Offered a good job in Glasgow...

monkeyslayer

Was offered a good job in Glasgow today, full time. I'd like the job but I'm still very undecided by the city. Seemed only ok when I walked around it last week for an afternoon, its a bit like Dublin really. I'm into the outdoors and love my proximity to Wicklow etc here, I kinda like the way its the same there, is it really really bleak up that far north in the winter? I'm ok with life in Dublin, I've a job here that pays better but its stagnant and its times to move on. It is in the area of the arts, film making and graphic design. What are peoples thoughts on Glasgow as a place to emigrate to? Cost of living wise I reckon job/life would work out the same I suppose. I know no one other than my employers up there, who would probably help a little but wouldn't want to lean on them too much. Have till Monday to decide

Fysh

monkeyslayer wrote: »

Was offered a good job in Glasgow today, full time. I'd like the job but I'm still very undecided by the city. Seemed only ok when I walked around it last week for an afternoon, its a bit like Dublin really. I'm into the outdoors and love my proximity to Wicklow etc here, I kinda like the way its the same there, is it really really bleak up that far north in the winter? I'm ok with life in Dublin, I've a job here that pays better but its stagnant and its times to move on. It is in the area of the arts, film making and graphic design. What are peoples thoughts on Glasgow as a place to emigrate to? Cost of living wise I reckon job/life would work out the same I suppose. I know no one other than my employers up there, who would probably help a little but wouldn't want to lean on them too much. Have till Monday to decide

I'm in Edinburgh rather than Glasgow, but the two cities are fairly close and complement each other well. I would say a few things to consider are:

• the weather can be a bit of a shock, partly the cold and partly the dark - particularly in autumn and winter. Not a dealbreaker necessarily, but it will be something to deal with.
• Rents are still surprisingly reasonable in Glasgow, at least compared to Edinburgh, so you might be better off than you think in terms of cost of living. Work out the numbers for yourself though to be on the safe side.
• There are a lot of outdoors groups on the likes of Meetup, so you'd be able to find treks etc easily enough I'd think. It depends what kind of things you have in mind and what proximity you want - would you want to live somewhere rural and commute into the city, or just be able to get out to the countryside easily at weekends? Are you looking to get out by car or public transport?
• People - Glasgow is generally regarded as "aggressively friendly". Moving to a new city and country can be quite tough, though, so look for groups and activities that will let you meet new people - Meetup is used a lot (amongst others) and will almost certainly have an "Irish in Glasgow" group if that's what you're after, as well as groups for almost any hobby or interest you have.
• Culture - Glasgow has a strong arts scene alongside Edinburgh; live music in particular is focused around Glasgow rather than Edinburgh for the most part but both cities have vibrant visual arts scenes along with film festivals that are well-regarded internationally.

Hopefully this will at least give you a few more things to consider and help focus your thought process