what do you think about life and work in Ireland ?

zaratustra

what do you think about life and work in Ireland ?
I would like ask you a question about the life here i mean what do you
think about charges for accommodation and tax comparing to
wages. What about the ATMOSPHERE of work. Do you think that people of ireland
are working hard or they are taking it easy?

Spud83

Well we apparently work one of the longest weeks in Europe and your money doesn’t seem to go to far after you have paid your bills. It’s nearly impossible to buy your own house (in Dublin anyway) unless you have a double income environment. Personally I’m back in Ireland after living in Australia for a year and I can honestly say the only thing that brought me home and is keeping me home is family. Work was better there, lifestyle was better, your money seemed to stretch further (when I was working anyway). So basically I think in generally we are working harder or at least longer and enjoying life less.

jester77

After working in both Ireland and Germany for a number of years I must say that life here in Germany is a lot easier regarding accommodation and living costs. There is a very good rental system in place, too good actually. If I were not to pay my rent for a number of months the landlord can't just kick me out :eek: There is no pressure to purchase accommodation either and if you do want to purchase it's competitively priced as in you get what you pay for in terms of location and build quality!
There is a very good transport system in place, no need to purchase a car and the trains/trams/bus's are always on time and run very frequently, eg my train goes every 2 mins in the morning.
Taxes are high but the wages are higher here to compensate and shopping & eating are good value.
Plus the weather is much nicer, mid 30's outside now, beats having rain every day!

zaratustra

alanmurphy83 wrote:

Well we apparently work one of the longest weeks in Europe and your money doesn’t seem to go to far after you have paid your pills. It’s nearly impossible to buy your own house (in Dublin anyway) unless you have a double income environment. Personally I’m back in Ireland after living in Australia for a year and I can honestly say the only thing that brought me home and is keeping me home is family. Work was better there, lifestyle was better, your money seemed to stretch further (when I was working anyway). So basically I think in generally we are working harder or at least longer and enjoying life less.

What you mean? longest weeks? That's same as everywhere... 39 hours a week

Spud83

zaratustra wrote:

What you mean? longest weeks? That's same as everywhere... 39 hours a week

Yes we have the same standard week, but many people work longer. I remember this coming up many times in surveys. The 39 hours is only "office" time, but many people find they are taking work home, or taking calls through the evening/night, and are always checking there work email at night too.

copacetic

alanmurphy83 wrote:

your money doesn’t seem to go to far after you have paid your pills. .

drugs are expensive alright, but sure that is the same all over. kick the habit man and use the money to pay your bills.

Spud83

copacetic wrote:

drugs are expensive alright, but sure that is the same all over. kick the habit man and use the money to pay your bills.

whoops. edited and fixed.

Those drugs are expensive though.

labreagreine

What you mean? longest weeks? That's same as everywhere... 39 hours a week

I think this is what he means.

http://www.employersjobs.com/news_article.aspx?NewsId=496&NewsArchive=The-Irish-work-the-longest-hours-in-Europe,-report-finds

Spud83

labreagreine wrote:

I think this is what he means.

http://www.employersjobs.com/news_article.aspx?NewsId=496&NewsArchive=The-Irish-work-the-longest-hours-in-Europe,-report-finds

Thank you. I couldn't find a link but knew i had seen it somewhere.

copacetic

alanmurphy83 wrote:

whoops. edited and fixed.

Those drugs are expensive though.

but back on topic, Ireland is a great place to work and live. The lifestyle in somewhere like oz is fantastic of course, but having worked in Europe, the US and the UK, I prefer here by far. Conditions in the US are atrocious, 10 days hols anyone?? While in the UK and Europe there is nowhere near the same workplace friendships etc imo.

I do think you have to work abroad for a while to appreciate it here though.

zaratustra

copacetic wrote:

drugs are expensive alright, but sure that is the same all over. kick the habit man and use the money to pay your bills.

