Am I mad to go back to Ireland?

spunkymunky

Hi Everybody.

I have a dilemma, not a huge one but one all the same. Currently im living in Melbourne, working for an IT consultancy firm as a Test Analyst (i'm 30), earning very decent cash with possible sponsorship options. The job is fine, the company im contracted to is fine also but no fun at all. Very different to Ireland. Basically no craic! So its work work work, desk lunch, check boards, work, home.
Melbourne is great but im finding it all a little lonely, as in ive not met a lot of people (well i have but they've since left or moved on to do farm work and what not). Im not stuck for a pint at the weekend but those I know are the kinda back packer friends you meet when away (and not Irish surprisingly).
Ive been away from Ireland since Jan 2010 and am considering returning home in October. I am not taking the decision lightly as I am very aware of the state of things and the jobs situation. By the time I get home I will have worked over 4 years as a test analyst with decent experience behind me. Im told of full employment in IT and i am checking the job sites which update daily with positions in my area but there are no guarantees (obviously).
So, i ask, am i mad? Should I brave it out and see how I go? I have not committed to staying or going and have about 2 months to decide.
Any thoughts?

Thanks
Karl

Shield

spunkymunky wrote: »

So, i ask, am i mad?

Yes. Bonkers.

If you can't get a job over here, you won't be allowed to sign on because you left a job to come back here. A condition of you claiming UB or UA is that you must do everything within your power to increase or maintain your chances of securing employment. You would have done the exact opposite, and thus rendered yourself ineligible for UB or UA for either 3 or 6 months. The sanction really is that harsh.

The reason I know this is because it happened to a friend of a friend, and that was the story he got after moving back from England.

You'd be coming back to a country who, only yesterday, said it's looking more and more likely we'll need yet another bail out. Any kind of work is difficult to secure, let alone what you currently are doing now.

Stay where you are, join clubs or take up a new hobby or sport or something and increase your circle of friends that way.

The grass is definitely greener where you are. Stay there.

Stay there.

bigjohnny80

There seems to be a lot of jobs still in IT so yes it could be worth it.

stoneill

Stay where you are.

Do not - I stress DO NOT come back.
Despite the few days of good feeling over the last week, the economy is worse than expected, worse than we we told and probably worse than we can imagine.

You will not get the cead mile failte - you will be penniless and left without help from a uncaring and pissed of public sector.

Network and socialise - join a GAA club, anything to meet new people there, but DO NOT come back here - there is nothing.

The Scientician

Can you put feelers out to see how likely employment would be if you do come back? Do you know anyone in the industry here?

fat__tony

DO NOT GO BACK TO IRELAND UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

I'm in a similar type of mood to the OP, my job is reasonably paid and my company are preparing to sponsor me. But I'm struggling to settle in here in Toronto and my social life is non-existent.

But Im prepared to tough it out.

retalivity

I left Ireland in the summer of 2009, returned for a few months at teh end of last year before emigrating for canada.

It's bad. real bad. I wasn't looking for a job while there because I knew I was moving on, but assessing the situation was depressing. I am now in a QA position in Canada earning more money than I got at home, and although told i could come back to my old company in ireland if i wanted, i severely doubt that now, and even so, would be for much less than i expect/get now.

I understand the social aspect, as I'm in the sticks in canada, and don;t know anyone bar the gf. But i'm trying, joining clubs, etc. but I think not having the same craic as I had at home is a small price to pay for the far better situation I now have in front of me.
and sure wasn't half the craic at home just bitching about the country anyway??!

who_ru

OP why not take a holiday at home, get a feel for how things are here, it's pretty depressing i'm afraid. all that bravado and false confidence of the celtic tiger years has long since evaporated and now has been replaced by a grim realisation that we are in the deep d'oh for the medium term at least.

by that i mean at least 3-5 more years of stagnation, no economic growth and falling standards of living.


take a holiday and see how it goes. it's easy to talk while here at home, i lived abroad for 18 months, in a non english speaking country, and i know how tough it can be.

nobody3

spunkymunky wrote: »

Hi Everybody.

