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Two Finnish girls coming to Galway - we need halp!
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19-08-2009 9:27am#1Hi!
Me and my friend are from Finland and we're planning on coming to Galway in October for a month or two to work and see what it's like in Ireland. The problem is that we can't seem to find anyone who would hire two 19-year-old girls for such a short time, especially when we don't really have any special working experience. Even the cleaning jobs require experience! :rolleyes: And another problem is finding a place to stay that's furnished, cheap and close to city centre. We've looked through daft.ie and several other websites, but all the apartments or rooms out there are either too expensive or require one year lease or something.
So we thought that we should ask the people who know the best, since it's sort of hard finding a job when we don't really even know the places to look for jobs and apartments. Is it easier to just come to Galway and find the job when we get there or should we keep looking and try to find one? And how safe is it to rent a room in someone else's house? There's been quite a few offers for rooms but the thing is, most of the tenants or landlords are single men living alone and we don't really feel comfortable with that.
Oh and another thing, we're still kind of trying to decide between Galway and Cork, and since Cork is a bigger city it's probably easier to find a job and a place to stay, but on the other hand, we've heard Galway is the most Irish city in Ireland and that's the reason why we're coming to Ireland, to see what it's really like. I know, I'm asking "Galway or Cork" in a Galway forum, I'm expecting you to be biased.
But what do you think, is Galway worth all the work we need to do before we even get there?
Also, one reason why we're coming is to see the legendary pubs and nightlife and all that, so if you have any recommendations what we should do in Galway, bring them on.
And if this thread is in the wrong place, feel free to move it! I've been stalking the boards for almost a year but didn't have the need to register until now. 0
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The pubs here are indeed legendary, Cork and Galway are both nice but I think I'd recommend Galway.
Accommodation wouldn't be a big problem, it would be easy enough to get a couple of bedrooms in a shared house with people of a similar age, Irish or otherwise. There are a lot of young people in Galway doing similar things to yourself.
However you will have a very very tough time finding work unless you are lucky. The employment situation in Ireland, and especially Galway, is not so good. If you search very hard you might find something, but you'll need a bit of luck too.
I hope you enjoy your visit!
Finally, await at least one or two requests for "pics??" within the next couple of posts 0 -
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I would suggest first coming to Galway for a week to get the feel for it, then go to Cork for a while, then decide.
Jobs are difficult to find at the moment but there's always bar jobs or similar to find if you walk around asking, particularly if you're a girl.
I've met some Finnish/Swedish/Danish girls here already so there are already Scandis here, and in Cork too I'm sure.
Daft and Advertiser will have plenty of rooms in October, you'll find a house with girls only easy
Anyway, fáilte!
edit, and to accommodate cornbb -
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Haha thanks for the help! It says a lot about the famous Irish hospitality if we're only getting "pics??", not "pics or GTFO".
We would rather just come and hang out for a month or two but when it comes to money, I'm not sure if it's an option. We're both students so we're not exactly rolling on money. Maybe we'll just wait till we get there and then see if we can find a job, and if not, well we're gonna have a lot of spare time in our hands I guess. 0 -
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Have you budgeted for accomodation/food/living if you *can't* get a job? Or are you relying on getting a job? Accomodation in Galway isin't cheap
Yep we have, if we can't get a job we'll probably only have money to stay for one month since the rent is ridiculously expensive.
And yeah we're not a part of Scandinavia and Linda Lampenius (though I think she changed her name into something less penis-like) isn't really even Finnish anymore, she lives in USA if I remember right. 0 -
Firtly you don't say that you're only hear for 2 months when you look for work or a place to stay.
There should be plenty of work during the day when the students are back (in coffee shops or pubs) and there's always work to be got in Nightclubs.
In fact everyone talks about how few jobs there are in Galway yet they seem to be advertised on the windows of pubs and shops all around the city.
Most now require good english and from your message you'll have no problem there.
