Moving to Ireland, wondering about Waterford..

billythepig

Ericaa wrote: »

I'm scared being in Waterford alone, I've been mugged in broad daylight in the city, my boyfriend has been assaulted, we constantly get insults and threats shouted at us, I've also been egged a few times.

YOU SHOULD DO THE LOTTO

denis behan city legend

billythepig wrote: »

the local bus services covers all parts of the city every half hour ,

they are over 600 taxis and if you phone one it normally turns up in less then 10 mins 24/7

airport servicing london, manchester, birmingham is only 10 mins away from anywhere in the city

rapid express runs 15 busses a day to dublin, 9 times a day to cork and bus eirann run busses to anywhere in the country everyday

trains run 5 times a day between waterford and dublin..

so local transport is pretty terrible then :rolleyes:

It's true that the buses run out towards my place twice an hour, however, in view of the traffic problems, the time tables are unreliable and I find it quicker to walk home. The walking is great and healthy but I hate not having the choice. I don't want to have to wait a half hour for a bus. And of course, if you want to get a bus on Sundays? Forget it. That's rubbish service in my book.

I don't count taxis as public transport.

The airport doesn't serve Birmingham anymore, no loss, it's a kip anyway. The train runs up to 7 times a day I think at this stage. It's great but terribly slow. I prefer to drive to the Red Cow and Luas it into the city.

I suppose the reason I say the transport is rubbish as I've lived in places like Paris and Brussels where you have choices and a well functioning public transport service. Here, in my experience, it's not very good. I know we're not comparing like with like but anyway, we're all entitled to our opinion.

nkay1985

Ericaa wrote: »

Well considering I spend 127 hours out of the 168 in a week in Waterford city, I'd say that's pretty much got nothing to do with it. I used to live in the city as well.

The negatives:
Absolutely useless for shopping other than food.
I'm scared being in Waterford alone, I've been mugged in broad daylight in the city, my boyfriend has been assaulted, we constantly get insults and threats shouted at us, I've also been egged a few times.
It's boring, if you have no money, there is nothing to do.


The positives:
Very good public transport.

I'm genuinely struggling for a second point here, wow..

I'll give you the point on shopping as I suppose some people find that a problem. Although I wonder is it just women's clothes where we're severely lacking as I don't ever find myself wanting for anything. We've plenty of places to buy furniture, flooring, electronics etc. We don't have a HMV or anything like that but sure nobody goes there anymore either. So it's a thing that's often said but I'm not sure what's at the root of it.

I don't know if you've ever lived anywhere else but, if you feel unsafe in Waterford, I wouldn't imagine you'd feel better elsewhere to be honest. We really don't have a lot of crime. I'm living in Waterford 26 years and have honestly never had one bit of trouble. Not one bit. Crime is on the increase alright but you couldn't call Waterford an unsafe place. Most trouble I hear of it after the pubs and clubs let out and that's the same anywhere and is easily avoided.

As for your last point, I think you're just plain wrong. That would be more true in a bigger city. There's more to do there every day of the week but these things cost money. In Waterford, we have loads of natural resources people from other places would kill to have and they're all free! We have some of the best weather in the country so you can easily walk, run or cycle to these places if you don't have a car or money for petrol.

I actually disagree with your positive to be honest. I wouldn't consider our public transport to be very good at all. It certainly wasn't when I was growing up and we had very limited options for getting buses to Limerick for college. I rarely use them anymore but I wouldn't like to be relying on our public transport system to get around.

x.revoLucian

Hello, everyone!


This is a very interesting thread, and I simply felt compelled to give my own input; not for the sake of doing so, but to helpfully give Sarah a better perspective on the life decision that she and her husband would like to take.
I hope you read our posts, and hope you make the best decision for yourself. I wish you only the best of luck.


Myself, I have been living in Waterford City for the last eight years. Prior to that, I resided in South Amboy, New Jersey, a busy outpost of New York City. Before that, I got to experience a rural existence in a backwards Iowa farming town. And even further back than that, I spent my childhood in the second largest city of a Soviet Bloc nation. Apart from these, I got to witness many other places, and I feel enriched by my experiences.


Allow me to side with those on here who regard Waterford in a negative light. While it has, after these eight long years, granted me with a home and livelihood and many happy moments, it is still the worst place I have seen; no exaggeration.


