So, I finally accepted a job in Galway, need help!

bahamut88

Hello guys,
I'm a 30 years old male from Italy, I'll move to Galway in the next month :eek::D , I've finally accepted a job after turning down other two, one in Cork and one in Belfast. I was wondering if anyone could give any help.
It's my understanding that Galway is really a nice and safe city so I won't ask about which place is best to live or which one is likely to be avoided as I'm guessing anyplace will be ok. If you have suggestions though, please share them. I'll be working in the east zone, in the in Parkmore area.

At the moment I'm mostly searching for two kind of suggestion.
- I'll need a sim, obviously, which carrier should I choose? The only thing I need is the Internet :rolleyes: , 4G would be better of course, but 3G is fine. Are you aware of any offer that:
- has UNLIMITED or at least 5 gb data traffic?
- has some offers for roaming abroad (data) as I'll be very often in the UK and Italy.

- I like to be fit and I always go to gym, any suggestion in particular? I don't particularly care about classes (yoga, martial arts and so), I usually train just by weightlifting. Also, what documents do you need for memberships? EG, In Italy you need a medical certification.

Any help would be much appreciated! What's in it for you? We could grab a beer(s) or I could come to your house and cook something :D:D

Thanks

jkforde

check out some previous threads started by people who are also moving to Galway, you'll get some info...
http://www.boards.ie/search/submit/?subforums=1&forum=475&query=moving+to+Galway

if working in Parkmore, in the east of the city, you should think about living in the east to save on the commute. where to live depends on how much you are willing to spend, willing to cycle, take the bus etc, nearer the city centre...

on 3G/4G, Meteor sim-only would be safe bet to start and then maybe choose something else once you settle in.

oh, and bring a warm rain jacket!
welcome to Galway!

bahamut88

Thanks for your fast reply,
I did check some old posts, they were useful! But I was searching for more specific informations. Thanks again, though.
I'll most definitely bring some rain proof equipment, I suspect weather would not be as nice as Italy

Acidflash

If you're just into Weightlifting then these two gyms are probably your best bet equipment wise. Don't think you'll need medical certification, unless they have changed their policies, I've never been asked for anything like that.

http://warehousegym.ie/
http://www.galwaycitygym.ie/

Dutchess

Are you going to work at SAP? If so, I shall see you around and welcome!

There is a gym (Unigym) in Briarhill, which is very close to Parkmore.

There are lots of grand places to live on the East of the city, which is recommended because making it through the centre at peak times will add a lot to your commute. The rental market is apparently quite tough at the moment so once you find somewhere you like, you may need to decide quickly.

bahamut88

I prefer to not disclose the company in Public, it's not SAP though! I'll get in touch through private messages once I sign the contract
I would definitely enjoy a beer together.
Thanks for your advice on the area, I was thinking something around Dublin Road and College road? It seems there's a bus route that goes to parkmore that is covenient. I would prefer something in the middle, I mean not too far from the centre (10-15 minutes by foot) and not too far from Parkmore.

Thanks guys!

Dutchess

10-15 mins walk from the city centre will not bring you too close to Parkmore, it really is on the edge of Galway. Being close to a bus stop services by the 409 bus will definitely work out for you. You seem to already have a good idea with Dublin road/College road. Good luck!

bahamut88

Dutchess wrote: »

10-15 mins walk from the city centre will not bring you too close to Parkmore, it really is on the edge of Galway. Being close to a bus stop services by the 409 bus will definitely work out for you. You seem to already have a good idea with Dublin road/College road. Good luck!

Let's say that I prefer to take the bus to go to work instead of taking the bus to go out!

Mrs OBumble

bahamut88 wrote: »

Let's say that I prefer to take the bus to go to work instead of taking the bus to go out!

Live in the city centre then - lots of us do! Though it does get a bit noisy. And there's a lot of competition for rentals at the moment, you may need to be a little flexible about locations.

Do I assume you will not have a car, at least to start with? If so, then this website has lots of useful information: http://www.galwaytransport.info/

In particular, the Parkmore neighbourhood map should help you see where the job is, relative to the bus-stops and routes.

The 403 bus goes past Warehouse Gym on the way to/from Parkmore. And the 409 goes past Active Fitness.



