Employment for non-EU citizens

sfdkcash

I am a non-EU citizen with permanent, unrestricted work authorization in Ireland (immigration Stamp 4). I have been looking for work for over 15 months. During this time I have managed to land zero interviews, zero phone interviews, and zero phone calls. Upon hearing my accent on the phone (which is perfect English) I am immediately told that any advertised job is "not available".

Every job is listed with "requirements" that are impossible for non-Irish people to meet (or people that have not lived and worked in Ireland for quite some time). I am "not qualified" to work in a senior role similar to the ones I have held for the past 5 years in another country. I am "not qualified" to work in a mid-level job a step below what I have been doing. I am told that I am "not qualified" to work in any entry-level role. I have also been told that I am "not qualified" to work in a fast food restaurant that was hiring, to be a cashier in a shop, to make sandwiches in a deli, or to work in a supermarket.

Has any non-Irish citizen with no work experience in Ireland landed a job in the past 18 months that did not require a foreign language skill? I seriously doubt it - the xenophobia is ridiculous.

munstergirl

It could also have something to do with 400,000 + unemployed people looking for jobs.
Plenty of people irish or not have not had much luck job hunting either.
Welcome to ireland 2010.

pyr0gan

sfdkcash wrote: »

Every job is listed with "requirements" that are impossible for non-Irish people to meet (or people that have not lived and worked in Ireland for quite some time).

Can you give a few examples? I'm rather curious.

sfdkcash wrote: »

Has any non-Irish citizen with no work experience in Ireland landed a job in the past 18 months that did not require a foreign language skill? I seriously doubt it - the xenophobia is ridiculous.

Being from Canada, I will admit that I am unused to xenophobia. We have many different cultures here, and for the most part we all play nice. Race or creed do not factor into hiring decisions here (that I am aware of).

Seeing as I'm coming to Ireland on a working holiday visa, I'll get to see what the situation is for myself. I'm just hoping that it isn't more on the "holiday" side, because I've worked hard to save the money to travel to Ireland.

I know things are tough, but I am of Celtic stock and resilient. I will get work, or I will MAKE work.

danbohan

pyr0gan wrote: »

Can you give a few examples? I'm rather curious.




Being from Canada, I will admit that I am unused to xenophobia. We have many different cultures here, and for the most part we all play nice. Race or creed do not factor into hiring decisions here (that I am aware of).

Seeing as I'm coming to Ireland on a working holiday visa, I'll get to see what the situation is for myself. I'm just hoping that it isn't more on the "holiday" side, because I've worked hard to save the money to travel to Ireland.

I know things are tough, but I am of Celtic stock and resilient. I will get work, or I will MAKE work.

I will get work, or I will MAKE work.

good for you , with an attitude like that you will do fine

Magenta

pyr0gan wrote: »

Being from Canada... I am of Celtic stock and resilient. I will get work, or I will MAKE work.

You're coming to Ireland. Irish people have far more "Celtic stock" in us than any Canadian. How much good has it done us in this recession?

Please don't come out with romantic faux-Fenian stuff like that. Most people find it a little annoying.

OP: I work with people of all races. It doesn't come down to race, trust me.

Peanut

I will get work, or I will MAKE work.

Magenta wrote: »

How much good has it done us in this recession?

It seems to only apply once you move abroad, unfortunately.

pyr0gan

Magenta wrote: »

You're coming to Ireland. Irish people have far more "Celtic stock" in us than any Canadian. How much good has it done us in this recession?

Please don't come out with romantic faux-Fenian stuff like that. Most people find it a little annoying.

We all do the best we can with what we've got, right?

Look, I wasn't trying to suggest that my ancestry makes me special or somehow more worthy or capable as a human being. I'm Canadian, but could just as well have been born in Mongolia- what matters here is that when I was raised, my parents made sure to remind me of my heritage and ensure a lifelong love of learning, a passionate appreciation of diversity, and a deep respect and understanding of culture in all its forms.
I get that people wouldn't be amused to hear a canuck spouting off about how his Grandfather helped people out during the potato famine, and that is fine. I'm not like that. I'm not coming to Ireland because I want to change things (although it sounds like you could all use a morale boost about now, so I'll try to tell some good jokes when I'm blowing my euro in the pub).

All I was getting at is that I share a desire to see Ireland succeed, and while I am there it will be my priority to work towards a sustainable and respectful future for all. Nothing different from how I live here in Canada, really.

Thank you for pointing out the impropriety of my statement. I would truly hate to be 'that guy'.

syklops

Magenta wrote: »

You're coming to Ireland. Irish people have far more "Celtic stock" in us than any Canadian. How much good has it done us in this recession?

