We're coming home!

eiretamicha

So my husband and I have come to the conclusion that America just isn't for us, and we're moving back to Ireland on April 30, 2007. There are many reasons we're choosing to move back to Ireland. We want to open our own business (a computer store/internet cafe), and small businesses simply do not survive in the southern United States. We also feel that where we live is no longer a good place to raise children, and it would be impossible for me to be a work-at-home-mom here (which is what we plan on doing since I will be homeschooling our future kids). We also simply miss it over there, and miss Aidan's family immensely. So we've decided we're going to be permanently settling back in Ireland. We are very excited.

The excitement doesn't take away from the stress, however, and we are very quickly realizing that we have a lot of work to do within these next 9 months. We've been working on budget, and have realized that we're going to need upwards around $9,000 (USD) to successfully move back. This includes the cost of plane ticket prices, animal "immigration" fees (we are bringing our dog and cat), a rental car for two weeks, first and last month's rent, living allowance for the first two months while we try to find a house to rent, etc. This is not going to be a cheap move, and my husband is STILL waiting on his work authorization (darn US government) so it's hard to save any money when there's only one income.

Our plan is to arrive in Dublin and stay with family for a month while we look for a place of our own. I'm going to find a job right away while Aidan works on his business plan and meets with investors and grant people. We'd like to get the computer shop up and running as soon as possible. As Aidan is from a town in the North, but near the border, we're looking to open this shop (and find a place to live!) somewhere in Donegal.

We've run into a few predicaments, however, that I'm hoping maybe you guys can help us with. First of all, Aidan was born and raised in the North. He's never lived in the free state, so he's not really familiar with the business/financial aspects that are involved in every day life there, and finding some of this information on the internet has proved to be a labourious task. So on to my questions!

1) How much can I, a 22 year old female, expect to pay for insurance on a small, 4-door car? I've heard that I can get insurance on my American license and drive around with that for up to a year, but if the insurance is too high, I'd more than likely just get my provisional license and take my full-license test ASAP. I've been driving since I was 16 here in the states, so I'm quite confidant that I can pass my test. I just have no idea how to go about it.

2) Generally, how do small businesses fare in Donegal? We've come to the conclusion that our business is going to be more suited to a medium-sized town. For example, Donegal Town is probably too small for it, but Letterkenny might be too big. We're not sure. It's just so hard to figure stuff like this out when you're 4,000 miles across the ocean.

3) House renting: should we expect to pay first and last month's rent along with a security deposit? Do many landlords turn you away if you have pets? Do you guys have pet rent over there? We've found many beautiful places to live in Donegal on daft.ie at very affordable prices! There was a newly-built 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom fully detached house for 600euros a month! That's so cheap compared to here in Florida! And we definitely don't need 4 bedrooms yet! We're hoping maybe we can find a smaller house for even cheaper.

4) Speaking of renting, how on earth are we gonna be able to rent when neither of us will have any credit in the south?? What are banks like in the south? I know that when I lived with Aidan in the north, they did NOT want to give us a checking account at all. They didn't care that I had a checking account in both Florida and Scotland with no negative marks at all...they simply refused me a checkbook! Are banks like that in the south, too?

5) And finally...anyone know of any nice and clean veterinary clinics in Donegal that are in need of an animal nurse/veterinary technician?

Sorry I wrote you guys a novel here, but I hope some of you might be able to offer me some advice. We've got lots of time to research things, but I just know that pretty soon I'm going to blink and it'll be time to go! Thank you all so much in advance.

Ruu_Old

Wishing you both the best of luck with the move and hope everything turns out well, you deserve it after all the hassle.

eiretamicha

Ruu wrote:

Wishing you both the best of luck with the move and hope everything turns out well, you deserve it after all the hassle.

Thanks so much, Ruu!

magnumlady

Good luck with everything.

I can't answer too many of your questions, but regarding the car. Car insurance is really expensive here.
I'm 38, been driving for 20 years, have a small 4 door car and it costs me 320 euro a year, thats with a full license and full no claims bonus. I was paying £60 in the UK.