You obviously want the nice things in life. There are many places in the world that will offer them to you and it is a good reason to move somewhere to find a good home, but I don't doubt for a second that Waterford isn't the right place. Let me list:

-Crime rate might be on par to other places, but why would an average crime rate attract anyone? I do not consider Waterford City safe, and it is becoming increasing difficult to avoid confrontation, harassment, and physical assault. I try to give to my community as much as possible, and I have not been able to avoid these things myself.

-Shopping is abysmal. Anything that is available is from last season or from previous lines. This includes electronics. If you want to stay behind the trends, be my guest and enjoy Waterford's fine shopping.

-Public transport might be fair, but is, just like most other things, becoming overpriced. As well as this, it does often happen that walking becomes a faster mode of transport. And, again, buses do seem to have a dangerous appeal as young men with nothing better to do seem to ride them for the sole purpose of looking for attention.

-Which brings me to this point; the people. While some may be warm and welcoming, most are just like the poor, bleak weather, which, while not the worst in the country, it is by far not the best you could hope for. The general public is cold, alienated, and detached, and extremely unreasonable and demanding if you work in the service industry, and won't help you if you are in need in my experience. Even after eight years and many acquaintances, I am not fully accepted by everyone.

-Best of all, many of these people you encounter will probably spend their evenings the only way available here. Conglomerating around the sweaty intersection of the few clubs and miserable, 'drown-your-sorrows' pubs we have. It is a view to behold as, at closing time, disorientated men and women pour onto the streets in a frenzy of sound and vomit, arguing, and desperate chasing of the hint of possibility of 'hooking up'; think MTV's Jersey Shore style but plethora of times sadder to look at.

-The streets are dirty, with locals having zero respect for throwing their garbage and cigarette butts on the pavement. It is a shabby excuse for a clean place to live.

-Also very concerning, the general state of the economy is poor, and finding a job is hard. I know places where this is worse than here, but I am uncertain of how much of an ordeal it might be for a complete outsider to pursue employment.

-I could keep going on, and on, and on, but for the time being, I will give one more, and possibly the most important example of why not to move here. If you have children, or ever plan on it, I will plead you not to consider Ireland. Let the abuse from the locals come at me, but I will say that the school system in this country is worse than that of a third world nation. If you bring up a child here, he or she is bound to become just like the locals are, and I would pity that. Children are not taught respect by the system. They are neglected and abandoned to fend for themselves. Which, sadly, leads to them using drugs, which are available to most with little to no effort. You can pretty much find drugs faster than a job, you might say. I am not saying every child is doing this, but it seems awfully widespread, far too much to make this city a place where I would consider raising a child.


If you agree or disagree with me, let me know, I do find everyone's posts here quite interesting.
Just out of curiosity, can anyone say that Waterford City is the best place to be in? Ever?
Sarah, I can think of many places where I would be much, much happier, and I'm certain that you can, too. Best of luck, and I hope your decision brings you joy.


Farewell.

Ericaa

nkay1985 wrote: »

I'll give you the point on shopping as I suppose some people find that a problem. Although I wonder is it just women's clothes where we're severely lacking as I don't ever find myself wanting for anything. We've plenty of places to buy furniture, flooring, electronics etc. We don't have a HMV or anything like that but sure nobody goes there anymore either. So it's a thing that's often said but I'm not sure what's at the root of it.

I don't know if you've ever lived anywhere else but, if you feel unsafe in Waterford, I wouldn't imagine you'd feel better elsewhere to be honest. We really don't have a lot of crime. I'm living in Waterford 26 years and have honestly never had one bit of trouble. Not one bit. Crime is on the increase alright but you couldn't call Waterford an unsafe place. Most trouble I hear of it after the pubs and clubs let out and that's the same anywhere and is easily avoided.

As for your last point, I think you're just plain wrong. That would be more true in a bigger city. There's more to do there every day of the week but these things cost money. In Waterford, we have loads of natural resources people from other places would kill to have and they're all free! We have some of the best weather in the country so you can easily walk, run or cycle to these places if you don't have a car or money for petrol.

I actually disagree with your positive to be honest. I wouldn't consider our public transport to be very good at all. It certainly wasn't when I was growing up and we had very limited options for getting buses to Limerick for college. I rarely use them anymore but I wouldn't like to be relying on our public transport system to get around.

