Got a Student Visa and Came to Dublin: Personal Experience of Living and Working in Ireland

How much money do you need to live in Ireland? Is it easy for a foreigner to find a job in this country and what professions are especially in demand? Stanislav told us about this, as well as about the peculiarities of the housing market, climate, safety, leisure and the Irish.

Student visa, Irish accent and attitude towards foreigners 

— My name is Stanislav. I am 27 years old. I moved from Sochi to Ireland a year ago, and currently live in Dublin. I work in a restaurant as a supervisor. In addition, I go in for sports, powerlifting, and actively develop my social networks.

Initially, I applied for a US visa twice, but was refused. And only then did I decide to get a student visa to Ireland — I applied for English language courses. They last six months, plus 2 months are left for you to travel around the country. These courses can be extended three times, that is, three times for 8 months.

On a student visa, you can work 20 hours a week, but if you really want, you can find an employer who will provide all 40 hours a week. So, among other things, you can stay in the country by finding an employer during this time who will issue you a work visa.

You can also get legalized quite simply if you are a specialist in the IT field, an engineer (no matter what), or if you have extensive experience working in public catering — this area requires specialists of all levels, from waiters to cooks and supervisors.

After receiving a work visa, you will need to work for 2 years in the same company. All this time, both in the case of a student and a work visa, you have a temporary residence permit. With it you can enter and leave the country as many times as you like. After two years of working and living in Ireland, you already have the right to apply for permanent residence, and after another three years — to receive an Irish passport.

— I can say that in terms of mentality we are very similar to the Irish. This is especially true for the generation from 50 to 80 years old: they are quite straightforward, do not mince words, but at the same time they are quite cheerful and kind. People under 40-50 years old, according to my observations, are very polite and friendly, even too much, I would say. They may not think so, but they will still behave this way because that’s the culture they have.

A very large Spanish-speaking community has formed in Ireland, including a huge Brazilian diaspora. They are treated well, but some people don't like them. Rarely, there are even local protests on this basis.

In general, foreigners are treated positively here, especially if you are from the CIS countries — they will treat you with curiosity. As much as possible, I tried to avoid the Russian-speaking community in order to study English more closely.

By the way, the Irish accent is very difficult to understand at first — it took me more than six months to adapt to it. I still don’t understand some people: the fact is that in Ireland there are a lot of varieties of accent and, while some are more or less easy to understand, others are almost impossible. Surprisingly, even the Irish themselves do not understand each other due to the huge difference in accent. 

 Finding housing for rent is very, very difficult.

Prices, taxes and housing tensions

— The standard of living in Ireland is quite good. Even working in the lowest paid position for 40 hours a week, you can earn money, save money and travel around Europe. The minimum wage here is 12.5 euros per hour.

If you have received a profession and work as a specialist, say, at mid-level, then your earnings will already start at 20 euros per hour or more. In this case, many more opportunities open up before you.

By the way, education in Ireland is quite good and is highly valued in the world. Many people from the USA come here to study because education here is much cheaper and is at a decent level. 

— The housing situation in Ireland is very tense at the moment; the demand for rentals is simply huge. If you want to shoot something good, it won't be easy. I’ll tell you with my own example: when I first arrived, I lived with a host family from my English courses and immediately began looking for housing to rent. I found it only after 4-5 months of searching.

In terms of prices: you can rent a one-room apartment in the range of 1.5-2 thousand euros, a two-room apartment - 2-2.5 thousand and above. If you share the responsibility of paying the rent with someone, it will be cheaper accordingly. Plus, before you rent anything, you'll need to pay a deposit — usually equal to a month's rent, but some owners may ask for double the deposit.

If you want to buy real estate in Ireland, then expect at least 100–150 thousand euros for a one-room apartment.

As for the features of the market, you immediately notice the absence of large residential buildings and complexes. Here the predominant houses are of the old British type, that is, one- or two-story houses connected to each other.

I don't really like this feature because usually these houses have very old renovations, creaky floors and the like. In addition, in such houses there are two separate taps: one for hot water, the second for cold. That is, to get warm water, you need to plug the sink, fill it with water, and then you will have warm water.

In general, all modern residential buildings are located outside the city center, so you can mainly find suitable housing there. Yes, in the center of Dublin there are also condominiums with good apartments, but there are quite a few of them.

Getting sick in Ireland is very expensive.

— Here are some examples of food prices in Ireland: 

• Chicken breast – €12 per kg.
• Beef - €10-15 per kg, depending on what part you take.
• Cheese - €5 per 200 gr. Italian Parmesan, Grana Padano.
• 1 l. milk costs €1–2 on average.

Fruits, especially exotic ones, are quite cheap:

• Pineapple — €1–2
• Coconut — €1–2
• Orange 1 kg. — €2–4
• Apples 1 kg. — €2–5.

Getting sick in this country is very expensive, so it’s best to do it as little as possible — a doctor’s appointment costs between €50 and €100. I myself have not particularly encountered medicine in Ireland, but I have heard that things are difficult with it: in addition to the high cost, the specialists themselves are also not famous for their qualifications.

Going to beauty salons is quite expensive. For example, a men's haircut plus beard trim will cost about 50 euros if done within the city center.

Payment for cellular communications is 20–25 euros, for the Internet — at least 50 euros per month. 

Gasoline costs plus or minus 1.3 euros per liter, bus travel costs 2 euros per trip (for students — 1 euro). 

That is, let’s take a situation where at least 800 euros are spent on renting an apartment and utilities, we allocate 200-300 euros for food (if you cook at home), plus leisure time at least 100 euros for dinner for two (this is most likely even without alcohol accounting).

It turns out that you need around 1500 euros just to live, 2000–2500 euros to live more or less comfortably and manage to save something, travel, etc. But again, everything depends on the housing. If you rent separately, you need to earn at least 4–5 thousand euros to ensure acceptable conditions.

Of course, taxes are also worth considering. If you earn up to 40,000 euros per year, then the tax will be 20%, if more than 40 thousand, then 40% and so on.

By the way, if you came here on any of the visas, opening a bank account will be quite simple — it will take literally a few days. Revolut is considered the most convenient online bank here, but opening an account in local banks is also not a problem.

Drinking culture, safety and natural beauty

— The weather in Ireland is terrible, it can change many times a day: when you go out, it’s sunny, an hour later it’s raining; It is better to always carry an umbrella with you. It is mostly cloudy here, rains, and there is almost never sun, even in summer. It was difficult to get used to such a climate, since I am from Sochi myself.

— I don't really like the vibe that prevails in this country. Evening life and drinking culture are very developed here – there are a lot of bars and restaurants. Accordingly, there are a lot of drunk people. Drug addiction is also very common here. This is also why you need to beware of local children aged 12-16 from disadvantaged families. 

I've never had any problems, but in Dublin at night, especially somewhere not in the center, I wouldn't recommend walking. In general, Ireland is considered to be fairly safe to live in.

— All my leisure time here revolves around sports: I train people and train myself, I am active on social networks, I shoot videos, and so on. Sometimes I go to different places to have dinner.

In general, in Ireland there is a problem with the range of opportunities for pastime — there is essentially nowhere to go except bars. You can find some sections based on interests, but it will not be easy, and it is usually not cheap.

The main attraction here remains nature itself, which for me is also the biggest advantage of Ireland — it is a very beautiful country. There are many old castles and a huge number of parks. Thanks to the mountainous terrain, many people go hiking.

In short, it’s good here, but often very boring.