They are really strict on bank accounts, I was going to suggest a relative open one for you before you move, that what my parents did for us. Now though they want passports and utility bills as proof of I.D.

As fas as the renting goes, most landlords want a month in advance as a deposit, they don't usually ask for more then that as far as I know. With the pets some are OK with them and others not, you just need to check with the landlord.

eiretamicha

magnumlady wrote:

Good luck with everything.

I can't answer too many of your questions, but regarding the car. Car insurance is really expensive here.
I'm 38, been driving for 20 years, have a small 4 door car and it costs me 320 euro a year, thats with a full license and full no claims bonus. I was paying £60 in the UK.

They are really strict on bank accounts, I was going to suggest a relative open one for you before you move, that what my parents did for us. Now though they want passports and utility bills as proof of I.D.

As fas as the renting goes, most landlords want a month in advance as a deposit, they don't usually ask for more then that as far as I know. With the pets some are OK with them and others not, you just need to check with the landlord.

Thanks so much for the advice!

I pay about $100 per month in car insurance here in the states. Do you guys have to pay yearly, or can you opt to pay monthly?

I do have a Bank of Ireland account in the north, and I have a checking account with Bank of Scotland. I've got a debit card and checkbook with Bank of Scotland, but the only thing Bank of Ireland would give me was a cash card. Maybe I should start electronically transferring some money to these accounts, and hopefully by the time May rolls around, we'll have some boosted credit and Bank of Ireland will give me a checkbook! One can hope, anyway...:p

Thanks again for your help!

byte

For car insurance you can pay yearly, and most insurers also give the option of paying monthly by Direct Debits. Of course, for direct debits, you'll need an operational bank account!

I think one of the most important things really is getting a ROI bank account sorted. Then even things like rent, electricity, telephone, etc can be paid via bank, etc

muffler

Wow, where do I start. A couple of points and please forgive as they may not be in any particular order.

Driving test: expect up to 9 month delay but after you apply for your test ring them and spin them some yarn along the lines that you need the car for work and see if they will push you up the list a bit - most likely they will.

Car insurance: It will vary a lot from company to company but have a look here and you should be able to get a few online quotes. Email the companies if necessary and explain your case. I would take a guess here and say you could expect to pay €600 - €900 per year with most companies giving you the option of paying in monthly installments.

Small businesses: Seems like a good time for them here at present. You may be able to avail of some grants but there is a tightening up on grants generally but there are places you can look to for assistance.

House renting: In areas like Ballybofey a 3 or 4 bed semi in an estate can be got for about €550 to €700 per month. Usually a months rent in advance and not too many of the landlords bother about the pets. Expect to pay another couple of hundred per month in Letterkenny. At the moment there is a 4 bed terraced house close to me in Stranorlar for letting for €140 per week and its been on offer for a few weeks now and still not much interest in it.
PM about renting when you get to Donegal as I have a couple of contacts in the business.

Bank account: As far as I know you will have to be resident here to open a current account (cheque book etc) and as someone else posted you will need 2 forms of ID (one of which must contain a photo - driving license, passport etc). You can open some form of account here even if you are in a different jurisdiction but I think its only savings.

Vets practice: Not sure about this but you could use the link I give above to locate a few of them and fire off a few emails to them and see whats available.

Hope this helps

muffler

magnumlady wrote:

Car insurance is really expensive here.
I'm 38, been driving for 20 years, have a small 4 door car and it costs me 320 euro a year, thats with a full license and full no claims bonus. I was paying £60 in the UK.

You're complaining about €320 per year - be thankful that you are a woman because no man would ever get insurance for that.