I wouldn't know about the furniture or flooring myself, but I don't agree with you on the electronics, it's not really up to date here at all. But that's just Ireland in general I suppose.


I currently live in Tramore, and I feel perfectly safe here. I went to Slovakia's second biggest city for around a month, and didn't run into an ounce of trouble. It was miles better than here.
Oh god, don't even get me started on the pubs and clubs bullcrap haha.

Which places are you taking about?


Ah, regarding the public transport, I'm speaking as someone who uses the Tramore bus daily, I find it excellent, except for the ridiculous price. I suppose I was mainly talking about the transport locally!

dlofnep

X.Revo - All of our views obviously have a level of subjectivity - So I'm not stopping you from airing your views. But I spent alot of time in New Jersey, which you mentioned - in particular Trenton and Newark, and I can tell you - both of them are far more run down than Waterford, and far more dangerous. I lived in Flint in Michigan, and it was like a third-world country there. Houses may aswell have been made of card-board, and gangs hanging out on the sides of streets with guns visible.

I was actually approached by a gang in Flint, with guns because I was white when I took a wrong turn to the shop. I was lucky that I had an accent, and an Ireland jersey which one of them liked - which enabled me to build up enough rapport with them, that they didn't turn on me. I was literally frightened for my life. Luckily enough, one of them sided with me and pointed me to the shop.

I was approached in Trenton by lots of homeless people, in an aggressive manner for money on a number of occasions.

Now Waterford is not perfect. And I have seen violence here. But I've never been approached by people with guns, and never felt that my life was in danger. I've lived here for 29 years.

Also, I don't agree that the streets are dirty. Have you seen Trenton and Newark? Their streets are littered, spray-painted and are generally downtrodden. Sure, the streets get messy on a saturday night around John Street - but what city doesn't? Walk up red square any day of the week, and it is grand.

I'm not saying Waterford is perfect, it's far from it - but I've seen much of the world, and after a week or two - the holiday is over and you get to see the real place.

x.revoLucian

Hey, Dlofnep!


Thanks for the view. I don't expect everyone to agree with me on what I wrote, and I definitely appreciate an opposition.


Sure, there aren't organized gangs the likes of which there are in parts of the U.S., but that wasn't really in any of my points. I completely retain my stance that I, personally, do not recommend a foreigner to settle here. Just like there are places with gang crime, there are many more without. That is my argument, and that's what people like Sarah ought to consider.


Bearing in mind that the U.S. is an expansive country, it possess all the radical edges of life, from book burning K.K.K. cultists, anti-war activists, blue-collar workers, all the way to the president and celebrities. It has regions regarded to be infamously backwards, as well as being the leading nation in many aspects of life that modernity finds valuable.


We might have completely different ideas of what a dirty street is, because this is something I utterly stand by, as well. The streets in Ireland and in Britain are much dirtier than those of most European places. I have witnessed countless times how people disregard public bins.
I mean, apparently, Waterford has been awarded the title of the cleanest city in Ireland, but, frankly, this must have been judged by monkeys.
And seeing as downtrodden counts in this regard, as you mentioned, what about that enormous scar on the landscape across the river? What a great job we did for the Tall Ships to hide it with some boards.


I think the Ard Rí might be a great analogy to Waterford City. Although once standing tall and glorious, now its broken up innards have to be covered with a facade.
And the people who destroyed it to the point of tearing out every single sink and bath in the entire hotel, well, they are a fair representation of the mentality.


Regardless, let me finish up by agreeing with you, because it obviously is not alright to be put in a position where you are facing armed criminals, for all the world.
Can I ask you a question, though?
Do you not think, that if Ireland was more like the U.S. with regards to weapons, that even Waterford would have the potential population to be a place where you could be held at gunpoint?

dlofnep

x.revoLucian wrote: »

And the people who destroyed it to the point of tearing out every single sink and bath in the entire hotel, well, they are a fair representation of the mentality.

I'm sorry, but I don't accept that a handful of scumbags that destroyed the Ardree (A place where I found my first job 14 years ago) - are a fair representation of the people of Waterford. Infact, it was the people of Waterford who fought hard to get the front of the hotel covered up to improve the city's image. It was a private hotel, and the population is not responsible for it failing as a business.

x.revoLucian wrote: »

Regardless, let me finish up by agreeing with you, because it obviously is not alright to be put in a position where you are facing armed criminals, for all the world.
Can I ask you a question, though?
Do you not think, that if Ireland was more like the U.S. with regards to weapons, that even Waterford would have the potential population to be a place where you could be held at gunpoint?

