Emigrants, thinking of coming home?

ancapailldorcha · 25-01-2016 04:37PM

Shelga wrote: »

The cost of living in Bristol, where I'm considering, seems to be about 20% less than Dublin overall, and you get more bang for your buck. Close to the gorgeous Somerset countryside and Bath, my favourite place in the UK.

I've always wanted to go to Bristol and Bath. Bristol has a cat pub now as well. I thought you were considering moving to Brighton by your post but I didn't want to speculate. In any case, avoid. Avoid like the plague unless you're minted.

CaraMay · 25-01-2016 04:42PM

I get the sense from a lot of emigrants that they think Ireland is worse off got them having left. I'm sure it's hard on their families and it's great they love the lifestyles they've found but things will continue to improve for the people who chose to stay here and put their shoulder to the wheel.

OneArt · 25-01-2016 04:57PM

I moved to Germany nearly five years ago. Going back to Ireland now would be VERY difficult and a real adjustment. As a country I don't dislike it, in fact I enjoy coming for visits, but I just don't think I could live there comfortably. Outside of Limerick, Dublin and possibly Cork, there are no real cities. It's too rural and the state of the infrastructure is appalling.

I also REALLY dislike Irish drinking culture. I love the way the Irish can have the craic, but the actual way nights out are sucks. Everything is closed by 2/3 and in it's always a mad rush to neck down as much as possible before the cut off point. Going to a pub or a bar is an important part of socializing for me, though on weekends I usually don't head out until 11 and am often out til 5 or 6. Germany just has a much more relaxed attitude and no one will bat an eye if you hang out at a bar and not drink.

Overall, I feel there is less security in Ireland, particularly with regards to employment and housing. If I had to move back, I'd have to buy a property (which I REALLY don't want to do without serious consideration) or else I'd find myself moving regularly at my landlord's whim (again in Germany, you can't be kicked out of your apartment unless the landlord wants to use it for his own purposes).

So there are a HEAP of factors stopping me from coming back, not to mention the weather. Sure, jobs and the economy are on the rise but quality of life is also important and compared even to the UK, in Ireland it is sorely lacking.

_Brian · 25-01-2016 05:03PM

After you've been heavily taxed Ireland is an expensive place to live, and that's with interest rated at all time lows.
Give it maybe 5 years and interest rates have increased by maybe 5-8% and it will be crippling to have a mortgage here, many mortgages just getting bye now will become unsustainable, que a whole new raft of troubled mortgages and the hurt that goes with that.

Permabear · 25-01-2016 05:33PM

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Tuesday_Girl · 25-01-2016 05:47PM

I moved back recently after 16 years away, a few other people I know have also moved back in the last 18 months. I think it's an age thing, as people get older and start to have families many move back to be nearer to family and have a wish to raise their children in Ireland.

Special Circumstances · 25-01-2016 06:00PM

Tuesday_Girl wrote: »

I moved back recently after 16 years away, a few other people I know have also moved back in the last 18 months. I think it's an age thing, as people get older and start to have families many move back to be nearer to family and have a wish to raise their children in Ireland.

What have you found to be the biggest hurdles or was it all plain sailing? Any "wtf is this some kinda tax on returning emigrants" or "how the hell do people pay so much for so little these days" type stuff?

rainbow kirby · 25-01-2016 06:14PM

Have been in London since 2013, husband is here since 2010 and our first kid will be born here in March. Haven't a clue what we'll do long-term tbh. I'm pretty happy here for the moment but our priorities may change in the future. Job opportunities for both of us are very good here but the cost of living is very high.

FTA69 · 25-01-2016 06:31PM

Based in London now since my late teens bar a three year stint at home in order to attend university which transpired to be the biggest waste of time ever but there you go. Moved back to London with an Irish girl, split up with her, landed a new career and am firmly based here as my job is not transferable to Ireland for the time being. I can envision myself returning to Ireland in my mid-50s all things considered. My partner is from the Caribbean though so that may well change.

I'm looking to buy my own home this year which will mitigate much of the rental costs which is a joke in London by this stage, all in all I'm very content here.

catbear · 25-01-2016 07:38PM

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

But is there the same access to diagnosis between Ireland and the US. From my experience I've seen US colleagues remortgage for vital medical treatment that I've seen provided on the Irish public system free.

And then there's the gun crime which was pretty horrific when I was in New York in the late 80s, I believe its cleaned up a lot but going home at night to watch the news about another stray bullet death on a street that I use daily made me feel less free in the home of the brave. (targeted shootings tended not to make the news unless the mob or westies were involved, the more culourful executions like a sicilian necktie dumped in the east river got more millage).

osarusan · 25-01-2016 07:47PM

Moved home last year, but I know that there's a high chance we'll be off to Japan (or somewhere else) again in 3 or 4 years. We'd prefer to stay but it all depends on job availability and salary.