That's good

togster

I agree with the poster in germany. I live in Sweden now. Its much more relaxed. Accomadation is much better as is the public transport system. No more traffic congestion!! Its just more relaxed and your money goes alot further and Sweden would be considered expensive to live in. But saying that some things you can't buy..... like family and lifelong friends

Mossy Monk

Depressing, that's what I think about life and work in Ireland.

DO0GLE

Mossy Monk wrote:

Depressing, that's what I think about life and work in Ireland.

The 80's were depressing. People are much better off in Ireland now. Its a good place to live.

muppetkiller

Ireland is a fantastic Country with the exception of it's public transport system and cost of living

Mossy Monk

DO0GLE wrote:

Its a good place to live.

Yes, that's why I am full of the joys etc. etc.

shrapnel222

dublin is second most expensive town in Europe when it comes to food and alcohol shopping according to the latest survey.

still a great place to live though

kevmy

Another bash Ireland thread.

Okay there are some places you may want to live and work in other than Ireland but in all reality it's probably less than 15 countries. I'll list the usual responses: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Scandanavia, Holland, Belguim, Austria and maybe the US and the UK.
So out of the whole world of ~210 countries maybe 10 are better than Ireland. And if you didn't have the Irish education system to back you up, get you the job and quite possibily learn the language of the country your moving too where would you be.
Personnally I just think alot of people are miserable moaners, always thinking far away hills are greener. Ireland is a pretty good country and it's probably not as expensive as people think. Other have a lower cost of living but then have lower wages so it balances out. Most people are just idiots with money and totally incapable of managing it properly.
The one thing that are though to get here is property and thats coming down in the next couple of years. As for Europeans having better rental systems thats true but then thats because the majority of people in those countries want to rent the Irish want to buy, it's in our genes

togster

kevmy wrote:

. . Ireland is a pretty good country and it's probably not as expensive as people think.

It IS expenxive to live in. Thats just a fact. And Ireland is a great country but many things are seriously screwed up and thats why far away hills appear greener and for some people they are.

Spud83

togster wrote:

It IS expenxive to live in. Thats just a fact. And Ireland is a great country but many things are seriously screwed up and thats why far away hills appear greener and for some people they are.

especially when they have lived in these hills before.

togster

alanmurphy83 wrote:

especially when they have lived in these hills before.

QFT

kevmy

togster wrote:

It IS expenxive to live in. Thats just a fact. And Ireland is a great country but many things are seriously screwed up and thats why far away hills appear greener and for some people they are.

Never said it wasn't expensive but so are a lot of other places are when compared to average wage. This is also skewered by the whole Dublin thing where they add on a euro to every price tag compared to the rest of the country. People in Dublin have got to realise they are in the minority in this country (a sizeable minority yes, but still the minority). So in an overall sense Ireland as a country is not as expensive as Dublin.

Also not saying that working in other countries wouldn't suit some people. Depending on what type of education you have and what area you work in and what your priorities are then working overseas may be ideal.

I'm just saying that in global terms we're fecking lucky. All of Eastern Europe and South America would jump at the chance to have our problems compared to theirs. They also see us as a role model considering we did have their problems only 20 years ago.

Just saying have a bit of perspective.

folkface

Two words:

RAT RACE.


Ireland is a RAT RACE. Everyone works flat out monday to friday, binge drink the weekend. Back to work again to pay for new 07 car, new house, 4 holidays per year to take them to the sun out of this god forbidden gloom we call home.
The greed i see around me everyday in Ireland is shocking. When is enough really enough. ppl spending thousands everyyear on child care while they miss out on irreplacible quality time with their own kids. Priceless moments.
Why? And don't say because both parents have to work nowadays. We ain't that hard up. Its all down to greed.

At least from my own experience living abroad in US, Oz and New Zealand people don't take work as serious as the Irish.

Life is for living. Are you living?

Quote the shawshank Re: You either get busy living or..................?

Spud83

folkface wrote:

At least from my own experience living abroad in US, Oz and New Zealand people don't take work as serious as the Irish.