Im driving accident free for over 30 years and the cheapest i ever got insurance in that period was about 10 years ago when I paid 290 punts (roughly €375). My renewal is due in the next couple of weeks and I am expecting it to be about €450 - €500 and thats based on a couple of online quotes I got in the last few days

il gatto

€320 a year? I wish. I pay more than that for six months, and thats not even comprehensive.
Back to what eiretamicha was asking. muffler's spot on on everything. I would say you might want to stop calling it the Free State though. That's a throwback to the twenties and thirties. I've only ever heard really old guys at funerals in the north say that. Alot of people your own age probably wouldn't know what you meant:D
With regards to finding a job right away. Hopefully you will, but the Celtic Tiger has not floated all boats equally. There's alot of jobs in the papers, but alot of them pay badly or are very specific qualification wise. In Sligo, there's an endless requirement for hairdressers, deli-counter assistants, chefs and ambiguously named "project managers". Everyone who has a job thinks there's loads out there, but when you're looking for one, it's not so hot. Good luck though. Hope it works out for ye:)

eiretamicha

Muffler, thank you so much for the information! And thanks for the link, I'm gonna go check it out now.

I figured as much about the insurance. That's not all that bad. That's a long time to wait for the driver's license test, though! 9 months?? Wow. I think I'll definitely try to get them to move my date up.

il gatto wrote:

€320 a year? I wish. I pay more than that for six months, and thats not even comprehensive.
Back to what eiretamicha was asking. muffler's spot on on everything. I would say you might want to stop calling it the Free State though. That's a throwback to the twenties and thirties. I've only ever heard really old guys at funerals in the north say that. Alot of people your own age probably wouldn't know what you meant:D

LOL, that's funny...I've never heard it called anything else back when we lived in the north--from both old people and young people. Maybe it was just the area we were living in. So you all just call it the Republic? Or the South? I mainly just call it all Ireland unless I need to make the distinction between the North and South.

Thanks again, everyone, for all the information!

JoeyJJ

Pets are alot of hassle for you... I'm not a pet person so I guess, i'd leave them behind with a loving family if possible... but thats just me...

Small computing company, better look for a niche in the market, offer something different and exciting if possible.

eiretamicha

JoeyJJ wrote:

Pets are alot of hassle for you... I'm not a pet person so I guess, i'd leave them behind with a loving family if possible... but thats just me...

Small computing company, better look for a niche in the market, offer something different and exciting if possible.

My animals are my babies...they go where I go--no matter what the cost.

This computer shop will be very exciting...and is definitely going to be different.

nanook

eiretamicha, in relation to your pets. do you have to place them in quarantine when you get here. I think there is a programme that you can do with your local vet. Something on the line of vaccinations and a passport that allows them to move from country to country without the worries of quarantine.

In relation to banks, you have to remember that yes you do need a credit rating but it is not as important as that in America. If you get a nice rural bank and get to know the manager you have a better chance.

Car insurance, prices will vary from company to company, eagle star (i think) run a policy specifically for ladies and it seems to be very competitive.
There are also many online brokers over here and if you do a quick google then you should get yourself sorted. Remember one thing a small engine in ireland is usually classified under 1400cc and not the gas guzzlers you guys have in the states.

eiretamicha

nanook wrote:

eiretamicha, in relation to your pets. do you have to place them in quarantine when you get here. I think there is a programme that you can do with your local vet. Something on the line of vaccinations and a passport that allows them to move from country to country without the worries of quarantine.

In relation to banks, you have to remember that yes you do need a credit rating but it is not as important as that in America. If you get a nice rural bank and get to know the manager you have a better chance.

Car insurance, prices will vary from company to company, eagle star (i think) run a policy specifically for ladies and it seems to be very competitive.
There are also many online brokers over here and if you do a quick google then you should get yourself sorted. Remember one thing a small engine in ireland is usually classified under 1400cc and not the gas guzzlers you guys have in the states.

Hi Nanook,

We'll be taking part in the Pet Travel Scheme that Ireland currently offers. My pets have to be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies, blood tested to make sure they have the appropriate rabies antibodies, then we have to get a European Pet Health Certificate that must be endorsed by vets in Gainesville, FL, and then they must be treated for ticks and tapeworms 24-48 hours before we take off. All that...and then they still have to be taken by courier (100euros per pet) to Lissenhall Veterinary Clinic to be examined by the vet which costs another 100euros per pet! Blargh! But then we'll finally get to take them home with us...and no quarantine.

