How Long until I can come home?

Doc

Right so I am no longer living inside the boarders of the lovely land of Ireland. I was seeing a bit of the world about 4 years ago and arrived in Australia where I found a job that allowed me to stay living and working here. At the time there was little or no jobs in my line of work in Ireland so I thought may as well take this for now and see what happens. Now while I like it here well enough I don’t know if I want to stay here forever. It’s awful far away from my family and childhood friends and I’m a bit of a home body at hart, love Ireland and will always consider it to be my home. My job is related to the construction industry so not much point coming home for a while yet but how long that while will be is now what I’m wondering.

I’m sure there are lots of people just like me wondering the same thing who are working around the world in industries that went tits up in Ireland but would rather be at home.

When I first took the job here I was talking to my parents about it and they said that I should stay and take the work and that in two or three years it should blow over. Well the two or three years have passed and now I’m wondering how much longer?

I do realise that I'm not in that bad position really and that others are a lot worse off then me but sometimes I really do miss home.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Doc wrote: »

Right so I am no longer living inside the boarders of the lovely land of Ireland. I was seeing a bit of the world about 4 years ago and arrived in Australia where I found a job that allowed me to stay living and working here. At the time there was little or no jobs in my line of work in Ireland so I thought may as well take this for now and see what happens. Now while I like it here well enough I don’t know if I want to stay here forever. It’s awful far away from my family and childhood friends and I’m a bit of a home body at hart, love Ireland and will always consider it to be my home. My job is related to the construction industry so not much point coming home for a while yet but how long that while will be is now what I’m wondering.

I’m sure there are lots of people just like me wondering the same thing who are working around the world in industries that went tits up in Ireland but would rather be at home.

When I first took the job here I was talking to my parents about it and they said that I should stay and take the work and that in two or three years it should blow over. Well the two or three years have passed and now I’m wondering how much longer?

I do realise that I'm not in that bad position really and that others are a lot worse off then me but sometimes I really do miss home.

What's the construction trade like in UK/Europe? One of the handy thigns about being in Germay is that I can be home in 3/4 hours.

As to how much longer? Ugh... You don't want to know...

Scioch

You'll never come back if your waiting for it to pick up.

Doc

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

As to how much longer? Ugh... You don't want to know...

I do though. Its not like I'm in a horrible place but I think knowing that I could go back at some point would kind of ease the homesickness.

LordSmeg wrote:

You'll never come back if your waiting for it to pick up.

So dose this mean that you don't think things will ever get better in Ireland? Or do you mean that the construction industry will never be like it was?

I just don't want to give up a job here and not be able to get one at home particularly as I don't think I would be entitled to any government assistance since I've been away for so long.

niallo27

If your decent at what you do there is still some work around.

Doc

Doc wrote: »

Or do you mean that the construction industry will never be like it was?

Any right-thinking person would hope it's never as it was again. Who knows though, in 10 years time if there's cheap credit around we might all get on the Vengabus all over again.

Doc

niallo27 wrote: »

If your decent at what you do there is still some work around.

Not what I've heard. Most of the firms that I know have drastically reduced staff numbers, cut pay and are surviving on a skeleton crew. I would be very surprised to hear otherwise. The competition for the limited roles that might come up is also huge.

Pride Fighter

I do not think there will be jobs on building sites in Ireland like there was ever again. There are 300,000 empty houses that have been not sold, and there are possibly another 100,000 that are holiday/second homes. We have enough houses until 2050 at least.

If you can come back with about 100-150k you should start a small business, like a greengrocers or a shop. I dont think you'll ever work in the building again as a full time job.

Doc

Deleted User wrote: »

Any right-thinking person would hope it's never as it was again. Who knows though, in 10 years time if there's cheap credit around we might all get on the Vengabus all over again.

