Will there be a new generation of young Irish leaving the country?

canavanbn@hotma

I’m curious, with the cost of living so high and so many young people with supposedly ‘good’ jobs struggling to buy property, start families and the like due to prices etc do you think we will see people leaving as they the cost of living will be lower abroad, and overall they will have a higher standard of living?
Also, is there any country or occupation abroad which still offers young Irish people the chance to work abroad make good money and not loose its value when converted into euro?
I want to travel, but don’t want to come back to/or with nothing.

MorningStar

You need to understand why people left before. It was mostly to do with unemployment and most people wanted to stay close to their family. A lot of people came back which might indicate that home is home. Some people will leave due to conditions but nothing like in the 80s

Lump

I left, for college now working in england. Cause Ireland sucks for media jobs, unless I go and work for RTE

AHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaha.....

John

Coolésin

well I cant wait till I turn 18 so I can get the hell out of here..want to go to UCLA personally :P

karlh

the country has turned into an expensive, soulless nightmare.

i'm out asap!

MorningStar

Lump wrote:

I left, for college now working in england. Cause Ireland sucks for media jobs, unless I go and work for RTE

AHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaha.....

Yes but there are additional two channels now and a third on the way with another mentioned recently. You don't need to work for RTE now. The current youth have more opportunity now and don't realise it.
With the way the media tells things here people will leave bitching and moaning the whole way and comeback when they realise Ireland isn't that bad.

MorningStar

karlh wrote:

the country has turned into an expensive, soulless nightmare.

i'm out asap!

Your not old enough to know that

You need to know what it was like when there was no jobs.

25 isn't old enough sorry!

pickarooney

Can't see myself ever moving back, but maybe the next geneartion will, who knows.

Kintarō Hattori

Ireland's not a bad place, contrary to what people think. It is just expensive. Lately I've been thinking about buying a house, and with the cost of living here as opposed to other countries, I'm seriously thinking of moving abroad. Property is so much more expensive.
I've always wondered what my dream in life was, and as simple and perhaps pittiful as it is, I've just realised what it is. I'd like to own my own house. And not with a 30 year mortage.

Of course people will always say the grass is greener on the other side, and that is true to a certain extent. The simple fact is, property here is just insanely expensive, so yes, I think you will see a certain portion of young Irish people, go abroad and leave Ireland behind.

Goodshape

I left for Prague about a year ago.. don't ever plan on spending too much time in Ireland again to be honest (I probably will in fairness, just don't 'plan to' as such).

Prague is great. Things run on time, all the time. Public transport is as close to free as makes no difference - you buy tickets which start at 40c for 30mins (a recent increase from 24c... scandal!) and can be used on any tram / bus / metro within the time period... actual ticket inspectors are so rare you can usually get away without... The fine if you're caught is around €15.

Some things (an increasing amount actually, even in the short time I've been here) are a bit expensive when put up against the average Czech wage - luxury items like CD's / DVD's don't tend to be any cheaper - but normal living is definitely easier I find. Things like rent, food and, of course, beer are never a problem money-wise.

Not that any of the above is reason for me being here (or not being in Ireland). I figure 20+ years in one place, I can afford to spend a fair few somewhere else. Where to next is the only question.

I think a lot of people will leave but as MorningStar said the reasons are different. More out of opportunity than necessity these days. A lot will return home when they're finished 'seeing the world'.

sionnach

I'm probably gonna move to Toronto once I'm fully qualified for my profession, Dublin just isn't my kind of place.

KTRIC

Current plan is to buy a house and sell it in a year or so then move to Germany with my missus. Just need to brush up on my German first.

galwaydude

im off to the states next spring for a year at least and then live between here and the states

Sparky

ill probably move to Las vegas in the next couple of years, thats if things get worse over here, i have my aunt and cousins in LV so at least there will be some family of mine over there.