Re internet, I have 15G mobile broadband from O2 for E17 per month. It's not the fastest - but the amount is good as is being mobile. I'm sure there are better deals out there, too.


Welcome and good luck.

bahamut88

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Live in the city centre then - lots of us do! Though it does get a bit noisy. And there's a lot of competition for rentals at the moment, you may need to be a little flexible about locations.

Do I assume you will not have a car, at least to start with? If so, then this website has lots of useful information: http://www.galwaytransport.info/

In particular, the Parkmore neighbourhood map should help you see where the job is, relative to the bus-stops and routes.

The 403 bus goes past Warehouse Gym on the way to/from Parkmore. And the 409 goes past Active Fitness.



Re internet, I have 15G mobile broadband from O2 for E17 per month. It's not the fastest - but the amount is good as is being mobile. I'm sure there are better deals out there, too.


Welcome and good luck.

Thanks, very useful informations! You're right, I won't have a car at the beginning, not sure if I ever will. I overused it in Italy, I'm tired
I'll be flexible about accomodation, I'll share a room for the first months, I won't live alone. So I'm searching for a nice room for around 400/450. I think I find something.

When you say "it's not he fastest", what do you mean? Like 10mb/s? Less?

witnessmenow

3 mobile have 4g internet in Galway, I have never tried it though as my phone isn't 4g enabled. I find there 3g service pretty good though. (in Galway anyways)

3 have "unlimited" data (Fair usage policy of 15gb) with 350 flexi units (each unit is 1 min or 2 texts) for €20 on a rolling contract

You may not be able to get a contract phone straight away though, I know a friend of mine after she moved back to Ireland from America had some issues.

3 might be handy for you as for a couple of € a month you can enable roam like home and you will be able to use data back in Italy too (while on 3 network).

bahamut88

Yep, I've considered 3, it will be useful to use their roaming in Italy and Uk but I've some terrible experience here in Italy and as far as I've read, it seems there are coverage problems in Ireland too.

Harps

Galway is a pretty small place so you shouldn't have a bad commute no matter where you live, obviously the east would be easier for work but you shouldn't have more than an hour commute even if living out in Knocknacarra in the west so don't limit yourself too much. There's no real bad areas in the city that I know of, Knocknacarra has a bit of a bad reputation though I lived there for a year and never had a single issue and I'd gladly move back.

If looking for a mobile with 3g/4g three are your best bet, coverage is generally fine from my experience, nothing amazing but adequate and very handy for roaming. If you want proper internet UPC do 50/100mbps packages with unlimited data which if you're lucky might be available in your rented accom.

ErnieBert

These are the main mobile/internet providers that I am aware of.

www.meteor.ie
www.three.ie
www.o2.ie
www.vodafone.ie
I am with Meteor (3G) which is prefect for my usage because I have wifi at home and at work

I have 3 Italian friends in Galway if you would like to meet with them or get info from them? They moved here last year and live in the city centre.
.

bahamut88

Harps wrote: »

Galway is a pretty small place so you shouldn't have a bad commute no matter where you live, obviously the east would be easier for work but you shouldn't have more than an hour commute even if living out in Knocknacarra in the west so don't limit yourself too much. There's no real bad areas in the city that I know of, Knocknacarra has a bit of a bad reputation though I lived there for a year and never had a single issue and I'd gladly move back.

If looking for a mobile with 3g/4g three are your best bet, coverage is generally fine from my experience, nothing amazing but adequate and very handy for roaming. If you want proper internet UPC do 50/100mbps packages with unlimited data which if you're lucky might be available in your rented accom.

Yeah, I'll need fast internet at home too, I'm a gamer! So I really hope the house where I'll move in will be already set!

ErnieBert wrote: »

These are the main mobile/internet providers that I am aware of.

www.meteor.ie
www.three.ie
www.o2.ie
www.vodafone.ie
I am with Meteor (3G) which is prefect for my usage because I have wifi at home and at work

I have 3 Italian friends in Galway if you would like to meet with them or get info from them? They moved here last year and live in the city centre.
.

Yeah, that would be amazing. I'll get in touch with you (if you don't mind) as soon as I get the contract which hopefully would be somewhere next week.