I'm not advocating a return to everything that took place in the Celtic tiger times but a few new buildings going up occasionally and people who build things being able to make a living in Ireland again wouldn't be that bad would it?

mr_edge_to_you

Construction will never return to the same level. Sure tradesmen were fleecing people for 10 years. Many of them were making massive sums of money on a weekly basis. Certainly won't return in our lifetime. I had a small contractor build my house 3 years ago, he hasnt built a house since. Just doing some small projects like extensions and attic conversions. There will always some work for a good plumber or electrician but nothing like what it was.

Other sectors will eventually recover. In some areas there is plenty of work at the moment IT, Accountancy, Science (R&D, manufacturing etc).

The agri food and FMCG sectors are also booming at the moment.

You can come home whenever you want but if you're only skills are construction related there'll not be much work.

BillyMitchel

Doc wrote: »

Right so I am no longer living inside the boarders of the lovely land of Ireland. I was seeing a bit of the world about 4 years ago and arrived in Australia where I found a job that allowed me to stay living and working here. At the time there was little or no jobs in my line of work in Ireland so I thought may as well take this for now and see what happens. Now while I like it here well enough I don’t know if I want to stay here forever. It’s awful far away from my family and childhood friends and I’m a bit of a home body at hart, love Ireland and will always consider it to be my home. My job is related to the construction industry so not much point coming home for a while yet but how long that while will be is now what I’m wondering.

I’m sure there are lots of people just like me wondering the same thing who are working around the world in industries that went tits up in Ireland but would rather be at home.

When I first took the job here I was talking to my parents about it and they said that I should stay and take the work and that in two or three years it should blow over. Well the two or three years have passed and now I’m wondering how much longer?

I do realise that I'm not in that bad position really and that others are a lot worse off then me but sometimes I really do miss home.

Not just yet my friend. I was living and working abroad too with a great standard of living but had to come home. It can be depressing looking for jobs and to make it worse all you hear day in day out is all the negative things. Stay where you are if you can or as another poster said try Germany. I hear it's a great standard of living. Not sure about other European countries though. Best of luck OP

Father Damo

As long as I have money I have no intention of going home.

I dont miss our wash out summers
I dont miss having to leave a bar/club at 2:30am
I dont miss our crap wages, if you actually have a job

If we had 24 hour drinking and a guaranteed 3 or 4 months of decent weather I would be fine, but psychologically I cant tolerate what an Irish summer usually consists of.

Fussy Eater

mr_edge_to_you wrote: »

Other sectors will eventually recover. In some areas there is plenty of work at the moment IT, Accountancy, Science (R&D, manufacturing etc).

All relative I suppose. There might be jobs around in these sectors but the supply far exceeds the demand...

why don't you re train in something else

donegal_road

where I am in Ireland is at a stand still as regards construction and has been for a couple of years. Everyone is heading to either Canada or Australia. I would wait to see what can be done about the unemployment situation here first OP.

Wibbs

Pride Fighter wrote: »

I do not think there will be jobs on building sites in Ireland like there was ever again. There are 300,000 empty houses that have been not sold, and there are possibly another 100,000 that are holiday/second homes. We have enough houses until 2050 at least.

Maybe, however of the 300k houses how many are rapidly decaying from being empty? Quite a number and with the costs involved with repair, it may be cheaper to build afresh. Of those and the holiday homes how many are in areas practical for people to live in and with the holiday homes how many are suitable as permanent dwellings? Then we get to the current and quite long standing baby boom in Ireland. We've the highest birth rate in the EU. Between 15 and 25 years time we'll start to need more housing and services as those kids grow up to adulthood. I really doubt we've enough homes in Ireland until 2050. Not even close.

LK_Dave

The projected residential house completions for 2012 is approximately 8,000 down from a high of almost 90,000 in 2005. (I won’t know if I’m allowed post links in this forum but Google 2012 project house completions)

Although there is some activity in the premium office space sector in Dublin there are few bright spots at the moment. It certainly never return to the figures of 2005. 8000 units is not a sustainable industry, the figures being quoted for a sustainable industry are 25,000 residential units. I can’t see the industry recovering for a number of years – although there will be areas in Dublin and maybe the other larger cities that will buck the trend.