I have a dilemma, not a huge one but one all the same. Currently im living in Melbourne, working for an IT consultancy firm as a Test Analyst (i'm 30), earning very decent cash with possible sponsorship options. The job is fine, the company im contracted to is fine also but no fun at all. Very different to Ireland. Basically no craic! So its work work work, desk lunch, check boards, work, home.
Melbourne is great but im finding it all a little lonely, as in ive not met a lot of people (well i have but they've since left or moved on to do farm work and what not). Im not stuck for a pint at the weekend but those I know are the kinda back packer friends you meet when away (and not Irish surprisingly).
Ive been away from Ireland since Jan 2010 and am considering returning home in October. I am not taking the decision lightly as I am very aware of the state of things and the jobs situation. By the time I get home I will have worked over 4 years as a test analyst with decent experience behind me. Im told of full employment in IT and i am checking the job sites which update daily with positions in my area but there are no guarantees (obviously).
So, i ask, am i mad? Should I brave it out and see how I go? I have not committed to staying or going and have about 2 months to decide.
Any thoughts?

Thanks
Karl

You're mixing with the wrong crowd, get yourself signed up for some clubs where you'll mix with more settled people. You need to start getting to know the locals.

As has been stated, the economy will get worse here before it gets better, and the Irish government and the EU have still to address the fundamental issues affecting us.

You've a good job, get to know the locals and go with the sponsorship.

spunkymunky

Cheers for the responses.
The plan was to get the feelers out early and see whats happening but its hard to do while not in the country. I am fully aware that i cannot claim the dole and thats fine. Ill have enough saved to get me through the first few months. Im wont be penniless.


Thanks for painting this very sad picture. My thoughts over the last while were to go home but if things are indeed as bad as you say, then a serious re think is needed! I was gonna give Ireland a few months and if nothing pans out, get out again. London, Europe...Somewhere closer to home really.

I know about joining clubs and that and I will. Just had a pretty serious dose there and it knocked the sh1t of me! Nothing like a week in bed to make you miss mammy looking after ya!! Think thats part of it!!

But is staying somewhere unhappy with few quid in your pocket better than the comfort of family and friends and some hardship.

IrishInNZ

Hi there

First off, I know how you are feeling - miles away from home in a biggish city and looking for home comforts! Believe me, I've been there! But DON'T let those feelings cloud your judgment.

I've never been, but people tell me Melbourne is a fantastic city. And I know that there are a lot of Irish clubs/communities there. When I moved to Wellington, I tended to stay away from Irish bars simply because I wanted to try and mix with the locals, but I gave up on that and have made lots of good Irish friends. You don't have to hang out with them all the time, but the networking opportunities are there.

Look on Facebook for any "Irish living in Melbourne" groups, etc - they have them here in NZ and usually organise meet ups.

If you are feeling homesick or lonely, go home for a holiday if you can. Once there, you'll realise that while it's great to catch up with family and friends, things are just not good.

Hang on in there and things will get better!

nobody3

What he said.

markpb

All the negative people must post at night! I'm a developer in a mid sized company. We're hiring permanent and contract qa and devs all the time to cope with the amount of work. We're a little pickier about who we hire now than before but there are definitely IT jobs out there if you're good.

When I go out in Dublin, bars are jammed every weekend and good restaurants are full every night of the week. Cinemas are still full. Plenty of people are doing okay and the craic on a night out is just as good as before.

Yes, things are worse than they were pre 2007 and yes, our future looks shakey but it's not all doom and gloom.

doriansmith

OP, I'm in the same boat as you & I've decided to go home later this year. I really like it over here, but not enough to stay just for the sake of it. I know how bad things are at home but if I can't get a job when I get back I'll move to the UK or somewhere else in Europe. I have no ties like a mortgage & I have savings, so it's not the end of the world if I can't get a job straight away & have to move somewhere else.

Only you can decide what's best for you but it's very easy for people at home to tell you to stay away when they don't know what it's like to be living so far away from family & friends on a long-term basis. It's not like you can hop on a plane for a couple of hours & go see everyone.

spunkymunky wrote: »

But is staying somewhere unhappy with few quid in your pocket better than the comfort of family and friends and some hardship.