I'll have to carefully think about the carrier, as I said 3 in Italy it's a bit unstable, good in cities, not so good outside cities and inside building. I wonder if it's the same in Ireland.

Thanks guys for all your advices! I really appreciate them.

Thargor

witnessmenow wrote: »

3 mobile have 4g internet in Galway, I have never tried it though as my phone isn't 4g enabled. I find there 3g service pretty good though. (in Galway anyways)

3 have "unlimited" data (Fair usage policy of 15gb) with 350 flexi units (each unit is 1 min or 2 texts) for €20 on a rolling contract

You may not be able to get a contract phone straight away though, I know a friend of mine after she moved back to Ireland from America had some issues.

3 might be handy for you as for a couple of € a month you can enable roam like home and you will be able to use data back in Italy too (while on 3 network).

Top up a 3 pay as you go sim by 20 Euro each month and you get unlimited internet aswell, they say fair use is 15 Gig but Ive gone way over that when tethered, unlimited internet currently comes with free 4G aswell although I think they'll be moving to an extra fiver for that soon.

3G/H from Three is fine for Skype/Whatsapp etc anyway so oftentimes I dont even touch that €20 credit. I torrent all I like, Youtube etc on it when I stay in Galway with zero problems, Ill never sign a contract again if they keep this deal in place.

MadYaker

This lad seems dead sound. I live on west side of the city which isn't much good if you're working in parkmore. I don't like the east side of the city. There isn't really anything wrong with it I just prefer the west side. If I were you I would look for somewhere in the city centre.

General advice though, invest in a good warm rain jacket. I don't know how much you've travelled but compared to Italy the weather here will be cold, wet and windy a lot of the time. Galway is fairly multicultural and there are people from all over Europe living here. The nightlife is great, its safe and its generally just a nice place to live.

bahamut88

I've travelled quite a lot but actually LIVING in a place it's a whole different story. Everyone says that Galway it's cold but I've seen the temperatures and it doesn't seem a lot colder than Italy. Anyway, since you're not the first one to tell me so, it must be true. Also, it's my understanding that umbrellas are useless, right? Too much wind?

Mrs OBumble

Umbrellas are fine so long as you know how to drive 'em, and pretty much essential for non-car owners (bus shelters are a recent invetion here, and lots of stop don't have one).

I keep a small cheap one in my bag all the time. No good in strong wind, but still helpful enough to be worth carrying.

And sometimes I carry a golf umbrella which is fine in the wind.

jumbobreakfast

If you like gaming then try to get a place that is wired for UPC broadband. UPC is cable broadband (DOCSIS x) but all the other providers use telephone line (xDSL). You can almost always get xDSL but if you have a bad telephone line and no UPC wiring then you have no other options. UPC also have the fastest speeds if you don't want to wait too long to download game updates etc. Check out the gaming thread here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=4

daisyscience

I live on Lough Atalia Road and its great for access to the city centre and the 409 bus aswell. The bus stop is less than 5 mins walk, perfect for those rainy days, town 10 -15 mins. College Road is a perfect location aswell for you. I often rent a spare room out short term and its available from mid March so PM me if you'd like a base to look for a longer term place and I can send you on my Daft Ad.
Wellpark isnt too far from the bus stops either, just be careful you don't end up with a load of students.
Internet wise I am also searching for the right package at the moment so thanks for that.

bahamut88

jumbobreakfast wrote: »

If you like gaming then try to get a place that is wired for UPC broadband. UPC is cable broadband (DOCSIS x) but all the other providers use telephone line (xDSL). You can almost always get xDSL but if you have a bad telephone line and no UPC wiring then you have no other options. UPC also have the fastest speeds if you don't want to wait too long to download game updates etc. Check out the gaming thread here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=4

I'm used to barely 20mb in Italy and 40ms of ping, anything better than that will do!

bahamut88

Guys,
another question if I may. Could you suggest a bank account? I just need the basic stuff but it's crucial that they have an android app.

Thanks again.

El_Dangeroso

bahamut88 wrote: »

I'm used to barely 20mb in Italy and 40ms of ping, anything better than that will do!

The broadband here is way faster than Italy, I know this from experience!

Bank of Ireland and AIB both have Android apps, I think most banks do.

Personally I think Bank of Ireland have better service but that's just based on my own experience.