Planning a permanent move to Waterford

Radar2032

Hey,

I'm planning on moving to Waterford with my wife to settle down in the city. I've lived previously in Dublin for around 6 months and found it to be a great but slightly expensive. We are both from the UK

We are a young married couple and what attracted us to the city was the compact size and cheaper property rental prices than Cork or Dublin.

What are the job opportunities like at the moment in Waterford as this is my main concern and why i'm edging towards Cork a bit more at the moment.

Any clarifications would be appreciated.

Thanks

kryogen

Go to Cork.

Doylers

turn around, drive as fast as you can

maringo

Was talking to a few Waterford people during the summer. According to them the job situation is dire so I'd advise you to think again before you make a move.

wazky

Only approach the city limits with caution, if you're not well armed, turn around and keep going. Don't stop for hitchhikers.

comeraghs

Failte.

Waterford is a wonderful place to live, The City has a great arts & culture scene and the coastline & mountains in the county are as beautiful as anywhere in Ireland,

The jobs situation is tough but things are certainly picking up & there have been a few positive announcements recently. There are good jobs to be got in Waterford in the pharmaceutical industry in particular but also in other areas.


Like most places, your own attitude will be more important than anything else, some people prefer to focus on the negatives & wallow in misery and unfortunately Waterford has plenty of these people but if you are willing to make an effort you won't regret moving to the lovely Deise!

The Bowling Alley

Nobody has even asked what kind of career he's interested in and you're telling him to stay away from Waterford. You should all be ashamed of yourselves (except comeraghs). How will Waterford ever get back to where it belongs when its own people are shooting it down. Who needs Phil Hogan when we have muppets like ye

leduke

do some research on recent job announcements for the city and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised. Waterford is a great place to live with plenty of rental space. apart from the first few responses I'm sure you'll be made very welcome.

Chickentown

Do yourself a favor buddy, use the toll bridge on your way to Cork, don't even drive through this kip. Waterford can offer you nothing that Cork does not have, unless you actually enjoy living in a dying city.

jennygirl

i can believe the negativity of everyone here -
Waterford is a great City - great for tourists, good priced housing, and improving jobs sector, good night life.
i hate this "my glass is empty syndrome"
i came to Waterford years ago - and i love "your" city
i heard the same bad sentiment from taxi drivers lately -
the city is **** - i hate this place -
if thats what u think -MOVE-
or shut up - you never know who your taxi customers is!!!
maybe he or she is a future investor for hundreds of jobs in Waterford
and you have single-handedly scuppered the jobs

BE POSITIVE AND MAKE THIS CITY PROUD

Shane07

All them negative posters should be ashamed of themselves and I would question where a lot of them actually live!!! I doubht they live in Waterford.Yes there is problems here at the moment but them kinda attitudes is not what we need to be presenting! People compare Cork to Waterford.Cork has a population of about 200k people Waterford has about 65k.Of course there is going to be more on offer in Cork but that doesnt mean you slate to smaller city!Once we tackle and get sorted our retail offering our city will give the rest of them a run for their money!

AnneSam

I moved from cork to Waterford and I love it here. It's fantastically compact, there's a community spirit, great cultural scene and of course it seemingly has its rough spots and crime but things are not nearly as bad as what's being said above. Work is relevant to the individual, it's rough every where right now but there's definitely a shift with employment announcements. Telling people to run from here won't make things better. Jesus if Waterford people won't invest in their own city and people who the hell are ye expecting to do it for ye? If ye want better make it better, get out from behind the keyboards stop bitching and invest in your city and future in it!!

Road-Hog

Negativity by locals is disturbing alright. They genuinely should be ashamed of themselves.

thomasm

My wife moved here from London 10 years ago. She loves it, her parents, sisters, nieces and nephews who visit several times a year love it. Her friends who visit frequently love it.

Can never understand the negativity of some local people re Waterford. Makes you wonder if they actually get out and about and savour all that's on their doorstep.

O Riain

thomasm wrote: »

My wife moved here from London 10 years ago. She loves it, her parents, sisters, nieces and nephews who visit several times a year love it. Her friends who visit frequently love it.

Can never understand the negativity of some local people re Waterford. Makes you wonder if they actually get out and about and savour all that's on their doorstep.