Scubadevils

I am off to the Canary Islands in about September with the wife and baby, sick of the rat race here and just want to take a break from it all for a while. The plan is to stay for at least a year anyway and then see what happens. Selling our house to clear all debts and finance the trip, we will also be able to keep enough for a deposit should we end up coming home - the money made on the house we would have never had so the logic is to enjoy it and be debt free!

Sparky

Felixdhc wrote:

I am off to the Canary Islands in about September with the wife and baby, sick of the rat race here and just want to take a break from it all for a while. The plan is to stay for at least a year anyway and then see what happens. Selling our house to clear all debts and finance the trip, we will also be able to keep enough for a deposit should we end up coming home - the money made on the house we would have never had so the logic is to enjoy it and be debt free!

Id probably spend a few months in las vegas to get the feel of the place, organise a few things then decide on moving.

Scubadevils

We have been over a few times so just decided to take the plunge full on so to speak. Its a big world and life is short so if we decide we don't like living there so be it, can't say we didn't try!

Sparky

Felixdhc wrote:

We have been over a few times so just decided to take the plunge full on so to speak. Its a big world and life is short so if we decide we don't like living there so be it, can't say we didn't try!

Well honestly, good luck with your plans, did you organise like places to stay etc before you go over or do you know someone over there?

Scubadevils

Sparky_S wrote:

Well honestly, good luck with your plans, did you organise like places to stay etc before you go over or do you know someone over there?

We are going out on a 2 week holiday and have several long term rental properties to view when we get there. Have been in touch with lots of expats out there and they all seem more than willing to assist as they have been there themselves. Was a little worried that we may not get a rental property in the 2 weeks but I have been assured by several agents out there that it will not be a problem.

Sparky

well good luck and fairs due to ya, for doing so, like you say lifes short, so live it.

Scubadevils

Sparky_S wrote:

well good luck and fairs due to ya, for doing so, like you say lifes short, so live it.

Thanks a million, looking forward to it now!

Best of luck too if you decide to go to Las Vegas.

Sparky

Felixdhc wrote:

Thanks a million, looking forward to it now!

Best of luck too if you decide to go to Las Vegas.

Cheers.

jester77

Well, I've already moved, on same salary as I was at home. In Germany now, cheaper rent, cheaper calls, trains and bus's arrive when they say they will arrive and very frequently, weather is better, excellent health care, no speed limits on the motorway, proper broadband at good price, cheaper shopping, great value when eating out, cheap beer, no hangover, only 2 hours away from home, world cup next summer...

Real

My GF and I are moving to New Jersey on the 15th.

Cant wait to get out of this overpriced, miserable begrudging place (of course we will rent out our house in case we need to come home)

I shouldnt complain too much about Ireland, the main reason for our move is to experience a completly new place. Money and quality of life are big factors too. Although we both have reasonably good jobs here we still find we are out of cash at the end of the month. Saving some cash is impossible here. If we had kids or if one of us were sick we couldnt survive long.

My advice is go if you have the opportunity. You only live once and you can always come back.

lucernarian

I never knew how bad the '80s were for opportunities and money except through Reeling in the Years and teachers mentioning it every so often. Believe me, the large majority of my generation haven't even considered emigration. At most, people my age think about travelling the world before or after college.

I just hope that Ireland will not see economic hardship like there was in the past. I read that 95% of income tax receipts in 1985 went to servicing the national debt. Now that would be bad.

galwaydude

duplicate post, woops!!!!

galwaydude

cant wait to go to the states next march with my GF, off to boston next month to sort out my visa.

Everyone should experience living abroad as it opens your eyes

In saying that ireland is a fantastic place to live just a tad too expensive.

magpie

Staying put - there's more room now with you lot all going.

MorningStar

To_be_confirmed wrote:

I never knew how bad the '80s were for opportunities and money except through Reeling in the Years and teachers mentioning it every so often. Believe me, the large majority of my generation haven't even considered emigration. At most, people my age think about travelling the world before or after college.