That's the difference. Ireland doesn't encourage a gun culture. We don't allow for such a scenario to occur. Nor do we see the same levels of homelessness that exist in the major US cities. I've never seen homelessness like what I saw in Trenton and Flint. And that says a lot, considering houses in Flint are cheaper than many cars.

Give me Ireland over the US any day of the week. We have a much more balanced society. In fact, the word society doesn't exist in the US. We believe in the common good of society, which includes access to healthcare, access to third level education, and ensuring people have a roof over their head.

America is great, if you are successful and wealthy. But if you're poor, it is a very harsh existence to live out.

Nypd

X.revo
Simple question for you, if Waterford is as bad as you say it is, why stay here for eight years ?

Ericaa

dlofnep wrote: »

I'm sorry, but I don't accept that a handful of scumbags that destroyed the Ardree (A place where I found my first job 14 years ago) - are a fair representation of the people of Waterford. Infact, it was the people of Waterford who fought hard to get the front of the hotel covered up to improve the city's image. It was a private hotel, and the population is not responsible for it failing as a business.

He didn't mention anything about the business side of it..

Nypd wrote: »

X.revo
Simple question for you, if Waterford is as bad as you say it is, why stay here for eight years ?

Not everyone has the option of just getting up and leaving.

seanybiker

Jesus girls. Calm the feck down. Waterford is grand. Its not super duper brilliant but where is?.
Errica is sexy and she doesn't even know she loves me yet but she will eventually.
A home is what ya make of it no matter where you are in the world, apart from kilkenny

Sagesilver4

Whoa, 5 pages already! I can barely keep up with all of you! Seriously, though, thanks so much for the overwhelming amount of input and help from all of you, and especially those of you who haved lived here as well, and have some base of comparison.

Now, to x.revoLucian, and any others who emigrated to Ireland, if Waterford's not the best place for a newbie, could you tell me where would be a better place to look? (Especially for employment) Bear in mind I can only swing 750 € monthly rent.

Thanks again, all of you! You're the best!

deisedave

Ericaa wrote: »

Well considering I spend 127 hours out of the 168 in a week in Waterford city, I'd say that's pretty much got nothing to do with it. I used to live in the city as well.

The negatives:
Absolutely useless for shopping other than food.
I'm scared being in Waterford alone, I've been mugged in broad daylight in the city, my boyfriend has been assaulted, we constantly get insults and threats shouted at us, I've also been egged a few times.
It's boring, if you have no money, there is nothing to do.


The positives:
Very good public transport.

I'm genuinely struggling for a second point here, wow..

Why do you get insults do you look some way different that the scumbags single you out, I have never been insulted or attacked in public so I dont know what people are on about.

Waterford is a very safe place with a small bit of crime like anywhere else, it is relatively boring compared to other places but it would be a great place for a family and I dont know why alot of these people are saying its a rough place.

Where did these insults and attacks happen?

Ericaa

deisedave wrote: »

Why do you get insults do you look some way different that the scumbags single you out, I have never been insulted or attacked in public so I dont know what people are on about.

Waterford is a very safe place with a small bit of crime like anywhere else, it is relatively boring compared to other places but it would be a great place for a family and I dont know why alot of these people are saying its a rough place.

Why did these insults and attacks happen?

Yeah I have piercings, that's about the only thing I can think of.
I look pretty normal 10 feet away though, so it still baffles me.

deisedave

Ericaa wrote: »

Yeah I have piercings, that's about the only thing I can think of.
I look pretty normal 10 feet away though, so it still baffles me.

do you look like what the scumbags would call a hippie or goth?

Ericaa

deisedave wrote: »

do you look like what the scumbags would call a hippie or goth?

Nope, I dress pretty plainly haha.

deisedave

Ericaa wrote: »

Nope, I dress pretty plainly haha.

I dont know then I dont ever get trouble or anyone I know does not get trouble in Waterford, you must be very unlucky or something must stick out about you.

nkay1985

Ericaa wrote: »

I wouldn't know about the furniture or flooring myself, but I don't agree with you on the electronics, it's not really up to date here at all. But that's just Ireland in general I suppose.