They don't

Tallcarrie

To the OP: please don't take the negativity of the sentiments here to reflect the real experience of Waterford - people from this place love it no more or less than any other city, and have a great pride in their community and achievements. It's a much nicer place to live than Dublin (having lived in both places) and more affordable with many of the same facilities. We've just had a very successful arts festival, Imagine, there's a lovely Christmas festival, Winterval for the whole month of December and if the sun is shining, you can be on the beach in Tramore in no more than 30 minutes from the city centre, something you could only dream of in Dublin. How about coming down to stay for the weekend and seeing what the city can offer - that would give you an idea of what we're like and if you airbnb you could even stay with a Waterford person and find out more about the real people who live in this city, not the trolls who lurk here.

jonnyfingers

Myself and the wife moved to London from Waterford in 2011, mainly to further our career but also to try something different. We often talk about if and when we might come back and the only real deterrent is the job situation. However Waterford has so many things going for it that we miss.

1. The compact size. You can get anywhere quickly but it's still big enough that it meets most of your needs. If not Cork and Dublin are a short drive away.
2. Plenty to see and do. In my time in Waterford I tried my hand at a lot of things; singing, acting, football, basketball, karate, triathlons and many more. Everything was accessible and required very little effort to get involved. I only play Sunday League football in the UK and every match requires over an hour's drive. Any other group I've tried to join has been full of elderly people, based miles away or at a time that I can't make due to work commitments.
3. Great restaurants. For such a small city Waterford really does have some fantastic places to eat. I didn't appreciate it until we moved away but the quality is so far above some of the places we eat in London and all within about 10 minutes of each other.
4. Great location. The beach, countryside and mountains are all nearby. Again I never appreciated this until I didn't have it. Such a positive, especially when you have children or pets.
5. Good schools. I even hear my old one has flat screen TVs and aquariums now!
6. Tayto Blaas. Has to be added in at the end! :P

So in short Waterford is a great city to live in and I think you'd be happy here. However a lot of that happiness would depend on if you could secure suitable work in the city or nearby. Not sure what you do or what you would deem an acceptable commute, but the job has to be the driving factor for the move.

iMac_Hunt

Hi OP,

I'll give you an "outsider" opinion. I moved to Waterford 9 months ago and I can honestly say it's a great city with good people. I have settled here extremely well because I have been made welcome.
Prior to moving to Waterford, I had heard a lot of negative comments but I didn't let that deter me from making my own judgement.
It's a compact city that is easy to get around. You are 15minutes from the likes of Dunmore East which is a beautiful part of the country. The same with Tramore which has lots of water activities going on such as surfing lessons etc.
It really is a great spot to live. While job opportunities may be limited here, depending on what line of work you're in, there may be work in your area of expertise.
I would highly recommended Waterford. To people here being negative, you should be promoting your city to other people. Have a bit of pride. I'm only in Waterford a short period of time and when people ask my opinion or are being negative, I'm the first one to promote or defend it.
Op, if you do decide on Waterford, send me a pm and we can meet for a coffee.

comeraghs

Great to hear so many people being positive.

This will add hugely to the city too I believe.

http://www.deisegreenway.com/

Max Powers

lived in dublin for years, couldnt wait to get back to Waterford. Loads going for it, loads to do, easy to get around and to surrounding areas. All in all, a higher quality of life than you would get in dublin, in general.

deadybai

Waterford isnt too bad. Basically if you have a good and secure job I would recommend it thoroughly. Otherwise I wouldnt. The job situation here is basically as bad as it gets and while there has been signs of improvement its still really awful. Put it this way if I was in your position I would move to Cork. If the job situation was good here I would recommend Waterford over Cork 100%.

fiachr_a

If you'd like to live in a city with a village mentality then welcome!

dazftw

Do not move to Waterford without a decent paid and secure job. If you get these things Waterford will be great for you, especially if you decide to start a family.

Otherwise I would go to Cork.. I moved here last year and wouldn't move back to Waterford unless I got offered a decent secure job when I finish college and even then I would have to strongly think about it.

I've had 3 jobs in the space of 12 months, the third job being full-time.

I don't want to knock Waterford but there are places with better opportunities and things to do in general especially if you're thinking about moving here permanently.

Digital Society

dazftw wrote: »

Do not move to Waterford without a decent paid and secure job. If you get these things Waterford will be great for you, especially if you decide to start a family.