I just hope that Ireland will not see economic hardship like there was in the past. I read that 95% of income tax receipts in 1985 went to servicing the national debt. Now that would be bad.

Amazing! Somebody who actually realises that Ireland has improved and they weren't around to remember it. If only everybody actually thought about things before moaning about the country that provided them with education that allows them to work in other countries.
I remeber being in school when they told us things like when you leave the country don't forget to buy Irish to help us out back here.
The vast majority of parents now grew up in the 80s and are now buying their kids EVERYTHING becasue they remember having nothing. This is causing some problems with spoilt and over weight kids. Instead of running out of the country maybe people should address the problems and try and make the country better. It's a lot easier to leave and moan than fix the problem. Listen to me I sound just like the Bull McCabe

BossArky

People leave the country nowadays because they see the opportunities that exist abroad, plus the excitement of exploring new locations.

Ireland is not a bad place to live I guess, but who wants to spend their entire life on this grassy lump when there is so much else to see? It has been mentioned above --> after spending about 20+ years in Ireland at school / Uni it is time to get out and broaden the horizons. Spending a week or two on holidays is no comparison to actually living in a foreign culture for at least year or two.

You can usually see current characteristics in people who have or have not travelled. Employers see this too.

ionapaul

You are right, there is a world of difference between those who have lived abroad for a few years and those who have stayed put, particularly the 'born in Dublin, bred in Dublin, never plan to leave Dublin' brigade! I certainly know who I'd rather hang out with at a party...

magpie

Last time I left the country (between 1992 and 1997) every other funker got filthy rich buying houses before the boom. :mad:

MorningStar

ionapaul wrote:

You are right, there is a world of difference between those who have lived abroad for a few years and those who have stayed put, particularly the 'born in Dublin, bred in Dublin, never plan to leave Dublin' brigade! I certainly know who I'd rather hang out with at a party...

Actually the people who resent living in Dublin and complain all the time about how it's a dive are the worst IMHO. Nothing worse than a bogger who wishes they didn't live here and say that things are better outside the city and in any other city. The Dublin born and bred are at least ill educated so their is some excuse. When educated people have a chip on their shoulder I find it worse. What many people fail to understand while things have changed part of the problem is people grow up and it is you who change the most first and foremost.

Everywhere has problems and somtimes it is you who has the problem.

javelin

I'm gonna move there, but now that you guys are speaking about it, it sounds so bad. is it really that bad living there?
mostly interested in Dublin

magpie

I'm gonna move there, but now that you guys are speaking about it, it sounds so bad. is it really that bad living there?
mostly interested in Dublin

Don't worry you'll love it. We have

1) The Swedish Food Company
2) 'Totally Dublin' magazine which is run by Scandinavians
3) That Swedish girl who used to work in the Thomas House, when it was open.

Skoll!

MorningStar

javelin wrote:

I'm gonna move there, but now that you guys are speaking about it, it sounds so bad. is it really that bad living there?
mostly interested in Dublin

It's very Irish to complain We complain when things are good especially as we are afraid it will go bad. When things are bad we just muddle through but don't complain as much. :rolleyes:

Scubadevils

I am not complaining really about Ireland or Dublin given that its where I live, I have always wanted to live abroad and so now going to try it. There is lot I love about Ireland but equally a lot that I am sick of (for now). I'm sure when I move there will be things that annoy and faraway hills will be greener but thats life I guess! Fact still remains that life is short and there is a big world out there.

jester77

MorningStar wrote:

Actually the people who resent living in Dublin and complain all the time about how it's a dive are the worst IMHO. Nothing worse than a bogger who wishes they didn't live here and say that things are better outside the city and in any other city. The Dublin born and bred are at least ill educated so their is some excuse. When educated people have a chip on their shoulder I find it worse. What many people fail to understand while things have changed part of the problem is people grow up and it is you who change the most first and foremost.

Everywhere has problems and somtimes it is you who has the problem.