I currently live in Tramore, and I feel perfectly safe here. I went to Slovakia's second biggest city for around a month, and didn't run into an ounce of trouble. It was miles better than here.
Oh god, don't even get me started on the pubs and clubs bullcrap haha.

Which places are you taking about?


Ah, regarding the public transport, I'm speaking as someone who uses the Tramore bus daily, I find it excellent, except for the ridiculous price. I suppose I was mainly talking about the transport locally!

I'm talking about the beaches, mountains and general countryside we have here. People don't appreciate what it's like to have a number of excellent beaches and cliff walks etc within close proximity. None of that costs a cent. People also give out about the lack of things to do in the evening even if you do have money but we've really got a very good arts and music scene. You don't recognise this so much until you live somewhere else. My brother was home from England over Christmas and was remarking on how he's not seen any live music on a night out over there whereas we take that as a given here.

And I'd agree with you on some aspects of local transport but it really doesn't stack up against the levels of public transport available in most other cities in the world.

deisedave wrote: »

do you look like what the scumbags would call a hippie or goth?

Even at that, most of my friends growing up would have been "alternative" if you like and even those of us that were less extreme all wore flares and that and there was never really any trouble. A few scumbags shouting abuse at the young skateboarder lads or whatever but I thought everyone in Waterford just ignored the scumbags.


@x.revo:
Waterford might have been judged Ireland's cleanest city but I'd agree that it's not extrememly clean by international standards. Some people here have no regard for their city and throw chewing gum and cigarette butts to the ground without a second thought. But it's not what I'd call dirty by any stretch of the imagination.

I'm interested in what you mean by children not being taught respect by the school system. Surely that's the parents' job?

Jamerican

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

Now, to x.revoLucian, and any others who emigrated to Ireland, if Waterford's not the best place for a newbie, could you tell me where would be a better place to look? (Especially for employment) Bear in mind I can only swing 750 € monthly rent.

Thanks again, all of you! You're the best!

I can't think of a better place. But what is better for you may not be better for me. What line of work are you in? What do you like to do? Do you prefer nightlife? Do you have kids? Are you looking for entry level work or something more career specific? Do you live in a city now? Have you ever lived in one? What are your standards for safety? Can you McGyver a defense weapon from a rusty screw and leftover toothpaste?

This will give everyone a better idea of what you can handle and prefer. And you should easily be able to find a rental for under 750. Plus I always haggle.

Hell if I had my way I would move Montréal to Tahiti and I would have my perfect place.

batm!ke

x.revoLucian wrote: »

it is becoming increasing difficult to avoid confrontation, harassment, and physical assault. I try to give to my community as much as possible, and I have not been able to avoid these things myself.

I''ve lived here 28 years and never experienced the levels of harassment you talk about here, and I've hardly lived like a nun.

Conglomerating around the sweaty intersection of the few clubs and miserable, 'drown-your-sorrows' pubs we have. It is a view to behold as, at closing time, disorientated men and women pour onto the streets in a frenzy of sound and vomit, arguing, and desperate chasing of the hint of possibility of 'hooking up'; think MTV's Jersey Shore style but plethora of times sadder to look at.

Every town or city in Ireland has this, it looks terrible though, I'll grant you that, I rarely go out in the Centre of town anymore because of this, rather somewhere like the Uluru, Cove, Three Shippes etc

-The streets are dirty, with locals having zero respect for throwing their garbage and cigarette butts on the pavement. It is a shabby excuse for a clean place to live.

Again, I'd disagree, Waterford is far cleaner than Wexford, Tipp or Limerick and a lot of other places in my experience. Some parts can be shabby, but to say European cities are cleaner is a bit misleading, a lot of these are massive tourist destinations and therefore HAVE to be cleaner. Even at that Rome is a dirty city.

I will say that the school system in this country is worse than that of a third world nation.

Sensationalist bull. Whatever the schools are doing worked just fine when we had one of the most skilled, educated workforces in the world which contributed to the Celtic Tiger.

You can pretty much find drugs faster than a job, you might say. I am not saying every child is doing this, but it seems awfully widespread, far too much to make this city a place where I would consider raising a child.

I've been offered drugs twice in the last 10 years, so I'd love to know what kind of people you are hanging around with.

Just out of curiosity, can anyone say that Waterford City is the best place to be in? Ever?