Otherwise I would go to Cork.. I moved here last year and wouldn't move back to Waterford unless I got offered a decent secure job when I finish college and even then I would have to strongly think about it.

I've had 3 jobs in the space of 12 months, the third job being full-time.

I don't want to knock Waterford but there are places with better opportunities and things to do in general especially if you're thinking about moving here permanently.

Best not to move anywhere without a job lined up these days unless youve a nice pile of cash and an education.

Last_Minute

Waterford is tiny - It's not really a city but you know this already.

Most of the town is not very appealing to look at but there are some really nice areas such as down around the Dunmore road/Ardkeen. The surrounding coastal area is beautiful and is one of my favorite parts of the country especially when the sun is shining.

The selection of restaurants is pretty impressive, i always find good value and great food for a reasonable price. The nightlife is, imo, not very good overall. There are a few bars around the town that are upbeat and serve decent pints but i suppose it depends on what you want really.

Overall it's a decent place but the lack of opportunities it's biggest downfall for most i would say.

sunnysoutheast

Radar2032 wrote: »

Hey,

I'm planning on moving to Waterford with my wife to settle down in the city. I've lived previously in Dublin for around 6 months and found it to be a great but slightly expensive. We are both from the UK

We are a young married couple and what attracted us to the city was the compact size and cheaper property rental prices than Cork or Dublin.

What are the job opportunities like at the moment in Waterford as this is my main concern and why i'm edging towards Cork a bit more at the moment.

Any clarifications would be appreciated.

Thanks

What line of work are you both in? That will define whether it is sensible to move here or not.

As others have said, the proximity of unspoilt coastline and countryside and the compact nature of the city generally is a massive plus.

But you need to have work. Things appear to be improving slowly but it is still challenging.

Alternatively, just have a buttered blaa with Tayto in it. All the discussion will then become academic.

wellboytoo

fiachr_a wrote: »

If you'd like to live in a city with a village mentality then welcome!

For a young person you really have a very dim outlook on life.

Chickentown

One extra point I forgot to mention is that if you are a member of the Roma community it is probably a good idea not to rent in Manor street.... *Inside joke

Chickentown

Tallcarrie wrote: »

To the OP: please don't take the negativity of the sentiments here to reflect the real experience of Waterford - people from this place love it no more or less than any other city, and have a great pride in their community and achievements. It's a much nicer place to live than Dublin (having lived in both places) and more affordable with many of the same facilities. We've just had a very successful arts festival, Imagine, there's a lovely Christmas festival, Winterval for the whole month of December and if the sun is shining, you can be on the beach in Tramore in no more than 30 minutes from the city centre, something you could only dream of in Dublin. How about coming down to stay for the weekend and seeing what the city can offer - that would give you an idea of what we're like and if you airbnb you could even stay with a Waterford person and find out more about the real people who live in this city, not the trolls who lurk here.

How can you justify calling people Trolls when they give their honest opinion when it has been asked for?

BaroqueinWat38

This city/town is boring as hell, there is a village mentality as someone else said and dont know where are the loads of things to do unless you only care to go to bars and get drunk , there 3 or 4 ok restaurants but that is it , only one movie theatre in a shopping center with most of the spaces not occupied , very depressing .
The town center is ugly and there are always disabled people walking around it and this gives it an even darker image-
The shopping wont even mention it because it is a joke ugly stores with tacky clothes from the 80´s but here in this town there is no sense of fashion all you see is people wearing sport pants

BuffyBot

Damn those ugly disabled people disfiguring the city. Surely the only solution is to decouple the city from the rest of the country and let it drift away..

bobbysands81

Radar2032 wrote: »

Hey,

I'm planning on moving to Waterford with my wife to settle down in the city. I've lived previously in Dublin for around 6 months and found it to be a great but slightly expensive. We are both from the UK

We are a young married couple and what attracted us to the city was the compact size and cheaper property rental prices than Cork or Dublin.

What are the job opportunities like at the moment in Waterford as this is my main concern and why i'm edging towards Cork a bit more at the moment.

Any clarifications would be appreciated.

Thanks

I'm a blow in as well (from Dublin).

Waterford is a fantastic small city but the locals are unbelievable negative about the place.

The people are sound, the city is very nice with various festivals throughout the year. There are some excellent pubs (Philly Grimes' being my favourite) and restaurants (Emiliano's stands up with any restaurant in the country), housing is cheap, traffic can be heavy around the city, and Cork and Dublin are less than 2 hours away.

