc) would be greatly appreciated aswell.

Thanks

Pah, jobs are irrelevant, its a great city to be on the dole in, no seriously, beautiful city, worth getting a crappy job in at first

xflyer

I came to Galway from Dublin thinking it would be just like Dublin in terms of jobs etc. It's not. Don't get me wrong it's a cool city and I like it here. Just don't have any illusions. It's a small town really. Not much work for lawyers. I know one seriously good lawyer, she has to work in Dublin while living in Galway.

Rents are holding up, good for landlords, not so good for tenants.

I came with idea that any job would do. What I hadn't reckoned with was the lower wages and that was during the height of the boom.

I'm not trying to put you off, just have no illusions.

There are few bad places to live in Galway. Maybe where there's a lot of students but other than that nothing much to worry about. Traffic however is chronic, disastrous even, worse than anything Dublin can throw at you. The local authorities are clearly unable to deal with it.

jenno86

JustMary wrote: »

Have you got much experience as a waiter/waitress? How about in fast-food?

...

Sorry, lots of unemployed lawyers here already, we don't need another one

What is your problem?

saa

Chris Hansen wrote: »

Pah, jobs are irrelevant, its a great city to be on the dole in, no seriously, beautiful city, worth getting a crappy job in at first

If you can beat all the competition for crappy jobs :rolleyes:

Asmodean

I had a feeling the trolls would be out in force for this one! As others have said op its pretty much the same jobwise here as it is in the rest of the country. I wouldnt be too quick to make the move until you have some sort of job secured. Its a fantastic spot to live in but you would have to be pretty flexible when it comes to taking up job offers. I know a few vacancies in places like retail often pop up around the end of august what with students returning to college etc

TPD

Same question here, I've just finished a computer science degree, hoping I'll have a bit better luck. Writing up a CV as we speak..

There are plenty of IT jobs it seems if you have experience.

TPD

Deleted User wrote: »

There are plenty of IT jobs it seems if you have experience.

That being the problem :P

Mrs OBumble

jenno86 wrote: »

What is your problem?

Dunno why you think I have a problem.

I do know a few unemployed lawyers, though, and wanted to make the OP 200% aware that his/her chances of working in that field here are pretty much less than zero.

cclittlec

Thanks for you replies everyone, they're much appreciated.

I'm not a qualifed solicitor or barrister so I wouldn't necessarily be looking for legal work and I know that sort of work is incredibly hard to come by at the moment as I have plenty of friends from college really struggling to find anything in that vein.

I agree that it would probably be better to have a job before I make the move, part of me would feel a lot more comfortable about leaving my current job if I knew I had something to go to.

Are there any good websites or contacts for getting jobs in Galway? I know www.jobs.ie etc are the usual ones but I've never had much luck with them and was wondering if there was any other way I could job hunt from Dublin. Plus, if at all possible, I'd really like to avoid getting a minimum wage crappy job as I've had plenty of them and would prefer a bit of stability rather than constantly chopping and changing.

As for accommodation, I'd prefer to live with people rather than on my own. I have no problem living with students but would prefer if they were doing a masters at the least! Living with 18 year olds isn't that appealing!!

How hard is it to find accommodation in the city once the students are back in September??

oh...and I'm 23 by the way, finished college a few months ago.

Amhran Nua

cclittlec wrote: »

How hard is it to find accommodation in the city once the students are back in September??

Once you aren't looking from say August to late September you should be fine, there's not much of a shortage of accommodation. Around that time though some of the landlords jack up the prices and refuse to drop them since they believe earnestly they can fleece "young wans" if they just hold out long enough. We'd full four bedroom houses near us being rented for anywhere from €1200 a month to €800 a month at that time last year.

As for jobs, it's not looking good. You might try for one of the factories but I wouldn't make any moves until I had some sort of employment or support in place already.

EverEvolving

OP - Try the recruitment agencies CPL and Collins McNicholas, also the Galway Advertiser is good to keep an eye on - http://www.advertiser.ie/galway

Am hopefully moving to Galway soon also (woohoo!), where is good area to live when working in Parkmore, preferably not a main student area. Been looking in the Ballybrit/Ballybane areas but I'm sure there are other places close by that I haven't seen. Anywhere I should definitely avoid?

Amhran Nua - that's exactly around the time I'll be moving up :eek:

High Hopes

I am living in Galway two years, and I have just qualified with a masters. I find that the job outlook here is great in some areas (computers, retail and food), however, other areas are seriously lacking. In comparision to Dublin and Cork, there are few places looking to recruit. I think you have to be very active, don't be afraid to get out there and ask around and talk to managers. It's the only way.

the untitled user

Deleted User wrote: »

There are plenty of IT jobs it seems if you have experience.

The difficulty in getting folk with experience though means grads are still getting in the door. You just probably have to be a bit persistent and have something on the CV to distinguish yourself from the crowd.

PennyLane88

There's alot of factories in Galway - mainly medical device companies that hire from time to time, maybe you could try those places. Money is fairly good, but these jobs aren't for everyone - they are boring, but you get the same hours every week and it pays the bills.

As for rent - well it depends on where you want. City centre rents never came down much since the recession. Away from the city (Ballybrit area), the rent is cheaper, and there are regular buses into town.

Liberal Irishman

High Hopes wrote: »

I think you have to be very active, don't be afraid to get out there and ask around and talk to managers. It's the only way.

Good advise, otherwise the work situation is really quite slow here.

swe_fi

Sorry this thread is maybe a bit old (please move to more relevant thread, I could not find any) but just came across this as I am doing a bit of work (I do not work for them) with these guys. Might interest someone that is looking for a job, currently 5 jobs advertised.

http://jobs.zenimax.com/index.php

Pinkin

Im also thinking of moving to galway from Dublin but again its job dependent! Anyone any contacts in SME looking to hire and accountant/financial controller? I have experience working in industry at the moment and am looking for a similar role in Galway.