If you're unhappy then no, it's not better, IMO.

gaz wac

markpb wrote: »

All the negative people must post at night! I'm a developer in a mid sized company. We're hiring permanent and contract qa and devs all the time to cope with the amount of work. We're a little pickier about who we hire now than before but there are definitely IT jobs out there if you're good.

When I go out in Dublin, bars are jammed every weekend and good restaurants are full every night of the week. Cinemas are still full. Plenty of people are doing okay and the craic on a night out is just as good as before.

Yes, things are worse than they were pre 2007 and yes, our future looks shakey but it's not all doom and gloom.

+1 100% I work for a large multinational I.T company and the Dub office alone has been hiring about ten staff a month for the past year. You also have to remember, there isent a recession for everyone! Myself and her and two well paid jobs and cant keep the cash in our pockes cos were always out for dinner / cinema / weekend away etc.

I couldnt imagine being away from my family & friends for the sake of a job and especally if you dont have family / mortgage etc. Try the gaa clubs etc that people are telling you about but if your really unhappy, come home. Use your savings to get you over the first few months and hopefully you will get a job. Good luck

spunkymunky

doriansmith wrote: »

OP, I'm in the same boat as you & I've decided to go home later this year. I really like it over here, but not enough to stay just for the sake of it. I know how bad things are at home but if I can't get a job when I get back I'll move to the UK or somewhere else in Europe. I have no ties like a mortgage & I have savings, so it's not the end of the world if I can't get a job straight away & have to move somewhere else.

Only you can decide what's best for you but it's very easy for people at home to tell you to stay away when they don't know what it's like to be living so far away from family & friends on a long-term basis. It's not like you can hop on a plane for a couple of hours & go see everyone.

I think this sums it all up for me. Melbourne is great and generally has everything you could need, seriously but somehow im not feeling it. Like DS said, i dont wanna stay for the sake of it. Unfortunately I do have mortgage but its mainly covered by a lodger (there is always that worry in the back of mind though)
The doom and gloom is a general theme (even my bro ringing me on saturday night hammered said it to me!!) Although, my dad for the first time since I left hasnt said the world is ending, so thats a plus for me!!
I appreciate the feedback and thoughts. Lots to think about. Like I said this isnt a decision I am taking lightly. Might check the Facebook thing like IrishinNZ says.
Chur
Karl

CiaranC

I was in Melbourne this time last year, didnt fancy it either. I moved back and got IT work handy enough. The days of stupid money are gone, but the cost of living has dropped significantly so it all evens out. The negativity on this thread is way over the top. (P.S. leave your cash in your Oz bank account )

Delancey

This country has had it - even if you get a job you will face tax increases into the forseeable future. Living standards are dropping like a stone.
Stay where you are !

Cat Melodeon

spunkymunky wrote: »

But is staying somewhere unhappy with few quid in your pocket better than the comfort of family and friends and some hardship.

This.

No, it's not worth being miserable. Some people just don't settle when they move away. Some love it from day 1. You've been there what, a year and a half? That's giving it a pretty fair go. If you're not enjoying yourself by now, chances are you never will. Usually the thrill passes after about 6 months of being in a new place. By a year in, you should know whether or not you'll stick it long term. By now you should have made some close friends and a decent network of support. If you're not feeling that, maybe you're wasting your time. I'd say come home. There are definitely IT jobs here, and failing Ireland, London & Germany are still booming for experienced English-speaking IT professionals. If you move there, you'll still be able to pop home at short notice for a weekend whenever you feel like it. It's damned lonely when you know home is a couple of days and half a planet away.

Life is too short to keep slogging away at something you don't love and which isn't going anywhere. And it's not all doom and gloom here, plenty of us are still living.

username123

gaz wac wrote: »

You also have to remember, there isent a recession for everyone! Myself and her and two well paid jobs and cant keep the cash in our pockes cos were always out for dinner / cinema / weekend away etc.

I guess it must depend on who you work for. Ive just been made redundant, hubby been redundant 9 months now (both of us professionals educated to masters level), brother in law since jan, father in law since last year, uncle since 2009, his wife since before xmas. Ive waved goodbye to 6 friends who have left the country for better prospects, and will say goodbye to 2 more next month. I dont know a single family who hasnt been hit by the recession one way or another. Even people still in jobs are struggling with massive mortgages and plenty trapped in 'starter properties' with huge negative equity. The money being offered for a lot of jobs is a joke, and a lot of advertised jobs are placeholders and not jobs.

