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Original poster

Moving to Ireland

38 replies

VisaQuestions · 10/03/2022 22:16

We’re thinking of this. Background is we are of Ukrainian origin, dh more recent (late 90’s) and me as a child. The news has caught our eye. Plus we have generally been stagnant for some time, I’m ready for a move. Their openness has us looking.

A massive plus is a large extended family we can potentially meet, if need be, see and settle with there easily. Generally talking to friends today, it sounds like a lifestyle we could enjoy.

My biggest worry though is Jobs, our only experience is teaching in the UK. We settled in London due to ease of work. I hear this isn’t the case in Ireland. Buying isn’t an issue, but work worries me.

This is still in the happy thoughts stage, maybe not a reality. But if you’re happy to entertain someone who is in a mood with the UK and their visas… have you made the move? How was it? What’s your work? Where did you go? Entertain my dream…?

We are worried about someone new, we’ve moved country before and we’re adaptable.

OP posts:
Mushypeasandchipstogo · 10/03/2022 22:39

I was looking at teaching in Ireland about 15 years ago and then you had to have a qualification in Irish no matter what you taught. Not sure what the situation now is though.

Alliswells · 10/03/2022 22:42

Have you considered coming to the north instead? Belfast has quite a Ukrainian community

MissM2912 · 10/03/2022 22:46

I would imagine getting a teaching job in Ireland will be challenging without being able to speak Irish. They also like people to have a Catholic faith to work in many schools.
North might be easier to get a job.

eggandonion · 10/03/2022 22:47

What age do you teach, and what subjects? What kind of place would you want to live, the cities and areas around Dublin are horribly expensive.

Pegasussnail · 10/03/2022 22:48

It's very competitive in the North to get teaching work.

Alfixnm · 10/03/2022 22:49

The ability to speak Irish is only a necessity if you want a primary school job. It would not be necessary to work in a secondary school as far as I know

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 10/03/2022 22:49

I moved from UK to Ireland, but I'm Irish so it's slightly different.

I'm not a teacher but I have school aged children and as far as I'm aware you have to have a certain standard of Irish to be able to teach, although I think private secondary schools can hire teachers without Irish in certain situations. I'm pretty sure that my DD's Spanish teacher doesn't speak Irish for instance as she is Spanish.

The housing situation is DIRE, especially in Dublin. The population has been growing and there is nowhere near enough housing stock. Rentals are hard to find and ridiculously expensive.

GreyTS · 10/03/2022 22:52

The Irish thing is for primary level teaching not secondary, if that helps. It's definitely not perfect here but as a society ireland really seems to be trying to rid itself of bigotry and racism, and small towns in particular can be hugely welcoming to newcomers. You will be bringing new life to stagnant communities, providing children for the schools and keeping shops and businesses open locally. However we have a massive housing crisis, impossible to buy or rent anything, literally anything in my small town currently so that's an important consideration. However if you feel you are stuck in a rut then do it, what's the harm, can be undone if it doesn't work out, and I'd say that wherever you fancied moving

LadyCordeliaFitzgerald · 10/03/2022 22:55

I think you need Irish to teach at primary level (up to 12), post primary can be different.
I’m not 100% certain but I think if you’re not a mainstream classroom teacher in primary, there’s an option where you have 7 years to sort out a qualification in irish.
With an influx of maybe as many as 30,000 Ukrainian children expected, a Ukrainian teacher might be in very high demand.

qualitygirl · 10/03/2022 23:03

@VisaQuestions if you are a primary school teacher then unfortunately the chances of you getting a job in Ireland and very slim.
First you must register and with this they will need to check your qualification is up to standard (not all are...even some qualifications from the U.K. need additional training)...then comes the Irish requirements. If you are adamant you can do a course (1 or 2 years I think) which will give you the Irish qualifications.
THEN...it's not so simple in actually acquiring a full time permanent position. For irish primary school teachers they need to work temporary contracts for 3-4 consecutive years (or something to that effect) before they are put on a panel for a permanent position.
It's a long winded, very stressful job to try to acquire here unfortunately.

If you are a secondary school teacher then the Irish requirement is not necessary but the job acquisition is much the same process I'm sure.

Sorry to be the bearer of that news but if you want to try apply as a special needs teacher then that might suit you as they don't need the Irish requirements. Getting a job is much the same though.

ThisisMax · 10/03/2022 23:08

Your skills are going to be in high demand due to influx of kids needing ukranian speaking teachers so I would say that requirements will be changed. See also link for scheme you should look at above. You would be warmly welcomed in a local community. Weather is pretty brutal and housing an issue but nicer quality of life than the UK.

Nannyamc · 10/03/2022 23:21

No Irish required for special need schools or secondary schools. Interpreters will be needed for immigrations coming in. Rent not too bad outside Dublin . Contact teaching council

TheBigPeach · 10/03/2022 23:31

Relatives of ours moved to U.K. from Ireland and say the opportunities for their children there are much better in U.K.. they’re not coming back anytime soon.