A lot of stuff is just a lot easier and less stressful here, but the cost of living is farcical - Limerick rents are more expensive than the same size apartment in Tokyo!

ArnoldJRimmer · 25-01-2016 08:07PM

At this moment and time, I cant see myself ever returning from the US, but as someone mentioned above, with age priorities change.

Pro's of living in the US vs Ireland:
- Weather. Its freezing here at the moment, worse last week when I was outside in -30 degrees celcius. But there will be 4-5 months of fantastic weather later on in the summer where I can get up at 5am and have a long cycle before work. And sit out in beer gardens all evening
- Lower rate of taxes and greater job opportunities
- More value for money for renting an apartment. My rent isn't cheap, but its a large apartment and the building has great facilities for the tenants. Would still only get a shoe box for the same price in Dublin

Con's:
- Astronomical cost of healthcare. Luckily, I've only had minor issues to date, but even with insurance, its cost a relative fortune
- Missing family and friends. Parents aren't getting any younger and there have been a load of nieces and nephews born in the last few years. Skype does this make a lot easier though
- Not the place to be if a person falls on hard times. There is pretty much no safety net. There also seems to be very little sympathy from the locals over homeless people and poverty. They have an ingrained attitude that the only reason people are homeless or poor is because they're lazy. And this is exactly what people like Trump capitalise on.

Overall, I love it here though, and will be around for the foreseeable future

etoughguy · 25-01-2016 08:51PM

They shouldn't be allowed back into the country sure all they do it talk about Oz, US, Timbukthree or wherever they were and how great things were there and how ****e and expensive things are here
Ban the lot of em I say!

ancapailldorcha · 25-01-2016 08:59PM

etoughguy wrote: »

They shouldn't be allowed back into the country sure all they do it talk about Oz, US, Timbukthree or wherever they were and how great things were there and how ****e and expensive things are here
Ban the lot of em I say!

Ah, I was wondering when good aul begrudgery would turn up. Damn anyone who dares to better themselves or achieve something. How dare they. In fact, they should stay abroad with their experience, resources and networks. It's not like Ireland's economy needs a boost or anything. By the way, what would you have had us do? Draw the dole? I left my crappy retail job for someone else to pursue a career and now I'm collaborating with researchers from one of the world's top universities. But yeah, naughty, ungrateful me. I should have stayed working 9-5 Monday to Friday and partying in the local nightclub at the weekends.

etoughguy · 25-01-2016 09:02PM

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Ah, I was wondering when good aul begrudgery would turn up. Damn anyone who dares to better themselves or achieve something. How dare they. In fact, they should stay abroad with their experience, resources and networks. It's not like Ireland's economy needs a boost or anything. By the way, what would you have had us do? Draw the dole? I left my crappy retail job for someone else to pursue a career and now I'm collaborating with researchers from one of the world's top universities. But yeah, naughty, ungrateful me. I should have stayed working 9-5 Monday to Friday and partying in the local nightclub at the weekends.

The exclamation mark after my last comment indicates its a joke - ya know that humour stuff thingy?

ancapailldorcha · 25-01-2016 09:05PM

etoughguy wrote: »

The exclamation mark after my last comment indicates its a joke - ya know that humour stuff thingy?

I would have opted for smileys in that case. Exclamation marks are used to emphasis feelings or to add volume, not humour.

etoughguy · 25-01-2016 09:06PM

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I would have opted for smileys in that case. Exclamation marks are used to emphasis feelings or to add volume, not humour.

noted, cheers

catbear · 25-01-2016 09:12PM

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

- Not the place to be if a person falls on hard times. There is pretty much no safety net. There also seems to be very little sympathy from the locals over homeless people and poverty. They have an ingrained attitude that the only reason people are homeless or poor is because they're lazy. And this is exactly what people like Trump capitalise on.

That really got me, the downside to the meritocracy is intolerance for failure. I guess it keeps the system primed but I'd rather social welfare capitalism of Europe to the pure jungle capitalism of the US.
From having worked in that culture I wasn't surprised when I read about the rising suicide rate amongst older white americans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/health/death-rates-rising-for-middle-aged-white-americans-study-finds.html?_r=0
I'd rather grow old gracefully.

Tony EH · 25-01-2016 09:49PM

There's no such thing as a meritocracy and America CERTAINLY doesn't qualify that's for damn sure.

When you have a state whereby money can buy anything, the notion of merit goes out the window.

America, for all its good sides, is a pretty fucked up society and one that can be as vicious as it is ignorant. While in some comparisons, it's quite better than other nations, in others it falls way behind. A country of ridiculous extremes, that can turn into an uncaring monster with the twist of mere fate.