Even if the economy turns and jobs are available, we are going to be taxed to the hilt for the forseeable, the government are inches from raiding our savings, there is probably a wave of mortgage default coming when the interest rates go up and it will be a long time before this turns around.

If I were you I wouldnt come back. So what if the job isnt fun, its a job, which is more than a lot of people have here.

fat__tony

gaz wac wrote: »

+1 100% I work for a large multinational I.T company and the Dub office alone has been hiring about ten staff a month for the past year. You also have to remember, there isent a recession for everyone! Myself and her and two well paid jobs and cant keep the cash in our pockes cos were always out for dinner / cinema / weekend away etc.

I couldnt imagine being away from my family & friends for the sake of a job and especally if you dont have family / mortgage etc. Try the gaa clubs etc that people are telling you about but if your really unhappy, come home. Use your savings to get you over the first few months and hopefully you will get a job. Good luck

'Oh, look at me and the size of my wallet!'

Stop being a gloating twat.

You could have kept that comment to yourself.

Eoin

fat__tony wrote: »

'Oh, look at me and the size of my wallet!'

Stop being a gloating twat.

You could have kept that comment to yourself.

Banned for 2 weeks, you've been warned before.

i71jskz5xu42pb

Work should not be a deciding factor in coming home, as other posters have mentioned IT is doing very well in Ireland despite all thee gloom and doom in the press.

who what when

stoneill wrote: »

Stay where you are.

Do not - I stress DO NOT come back.
Despite the few days of good feeling over the last week, the economy is worse than expected, worse than we we told and probably worse than we can imagine.

You will not get the cead mile failte - you will be penniless and left without help from a uncaring and pissed of public sector.

Network and socialise - join a GAA club, anything to meet new people there, but DO NOT come back here - there is nothing.

Jesus christ you dont half have a bleak outlook on things.
Sounds like you're describing the bubonic plague!

Mrs OBumble

When I was a kid, my father used to get letters from the relatives back in Ireland. I copped at a pretty young ago that every single summer was always worse than the one before, and that every year the farmers were all going to go bankrupt any moment now.

Pretty much the same tone I'm picking up in this thread in fact.

My 2c: yes, there are people hurting. Yes, salaries, and standards of living, have come down.

But for all that, over 80% of the population is still working. And I'm still hearing stories of kids "making" over E1000 from communion on the weekend.

And I'm picking that many of the people who have posted don't work in IT. You do. Just make sure you have some experience with test-management tools and automated testing.

spunkymunky

Blair Alive Stripe wrote: »

Work should not be a deciding factor in coming home, as other posters have mentioned IT is doing very well in Ireland despite all thee gloom and doom in the press.

Thats just it, work is not the deciding factor, if it was id be staying here (OZ). Like I said. Im get paid well and can probably do well in this company. Its everything else around work. Its not to say i havnt met people, i have. Dunno, missing the comforts of home and the friends I left behind (and surprisingly, the premier league!). I suppose work is the driving factor of this thread as it is important.
Mary, thats what im trying to do in next few months here. Get as much experience as I can in different areas of testing and tools. Hopefully it will put me in a good light should i go home.
There is always England, Germany and even Switzerland (as a friend has told me)

HellFireClub

OP let's assume for a minute you could secure a job here before you came back to Ireland...

The first thing that would hit you if you returned would be the sheer anger that you would observe in more or less every person you would encounter. Only tonight, PrimeTime showed people in tears and in absolute despair, carrying their seriously disabled children up stairs on their own, because the home help assistance that they had from the HSE had been taken back off them due to cutbacks. Then today it turns out that RTE were given 2.5 million Euro in public money last month to build a garden that hangs from a crane for the Chelsea Flower Show, basically a glorified hanging basket that cost taxpayers 2.5 Million Euro. Then you turn on your television and you see a woman in dispair trying to carry her disabled adult son up a set of stairs on her own, you see a couple unemployed not eating, so that they have money to feed their disabled young child.