I wouldn't say that everyone who's complaining resents living in Dublin, or anywhere in Ireland. People are fed-up with the rip off culture that has emerged from the celtic tiger. Yes there have been good things to come out of it, anyone that wants to work can now work. But at the same time prices have escalated at a ridiculous rate, far more than most people's salaries have risen. You only need to ask the majority of people who are working, there's nothing left at the end of the month. Families where there is only 1 person working are struggling to cope. The government have done a good job at getting jobs into Ireland and they have kept alot of people happy with the SSIA's and tax reductions throughout the last few years. Yet we still have a poor health system & poor public infastructure. Bus's and trains are a joke, if you live in the country and are lucky enough to be close to a train station the only place you can go is Dublin and that's on an old diesel train. Do a comparison of Ireland now and 15 years ago, health and transport facilities haven't changed much, but the prices have.
You only need to live abroad for a while until you realise how much you are being ripped off. Insurance, groceries, clothes, communication, entertainment, etc... And the sad thing is most people are happy to accept that!

javelin

magpie wrote:

Don't worry you'll love it. We have

1) The Swedish Food Company
2) 'Totally Dublin' magazine which is run by Scandinavians
3) That Swedish girl who used to work in the Thomas House, when it was open.

Skoll!

in all fairness, I'm not moving from sweden to meet swedes and eat swede food

SKÅL!

magpie

I'm not moving from sweden to meet swedes and eat swede food

What, you want to meet Irish people and eat Irish food? I wouldn't recommend it.

javelin

magpie wrote:

What, you want to meet Irish people and eat Irish food? I wouldn't recommend it.

haha, ok. why not?

ionapaul

MorningStar wrote:

Actually the people who resent living in Dublin and complain all the time about how it's a dive are the worst IMHO. Nothing worse than a bogger who wishes they didn't live here and say that things are better outside the city and in any other city. The Dublin born and bred are at least ill educated so their is some excuse. When educated people have a chip on their shoulder I find it worse. What many people fail to understand while things have changed part of the problem is people grow up and it is you who change the most first and foremost.

Everywhere has problems and somtimes it is you who has the problem.

Hey, I like living in Dublin at the moment! No, I was just saying the 'born in Dublin, bred in Dublin, never willing to leave Dublin' brigade are often less interesting and fun people to engage with than those who have lived abroad and experienced more of life...IN MY HONEST OPINION, before someone jumped down my throat You see the same thing in many big cities, I knew a few New Yorkers who have never lived elsewhere and physically blanch at the thought of moving away from the Big Apple, which I find fairly pathetic.

MorningStar

jester77 wrote:

I wouldn't say that everyone who's complaining resents living in Dublin, or anywhere in Ireland.

You should look up the word resent. You resent being ripped off from everything you say. Prices have gone up but some people seem to think it is all completely unreasonable. I don't subscribe to this belief that all things have gone up in price and that it is a rip-off "culture". How is it a culture? It's a business practice at most. Irish salaries, properties, employment were all some of the lowest in the EU in the 80s things are therfore cheaper than ever before because people can buy them! THey are more expensive than every where else because wages are the highest. There is extra profit being made here but don't belive the media hype that everything is a rip off. Economies of scale is one of our problems and it is never considered. Unless you break down costs in Ireland you don't know it is a rip off you just think it is.

MorningStar

ionapaul wrote:

Hey, I like living in Dublin at the moment! No, I was just saying the 'born in Dublin, bred in Dublin, never willing to leave Dublin' brigade are often less interesting and fun people to engage with than those who have lived abroad and experienced more of life....

I agree with you but I find I meet more country people who go on about Dublin. When people say "Dublin is a mess but when I was in Australia. Perth was so..."
JUst boring people who want to tell you they have been away. THey are the extreme. There are a lot of people I remember in college who hated Dublin but had to come here for education and are now here for work. They hate the place. THey are basically the same crowd of "staying where they grew up" but they have to come to Dublin so are even worse.

