Are people afarid to ask for a pay rise?

Depending on your salary, you would need a whopper pay rise to sort out the struggling to stay afloat issue. Tax is a bastard.

I would never be afraid to ask but in this case I doubt it will solve your issues.

What I would do is plan for the move to the midlands, get a remote job(Depending on your line of work), and enjoy the country air with all the spare cash.

In any case I doubt the pay rise will solve your issues and with things getting worse and worse in Dublin in regards to rent and general cost of living I would be planning my exit strategy.

When I mentioned remote working I meant with another company also :) Loads of them around now.

Men are usually ok and women tend to be historically not so good at asking hence the so called gender pay gap

Some people are because they're scared to get rejected.

I recently had an employee come to me with a similar problem, I wasn't in a position to increase his wage BUT I was able to put on special overtime to suit him as well as change his hours around with someone else to make it as easy as possible for him to earn more.

I don't know if that would work in your case BUT hopefully it's an example that going to your employer with honesty and explaining your situation can be the best option. Once you're honest and communicate clearly. Personally, I'd leave out the stuff about the nightmare colleague and, as someone said above, highlight your own clear value. Best of luck with it, your post seems honest and genuine and I have no doubt you will come across that way with your employer.

Move abroad for a few years. I did it best decision ever.

There is no harm in asking but I wouldn't be saying give it to me or else.

There is a bigger picture though if the rent increase has meant you are going to go into debt maybe it's the career you both have that is the issue as well, especially if it's the type of career when you would struggle to get a job outside of Dublin.

Mine is based on your impact. 10% if you have the highest impact rating. 5% for satisfactory. Feck all if you're not performing to their standards and like most big companies external hires get paid a LOT more than internal hires.

OP if you're reading this as we're approaching the new year would you give some thought to your future in Dublin? As others have said what will you do if the gf gets pregnant? If one of you loses a job? If one of you gets sick? I'm also from the middle of the country. My parents are working class and have no money to give us any dig outs so Dublin just didn't work for me either. Was living week to week, had no space or privacy (house share with 4 others), tried delivering food at night but the tax just ate up that and I got nowhere. I was afraid of moving home because I thought I'd be a failure. Long story short, I travelled first - Canada and a year in the US before coming home and getting a job that lets me work remotely and my life is better by every measure. You couldn't drag me back to Dublin for anything less than about 75K.

I lived in Vancouver and Philadelphia. Not cheap places especially Vancouver but Dublin is just brutal because the wages aren't there for most people. If you're dead set on Dublin I'd start looking at your jobs and what potential they have. Could these turn into well paying jobs, are there good opportunities for advancement? The 200 quid you'd get now is a patch job.

Such companies do exist, speaking from the personal experience (in IT). With promotions and rising bonuses, it is possible to get an average 5% pre-tax annual income increase <insert a link to a Python course here> ;)

My advice would be to look around to see what is a good market rate for the work you do. Talk to a recruitment company in your sector, they will quickly tell you if you are unselling yourself. I know you like where you work but if it does not pay the bills you need to change your lifestyle or get a job that pays more. Just look around, talk to recruiters, you are under no obligation to take it any further. Until you know whats possible in terms of salary you dont know what to say to your manager. Go to a few interviews, see whats out there, then you can make an informed decision.

Statistically women are less likely to try negotiate a pay rise. It's one of the reasons there's a gender pay gap. Men tend to be more assertive and forthcoming about their earnings and worth in the workplace.

As a person who manages people professionally, I can tell you that no manager dislikes having this conversation. It's just part of the job. Raise it in a professional tone and you'll be given a fair answer. Hopefully one that suits you.