I consider my little 4-door Saturn a "small car"...it's pretty good on gas. What kinds of cars are under 1400cc...and what does "1400cc" mean?

Thanks for the advice!

george_w_bushed

I also have no idea what a cc is, but assume it’s a measurement of how much power the engine produces . I believe our Saturn SL pumps out approx 1900cc.. We’d probably need a car with a smaller, less powerful engine back home in order to fall into the “1400cc” category. I don’t know much about cars so anyone that’s more knowledgeable feel free to correct if I’m wrong… but I think the reason our engine is that size; is simply because a powerful air conditioner is a requirement (least here in Florida), without it we’d not be able to drive. I’ve no doubt at all the typical temperatures inside a standard car here in Florida gets up to and over approx 35c – 43+c in direct sunlight during the day.

As we both know our “small car” can just about, at times keep the AC on at full power without serious loss of driving power. Back home I don’t believe an AC is a requirement if anything a good powerful heater is and if I’m correct a heater wont pull the same type of power from the engine as a strong AC will. We could, I think.. get a similar type of car with a slightly smaller engine.

Anyone that’s interested in seeing our “Small” American car should click here and here

jimmycrackcorm

you mentioned starting a business in Donegal but have you considered the cost of funding for that? e.g. for a web cafe you obviously have to get premises, computers, dsl lines never mind all the normal cafe things.

If you were going for that I'd look particularly at tourist areas such as bundoran. If you wanted to get into general retail then you could do well with a specialist shop in Letterkenny. With the amount of retail units available there, I'd say you could negotiate a good introductory lease rate.

Letterkenny is also overstocked with rental housing so you could get cheap housing there. I know two landlords in Letterkenny who have rented houses cheaper than what Muffler mentioned.

muffler

eiretamicha wrote:

What kinds of cars are under 1400cc...and what does "1400cc" mean?

cc stands for cubic centilitres which is the measured engine capacity. EG a 1600 cc engine would also be referred to as 1.6 litre. This in turn gives the horse power rating.

Not sure how the system works in the US

il gatto

A cc is a measurement of the combustion chambers capacity. 1400cc means the combustion chambers capacity is 1400 cubic centimeters or 1.4litres. In the states cubic inches are used to measure engine capacity. Bear in mind that American cars make fairly small power considering the big engine capacities. Power is measured in Brake Horse Power (bhp). Remember that although cars tend to be more fuel efficient here, petrol costs around $7.30 a gallon in Ireland.
Air conditioning is getting very common here too, but it doesn't put as much strain on the engine because of the lower temperatures.
Instead of Free State, I'd call it Ireland or the South or the Republic. Even if young people in the north call it the Free State, it probably wouldn't be appreciated in the south. Nobody's going to have a go at you about it, but they'll be thinking to themselves that you're out of touch:)
With regards to a computer shop, JoeyJJ's right. You need to find a niche in the market. There's alot of big places opening like P.C. World and you mind find it hard to compete on prices. You need to offer something different.

Civilian_Target

With regard to setting up your own computer shop, Letterkenny's a fairly busy place for computer shops, I know there's at least 5, so I'd imagine business is fairly tough unless you've got a speciality (networking, web design or whatever).

Bank accounts are a bitch to set up but you can help yourself a lot before you move over. You'll need an address, but as soon as you have one get a utility bill from the ESB, and request a PPS number before you leave the states, you'll just need to show your face at the Letterkenny social welfare office to get it confirmed and you'll be sorted.

george_w_bushed

I have considered the various costs involved in setting up a business not just the initial capital costs and expenses but also the projected costs for the initial 12 – 24 months of operation. I completed a business plan sometime ago which I’m sure could be adapted to include a new area and include new information such as population, age, gender, tourism, competition.. etc finding the correct area would be critical to the initial setup. I’m also aware that only small amounts of funding are available mainly for capital expenses or other critical running costs.. etc which seem to vary between the two jurisdictions.