Original poster
VisaQuestions · 11/03/2022 16:10

This was posted after a few drinks, but thank you!

Interesting thoughts. We have both primary and secondary (maths) experience, I was a SENCo.

The thread was prompted as well by a conservation with a friend about how multi-National her small village was.

I think sitting down, looking at other work experience and where we can go: what we can do is a long term plan.

We have lost in general all the family connections and community we knew now anyway, as so many people went home or moved elsewhere for various reasons. The ties aren’t here really now anyway.

OP posts:
eggandonion · 11/03/2022 16:45

I think maths teachers are usually in demand at secondary level, because everyone has to take maths to age 18. If you don't have a great desire to live in a particular place, that will help if you decide to try it.

Chikapu · 11/03/2022 17:00

We moved from the UK to Ireland almost 15 years ago, my advice would be don't do it. Rents are extortionate, houses are virtually impossible to come by unless you're willing to buy a shell and completely rebuild, the bidding wars that break out for every house are ridiculous. It took us years to find a house and it's far from ideal.
We only really stay because my husband has a job that he loves and wouldn't be able to do in the UK.
A lot of Irish culture is idealised but the reality is sadly rather different.

TheBigPeach · 11/03/2022 18:14

@Chikapu

We moved from the UK to Ireland almost 15 years ago, my advice would be don't do it. Rents are extortionate, houses are virtually impossible to come by unless you're willing to buy a shell and completely rebuild, the bidding wars that break out for every house are ridiculous. It took us years to find a house and it's far from ideal. We only really stay because my husband has a job that he loves and wouldn't be able to do in the UK. A lot of Irish culture is idealised but the reality is sadly rather different.
I agree with all this.

And my children are in a village national school and my perception is quite different to your friends op.

M0rT · 11/03/2022 18:27

I think the advice to contact the teaching council is a good one, there was an article in the paper today about needing to recruit Ukrainian speaking teachers for the expected influx of children.
Housing is very difficult to come by, especially in the cities. But if you are willing to move more rurally and this would suit your extended family also there are areas where it's not as bad, the reason it's not as bad is because of lack of work though. So would depend on how the others you would like to settle near earn their livings.
Even if you decide not to come here, I wish you the best in whatever change you make.

LaTangerina · 11/03/2022 18:47

@Mushypeasandchipstogo

I was looking at teaching in Ireland about 15 years ago and then you had to have a qualification in Irish no matter what you taught. Not sure what the situation now is though.

Are you sure that you need an Irish qualification to teach at a primary school in Ireland?
Reason I ask is because my child's teacher could not speak Irish, so another teacher had to cover that part of the curriculum. Teacher is from the UK.
My child isn't in a Catholic school if that makes a difference.

eggandonion · 11/03/2022 19:05

I know a couple of times my kids had sub teachers with no Irish, but very short term ones.

LookingGlassMilk · 11/03/2022 19:25

I'm in Dublin and I know a primary school teacher from Poland who is working as a resource (SEN) teacher at the moment, but is studying towards the Irish qualification. You're allowed to teach for a certain number of years, I think it's about 3, but after that you need to pass the SCG or the OCG.

Learning Irish is totally doable. It's not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. I grew up in England, I started learning it to help with homeschooling the kids at the beginning of the pandemic, and now I can pretty much understand everything and I can read novels in Irish etc. It'll be even easier if you are already bilingual and have experience speaking two languages that are very different from each other, like English and Ukranian. There is an Irish speaking woman from Ukraine who I have been listening to being interviewed on the radio for the past few weeks and she's amazing. The first time I heard her I didn't even realise she wasn't Irish until a good while into the interview!

I live in a town in north county Dublin and I love it here. I wouldn't move back to England and I'm glad I'm not bringing up my children in London, where I was brought up.
We live on a housing estate with a big green, all the kids go outside and play with each other. It's very multi-national. Most of the kids my dd (age 8) plays with are of Romanian, Moldovan, Latvian or Polish origin, with a few Irish kids mixed in aswell, and also a few who are Nigerian, Philipino and Chinese.

We've never had any problem getting housing, and we've moved lots of times over the years, although I know the situation is particularly bad at the moment.

ThisisMax · 11/03/2022 19:40

@LookingGlassMilk thats an interesting post. Echoes most of my friends experiences in teaching too. Many learned Irish quickly. Lots prefer the Irish system and longer holidays etc. The local community bit is a big draw. Depending on the area housing is an issue but not everywhere.

Original poster
VisaQuestions · 12/03/2022 07:27

I am a bit worried about new languages, I feel too old. I learnt 4 by 20 to a conversational level by in my 30s I tried another and I just couldn’t. I also only really learnt by immersing myself. With the option of English it’s another barrier. I don’t think we could rely on it. I have no ear for certain languages either, French and Spanish for example are something I couldn’t learn at all.

OP posts:
SuperSleepyBaby · 12/03/2022 07:36

This forum on mumsnet might be useful for you too -for questions about ireland

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/craicnet