QFT. People seem to live to work, instead of working to live.

kevmy

folkface wrote:

Two words:

RAT RACE.


Ireland is a RAT RACE. Everyone works flat out monday to friday, binge drink the weekend. Back to work again to pay for new 07 car, new house, 4 holidays per year to take them to the sun out of this god forbidden gloom we call home.
The greed i see around me everyday in Ireland is shocking. When is enough really enough. ppl spending thousands everyyear on child care while they miss out on irreplacible quality time with their own kids. Priceless moments.
Why? And don't say because both parents have to work nowadays. We ain't that hard up. Its all down to greed.

At least from my own experience living abroad in US, Oz and New Zealand people don't take work as serious as the Irish.

Life is for living. Are you living?

Quote the shawshank Re: You either get busy living or..................?

Thats personal choice and to be honest it's not my choice. I don't buy into that. Neither do you have to. Get a job where you don't have to do that. If you feel you have to do that in your job maybe your in the wrong career for you.

And I do believe it's greed but tbh I don't think thats the majority of people, perhaps its some of the more noticeable people or more powerful people. I think it's a good thing that people take there job seriously, just not too seriously.

And if you really want to get away from the rat race, move to Galway, "The Graveyard of Ambition" where being a bum or a hippy is a legitimate career choice.

Seriously you shouldn't care so much about what everybody else thinks. If you feel unhappy in your own job\life do something about it (and that doesn't include moaning). Otherwise stop annoying everyone else.

thelordofcheese

kevmy wrote:

And if you really want to get away from the rat race, move to Galway, "The Graveyard of Ambition" where being a bum or a hippy is a legitimate career choice.

hello career change!

*starts packing*

Tha Gopher

jester77 wrote:

There is a very good rental system in place, too good actually. If I were not to pay my rent for a number of months the landlord can't just kick me out :eek:

I dont believe it. We have found a country with laws more retarded than Ireland. Personally if i were a German landlord with tenant trouble it would be cash in hand to a couple of the Bundesligas most robust Erdinger fuelled hooligans but anyway.

Meh, theres better and worse. Couldnt live in the US unless it was in a working class Irish etc area, I knew too many upper class American women and the vast majority are boing reserved cnuts. Im more of a hanging at the bada bing type Honestly, they are beyond bad. May have seen the wrong side mind, if porno films have told me anything its to roll down to the Bronx barrios in a chevy with a few 40s, bag of weed, blunt wraps and like that some noisy as hell Mexicano chicas will be hoppin in

And American names, I dont know if I could share a workplace with corporate twats with first names like Brent, Trey, Payton, Paige, Porter, Garfield etc.

Jesus Wept

folkface wrote:

Two words:

RAT RACE.


Ireland is a RAT RACE. Everyone works flat out monday to friday, binge drink the weekend. Back to work again to pay for new 07 car, new house, 4 holidays per year to take them to the sun out of this god forbidden gloom we call home.
The greed i see around me everyday in Ireland is shocking.

sweeping statements ftw. We are all the same.

Gran Hermano

what do you think about life and work in Ireland ?

Beats death and unemployment for starters

Ibjiba

Gran Hermano wrote:

Beats death and unemployment for starters

Well said! What is good about working in Ireland is that you have a lot coming to you if you show initiative and work hard. The bad part is waiting for the next batch of buses to take you to work...

Idbatterim

Cons:

weather could be better
women are about the least approachable of any nationality
probably the worst is the the unaffordable housing or even if you renting what you get for you money
the other stuff is expensive enough, but you can shop around.
Id say transport but its improving rapidly ie road and rail

Pros:

the smoking ban
lots of work and job oppurtunities
good social scene
very safe country (allegedly the safest in Europe according to a recent report and Id believe it)
good education system
good social welfare and backup
very neutral country Ie little chance of out terrorist attack

We have become a collosal consumer society, were up there with the Americans now when it comes to work work work to spend spend spend. no doubt theres more pros and cons...