The type of shop I’m considering opening isn’t and wouldn’t be the typical small computer store, I’ve seen quite a number and quite a few variants of small computer businesses close within the first year of opening their doors. I’ve often wondered if they did, A, B or C if they’d not still be in business today. I believe location would be critical to the survival of my business and the internet as critical to it’s survival as its psychical brick and mortar location. I don’t intend to just open a cyber café and hope for the best or open a small computer store and try and compete with the likes of PC World, I’d most likely fail. Although from experience I have found that people do and will sometimes pay more for a product or service if they believe it’s of better quality than that offered by the bigger “copy & paste” companies. I’ve also found that people also like being able to bring a product back and get some answers when things go wrong, instead of being stuck on hold for 30 minutes or turned away or sent home with a “new” version of the same problem.

I intend to combine a number of ideas which include, an internet café, computer store, LAN/Internet Gaming Area, Various Video Games.. etc… how the shop is laid out, advertised online, in the papers, through leaflets and other forms of advertising and most importantly by word of mouth from the customer; all of which are critical factors which I believe will bring in the more customers and keep them coming back. I plan on creating a brand, an image not just another small dodgy computer store I hope to get people addicted to what I sell and how I sell it and keep them coming back for more… isn’t capitalism an evil beast sometimes?

That is basically my idea… I suppose I’ll not know if it’ll work until I do more research on the ground and get talking to more people and consider all the variables that exist.

Just incase no one noticed, I’m eiretamicha’s husband!:D

il gatto

Wow. You've done your homework. I think most business' that shut quickly are opened on a wing and a prayer alot of the time. You're going about it the right way. Still, it's hard enough to move to a different country or start a new business. Both at the same time is a brave move. Hope it all works for you both. And if it doesn't, you can always go back into politics:D

eiretamicha

il gatto wrote:

Wow. You've done your homework. I think most business' that shut quickly are opened on a wing and a prayer alot of the time. You're going about it the right way. Still, it's hard enough to move to a different country or start a new business. Both at the same time is a brave move. Hope it all works for you both. And if it doesn't, you can always go back into politics:D

Political talk is banned from my house.

byte

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

Letterkenny is also overstocked with rental housing so you could get cheap housing there. I know two landlords in Letterkenny who have rented houses cheaper than what Muffler mentioned.

Yup, you should get a pretty good house to rent in Letterkenny for less than €140.

I'm currently paying €130 for 3bed semi-detatched, though I know of others that pay a bit less.

Good business plan GWBushed by the way!

I hope it all works out for you both. Make sure and always keep us posted on how you progress. Might come in useful for others planning a big move also!

george_w_bushed

130/140 doesn’t sound too bad for a house!:o

Thank you, I hope we can attract a possible investor and the proper startup funding. I’d really prefer not to have to deal with a bank:( … I detest banks!:D

I think we should maybe keep some notes as we have done so far with my US Immigration process and maybe post it out on here when we’re done with our move.

byte

Good idea. Or maybe start up a blog detailing your events as they crop up!

smashey

Regarding vets, the animal hospital on the Stranorlar road in Letterkenny is excellent and not too expensive.

magnumlady

muffler wrote:

You're complaining about €320 per year - be thankful that you are a woman because no man would ever get insurance for that.

Im driving accident free for over 30 years and the cheapest i ever got insurance in that period was about 10 years ago when I paid 290 punts (roughly €375). My renewal is due in the next couple of weeks and I am expecting it to be about €450 - €500 and thats based on a couple of online quotes I got in the last few days

Blimey thats expensive, you must have a bigger car then me. I've only a 1 litre.
I wasn't complaining btw, just saying the difference between here and the UK and trying to be helpful.

nanook

eire and george, you sound like you have it all planned out and i wish you both the best in your plans to return home.

keep posting your queries on here and as always we will try to help.

cough, george sign the name thread, cough cough

eiretamicha

Thanks Nanook!