Another hurdle for the industry, which is rarely mentioned, is development finance. What I mean is what bank will loan money to develop in the current climate, they are slow enough to give out individual mortgages. The build them and they will come method is consigned to the trashcan. The Law Society banished stage payments years ago, we may have to see a return to this.

My advice is stay where you are or retrain into a new profession.

tmc86

Listen to these guys! It also depends on your work/life balance, if you are someone who is happy with family and friends around you and are happy with the simple things then coming back would be no problem and you could look for something in another line of work however if you depend on a higher income for a higher lifestyle then I'd suggest you stay.

smash

Put it this way.... If you come home, the chances of you being another statistic on the unemployment register are more than high.

donegal_road

smash wrote: »

Put it this way.... If you come home, the chances of you being another statistic on the unemployment register are more than high.

if you even qualify for unemployment assisstance.. I have heard of people who have returned to Ireland and have been refused dole as they haven't been paying prsi or stamps here in a couple of years

smash

There's this too.

If I was abroad and had a job, I'd stay there!

CucaFace

bluewolf wrote: »

why don't you re train in something else

If you really want to return here I would say your best bet is to go and enrol in an IT course at night perhaps.

Over the last year there seems to be a lot of job announcements in this sector and it will be your best hope of finding a good job back here.

You can forget about any job in the construction sector. It is dead and it will remain dead here for a long while and even if it picks up there are thousands here waiting for whatever jobs do arise.

Honestly do some research into what type of IT jobs are becoming more and more prevalent here and pick a course in Oz that matches with this and then hopefully in a few years you could come back.

Doc

bluewolf wrote: »

why don't you re train in something else

Because I'm 31 now and spent 5 years of my life studying to do what I do so I would kind of like to do it. I don't really want to go back to education right now. I could do other jobs not directly linked to my current profession though and actually want to move more in another direction anyway but that mightn't be any better for coming home either.

Having opportunity's outside of Ireland but not many in Ireland kind of sucks balls if you want to live in Ireland is what I'm really saying. Id like to come home but it would be impractical for me to do so and I don't like that and hope it will change in time.

Doc

Doc wrote: »

Because I'm 31 now and spent 5 years of my life studying to do what I do so I would kind of like to do it. I don't really want to go back to education right now. I could do other jobs not directly linked to my current profession though and actually want to move more in another direction anyway but that mightn't be any better for coming home either.

Having opportunity's outside of Ireland but not many in Ireland kind of sucks balls if you want to live in Ireland is what I'm really saying. Id like to come home but it would be impractical for me to do so and I don't like that and hope it will change in time.

What's the point sitting around hoping things will change? you might want to do the job you're doing but that means you can't come home
if you want to come home so badly then re train in something else in the evenings
you're only 31, not a year off retirement

smash

CucaFace wrote: »

If you really want to return here I would say your best bet is to go and enrol in an IT course at night perhaps.

Over the last year there seems to be a lot of job announcements in this sector and it will be your best hope of finding a good job back here.

I hear this thrown around all the time... If anyone thinks a night time IT course is going to train them enough to move into a specialised industry then they're mistaken. These courses are basic at best.

Nothingbetter2d

smash wrote: »

I hear this thrown around all the time... If anyone thinks a night time IT course is going to train them enough to move into a specialised industry then they're mistaken. These courses are basic at best.

so true

Doc

bluewolf wrote: »

What's the point sitting around hoping things will change? you might want to do the job you're doing but that means you can't come home
if you want to come home so badly then re train in something else in the evenings
you're only 31, not a year off retirement

Your not making it easy for me to be a moany little bitch! :P

Nothingbetter2d

Doc wrote: »

Your not making it easy for me to be a moany little bitch! :P

why on earth would ya wanna come back to this sh!thole?.... severe austerity, no jobs, everything is overpriced, people are bitter, weather sucks.

Doc

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

why on earth would ya wanna come back to this sh!thole?.... severe austerity, no jobs, everything is overpriced, people are bitter, weather sucks.

...

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

the_syco

Even if you decide to stay, I'd still advise you to reskill in something else, as the building bubble will not last forever in Oz.

