Why or how did you decide to emigrate?

rosmoke

13 lines of text just to say you need to type your pps number, that's not Bureaucracy, that's called keyboard typing.

Ruraldweller56

NSAman wrote: »

Why? Better opportunity. Openness of ideas compared with the closed thinking in Ireland. The chance to progress more quickly. The thoughts of change in life and the ability to adapt and try something new.

My advice: if you feel it is for you try it. You only live once. You will always wonder what if.. if you don’t try it.

I want to live in the Ireland that liberals believe we live in.

arccosh

I fell into the 9 to 5 routine and living for the weekend...

I tried and failed at my honours degree 3 times..

Had spent a period on the dole, and any job in relation to my Ordinary degree I was told I 1) needed and honours degree and/or 2) loads more relevent experience...

The job I was in was a decent job, but the area I wanted to work in, I was told I hadn't a chance of getting into for maybe 5-6 years...

So I jumped ship to the UK... got a job I like with lots of progression, finished my degree, generally healthier, definitely better paid... that was in 3 years of moving...

Don't get me wrong, I miss Ireland loads, and it's lonely at times, but, I wouldn't be where I am without the move.

Tell me how

So, anybody making emigrating a New Years resolution?

I have 6 months to decide whether or not to avail of the graduate visa program for US. Seen various tales of woe associated with it and the difficulties in getting paid roles.

Would be fairly confident of landing a role (would still take some effort) but trying to decide what location and just how to identify and target companies which I think might be suitable.

Dr.Sanchez

Tell me how wrote: »

So, anybody making emigrating a New Years resolution?

I have 6 months to decide whether or not to avail of the graduate visa program for US. Seen various tales of woe associated with it and the difficulties in getting paid roles.

Would be fairly confident of landing a role (would still take some effort) but trying to decide what location and just how to identify and target companies which I think might be suitable.

Go for it. You only live once and all that. Jobs will always come and go...

thereitisgone

Emigrated years ago to Finland
Best move i ever made, totally different lifestyle here that i love. Everything is so structured here and just makes sense. Ok tax is very high here but you definitely see where its being spent and the benefits
Paternity leave, nursery, school and further education are all cheaper than in Ireland. Property is more expensive but in the last 10 years Finland has changed so much
At the start, even though it was in the EU it broke most of there rules and done everything to make it difficult for EU citizens to work here
Nowadays its very easy to find a job even as a non perfect speaker of the language as most companies now accept Finnish or English as there working languages
Could never go back

funkypumpkins

I emigrated 2 years ago to the UK

I had always wanted to become a teacher (Secondary) however I couldn't afford the fees and most definitely this was the case when it became a two year masters. In the meantime, following graduation from my undergrad back in Ireland, I tried different jobs but it was tough starting out with little experience and I was only ever getting work in Customer Service type roles which would eventually finish up and I would have to move on. I had tried also to go back to college but I couldn't find anything I liked.

Then, I looked into the £25,000 bursary to become a languages teacher (my degree was in Languages). Brexit was a big motivator that made me think perhaps this funding might go if I didn't avail of it sooner rather than later. I was born in the UK, so I have British citizenship (as well as my Irish, from my parents) and could make a career in this. I moved over on my own, finished my training and I am working as a teacher.

I guess I don't regret making the decision and it has definitely made positive changes in my life. While I am thankful for this opportunity, it hasn't been a walk in a park. You can see why the government is "throwing money" at the teacher recruitment crisis and Education is very different to the Irish system. I do miss Ireland as I like being near family and friends, but I have more life opportunities over here. I hope to move back some day as I don't think England will ever be truly "home" for me.

cloudatlas

I'd love to up sticks but I don't have a second language, in my late 30's and I'm an office monkey so not really desirable, wish I had concentrated on learning a second language.

Mars Bar

America, Canada, Australia and the Middle East you'll get away without a second language

Jim2007

cloudatlas wrote: »

Wish I had concentrated on learning a second language.

And what is stopping you? The biggest requirement for learning a new language is motivation. With a bit of effort you should be able to get to A2 level in most European languages in about 3 years and A2 is enough to conduct your life in the language.

Also most smaller European countries tend to be more flexible about language requirements.

You have got what, about 25 years to go to retirement, do you really want to end up wishing you had given it a try?

NSAman

cloudatlas wrote: »

I'd love to up sticks but I don't have a second language, in my late 30's and I'm an office monkey so not really desirable, wish I had concentrated on learning a second language.

There is always a way if you have the ability and the drive to get there. I learned two languages and can understand a few more by living in the country. It is amazing how when you learn another language, you start to understand other languages more easily.