And this isn't just a once off, it's relentless, it's week after week after week of hopelessness and almost undescribable/unimaginable negativity and dispair. Then every few weeks, you will see this "austerity" impacting on someone you know, a relation or a friend who needs medical treatment who doesn't have health insurance, or a friend or relative who loses their job or who has a business that closes down or someone you know who hasn't been able to pay their mortgage for the last year, or an elderly person dying because they didn't get the proper medical treatment on time and they had their last breath lying on a hospital trolley in an A & E corridor somewhere, or a relationship that has fallen to pieces because the stress of having no money was too great for the couple to bear... Every week, I find myself talking to someone with the above problems who can't cope, and these are friends or relations...

I would advise you in the strongest possible terms to not even remotely think of coming back to this country. It's not the same place you left previously, Ireland at he moment would make you ill, it's a depressing and at times an absolutely infuriating place to find yourself living in at the moment.

I don't think I can say anymore to portray the place at the moment for you to be honest...

hinault

I would have thought there was a sizeable expat community in Melbourne where the OP could socialise and meet people and build a life outside of work.

I can understand someone wanting to come back to their home though.

But as many other posters have said on this thread, the economic situation here is dreadful.
Those lucky enough to have jobs face tax increases, less disposable income.
We have interest rates increases starting to kick in too.
Businesses are closing.

As regards nightlife : yeah the pubs and clubs are packed at the weekend.
But what about during the week? I know several that don't bother to open on some nights during the week because there is no custom.

Oddly enough we had a respite from the doom and gloom for the past week with the State visits but today has brought home to reality of our economic situation.

penexpers

HellFireClub wrote: »

OP let's assume for a minute you could secure a job here before you came back to Ireland...

And this isn't just a once off, it's relentless, it's week after week after week of hopelessness and almost undescribable/unimaginable negativity and dispair. Then every few weeks, you will see this "austerity" impacting on someone you know, a relation or a friend who needs medical treatment who doesn't have health insurance, or a friend or relative who loses their job or who has a business that closes down or someone you know who hasn't been able to pay their mortgage for the last year, or an elderly person dying because they didn't get the proper medical treatment on time and they had their last breath lying on a hospital trolley in an A & E corridor somewhere, or a relationship that has fallen to pieces because the stress of having no money was too great for the couple to bear... Every week, I find myself talking to someone with the above problems who can't cope, and these are friends or relations...

Stop being so sensationalist. This kind of stuff happens the world over and is unfortunately not unique to Ireland, despite what people would like to think.

krissovo

Hey OP, yes there is some doom and gloom but there are also lots of success stories. The media is playing a shocking role and choosing not to focus on the good positive things that are happening .

IT is live and well especially for the Multinationals and even the salaries are decent, not stupid money but well paid for what you do. Office craic has reduced in the last couple of years from the good old days but its an honest days work.

GOOD city pubs, restaurants and clubs are doing well and thumping from Thursday to Sunday. I went away for weekend last week to Kerry and certainly Kenmare and Killarney was a great craic and hotels were full.

I live in a rural village and near to a rural town and that story is very different, pubs are on the brink, restaurants closing down and it seams every week a shop is closing down but the Good pubs and good food outlets are doing fine.

keithclancy

penexpers wrote: »

Stop being so sensationalist. This kind of stuff happens the world over and is unfortunately not unique to Ireland, despite what people would like to think.

It is particularly bad though, I can't talk on the phone/in person to anyone in Ireland without one of these phrases popping up in conversation.

"Theres no jobs here"
"Stealth taxes"
"The Germans are taking over europe"
"Negative Equity"
"the bloody bank"
"the euro was a sh*t idea"

In fairness Ireland being an Island gives it very closed opinions of things and people only believe the Trash they see on RTE BBC or Sky News.

I'm sick to death of it now, I wish people would stop moaning and get on with it, they seem to think the whole world revolves around the place.

HellFireClub

penexpers wrote: »

Stop being so sensationalist. This kind of stuff happens the world over and is unfortunately not unique to Ireland, despite what people would like to think.