You have beautiful places such as Dunmore East, Dungarvan (great pubs and food again), the Comeragh mountains, Mahon Falls in Waterford and other places such as Kilmore Quay, Inisteoige, St Mullens etc... that are within an hour.

If you sort out a job then I'd say you could do a hell of a lot worse than Waterford!

Digital Society

bobbysands81 wrote: »

I'm a blow in as well (from Dublin).

Waterford is a fantastic small city but the locals are unbelievable negative about the place.

The people are sound, the city is very nice with various festivals throughout the year. There are some excellent pubs (Philly Grimes' being my favourite) and restaurants (Emiliano's stands up with any restaurant in the country), housing is cheap, traffic can be heavy around the city, and Cork and Dublin are less than 2 hours away.

You have beautiful places such as Dunmore East, Dungarvan (great pubs and food again), the Comeragh mountains, Mahon Falls in Waterford and other places such as Kilmore Quay, Inisteoige, St Mullens etc... that are within an hour.

If you sort out a job then I'd say you could do a hell of a lot worse than Waterford!

Ah yes that old humdinger that people cant quite figure out.

How to find work.

Last_Minute

I wonder how Waterford fares in livability against the likes of Mumbai or Delhi? Serious question.

Whatsisname

BaroqueinWat38 wrote: »

This city/town is boring as hell, there is a village mentality as someone else said and dont know where are the loads of things to do unless you only care to go to bars and get drunk , there 3 or 4 ok restaurants but that is it , only one movie theatre in a shopping center with most of the spaces not occupied , very depressing .
The town center is ugly and there are always disabled people walking around it and this gives it an even darker image-
The shopping wont even mention it because it is a joke ugly stores with tacky clothes from the 80´s but here in this town there is no sense of fashion all you see is people wearing sport pants

This is the best thing I've ever read

Max Powers

Whatsisname wrote: »

This is the best thing I've ever read

Agree, Baroquien's vacuous post is kinda funny in its silly own way

fricatus

Last_Minute wrote: »

I wonder how Waterford fares in livability against the likes of Mumbai or Delhi? Serious question.

I think this deserves a thread of its own if it is indeed a serious question.

I'll have a stab at it though: I'm sure life in Delhi or Mumbai is great if you've a load of money and rickshaw and chai wallahs to bring you around and serve you tea. A salary of 30 or 40k would go a whole lot further in India (even the cities) than it would here, but if you had to do your own job (e.g. factory worker, taxi driver) over there, let's be honest, you'd be earning a hell of a lot less, and would have the standard of living to match.

I've never been there, but by all accounts you'd have to deal with a level of pollution and overcrowding that most Irish people (including me) just have no concept of.

I would guess that if you compared the experiences of the poorest 25% in both places, that's where you would find the greatest differences. People on the dole or on low wages in Ireland have plenty to complain about (and sometimes rightly so), but everybody pretty much has running water and sewage, access to immunisation, first-world healthcare, education, a minimum standard of diet, etc. Nobody I'm aware of has to live in a shack alongside a railway line or scrabble a living out of a rubbish tip.

So the question is interesting, but ultimately I find it facetious, especially if we're comparing the poorest in both societies. I'm curious as to why you'd ask it in relation to Waterford, and not say Sligo or Galway. Is our reputation really that bad?

FWIW, I think it's hard to find anywhere better to live in Ireland. Maybe Cork, Galway, or the nicer parts of Dublin, but then you're talking about higher accommodation costs (and astronomical in south Dublin). The employment situation is the real problem, and most realistic people in this thread have acknowledged that.

Waterford hits the sweet spot in terms of quality of life versus cost. You just need to have a job, and then you're all set!

Digital Society

fricatus wrote: »

Waterford hits the sweet spot in terms of quality of life versus cost. You just need to have a job, and then you're all set!

Apart from a couple of hundred on rent what else do you save money on by living in Waterford?

Tallcarrie

Chickentown wrote: »

How can you justify calling people Trolls when they give their honest opinion when it has been asked for?

Because an honest opinion makes an effort to show both sides, positive and negative, and the negative opinions are just that, negative.

bobbysands81

Digital Society wrote: »

Apart from a couple of hundred on rent what else do you save money on by living in Waterford?