As Jim said do it, never look back and say “if only”.

rosmoke

My mother moved over to Italy when she was 55, she knew only her maternal language and a couple years later speaks italian fluently.
Will and need are the biggest drive.

monreader

I came to New Zealand for a family reunion and still happily living here 2 years later. The thought of returning home has crossed my mind a lot but I can not see it happening.

BobbyBobberson

Moved to the Manchester at the height of the recession, really enjoyed it. Plenty of work, loads of cheap flights home thanks to Ryanair and was great just to be working. Had loads of friends moved there too thanks to the recession so was not lonely at all. Moved to Northern Ireland since and will be leaving again soon.

snowguy

Was only meant to be in Alberta Canada for 3 months, ended up staying to get PR, then citizenship. 20 years later still here. Freezing cold winters, warm sunny summers, nice to see some extremes. As of today, it's been weeks since I've been snowed/ rained on and the sun is bright most days.

clever user name

Spent 5 years in the UK (3 university, 2 working). Had a semi decent job and a pretty comfortable job but I've always been the kind of person who wanted to live abroad, and I didn't see the UK as living abroad. So after some searching on google I applied for a job teaching English in China, 3 months later I was on a plane. Spent a year in China and then a year in the south of Thailand. Realized I actually missed China so returned (non-teaching job). Been almost 3 years since. China is what I would call 'beautiful madness'.

Pro's:

- Cost of living is low compared to the salaries you can get. Everything is cheap, apart from some imported stuff. Easy to save money. Most jobs come with an apartment or housing allowance.
- Apartments are cheap (unless you are in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen). My 2 bedroom apartment in the city center is less than €500 a month, Tier 2 city of almost 7 million people.
- Transport is great, and cheap. Buses, subway, tram, overground, taxis. Taking the bus for example is about 20 cents, subway probably 40 cents. 20 minute taxi ride to the airport is about €3.50
- Food is great, restaurants literally everywhere. Plenty of places to eat western food too. Good nightlife, plenty of bars.
- You can buy literally anything online. So if I want some teabags or decent sausages I just order them.
- The people are extremely friendly and helpful.
- Beautiful country, some really amazing place to visit. Plus it's very easy to get to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam etc.
- The language is not easy (I'll put below), but you can easily get away with not speaking a lick of it.

Con's:

- Certainly not a short trip home, so once a year usually.
- Culture can be challenging, especially from a work perspective. Though this bothers other people I know a lot more than it does me. I'm pretty laid back.
- Pollution can be an issue, depending on what city you are in.
- The language can be a challenge to learn. My Chinese is not great, but I'll be attending a school 3 mornings a week starting next month. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time but literally haven't had the time with work.

I could write a novel, but I'll leave it at that. Any questions I'll be happy to answer.

arccosh

clever user name wrote: »

... Been almost 3 years since.

Cool story... I was in Chengdu and I counted about 8 other westerners in the place... was a bit strange getting stared at and filmed all the time... definitely a weird first impression of China :pac:

NSAman

Tell me how wrote: »

There are several threads where this topic comes up.
Personally I don't agree with this statement. There are issues with housing and healthcare could always be better, but, in comparison to most of the 200 odd countries in the world, I think we measure up quite favourably. All things considered.

I'm not saying "You're wrong" or trying to derail this thread in debating it but I wonder if there is a specific reason why you think this and where you might go that is better.

Honestly, this is a major issue with Ireland. Health care is an absolute joke in Ireland. Unfortunately, I had the bad experience in Ireland recently with the health system, the level of “care” was non-existent. Ok, here in the States the costs are Bourne by employment for the most part, but the level of care and availability of testing is something Ireland can only aspire to. You still in my opinion have to know quite a lot and question doctors who are very free and easy with prescriptions.

However, (and this is a major issue) money for hospital transportation can bankrupt you..I.e. lifeflight (helicopter) can set you back 30k+ and many insurance companies do not cover this.

There are always pros and cons about living in every country. Some great things, some crap things in each place. Ireland for me has terrible healthcare, it is very restrictive in relation to speeding, it has many issues which drive me crazy.. the same with the States on other issues, I find many americans as thick as a bulls ass... but you learn to live with these things and you find your friends and people you can relate to anywhere.

Just wondering Tell me How, have you had any more thoughts on your potential move?

Jim2007

NSAman wrote: »

Honestly, this is a major issue with Ireland. Health care is an absolute joke in Ireland. Unfortunately, I had the bad experience in Ireland recently with the health system, the level of “care” was non-existent. Ok, here in the States the costs are Bourne by employment for the most part, but the level of care and availability of testing is something Ireland can only aspire to. You still in my opinion have to know quite a lot and question doctors who are very free and easy with prescriptions.