Nothing sensationalist about it at all, I'm speaking from my own personal very recent experience, your attitude is what is wrong with this place, mediocracy and state failure is tolerated and we think that because people in Balgladesh or Somalia are having it a lot worse, that we should chillax and just go with the flow.

As someone who has recently started up a small business in this country, I can tell you that the attitude of the government to entrepreneurship is nothing less than pyschotic and dysfunctional. Until you have been in a place where you are living in absolute poverty and trying to lift yourself out of it, you can't speak as to the hardship that some people are going through in this country. That's been my recent experience living in this country and I won't be apologising to you or anyone else on here for saying it on here as I've seen it. Obviously from your post you are not experiencing this kind of lifestyle in this country at the minute but not far shy of half a million people are and their families are also going through this.

The truth about living in unemployment in Ireland in 2011 is that you would get more thanks for staying on the dole long term and not making a nuisence of yourself by trying to start up a business or work for yourself.

saintsaltynuts

markpb wrote: »

All the negative people must post at night! I'm a developer in a mid sized company. We're hiring permanent and contract qa and devs all the time to cope with the amount of work. We're a little pickier about who we hire now than before but there are definitely IT jobs out there if you're good.

When I go out in Dublin, bars are jammed every weekend and good restaurants are full every night of the week. Cinemas are still full. Plenty of people are doing okay and the craic on a night out is just as good as before.

Yes, things are worse than they were pre 2007 and yes, our future looks shakey but it's not all doom and gloom.

Thanks for the post the county's in bits alright but its not dead yet.

krissovo

HellFireClub wrote: »

Nothing sensationalist about it at all, I'm speaking from my own personal very recent experience, your attitude is what is wrong with this place, mediocracy and state failure is tolerated and we think that because people in Balgladesh or Somalia are having it a lot worse, that we should chillax and just go with the flow.

If the OP was a builder or in retail or one of the many other sectors that were poor at the moment I think most of us would agree to some degree. However the OP is experienced in area of IT that is doing quite well at the moment in Ireland and there is a shortage of people to do those roles.

Even with the taxes, levies and everything else we are being hammered with other costs are going down like restaurants, rent, cars (no running costs) and to a large degree food so it does some what counter these "taxes".

On a side note I am moving seriously considering a move to Germany but Ireland is still a good place to live.

old hippy

spunkymunky wrote: »

I was gonna give Ireland a few months and if nothing pans out, get out again. London, Europe...Somewhere closer to home really.

I know about joining clubs and that and I will. Just had a pretty serious dose there and it knocked the sh1t of me! Nothing like a week in bed to make you miss mammy looking after ya!! Think thats part of it!!

But is staying somewhere unhappy with few quid in your pocket better than the comfort of family and friends and some hardship.

I left Dublin when still in my 20s (just). I miss family & friends but I am happier away than at home. People move on, situations change. When I do go home on occasion, I realise that you can't really go back to the way it was.

You could try London, I hear more and more Irish accents here these days.

My Polish mate is thinking of emigrating back to Ireland where her boyfriend used to work. I said think very carefuly about it. There's a downward spiral in place at the moment. And some people aren't so welcoming.

I'd love to live in Melbourne, btw

penexpers

HellFireClub wrote: »

Nothing sensationalist about it at all, I'm speaking from my own personal very recent experience, your attitude is what is wrong with this place, mediocracy and state failure is tolerated and we think that because people in Balgladesh or Somalia are having it a lot worse, that we should chillax and just go with the flow.

State failure is tolerated all over the world, not just in Bangladesh or Somalia.

HellFireClub

krissovo wrote: »

If the OP was a builder or in retail or one of the many other sectors that were poor at the moment I think most of us would agree to some degree. However the OP is experienced in area of IT that is doing quite well at the moment in Ireland and there is a shortage of people to do those roles.

Even with the taxes, levies and everything else we are being hammered with other costs are going down like restaurants, rent, cars (no running costs) and to a large degree food so it does some what counter these "taxes".

On a side note I am moving seriously considering a move to Germany but Ireland is still a good place to live.