JustAThought

Hmmm; sorry you re feeling down. How about drawing up a list of what's actually getti g you down & addressing the items one by one ; you might find that as single issues are resolved that the whole homesick issue isn't quite as bleak.
Depending on where you are there can be quite a big ex-pat support network ; clubs , GAA, business networking & so long as you dint get sucked into an " isn't Ireland great drinking group" this might help; as might getti g new mates with new interests in Oz & getting involved in your new co
Munity ( for the duration) there.
5 years is a long time but you will find if you cone back here it's a very long time & the scene & friends you left will be settling down , less available; have different worries & outlooks.
You can also always skype... Free & you can engage a lot ; after a few hours of chat you might find it less blue.

If you're back here you will find like many others that it is quite bleak and remorseless. Maybe working in a shop or on tills in Tesco will appeal but it's diffucult in the extreme to find work and there are300,000 + people competing with you for jobs.

Once you re home ( no dole, no social welfare support; they changed the laws to make sure you'd be not able to claim) you willfinf the allure dwindles quickly. Will you be happy at31 sitti g in all day broke , or hanging around your friends & their wives/OH not able to keep up or join in CIA you can't afford it?

Stay tight; improve your situation there & if you absolutely must apply from abroad & use an Irish address ; the non responses you get will give you an indication of how bad it is here ; and bring here won't help you get a job much mire. Last October a pal put 180 CVs into businesses personally over 5 days ; great qualification s & 15 years experience; 2 replys.
Depression dres not begin to describe this " recession". Once you come back you'll Never get back. It's not as green as you think. Start skyping .
It'll get better there.

Jester252

2015

IrishAm

This thread is quite unsettling. An Irish man who loves his country, should never be forced away. Irish citizens are not economic pawns that can be brushed away when times are tough.

Otherwise, what is the point of the Irish state, if not to provide for the Irish people? What is its function, if not that?

Doc, I hope you get to come home soon.

Eve_Dublin

donegal_road wrote: »

if you even qualify for unemployment assisstance.. I have heard of people who have returned to Ireland and have been refused dole as they haven't been paying prsi or stamps here in a couple of years

That's me. I couldn't get anything when I returned home after 5 years away, so left again.


OP I can really empathise. I've got a Media Production and Communications degree and I'm not qualified to do anything specialised as my degree is basically obselete with advances in technology in that area. Since the degree I worked as a librarian and I almost started a masters in that area in Dublin but decided to go travelling instead with the money I'd saved at the last minute. That was a year before things went pear-shaped. I don't have any regrets as I'd a great time...but saying that, it mightened have been the wisest move. :-/

I'm here now in Spain teaching English and although I'm generally not homesick to any major degree, I get homesick when I think I can't go home anytime soon. I like Ireland and I liked living there. I left because we were required to do our final year in England, then I met a guy blah blah. I've been out of the country for the best part of 8 years now and I miss my family and friends and the humour and the easy-going way of life...and vegetation and variation in weather and the nightlife and.....you get the idea. Luckily I can go home when I want (I get home maybe 3 times a year) so that keeps the homesickness at bay.

I know I'm going to have to go back to uni and qualify in something practical instead of an Arts degree or something useless. It's my only chance of ever getting home again, which I think I want to do eventually. I see myself growing old there.

You really wouldn't consider requalifying in something else? Or moving to Germany? Germany is a Ryanair flight away and you don't feel so homesick when you know you're closer to home, even if you don't go home that much. It's just the fact that you CAN go home when you want.

Sorry to hear your situation. It's a sad one but I think you do have options. You just have to be willing to compromise and be a bit more flexible. You're only 31 (I'm 32), plenty of time to train in something else. 30s is the new 20s, maaaaan!

Fussy Eater

I have recently emigrated to Ireland and the job hunting is bloody tough. I may not be Irish but I do want to enjoy living here. Nevertheless it's a hard place to like at the moment...