BolBill

With some luck there will be. I'm sick of not getting a seat in the boozer.....

magpie

when I was in Australia

I'd rather eat my own flesh than go to that cultureless penal colony.

ionapaul

magpie wrote:

I'd rather eat my own flesh than go to that cultureless penal colony.

Ha One year working in an Irish bar in an Irish ghetto should not be classified as living abroad! Nothing worse than going somewhere new and then trying your hardest to do the familiar...though I suppose many people need the comfort of the familiar when removed from the womb-like protection of home.

One of the greatest things about the American college system is the importance placed on the 'year abroad', wish we had it here. That said, most of our college educated folk will live abroad for a while in their 20s, while most Americans are less willing to move abroad once their college years are over.

jester77

MorningStar wrote:

You should look up the word resent. You resent being ripped off from everything you say. Prices have gone up but some people seem to think it is all completely unreasonable. I don't subscribe to this belief that all things have gone up in price and that it is a rip-off "culture". How is it a culture? It's a business practice at most. Irish salaries, properties, employment were all some of the lowest in the EU in the 80s things are therfore cheaper than ever before because people can buy them! THey are more expensive than every where else because wages are the highest. There is extra profit being made here but don't belive the media hype that everything is a rip off. Economies of scale is one of our problems and it is never considered. Unless you break down costs in Ireland you don't know it is a rip off you just think it is.

OK, maybe resent was the wrong word to use there. I love Ireland, great place, great people and great fun. But while living there I was on what was considered the "average" salary and I was scraping by at the end of the month and it wasn't like I was living the high life. Just rent, transport, bills, food, few drinks at the weekend. I'm now on the same wage here, doing the same things and I have alot extra cash at the end of the month. I don't read into the media hype, I just see it as it is!

MorningStar

jester77 wrote:

I'm now on the same wage here, doing the same things and I have alot extra cash at the end of the month. I don't read into the media hype, I just see it as it is!

Well it proabably isn't the average wage there but a higher wage in relationship to there. The average wage in Ireland is different from the average wage in Dublin. Not every country has such a city divide but where it does it needs to be considered.
If you "see it as it is" and don't examine it you might miss something. You should never just look at the surface. High minimum wage makes things expensive but more people benifit. I hear people go on about how good life is in the US. What people miss is the people at the bottom. Here we have automatic machines to issue tickets into car parks. In the use they use people! Why? It is cheaper to hire somebody than buy the machine. THe person working there probably works 3 or 4 jobs to survive. I have never seen poverty like I saw in the US in any other western country.

jester77

MorningStar wrote:

Well it proabably isn't the average wage there but a higher wage in relationship to there. The average wage in Ireland is different from the average wage in Dublin. Not every country has such a city divide but where it does it needs to be considered.
If you "see it as it is" and don't examine it you might miss something. You should never just look at the surface. High minimum wage makes things expensive but more people benifit. I hear people go on about how good life is in the US. What people miss is the people at the bottom. Here we have automatic machines to issue tickets into car parks. In the use they use people! Why? It is cheaper to hire somebody than buy the machine. THe person working there probably works 3 or 4 jobs to survive. I have never seen poverty like I saw in the US in any other western country.

I'm not sure what the average wage here is but I don't think I am far off. Maybe I am missing something but here in Germany everyone can get by. They have a ridiculous welfare system, in that it is too generous. I know it's a bigger country so has more tax to pay for good infrastructure, health, etc. But I still think Ireland is being ripped off for things like insurance, groceries, entertainment, etc. I read just last week a magazine here that was talking about all the major festivals in Europe and gave prices for them. Oxygen was the most expensive by a good bit, even though some of the other festivals were over 3 days with big acts as well. That's just 1 example that came to me. But people will still pay! The first time any friend or family member visits me, they always without fail comment on how cheap they find things!

Mac daddy

I'm leaving next year ( thank god )

Reason cost of living

The cost of rent,

Can earn more money abroad for the same work that i'm doing,

Crap public transport - lived in holland for 14 years then moved to ireland what a joke......