Eating out or getting a takeaway (an ethnic one, not a Chipper) is more expensive than Dublin... but by Jesus Emiliano's is as good as restaurants get for the price. Immense.

thomasm

BaroqueinWat38 wrote: »

This city/town is boring as hell, there is a village mentality as someone else said and dont know where are the loads of things to do unless you only care to go to bars and get drunk , there 3 or 4 ok restaurants but that is it , only one movie theatre in a shopping center with most of the spaces not occupied , very depressing .
The town center is ugly and there are always disabled people walking around it and this gives it an even darker image-
The shopping wont even mention it because it is a joke ugly stores with tacky clothes from the 80´s but here in this town there is no sense of fashion all you see is people wearing sport pants

Your negativity is staggering. I'm not a doctor but you really sound depressed. No doubt caused by all the disabled people in 80s style tracksuits

fricatus

Digital Society wrote: »

Apart from a couple of hundred on rent what else do you save money on by living in Waterford?

Is that not good enough for you? Accommodation makes up about a third of most people's budgets, and any saving is a significant one. Remember that "couple of hundred" you're talking about is an ongoing saving each month and adds up to a hell of a lot over time. Just take a look on Daft.ie and look at the sort of house you can get for €200k in Waterford, then try to find an equivalent house in Dublin - you'd be shelling out half that again!

Property tax is decided on the valuation of your house, so there's another one...

If you want another big one, look at creche fees. Just going on a recent informal discussion, the going rate in Waterford appears to be about €650 a month, and in Dublin it's about a grand!

There are tons of other, smaller savings. Car and house insurance is slightly cheaper, and just the shorter distances and comparative lack of congestion compared to Dublin means that your diesel or petrol bill tends to be lower.

If you go out, your meal is cheaper. Pints are cheaper on the whole, and a taxi generally costs less. Anecdotally I've even heard of things like haircuts being cheaper here. There are plenty of savings!

Radar2032

I'm taking the plunge and going to Waterford, thanks for all your advice.

fricatus

Radar2032 wrote: »

I'm taking the plunge and going to Waterford, thanks for all your advice.

Well may I say welcome, and the best of luck!

Do come back and let us all know how you get on.

Boskowski

BaroqueinWat38 wrote: »

This city/town is boring as hell, there is a village mentality as someone else said and dont know where are the loads of things to do unless you only care to go to bars and get drunk , there 3 or 4 ok restaurants but that is it , only one movie theatre in a shopping center with most of the spaces not occupied , very depressing .
The town center is ugly and there are always disabled people walking around it and this gives it an even darker image-
The shopping wont even mention it because it is a joke ugly stores with tacky clothes from the 80´s but here in this town there is no sense of fashion all you see is people wearing sport pants

I feel a bit like this about the place on a bad day but really - while some truth in this - it's nowhere near this bad.

Tallcarrie

Radar2032 wrote: »

I'm taking the plunge and going to Waterford, thanks for all your advice.

We look forward to giving you a Deise welcome - let us know when you arrive and how you're getting on!

Road-Hog

BaroqueinWat38 wrote: »

This city/town is boring as hell, there is a village mentality as someone else said and dont know where are the loads of things to do unless you only care to go to bars and get drunk , there 3 or 4 ok restaurants but that is it , only one movie theatre in a shopping center with most of the spaces not occupied , very depressing .
The town center is ugly and there are always disabled people walking around it and this gives it an even darker image-
The shopping wont even mention it because it is a joke ugly stores with tacky clothes from the 80´s but here in this town there is no sense of fashion all you see is people wearing sport pants

Does this guy not at least need a warning for his/her insensitive comments on disabled people not to mention the rest of the negativity expressed

mollymosfet

Chickentown wrote: »

One extra point I forgot to mention is that if you are a member of the Roma community it is probably a good idea not to rent in Manor street.... *Inside joke

I have a Slovak Romani friend who won't come back to the country because of that. She grew up in the UK but was in Waterford for a while so it hit a bit too close to home for her. So not so funny...

7upfree

mollymosfet wrote: »

I have a Slovak Romani friend who won't come back to the country because of that. She grew up in the UK but was in Waterford for a while so it hit a bit too close to home for her. So not so funny...

Lighten up. What is your problem? To the OP. Waterford is a great place. Hopefully you've moved here and are now enjoying yourself. Despite the idiots who try to paint us in a bad light any chance they get.