And Galway is way better than Cork.. I lived in Cork for a year and hated it.
Sure it's a nice city but it has no Soul
Galway is the place to be.0 -
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By mid-October, some of the hostels should be offering weekly rate.
I think Kinlay House was E-90 last year, some of the grottier ones may be less.
To work, you will need to get a PPS number (government ID). This takes several weeks, and you need a postal address for the number to be sent to, and some ID (possibly a birth certificate - not sure if just a passport is enough for EU residents? ... hmm, is Finland in the EU?) (To start the process, visit the Social Welfare office, take a number from the ticket machine and join the queue, it may take several hours for your number to be called - this is an approach that you will get used to
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You will also need to open a bank account. This fascinating process takes 3-4 weeks and requires you to have proof of address. Some hostels will give you a letter saying that you're living there (ie proof) but you need to have paid in advance for a few weeks (3 I think ) - this isn't the hostels being mean, there really is a legal requirement, it's all about stopping money laundering.
All in all, if you're only planning on staying a month or two, it may be a good deal easier if you don't work. You may pick up some cash jobs, you may not, but they aren't likely to be advertised. And because this is boards.ie, I need to say that you are legally requried to pay tax on income from cash jobs, and not doing so is fraud which we do not encourage here.
Also, as an earlier poster said, Galway is full of people who came for a short visit and never managed to leave. Mr Just, in fact, calls it the Hotel California of Ireland. If you do get sucked into this vortex, it is a very good idea to face up to the processes listed above and get out of the cash economy, because the entire Irish welfare system is based on "stamps" (old word for welfare credits), and you can find yourself in a very difficult situation if you've been here for years but never paid any.
Hope this helps - enjoy your holiday!0 -
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To work, you will need to get a PPS number (government ID). This takes several weeks, and you need a postal address for the number to be sent to, and some ID (possibly a birth certificate - not sure if just a passport is enough for EU residents? ... hmm, is Finland in the EU?) (To start the process, visit the Social Welfare office, take a number from the ticket machine and join the queue, it may take several hours for your number to be called - this is an approach that you will get used to )
You will also need to open a bank account. This fascinating process takes 3-4 weeks and requires you to have proof of address. Some hostels will give you a letter saying that you're living there (ie proof) but you need to have paid in advance for a few weeks (3 I think ) - this isn't the hostels being mean, there really is a legal requirement, it's all about stopping money laundering.
All in all, if you're only planning on staying a month or two, it may be a good deal easier if you don't work. You may pick up some cash jobs, you may not, but they aren't likely to be advertised. And because this is boards.ie, I need to say that you are legally requried to pay tax on income from cash jobs, and not doing so is fraud which we do not encourage here.
Okay wow that's a lot of paperwork to do for just a month or two. Yeah Finland is in the EU so basically we should be able to just come and go. Ugh I guess we're going to have to think about the job thing, I really don't think it's worth all that fuss. But then again, what the heck are we going to do if we don't have jobs?Tony, that's not on.
Girls, if you find you want to pursue this, feel free to PM this guy I don't know, but there is no pressure to post any information about yourselves here, least of all any pics.
If you decide to work for a promotion company, get the official address for the office. Then check them out and meet at the office.
Tony can you give us an official address so we can check it out?
Yep I'm not sure I'd like to work for someone who would be ready to hire me based on how I look. So I'm probably going to have to say no thank you for you offer. 0 -
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Tony Almeida wrote: »I'm a bar manager for a club, dont use agencies, we get enough applications. and with respect, physical appearence is a criteria for employment when considering for promotional staff. I was only trying to help.
Yeah I get that, it's the same thing here. I hope I didn't come off rude, I didn't mean to. I'm still not going to post my picture here though, all I'm saying is that if we don't get a job, it won't be because of our looks.