The way hiring is done in this country is a major problem for a lot of people, it's not what you know in this country, it's who you know. I know two lads in Ireland currently who are highly qualified in IT, (who are not Irish), and they cannot even get an interview for a job, these two guys have made no small effort to find work and they can't even get an interview.

krissovo

HellFireClub wrote: »

The way hiring is done in this country is a major problem for a lot of people, it's not what you know in this country, it's who you know. I know two lads in Ireland currently who are highly qualified in IT, (who are not Irish), and they cannot even get an interview for a job, these two guys have made no small effort to find work and they can't even get an interview.

Much of what you say is fiction, certainly in IT. Qualified and Experience are two very different requirements in IT.

HellFireClub

penexpers wrote: »

State failure is tolerated all over the world, not just in Bangladesh or Somalia.

That's completely irrelevant. What is tolerated in other places isn't the point, we should not tolerate the way things are unfolding in this country, where the visit of two heads of state in a week is used to try to gloss over our huge problems. We are three years into this crisis and we have yet to see an even half credible strategy to create employment opportunities. I can tell you that there is a policy on this state of supressing job creation opportunities, of frustrating job creation opportunities. If you find this acceptable, fair play to you, I personally don't.

Eoin

OP, if finding a job in Ireland isn't the issue, then I'm not sure this is the right forum for this thread?

HellFireClub

krissovo wrote: »

Much of what you say is fiction, certainly in IT. Qualified and Experience are two very different requirements in IT.

I didn't mention anything about the relevant qualification or experience of the people in question in relation to the positions they applied for. Again and again and again I'm hearing of people in this country applying for jobs and not even getting a reply to their application. I was doing it myself until recently, until I came to the conclusion that I was completely wasting my time and I'm highly qualified and experienced in my professional field, so I started up a business of my own and am now competing with and taking business from the same companies I was recently applying to for employment and my customers are delighted to give me business now because I'm giving a better service for a much better price.

People here on the thead seem to be working for multinational organisations and speaking of their fairly insulated experiences there. The vast majority of people working in this country are not employed by multinationals.

fred252

i was in your position about this time last year. about 30 working in melbourne in IT and on very good money. i had 4 year sponsorship. like you there wasn't much craic in work and while i liked melbourne i hadn't made a lot of good friends.

i came back to ireland in sept and got a job before i landed. the money isn't as good as melbourne and the taxes are on the up it seems. you should work out how much per year you'll be out of pocket before you make the move and decide if you can accept that drop - if there is one. i've accepted a significant drop but i'm happier in work and its been great to be back from the point of view of craic with my mates etc.

ps. the doom and gloom in ireland regarding the economy is hard to understand until you're here. it can be a bit depressing - its like a downward spiralling sh!t storm. if you have savings in your aussie bank account i'd consider leaving them there even after return.

Mr. Loverman

Don't come back to Ireland.

Use www.couchsurfing.org to meet people.

careca11

spunkymunky wrote: »

Hi Everybody.

Very different to Ireland. Basically no craic! So its work work work, desk lunch, check boards, work, home.
So, i ask, am i mad? Should I brave it out and see how I go? I have not committed to staying or going and have about 2 months to decide.
Any thoughts?

Thanks
Karl

if you come back to Ireland it will be a case of "No craic, no work , no work , no work, dole cut , get rapped again by the rich " arsing around and regretting the very moment you even comtemplated coming back to this **** hole

you obviously have a good brain , so here's some advice

STEER CLEAR OF THIS ****-HOLE .................................There is going to be nothing here for you , for at least 10years if not more

Paulj

I work in IT as a developer and I think the IT job market is doing quite well. I recently moved position and got two job offers (have about 5 years experience). And i was being picky. I'm not trying to boast here, i just think that if you do want to come back, you will get a job as long as you have some experience and appear positive/motivated in your interviews. Many of my friends also got jobs recently.

If you have spare time while looking, start working on some Open Source project to expand your skillset. Employers will love that sort of thing.

The real problem with coming back is the wall of depression that's everywhere. But you can avoid it if you try. There's a few rules,
-Don't watch the news (unless obama visits)
-Dont watch Vincent Brown/Primetime
-Dont read boards.ie too much

Negativity IS contagious unfortunately. The media here is not helping matters at all. Try and surround yourself with people who are positive.
---
But you have some time left in Auz first. Try and join clubs and use meetup.com or couchsuring.org to meet people. You might be pleasantly surprised how it goes.
---
If you do come back and things don't work out, you'll be able to move to UK/Germany if you're stuck anyway.

