Working Abroad in Ireland

dhayashi

Hi all! My name is Danielle and my goal is to work abroad in Ireland during the fall. I know the world has been hit by the economic crisis, and many people have told me that jobs in Ireland are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find.

I am willing to do receptionist work, work as a server, retail, etc. I haven't graduated yet, and I am not picky.

How impossible are we talking? I would ideally like to secure a position before coming over, but I also haven't ruled out the possibility of just being an au pair until I can find a better position. Either way, I would go through BUNAC to get the work visa I need.

Thank you for your help!

mood

It's very difficult to get any work at the moment. I would be very surprises if you could secure work before coming over.

tenchi-fan

Nothing's impossible.

When people have a low bank balance and no unemployment benefits they usually get a job pretty quick out of necessity.

Dave!

Honestly I don't think it's a good idea. You won't secure a job before you come over, and given that you haven't graduated yet, and you presumably don't have much experience, you'll struggle to find the jobs you mentioned. You'll be up against people with lots of experience who have been made unemployed recently, and employers might also consider them more reliable and more likely to stick around if required, whereas you're only coming over for the short-term.

If you really don't care where you work, as in McDonald's, supermarkets, etc., then you might be able to get something, but I wouldn't be optimistic of you securing much more than that tbh

Sorry to be a downer, I'm just trying to be a bit realistic! Ireland is in an absolute jock at the moment, one of the highest rates of unemployment in Europe. It would be ill-advised for you to come over here now. Are you from the United States? Maybe go to Canada for the fall, or even just check out one of the states that you haven't been to yet! See how Ireland is doing in 5 years or so, and then consider coming over to work

RoisinDove

No offence but I had to laugh when you said you were 'willing' to work as a receptionist or in retail. There are people with Masters degrees who would kill for those jobs. I know so many people with firsts in college who feel lucky to be fitting bras in department stores or pouring pints because those jobs usually go to people with years of relevant experience. There are just not enough jobs to go around in Ireland. It's hard to really understand it if you're coming from outside.

mood

tenchi-fan wrote: »

When people have a low bank balance and no unemployment benefits they usually get a job pretty quick out of necessity.

Are you joking! Peoples cars and house are being repossessed. The unemployment rate is really high. You can't honestly believe it's because people aren't bothering trying to find work.

gandalf

450,000 people are unemployed in a country of over 4 million people. If I were you I wouldn't bother coming over unless you have a job lined up before hand or if you had a decent amount of savings to live off. Sorry I can't be more positive.

Wisco

Are you American? As far as I remember, the BUNAC student work visa is only good for 4 months for Americans, unless they've changed things or added visa types.
Like everyone else has said, you're in for a really tough time finding a job. You'd have to live in an urban area unless you plan to buy a car as public transport in rural Ireland is virtually non-existant. This means you'll have to spend more on rent, etc. If you have enough savings that you can live off it for a while you could probably try, but the types of jobs you'll be looking for have a huge amount of applicants.
Good luck, but I'd advise staying home or finding another country to travel to at the moment.

RoisinDove

mood wrote: »

Are you joking! Peoples cars and house are being repossessed. The unemployment rate is really high. You can't honestly believe it's because people aren't bothering trying to find work.

Exactly. I send out about 150 applications a week and follow up with calls and emails and I haven't heard a peep. I did really well in college and have fairly good work experience. The idea that anyone who wants a job will get one is ridiculous and insulting. I can barely afford to eat right now, no joke.