However, (and this is a major issue) money for hospital transportation can bankrupt you..I.e. lifeflight (helicopter) can set you back 30k+ and many insurance companies do not cover this.

It is no better or worse the in most other countries, you just have not experienced it. Repatriation, search and rescue and related transport is normally excluded in most European countries.

In my local hospital two people have died during operations as a result of being given the wrong blood type. In a neighbouring hospital they now believe that at least 5 people have died as a result of an elderly doctor misunderstanding the dosage instructions....

Elsewhere people are now being directed to A&E because of a shortage of GPs. My mother-in-law has not had a GP for over five years since her old one retired and no replacement has taken over the practice.

A colleague of mine who had a cancerous mould near his shoulder blade spent 6 moths trying to find a surgeon that would agree to remove it for him as they were all afraid that if they failed they might face a malpractice suit. In the end he had to cross the border to German to get it done.

Every healthcare system has it's horrors, you just have not heard them.

dartboardio

Ireland has a fairly bad one imo.

Completely based on your financials. No universal health care. You're either on social welfare fully entitled to free healthcare on a medical card or earning a somewhat decent salary and if you had a heart attack in the morning would be paying some hefty bills in a weeks time when you leave hospital. On top of your excruciating mortgage, and constantly increasing childcare costs.

Getting into medical debt with money you don't have because the country we live in doesn't want to help you if you're not on the dole.

Oh ireland.

You're either the bottom of the barrel and entitled to everything or an average person on an average wage with no assistance whatsoever.

Anyways, sorry for derailing!

splinter65

dartboardio wrote: »

Ireland has a fairly bad one imo.

Completely based on your financials. No universal health care. You're either on social welfare fully entitled to free healthcare on a medical card or earning a somewhat decent salary and if you had a heart attack in the morning would be paying some hefty bills in a weeks time when you leave hospital. On top of your excruciating mortgage, and constantly increasing childcare costs.

Getting into medical debt with money you don't have because the country we live in doesn't want to help you if you're not on the dole.

Oh ireland.

You're either the bottom of the barrel and entitled to everything or an average person on an average wage with no assistance whatsoever.

Anyways, sorry for derailing!

If you don’t have a medical card and you’re admitted to a public hospital in Ireland with a heart attack and discharged 7 nights later then you’ll get a bill for €560 exactly irregardless of the extent of the treatment you received.
The max you will be charged in any Rolling year is €800 no matter how many admissions you have or what treatment you get. That really isn’t bad at all.

Jim2007

dartboardio wrote: »

Ireland has a fairly bad one imo.

Completely based on your financials. No universal health care. You're either on social welfare fully entitled to free healthcare on a medical card or earning a somewhat decent salary and if you had a heart attack in the morning would be paying some hefty bills in a weeks time when you leave hospital. On top of your excruciating mortgage, and constantly increasing childcare costs.

Getting into medical debt with money you don't have bhecause the country we live in doesn't want to help you if you're not on the dole.

Oh ireland.

You're either the bottom of the barrel and entitled to everything or an average person on an average wage with no assistance whatsoever.

Anyways, sorry for derailing!

Talk about a sense of self entitlement! You clearly have no experience of what goes on in the rest of Europe.

clever user name

arccosh wrote: »

Cool story... I was in Chengdu and I counted about 8 other westerners in the place... was a bit strange getting stared at and filmed all the time... definitely a weird first impression of China :pac:

You can multiply that 8 by about 2,000 now :pac: Chengdu is now one of the 'go to' cities in China, extremely popular. And for good reason, really is a great city. The picture taking has eased off a bit in the larger cities, though if you venture into the sticks you'll still be a local celebrity.

clever user name

dartboardio wrote: »

Ireland has a fairly bad one imo.

Completely based on your financials. No universal health care. You're either on social welfare fully entitled to free healthcare on a medical card or earning a somewhat decent salary and if you had a heart attack in the morning would be paying some hefty bills in a weeks time when you leave hospital. On top of your excruciating mortgage, and constantly increasing childcare costs.

Getting into medical debt with money you don't have because the country we live in doesn't want to help you if you're not on the dole.

Oh ireland.

You're either the bottom of the barrel and entitled to everything or an average person on an average wage with no assistance whatsoever.

Anyways, sorry for derailing!

Absolute nonsense. Went home for Christmas with the girlfriend (British), unfortunately she ended up getting a cyst on her tailbone which required us to go to A&E. She had an operation and had to stay overnight. 180euro plus about another 30 or so for prescriptions she was given. Wouldn't exactly call that extortionate. Granted, we were waiting for almost 10 hours in A&E which wasn't ideal, but the level of care she got for a couple of hundred euro blew my mind to be honest. I'd pay more than that here in China for the same thing.