Looking at what some of my family have and are going through over there, I'm very glad I made the choice to stay in Ireland, despite our own problems here.

Permabear · 25-01-2016 10:15PM

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misstearheus · 25-01-2016 10:25PM

*gets popcorn*

Tony EH · 25-01-2016 10:37PM

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

That VERY much depends on what state you find yourself in. It certainly isn't all the same, as I'm sure you are well aware. Also, there's plenty of "insularity, begrudgery, and passive acceptance of mediocrity" to around over in America too.

Absolutely, if one is willing to work, you can find work with relatively little problem. There is definitely work to go around and jobs are willing to wait for you to catch up, if you show interest.

On the job training in Ireland is a thing of the past. Companies over here expect you to hit the ground running. EVERY company, regardless of what they do. There are companies here whose job specs are simply laughable and they wonder why they can only get chancers to fill their roles.

Ireland's issue with labour is that we have never generated enough work for our citizens and our governments have a very laissez faire attitude toward that problem and now we have a situation whereby it's beholden on an employee to have a, frankly, ridiculous level of experience and "qualification" in order to secure even the most average position, simply because there is an appalling ratio in favour of employers. It really is an absurd situation we have here now. We have plenty of well educated, intelligent, people idle because jobs are so thin on the ground and plenty of other having to bugger off to another country, because their future here is nil.

ygolometsipe · 25-01-2016 10:37PM

Emigrants? I think you mean documentable!!

I am joking but also serious.

Permabear · 25-01-2016 10:54PM

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Tony EH · 25-01-2016 11:01PM

/\

That's complete nonsense.

The majority of people who find themselves in need of "a state-provided safety net" do so through no fault of their own.

Special Circumstances · 26-01-2016 01:18AM

ygolometsipe wrote: »

Emigrants? I think you mean documentable!!

I am joking but also serious.

I'm not joking, just serious - I have no idea what you're getting at.

Charles Babbage · 26-01-2016 01:36AM

Shelga wrote: »

I've had to catch myself on and realise that the nice dinners and walks and meetups with friends in Dublin are nice precisely because I don't live there. Paying ridiculous VRT to bring my car home, paying astronomical motor tax and stamp duty and health insurance and income tax and the myriad of other costs just probably isn't worth it. Not to mention the issue of going back to paying €2k a year car insurance, having no credit history in the country etc.

There may be many reasons for remaining abroad, so there should be no need to make up additional reasons. If you move back you won't have to pay any VRT on the car you bring. If you have been driving in Britain, where driving rules are similar, then you won't have to pay anything like €2k for insurance unless you drive a very large very fast car. Of course if you move from China that may be a bit more complex.

R.D. aka MR.D · 26-01-2016 07:34AM

I'm a returning emigrant!

My OH is from the US and we decided on Ireland because of the extra costs that come with living in the US. Healthcare is a massive one. Another is the fact that unless you live in some East coast cities or San Fransisco then having a car is pretty much essential.

We decided to return after spending 4 years in Asia, 5 for him.

There are many reasons but one of the most important is the people. We've encountered so many untrustworthy people over the last while and in some cases it's cultural (in China) but it's mostly down to the transient nature of the business. Bad things happen in Ireland but your company doesn't own your apartment, you aren't depending on a visa that restricts you to one kind of work etc etc

We know it's going to be hard to get good jobs and an apartment but it'll be worth it if we can be somewhere that people treat you like a human being and we can take a walk in a park that isn't surrounded by concrete jungle.

I know it sounds all misty eyed and I left for a reason but you really don't appreciate Irish people until you're gone. We're fantastic conversationalists and most people aren't hateful for no reason.

If we make enough money to be able to go to the pub once a week and meet friends that we have things in common with and interests outside 'scoring chicks' then we'll be grand. We had a friend stay from America who works as a line cook in a teeny tiny small town (where my OH is from) and he had more to say and more varied interests than three quarters of the people we've met teaching English in China and Japan who are so 'well travelled'.

It's about 2 months now until we're back. I can't wait for that first Sunday in the pub chatting ****e for hours!

Parky2 · 26-01-2016 09:03AM

I believe that Specsavers have a special offer on rose tinted glasses as they are not selling very well these days.

jester77 · 26-01-2016 10:03AM

15 years gone, null chance of returning now. Ireland is too broken for me, the only real positive of returning would be the low taxes, but that is not enough of an incentive. The poor infrastructure and poor health care are a massive disincentive. Then there are things like having to baptise my children just to get them into a school, poor amenities for children (and adults too) and poor standard of housing.

Emigrants, thinking of coming home?

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