Eoin

Just on the job side of it; I reckon an experienced QA engineer would get work easily enough. Doubt it would make me return from Oz though if I was in the ops position.

But the job side of it doesn't seem to be the factor here though.

i71jskz5xu42pb

HellFireClub wrote: »

The first thing that would hit you if you returned would be the sheer anger that you would observe in more or less every person you would encounter.

That's brilliant! I don't know where you're living but it sounds like you watch a little too much TV or maybe listen to a little too much Joe Duffy. Right now the angriest person I've come across lately is you.

HellFireClub

Blair Alive Stripe wrote: »

That's brilliant! I don't know where you're living but it sounds like you watch a little too much TV or maybe listen to a little too much Joe Duffy. Right now the angriest person I've come across lately is you.

Good man Blair Alive Stripe. There are people who had to go through the kind of last 12 months that I've had and they are in graves now because it became too much for them and they couldn't take it any longer. I'm angry and I'm dead right to be angry. If you had the last year or two that I had, you'd be angry too. I'm not angry over mortgage debt because I don't have any, I'm not angry over personal debt because I don't have any and I'm not angry with business debt because I don't have any. What I am angry about and what a lot of people are angry about is being set up for absolute failure by a government that talks out of both sides of its mouth on job creation.

Any person in their right mind is angry at 2.5 Million Euro being spent on a hanging garden of all f*cking things when cut backs are hitting people.

What happens in the news is only a report of what is happening in our country, if you have a brass monkey attitude to what is happening in the country that you live in, it doesn't mean that other people are wrong for having an opinion or a reaction, especially when you are paying for maladministration, waste and corruption in relation to the spending of scarce tax payers money.

dan_d

The recession just hasn't hit some people.

I look around at the number of people on the roads in brand new cars and wonder how they have the 20K+ to afford them if we're all supposedly broke.

One of my neighbours is currently having a huge new extension built, and another is tearing out the upstairs of their house and completely re-modelling.

I don't begrudge them it...they obviously have the money...but this "we're all broke and in a recession" thing isn't 100% true.

And when you're sitting at home looking for jobs all day, you can't help becoming a bit bitter and resentful. The hours are long - you've got all day to ruminate on thoughts like "how come everyone else can get a job except me" and variations on that theme.

I will say though, HellFireClub, that you shouldn't let it get to you so much (and my God I hate saying that, because it makes me so angry to be told that by people who have no idea of the level of stress that unemployment causes. That and "sure it'll all work out" - really? It's been a year now, and it's not working out, or haven't you noticed..?)...anyway...it's not good for your health to be so angry all the time about the situation. And if your health goes, everything else goes with it.

uli84

my bfr can't get the job in IT for the last 2 years, he got experience and all that but he doesnt have a degree (only professional qualifications). At this stage im losing hope and thinking he should change his profession but then Im reading that IT is the best sector at the moment. Really hard to make the decision..

spunkymunky

Eoin wrote: »

Just on the job side of it; I reckon an experienced QA engineer would get work easily enough. Doubt it would make me return from Oz though if I was in the ops position.

But the job side of it doesn't seem to be the factor here though.

Well, the main reason for the post was kinda based around the job and the general feel of the country. Returning home is easy, its getting set up and a job thats the intitial hard part. Dealing with the rest will come after that. No job, no staying in Ireland, no dealing with the gloom!
I get that its doom and gloom in Ireland. I was expecting that. From above, I can see that there are very different views of Ireland. Some people have weathered storm better that others and obviously no one has escaped the wrath and stupidity of the government. Ive read about all the taxes and levies so no surprise there!
Its great to see that the IT sector is doing well. It does give me hope that I can secure a job at some point. I have been looking about jobs sites, seeing jobs and strangely seeing the same positions being re posted every week. Not sure whats going on there. So thats a little of my mind but still i wont be applying for a few months so could all be different then.

I havnt given up on Melbourne yet. Just considering my options. You guys have painted a good all round picture of whats going on and not just a negative or positive one.

Cheers
M