Please don't come out with romantic faux-Fenian stuff like that. Most people find it a little annoying.

OP: I work with people of all races. It doesn't come down to race, trust me.

Get thee back to the Ranting rand raving forum methinks.

Considering Canada is not in recession I think we could do with all the help we can get, and if that means Canadians of Irish descent coming to give their take on it then by all means.

Going back to the OP, my girlfriend had similar problems in Ireland. She is Polish and despite a masters degree and extensive experience in Systems Administration, she could never get work in that field and always ended up in Tech Support(and this was during the boom). Once recession hit, after 6 months of searching for a job she got invited for 1 interview, and surprise surprise it was in Czech republic as a Sys Admin.

Among alot of my friends who are eastern european, they had similar experiences with some employers and recruiters. Some interviewers looked at their CV and considered their degrees and Masters' to be irrelevant either because they did not trust what it said or that they didnt put much stock in to the qualifications. I cant understand it in some ways. Its very easy to ring up Trinity and ask if Micky O'Rourke got a degree there in 1997. Its alot more difficult for a recruiter/interviewer to ring up the University of Warsaw and as did Pavel Kalinowsky attend, if they dont speak Polish(its actually quite easy but it feels easier to just get an Irish/english candidate)

OP, what industry are you in, and where are you originally from?

Thoie

sfdkcash wrote: »

I am a non-EU citizen with permanent, unrestricted work authorization in Ireland (immigration Stamp 4).

If you haven't already got that on your CV, it would be worth adding it there. I wouldn't bother putting down nationality (if you have), but something like

Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
Visa: Permanent, unrestricted work visa

Some employers might be put off by the thoughts of having to go through the visa process. It's not necessarily xenophobia, just an awareness that someone in HR might have to dedicate hours to filling in forms and chasing up on a visa, and you might have to miss time going to the embassy/whereever. If you have an obviously non-EU name, adding your visa info to your CV might help allay some fears.

On that thought, have you had someone review your CV for layout and content? Different countries have different "standards" - the French, for example, seem inclined to attach a photo to their CV, which comes across as a bit weird here.

What kind of requirements are being listed as impossible for non-Irish people to meet? If it's things like "Leaving Certificate", they don't mean that literally - it's usually shorthand for "the exams you take at the end of post-primary education", so if you were from the UK it could be A-levels, in France it's the Bacalaureat. If you think your qualifications aren't easily recognised by Irish people just say something like "Bacalureat (Leaving Cert equivalent)".

Magenta

pyr0gan wrote: »

We all do the best we can with what we've got, right?

Look, I wasn't trying to suggest that my ancestry makes me special or somehow more worthy or capable as a human being. I'm Canadian, but could just as well have been born in Mongolia- what matters here is that when I was raised, my parents made sure to remind me of my heritage and ensure a lifelong love of learning, a passionate appreciation of diversity, and a deep respect and understanding of culture in all its forms.
I get that people wouldn't be amused to hear a canuck spouting off about how his Grandfather helped people out during the potato famine, and that is fine. I'm not like that. I'm not coming to Ireland because I want to change things (although it sounds like you could all use a morale boost about now, so I'll try to tell some good jokes when I'm blowing my euro in the pub).

All I was getting at is that I share a desire to see Ireland succeed, and while I am there it will be my priority to work towards a sustainable and respectful future for all. Nothing different from how I live here in Canada, really.

Thank you for pointing out the impropriety of my statement. I would truly hate to be 'that guy'.

Fair enough, but don't spend too much money in the hope of making it back.
There really is very little work here.

syklops wrote: »

Get thee back to the Ranting rand raving forum methinks.

Considering Canada is not in recession

Canada has suffered in this economy like every other country. Maybe not as much as Ireland has, but it has. I lived there for long enough!

Mrs OBumble

I'd say that the OP is right on the money there.

I have dual-citizenship, but didn't start getting interviews until I left that off the CV and just started saying "Irish". Even so, the accent is a problem

OP, if it's any consolation things do appear to be easing a little. Keep trying ... sooner or later you will get something.

As to the poster who commented that they work with people of all nationalities: that's great, I'm pleased to hear it. But I can assure you that not all companies have such open policies. And I also suspect that a lot of the non-Irish folks were hired pre-recession.

sfdkcash

Thanks for the advice and well wishes.

I do have my Work Visa listed at the top of my CV and in the second sentence of any cover letter that I write. I am American and all of my work experience and University Degree are in/from the US. I have over five years of Accounting experience and ten years of Hospitality Management. I am repeatedly told that I am "not qualified to be considered" for roles like AP or AR clerk (absolute bottom of the food chain in an accounting structure).