I don't think anyone here would say Waterford is the best place to live, but what we have been doing is weighing it up against other places in the region and it has come out pretty well in fairness, considering the lack of employment. I lived in the City Centre for about 8 years and found the bus-service fine. I can't agree with everyone saying how expensive it is as since I have bought a car I'm just pissing money away.

I'm not having a go at you because I thought you put your argument across pretty well and you seem a decent type but they are clearly two different Waterfords we live in.

seanybiker

Ericaa wrote: »

Yeah I have piercings, that's about the only thing I can think of.
I look pretty normal 10 feet away though, so it still baffles me.

Its probably only the piercings is all. I get some looks for having me ears stretched but I just ignore it, if someone got onto me about it I'd smack em but your only a little thing so cant imagine you sending anyone flying.

Ericaa

seanybiker wrote: »

Its probably only the piercings is all. I get some looks for having me ears stretched but I just ignore it, if someone got onto me about it I'd smack em but your only a little thing so cant imagine you sending anyone flying.

Well, scumbags must have incredible sight so!

dayshah

nkay1985 wrote: »

I'm talking about the beaches, mountains and general countryside we have here. People don't appreciate what it's like to have a number of excellent beaches and cliff walks etc within close proximity.

I agree 100%. I'd say only a minority have seen Coumshingaun, which in my view is Waterford's most attractive view (well, apart from my mirror of course).

Any negatives about Waterford can be summed up in that we are a city of 50,000 people, so obviously we don't have all the shops of a bigger city. But big cities have disadvantages too.

I'd some it up as Waterford is a 1,000 year old city with a historic city centre, and beautiful surroundings. It has a population of 50,000 and has all the advantages and disadvantages of a town of that size. However, it is an industrial city and highest educational institution is the equivalent of a polytechnic. As with the rest of Ireland there is a good music scene, an above average (for its size) theatre/drama scene, and (again for such a small size) the presence of a gay bar is evidence of the open minded nature of the people. At present the chances of finding a job in retail or bar/hotel for a non-EU citizen are close to nil.

Sagesilver4

Jamerican wrote: »

I can't think of a better place. But what is better for you may not be better for me. What line of work are you in? What do you like to do? Do you prefer nightlife? Do you have kids? Are you looking for entry level work or something more career specific? Do you live in a city now? Have you ever lived in one? What are your standards for safety? Can you McGyver a defense weapon from a rusty screw and leftover toothpaste?

This will give everyone a better idea of what you can handle and prefer. And you should easily be able to find a rental for under 750. Plus I always haggle.

Hell if I had my way I would move Montréal to Tahiti and I would have my perfect place.

I currently work the overnight shift at a gas station/convenience store, but I'm qualified for secretarial/data entry work, as well as operating phones and other such stuff. The only reason I don't do that right now is because I can't find work in that field at the moment, so cashier it is. I'd be happy with a decent music scene and a few good pubs. College here is horrifyingly expensive, so I can't go to school to start a career just yet. I'm hoping to go to school in Ireland instead, where it's reasonably affordable! (It's completely normal for a 4-year graduate in the US to rack up 80,000 € or more in student loan debts!) I don't have, nor plan to have, kids. I have 2 cats, and that's all the children I want. I've never lived in a city, just the outskirts of them, as well as smaller towns - but never the country. (Not that I'm against it) As for standards of safety, I'm used to living in the US, which means it's not safe for me to walk alone at night, and sometimes during the day, depending on where I am, and I generally keep a pocket knife on my person, just in case. This is how it is no matter where you are in the US. From what I hear, it's not nearly as bad there - I would love to live somewhere where I can walk about safely. That would be lovely. And I've never tried the McGyver bit, but I'll let you know.

vicwatson

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I currently work the overnight shift at a gas station/convenience store, but I'm qualified for secretarial/data entry work, as well as operating phones and other such stuff. The only reason I don't do that right now is because I can't find work in that field at the moment, so cashier it is. I'd be happy with a decent music scene and a few good pubs. College here is horrifyingly expensive, so I can't go to school to start a career just yet. I'm hoping to go to school in Ireland instead, where it's reasonably affordable! (It's completely normal for a 4-year graduate in the US to rack up 80,000 € or more in student loan debts!) I don't have, nor plan to have, kids. I have 2 cats, and that's all the children I want. I've never lived in a city, just the outskirts of them, as well as smaller towns - but never the country. (Not that I'm against it) As for standards of safety, I'm used to living in the US, which means it's not safe for me to walk alone at night, and sometimes during the day, depending on where I am, and I generally keep a pocket knife on my person, just in case. This is how it is no matter where you are in the US. From what I hear, it's not nearly as bad there - I would love to live somewhere where I can walk about safely. That would be lovely. And I've never tried the McGyver bit, but I'll let you know.

