Become an Expat in Ireland

am keenly interested in hearing from anyone who is living in the west Ireland – Connemara; Galway county etc.

We just moved to the West of Ireland and over all it’s ok but there are settling issues here that many of the articles I read before coming never told/tell you about. 1st buying a home. Hurry up and Wait is the game here. We were looking for 2 years for real estate and finally just rented an Air BnB came over had a plan and started looking. #1 Agents here don’t take you seriously if you are not in the country and being here doesn’t really help that much either. Agents do not quickly to show you a home. It took us 1 week before we saw a house and then it was gone. #2 unlike the states there are NO Time restrictions on the contracts, NONE. So you could put a contract on a house and not hear anything for months. Then find out you either didn’t get the house or you just bought it. Calling the agent doesn’t seem to work either and there are no buyers agents to help you. They only have sellers agents. So the buyers are on there own. The agents here only show you the houses the Lawyers are the one’s that write up the contract and take care of the house buying process. #3 The other thing you need to buy a house in Ireland is a PPS number. It’s a tax number much like the American Social Security Number and it can take months to get. With out it you can not buy a house or get a job or get your kids into school here. #4 The banks are another issue. You must have a job here and a bank account that shows you have steady income/money going into it or you will not get a loan. Also, in the states cash is king for getting a house within 30 days. Not here, no one cares if you have cash , it’s on there time line…..slow. #5 Then once you have the house you have another problem. Signing up for heating, electric, and basic utilities. You need a Credit Card! and you can’t get one without a PPS Number and a Bank Account, and a Job. AND they won’t take an American Credit Cards. It needs to be an/a European Credit Card. In which you need the following above.
# 6 Lets see the next item kids and schools. You will Groan at this one! If you plan to move to Ireland with kids make sure you are here by the end of May or before September and find a house first and reach out to the schools in the area immediately, ( get a PPS Number for them too)(you need to register them every year to get a space for the following school year.) Then start them at the beginning of the school year. Otherwise, home school your kids until the next school year. If you can’t and come mid term you will have problems (especially right now 2022/23. Because of the Ukrainian refugees. The schools are overwhelmed with kids and there are no spaces left. We tried 10 schools before we found a space ). The Irish schools do not like it when you come mid term. You are bothering them and you will not get any help from them to get your child up to speed. You are on your own. You’ll need uniforms, books, etc.. and it’s expensive and this is for public school. If you bother them too much they just ignore you, think you are rude, and will not speak with you. They act like spoiled babies, it’s frustrating. #7 The teachers and principals here are placed on pedestals and they think they are equal to God. You
They act like spoiled babies, it’s frustrating. #7 The teachers and principals here are placed on pedestals and they think they are equal to God. You will be ignored, talked down to and expected to know your place and do not question them. I’m Irish and Italian and not being pushy doesn’t work for me. I explained this to a teacher one day and I told her that Americans see teachers in this way. We pay taxes, we pay your salary, therefore I pay you to teach my child so do your job. The Irish teacher could not get her head around that concept. #8 The grade system here and the Certs. OK in the USA we have 1st grade through 12 th grade. In Ireland this is how the levels compare. Here’s an over view – 1st through 6 is primary school, 7th 10th is secondary school, 11th and 12th finishing years. Here’s more detailed view. Primary school is the same. American 7th grade = to 1st year secondary school, American 8th grade = 2 nd year secondary school and so on until American 11th grade = 5th year high lever with a practice leaving Cert in May. American 12th grade = 6th year high level with the finial leaving Cert in May. This leaving cert is the major test of the century and everyone freaks out about it. This one is testing everything you have learned and depending on your scores you will either go to college or you don’t. PERIOD. Now. let’s roll back a bit from 1st year to 4th year, you have what is called Junior Certs which is a test that determines your education level for years 5 and 6. You must past these. Also, Irish High school is 6 years. Nothing to get upset about. All they do is lump our middle school with high school. So Irish high school is 7th grade ( 1year) to 12th grade ( 6 year). To make matters worse they have a break between 10th and 11th grade ( or 4th year and 5th year – Irish)The Irish call it the Transition Year. Basically if you are failing this is the year you take to reconsider your options as an adult and figure out if you will become a White Collar worker or a Blue Collar worker. Or it’s wear they put you if you are coming from another country and don’t want to deal with you.
Or it’s wear they put you if you are coming from another country and don’t want to deal with you. Another thing you will encounter are Grind Schools. It seems everyone here hates them. I have figured out that if you were or are a failing student you hate these schools. These schools prep you for the Leaving Cert which in turn gets you into college. Otherwise, you become a Blue Collar worker. Also, the opinion here is that if you fail and are lazy in school it’s your fault not there’s and you reap what you sow. You will not get help either. So if your kids are determined and straight A students you’ll do fine. If not stay in the States, they will fail. The Irish don’t believe in self improvement or bettering yourself to change positions in your job or get another job. There’s no self help here.
You will not get help either. So if your kids are determined and straight A students you’ll do fine. If not stay in the States, they will fail. The Irish don’t believe in self improvement or bettering yourself to change positions in your job or get another job. There’s no self help here.
#8 Ok, What is a Leaving Cert. Think of it this way. It’s a cross between the SAT’s, and College exams. That’s the Leaving Cert. Also, Your kids will need to learn a language here. The younger they are, they will have to learn Irish. It’s taught in all schools starting in 1st grade. Then the choices are French, and German. That’s it. And your kids will need to know Irish to get into most of the Irish Colleges and then 1 other, preferred 2 languages to get into college here. My child already knows Italian ( unfortunately, they don’t teach it here, but you can do a Leaving Cert on it if your are good enough).

I haven’t experience an Heath Issue yet but it’s a Social Medicine. If you private pay you get better service. If you don’t you will wait months for service. I have a friend and her husband is Irish and she lived here for many years. Her son needed surgery and they scheduled him 4 years out for an issue that needed immediate removal. She gave up fighting with the Irish Doctors and called the her mom who made an appointment with her American doctor. They flew over had the procedure and then went back. Another person I met at a clothing store in Galway was taking medication and she was experiencing a side effect from the medication and loosing muscle tissue in her hand. The doctors told her to wait and see how it progresses. She now has lost all her function in her hand. I saw it before and after. If she was in the States the doctors would be sued.
Buying a car here is easy but you need insurance and the taxes paid before you drive it off the lot. Normally the car dealership will handle the tax part but not always. Again you need a/an European Credit Card to pay the taxes and everything is done online here. Car insurance is very expensive. Our one car is 1500 a year. In the States we has 4 cars for $800 a year. And you will pay more because you are an American. Also, you will need to get an Irish Drivers License. Which you will need to re-take the driving school lessons and re-test and get a new Irish License. It takes about 6 to 12 months to do.
I can go on but There’s so much that is not told to you until you get here and then it’s like pulling teeth from a tiger. People here are very nice but they can be very rude, have poor manners, and totally in your business. Ireland is a love hate relationship. It’s not efficient, it’s too laid back and it takes too long to get things done here. But it is safer than the States (especially right now) and the weather is raw, damp, and cold. (So are most places in the States, so I’m use to it but…) The winters are also wild and wet and cold. The sun rises at 9 am and sets at 4 pm in the winter. The summers are warmer – think Maine in the summer. The days are much longer as well.
Like I said It’s a love hate relationship when living in Ireland. Good Luck!