As for the questions about job requirements that are impossible for non-Irish people to have, some examples:

Any hotel job (front desk, accommodation asst, etc) is frequently listed as numerous years of experience in a 4 or 5 star IRISH hotel required.

I have often seen Retail clerk/sales assistant with a ridiculous number of years of experience required in an "Irish high-street fashion store" or something similar.

UPC (Cable company) recently posted a role that required 2 years experience in Ireland within cable TV installation. That would mean only former employees could apply right?

Deli/fast food jobs requiring YEARS of experience in an Irish Deli.

Administrator jobs requiring YEARS of experience in an Irish professional office environment.

The list could go on and on. Before anyone begins to flame away at me and tell me to leave since I obviously hate it here, I am here since my country will not recognize my marriage. My husband does not have immigration rights in the US and for us to remain together, we can only live in Europe. I need to find a way to make it work here.

Thoie

sfdkcash wrote: »

I have over five years of Accounting experience and ten years of Hospitality Management. I am repeatedly told that I am "not qualified to be considered" for roles like AP or AR clerk (absolute bottom of the food chain in an accounting structure).

As for the questions about job requirements that are impossible for non-Irish people to have, some examples:
<snip>

If you were interested in getting back into accountancy, are there any "conversion" exams you can take to show that you're capable of still putting things in the right columns in a different country?

As for the "Irish experience" jobs, that's weird. I'd never come across that before, though to be fair I wouldn't be looking at those roles. Only the UPC one makes sense - maybe Irish cables are thicker than others

mood

Many Irish people are finding it very difficult to find work as well, including myself. I am over 1 year out of work despite having a degree and several years experience in my field. And I have applied for all kinds of work.

Your not the only person finding it difficult.

war10ck

It's getting tougher and tougher....

"Jobless total increases by 6,000 Wednesday, June 2 03:19 pm

The crisis deepened further last month with about 6,000 more workers forced to sign on for benefits, official figures have revealed.

Enterprise Minister Batt O'Keeffe said the increase was disappointing as the total hit 437,922 despite dole queues previously stabilising for several months. The Central Statistics Office said the unemployment rate was 13.7%.
The minister was forced to defend the Government's record on job creation and protection on several fronts.
Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar said there was a lack of planning to tackle the record numbers signing on. Mr Varadkar said: "Ireland urgently needs a jobs and competitiveness strategy. Bailing out the banks is not an investment in the future.
"In the week that two billion euro was poured into Anglo Irish Bank, the Government's failure to provide a stimulus package for growth looks incredible.
"We need to invest in the real economy in order to get people back to work. That will clearly never happen under Fianna Fail and the Greens."
Mr O'Keeffe hit back at Fine Gael, accusing the party of trading on the worries of the unemployed.
Michael McLoughlin, of Youth Work Ireland, warned that the 85,620 under-25s on the register were being ignored. He said: "We all know unemployment is the number one issue in Irish society today but youth unemployment needs special attention as nobody wants to see a whole generation cast aside during this recession."
Mr O'Keeffe said the number of redundancies notified to his office last month was the lowest since December 2008 and he said steps have been taken to protect and grow employment.
But Labour enterprise spokesman Willie Penrose said the Government had failed abysmally in getting to grips with the jobs crisis. He said: "This Government has run out of ideas and has run out of steam. While they are perfectly happy to pump billion after billion into zombie banks, they are doing virtually nothing to invest in job creation."

MagicMarker

OP, can you link to any of these jobs that specify work experience in Ireland? Because I don't recall ever seeing it.

Tchaikovsky

I've never seen these requirements either.
OP, I know it's frustrating, but you just have to keep trying and keep looking. There are far more Irish people looking for, and being turned down for, jobs here than non-EU people.
PS: There are tonnes of non-EU workers here.

gingerpantz

Poll Poster, we appear to be in the same boat! I am also an American here on a stamp 4 visa and I've been tirelessly searching for work since December. My partner and I are at our whits end but we can't move back to America for similar immigration reasons. I am constantly tweaking my CV to try and perfect it but it seems to have gotten me no where. Maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there, but I honestly feel like I'm getting rejected because of my nationality. This whole process has been very discouraging.

Magenta

gingerpantz wrote: »

Poll Poster, we appear to be in the same boat! I am also an American here on a stamp 4 visa and I've been tirelessly searching for work since December. My partner and I are at our whits end but we can't move back to America for similar immigration reasons. I am constantly tweaking my CV to try and perfect it but it seems to have gotten me no where. Maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there, but I honestly feel like I'm getting rejected because of my nationality. This whole process has been very discouraging.

You're getting rejected for work because there aren't enough jobs.

Faith+1

Magenta wrote: »

You're getting rejected for work because there aren't enough jobs.

+1 Simplest answer!