And Jugs82, I went to the website and it said there are no available jobs in Galway at the moment or something?0 -
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Strange - maybe drop them a mail and ask if there is anything available for a Nordic speaker as you heard that there might be something. That said, It might be Dublin, now that I think about it but could be worth a shot anyways..
Yep I'll do that, it's worth the try! Thanks for the tip 0 -
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I had a Finish couple couchsurf with me for a few days and they loved how different Ireland was, they loved the old buildings and the fact we just don't take anything as seriously as they do in Finland.pointofnoreturn wrote: »You mentioned that you are students, what are you studying as it even maybe wise to findout any intern-ship or trainee positions with the UNI's (GMIT and NUIG) or maybe some of the business schools. that way if you get employed by a organization they will see that all the proper paperwork is prepared for (e.g, Bank Account, Social welfare, accommodation) etc.) it will speed up allot of these things.
Some of the larger companies also employ people like this, HP, Boston Sci,
The reason I say this is because I lived with a Swedish and Finish guy, also new a Swedish girl that ended up just leaving the country because it was far more differcult to live here when you come from such a superior country,
Ireland maybe a cool place but the similiest things such as infrastructure, making a bank account can be a pain, finding an apartment. e.g( buses don't come on time, very little routes, Expensive stuff!)
Don't forget the weather also gets to people
but consider what off sets this, after living 6 months with these guys from Sweden and Finland they where excellent! and they loved the Irish atmosphere, social-life, they never regreted there stay here
Best of Luck
The thing with Ireland is to go with the flow, planning for just about anything is pointless as it'll all go out the window when you try to go through with it, but walk into a pub and you could be set up just by talking to the right person.
Expect nothing but be prepared for anything. 0 -
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That's exactly why I think I'll love Ireland - here everyone is so uptight and everything needs to be done the same way, if you do something differently everyone'll think you're nuts. I've wanted to come to Ireland for about 8 years and I'm so close now, I'm not going to let anything mess this up! A lot of my friends think I'm crazy for wanting to go to Ireland because it rains a lot and people drink beer all the time etc etc. Hell, I happen to love the rain so I don't think that'll be a problem, and the drinking thing, we have alcoholics here just as many as in Ireland, the difference is that Finnish people drink pure alcohol because beer isn't strong enough. So yeah I think I'll be fine.
Oh and yeah we're students but we're not in a university or anything, so we can't really do the internship thing.
One thing I meant to ask: what do people in Ireland think of foreigners? I know there's lots of them in Dublin, but how about Galway? Blame the boards for this stupid question, it's just that there have been so many threads about "the fecking foreigners are taking our jobs!!!" and I was just wondering what people will think when I say I'm from Finland and I'm here to work? Don't worry, I'm not going to take your wimmiz though 0 -
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That's good to know.
Btw I just found out how Galway is pronounced and I have difficulties understanding why. I thought it was Gal-way, "a" being short and like in "cat". But it sounds more like Gooolwai or something. Very confusing. I tend to have an american accent since I've lived there for six months, so pronouncing Galway the way it's supposed to is going to be a challenge haha. 0 -
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Haha well I don't know how to pronounce "gallstones" so... Oh well I guess I'll figure it out when I get there. I just don't want to be that moron who doesn't even know how to pronounce the city's name where they're in.
Don't worry, as far as we're concerned you come from a land of unpronouncable place names.0 -
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There are allot of foreign students in Galway so I suppose we've had a better class of foreigner. I really don't think two Finish women will have any problems in Galway, I'd say most people would agree that there's a shocking lack of young Finish women in Galway.