Eve_Dublin

Fussy Eater wrote: »

I have recently emigrated to Ireland and the job hunting is bloody tough. I may not be Irish but I do want to enjoy living here. Nevertheless it's a hard place to like at the moment...

Did you not realise how tought it'd be before you came here???

IrishAm

Fussy Eater wrote: »

I have recently emigrated to Ireland

Are you a sucker for punishment?:)

What made you want to come here, considering the current unemployment crisis?

Fussy Eater

For love. My o/h is Irish.

CucaFace

smash wrote: »

I hear this thrown around all the time... If anyone thinks a night time IT course is going to train them enough to move into a specialised industry then they're mistaken. These courses are basic at best.

Fair enough.

I said night course as i assume it would be impossible for the OP to leave their day job to attend a full time course.

I'd have to agree i doubt a night course would get you anything that useful back here in the IT sector.

IrishAm

Fussy Eater wrote: »

For love. My o/h is Irish.

He/shes a sucker for punishment, alright.

Good luck with the job hunting, pal.

CucaFace

Fussy Eater wrote: »

I have recently emigrated to Ireland and the job hunting is bloody tough. I may not be Irish but I do want to enjoy living here. Nevertheless it's a hard place to like at the moment...

What kind of jobs you looking for?

Fussy Eater

CucaFace wrote: »

What kind of jobs you looking for?

Well paid and permanent ones.

CucaFace

Fussy Eater wrote: »

Well paid and permanent ones.

Ah you're fuked so.

IrishAm

Fussy Eater wrote: »

Well paid and permanent ones.

I see you have referred to Ireland as a european backwater. I retract my comments wishing you luck. I hope the Irish mot gains some cop on, chucks you, fleeces you and that you are refused all welfare assistance.

Tally ho!

Fussy Eater

CucaFace wrote: »

Ah you're fuked so.

Amen.

AudreyHepburn

I think the biggest mistake people are making is assuming that 'No jobs in my sector' - 'No jobs at all'.

There are jobs out there, you just have to be willing to put in the effort to find them and to look beyond your own area of study/skill.

The job I have now has nothing to do with what I studied but I love it. It took six months of slogging to find but that makes me even more happy to be here.

OP if you want to come home, do. Don't the overbearing pessimissim and negativity being displayed everywhere put you off.

There are oppertunties still..it's about being flexible, putting in the effort looking for work and maybe developing new skills to open new doors.

I've long given up on the idea of ever going back to Ireland. I moved abroad 'temporarily' in 2008 and things are worse than ever at home. All my friends there are on the dole or underemployed, working in shops or petrol stations while most of my friends here have good jobs. I don't notice any recession here in London - the shops, restaurants and bars are as packed as ever and people are still getting jobs. I'm always shocked when I go back to Dublin and see the difference.

Amira Puny Bather

Amira Puny Bather wrote: »

I've long given up on the idea of ever going back to Ireland. I moved abroad 'temporarily' in 2008 and things are worse than ever at home. All my friends there are on the dole or underemployed, working in shops or petrol stations while most of my friends here have good jobs. I don't notice any recession here in London - the shops, restaurants and bars are as packed as ever and people are still getting jobs. I'm always shocked when I go back to Dublin and see the difference.

I don't think I know anyone unemployed and haven't seen much difference
a number of friends have emigrated with their postdoc work but that's not "can't get a job here", just how it goes with that field

Fussy Eater

IrishAm wrote: »

I see you have referred to Ireland as a european backwater. I retract my comments wishing you luck. I hope the Irish mot gains some cop on, chucks you, fleeces you and that you are refused all welfare assistance.

Tally ho!

Hey I was merely paraphrasing the English landowner from The Wind that Shakes the Barley. In these more secular times I simply replaced "Priest infested" with 'European'...

bluewolf

bluewolf wrote: »

I don't think I know anyone unemployed and haven't seen much difference
a number of friends have emigrated with their postdoc work but that's not "can't get a job here", just how it goes with that field

Where do you live and what are your friends qualified in?

hooradiation

Jester252 wrote: »

2015

In the year 2525.
Providing man is still alive, though.