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US. I'm going to apply for a green card and go from there

I think you will need a work permit at the least. We don't have green cards in Ireland (even if we are known as the Emerald Isle :P).

The chances of you coming across any sort of crime (bar the corruption at the top:eek:) are slim, Ireland is still a very safe place to live and work relatively.

There is an Institute of Technology in Waterford that is highly regarded and has plenty of courses - www.wit.ie, this might also be of interest to you - http://www.wit.ie/International/

Sagesilver4

vicwatson wrote: »

We don't have green cards in Ireland (even if we are known as the Emerald Isle :P).

This page is where I got the information on getting a green card.

shockwave

The best thing you could do is to come here for a week or two on vacation to have a look around and see if you actually like the place.

You can take a virtual tour on google maps street view but you cant beat seeing it first hand.

dayshah

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

This page is where I got the information on getting a green card.

I strongly doubt you'd get a green card for secretarial work. Most of the banks here will be shedding thousands of jobs and by law they will get first pick over any non-EU worker.

Really without EU citizenship it will be extremely difficult to get a job (unless you have very specific skills), but self-employment might be an option for you.

Totally Tropical

Cork and Dublin are much better cities than Waterford.Cork is more scenic,it's not too big or small and it has better shops,pubs and nightlife.I do think Waterford is a lot better than Galway and Limerick though.It's a much more genuine place than Galway and it's a lot nicer than Limerick.The main problem with Waterford is that the shopping is poor enough compared to the other cities.

Jamerican

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I currently work the overnight shift at a gas station/convenience store, but I'm qualified for secretarial/data entry work, as well as operating phones and other such stuff. The only reason I don't do that right now is because I can't find work in that field at the moment, so cashier it is. I'd be happy with a decent music scene and a few good pubs. College here is horrifyingly expensive, so I can't go to school to start a career just yet. I'm hoping to go to school in Ireland instead, where it's reasonably affordable! (It's completely normal for a 4-year graduate in the US to rack up 80,000 € or more in student loan debts!) I don't have, nor plan to have, kids. I have 2 cats, and that's all the children I want. I've never lived in a city, just the outskirts of them, as well as smaller towns - but never the country. (Not that I'm against it) As for standards of safety, I'm used to living in the US, which means it's not safe for me to walk alone at night, and sometimes during the day, depending on where I am, and I generally keep a pocket knife on my person, just in case. This is how it is no matter where you are in the US. From what I hear, it's not nearly as bad there - I would love to live somewhere where I can walk about safely. That would be lovely. And I've never tried the McGyver bit, but I'll let you know.

To be honest, jobs are hard to come by not only in Waterford but the entire country. Especially entry-level positions since they require the least amount of experience. (As a neighbor told us when we first moved over here "sure, waterford is ****ed! The goverment is ****ed! The whole fecking country is ****ed!" I love that guy) There is a reason why there are so many people currently leaving Ireland for the States, Canada and Austrailia.

If you are leaving the US to for a better quality of life and job outlook, I would honestly say stay where you are unless you have a massive savings to live on for a while. There is no doubt that you could eventually find work, but the financial strain of finding a work visa, finding decent empolyment, and all of the miscellaneous costs of moving countries adds up fast. We moved here last year from the US and had a job lined up, however we are still living paycheck to paycheck because of costs of rebuilding a life are high and are hard to account for.

Remember you will also lose a lot of your savings on the trip over, and getting a visa is no easy feat.... unless you're sleeping with a TD or something. I am not trying to scare you, but give you a realistic look of what may be a bit romanticized right now. Waterford is a lovely place to live, and the Irish are nice enough, if you do decide to move here you will no doubt like it. Just remember it's not all shamrocks , pints of guinness, and river dancing on the edges of cliffs. Make sure you plan accordingly. If you can get a work visa, and knowing all you know still think you can hack it, come on over (and bring the kitties)! If nothing else, it'll make for a great story years down the line.

And if you do come over, I have a shopping list for you that includes canned pumpkin.