Haha well wait till we get there, you'll all agree two in one city is plenty. Nah just kidding, we really thought though when deciding between Cork, Galway and Dublin at one point that Galway wouldn't have many or any foreign people and that's really what we're trying to do, get away from Finnish people. 19 years of fake modesty and chronic shyness is enough for anyone. :rolleyes: 0 -
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Don't worry I'm sure you'll leave Galway completely corrupted and more than likely pick up many bad habits in the process.Haha well wait till we get there, you'll all agree two in one city is plenty. Nah just kidding, we really thought though when deciding between Cork, Galway and Dublin at one point that Galway wouldn't have many or any foreign people and that's really what we're trying to do, get away from Finnish people. 19 years of fake modesty and chronic shyness is enough for anyone. :rolleyes:
Good call on avoiding Dublin too, it's a horrible place.0 -
Don't worry I'm sure you'll leave Galway completely corrupted and more than likely pick up many bad habits in the process.
Good call on avoiding Dublin too, it's a horrible place.
Yep we figured that all the big cities are pretty much alike, you don't really see the real people there. If I wanted to meet chinese and polish people, I'd go to China or Poland. No offence to people in Dublin though.
I have one bad habit to learn, I'm trying to learn to like beer. I just realized that what am I doing, going to Ireland and not liking beer? I've heard how hard it is to find cider in Irish pubs, and since Ireland probably is the beer capital of the world, I really just need to suck it up and practice until I like it. 0 -
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Haha well I guess the person who told me that has never actually been to an Irish pub. That's good to hear though, now I don't have to force myself to drink beer. I haven't tried Guinness, it looks really good but it's really expensive here and someone said it's not even the original one, but I don't know about that. We only have this kind of beer: http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiedosto:Real_Ale_2004-05-09_cropped.jpg I don't really know what it's called in beer language, but I think it tastes like cat pee.
And yeah I agree, I'll probably prefer the weather in Ireland, here it gets super cold, sometimes it's -30 C. But it's really humid in Ireland isn't it? That's going to take time to get used to, here it's the exact opposite at winter. Really dry and cold.0 -
Your making an excellent choice coming to Galway, most welcoming city in Ireland by far but then I suppose I'm bias!!
Nightlife wise... Galway in the summer is excellent, for the winter all the students are back so the pubs and clubs are full most nights during the week... You'll never have a boring night in Galway. I cant wait to get back to college and start it all over again 0 -
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Guinness is one of the cheaper drinks in Irish pubs. Plus the 250th anniversary is this year so there will be loads of promotions, I think there's even a thread somewhere here talking about it.
That's cool, so how much is a pint? Here it's about 4-5 euros, though I'm not sure if it's the same size as in Ireland. We're trying to figure out our budget and based on what I've read, the pubs and clubs are way more expensive than here. :eek: And here I though that our 5 euro entrance fee was too much. 0 -
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The price of clubs here is ridiculous and their not nearly worth the money. Fortunately there's enough craic on the street in Galway that you never have to go near them and allot of pubs stay open as long as the clubs so there's even less point in going to them.That's cool, so how much is a pint? Here it's about 4-5 euros, though I'm not sure if it's the same size as in Ireland. We're trying to figure out our budget and based on what I've read, the pubs and clubs are way more expensive than here. :eek: And here I though that our 5 euro entrance fee was too much.
Take out drink is pretty cheap though.0 -
The price of clubs here is ridiculous and their not nearly worth the money. Fortunately there's enough craic on the street in Galway that you never have to go near them and allot of pubs stay open as long as the clubs so there's even less point in going to them.
Take out drink is pretty cheap though.
Okay that's good to know. We really don't have pubs here, only clubs and then some wannabe Irish-pubs, so that's why it's hard to imagine not going to the clubs. But I'm sure I'll like the pubs more since I'll actually be able to talk there instead of yelling. 0 -
Not likely, Irish pubs are very loud, often have music blaring and full to the brim with people. That's changing now thanks to the recession though, in fact thanks to the recession you couldn't have picked a better time to come to Ireland.Okay that's good to know. We really don't have pubs here, only clubs and then some wannabe Irish-pubs, so that's why it's hard to imagine not going to the clubs. But I'm sure I'll like the pubs more since I'll actually be able to talk there instead of yelling.0 -
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