Moving to Ireland

[VisaQuestions]

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.

Hi, Maths teachers for secondary school are in big demand here. At primary level you could pick up work as a teachers aid or as a SNA special needs assistant. Housing will be the problem. Don't come until you have that sorted out. The more rural you go the cheaper it will be but then you might have high commuting costs. You could get lucky too of course. Good luck with your plans. I think you will find it welcoming here at least I would hope so.

@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.

Idealised by whom, though? The Irish people on this thread have posted about the realities of the housing shortage and the difficulties involved in becoming a teacher in Ireland. If some immigrants have deeply unrealistic expectations, that’s on them, surely?

The Irish health care system is very different to the UK NHS.

Sadly the more I hear about the nhs from uk based realtives, the more similar they are starting to sound. Not in a good way.

@eggandonion

Sadly the more I hear about the nhs from uk based realtives, the more similar they are starting to sound. Not in a good way.

I should say, as someone who lived in the UK for decades and moved home in 2020 I’ve had far better care in the Irish system, which I wasn’t anticipating. A gynae problem that had been destroying my quality of life for years has been (fingers crossed) completely solved, with everyone from my brand-new GP to various gynae clinics taking it seriously and coming up with some imaginative workarounds for stuff I struggled with, and I had three minor surgeries in 2021, even in the height of Covid. No private insurance, just public system.

Getting a GP was the worst part, admittedly. But this experience certainly compares favourably with the NHS. I prefer paying for GP visits and being able to get them quickly and see the same doctor every time to my situation in rural England, where an appointment could be three weeks away, and the only alternative was getting to the surgery (in another village) before 8 am, queueing on the road with dozens of others till the door opened at 8.30, and still potentially waiting two hours, or longer if you wanted a specific doctor.

I know this won’t be everyone’s experience, but I had no expectations at all about the Irish health system — the last time I’d seen a GP in Ireland was in the early 1990s — but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

I would also be able to see a gp same day,even ringing at lunchtime a gp would stay longer in the evening if they felt it necessary. There would only be a delay if you want a certain doctor who works part time.
A friend also got a public gynaecology appointment within a month, smear results are coming back quickly.
Paediatrics not great though.

www.statista.com/topics/3418/healthcare-system-in-ireland/#dossierKeyfigures

Surely the main difference is that the majorityof Irish residents have to pay for primary health care and non referral visitsto A&E.

@Ulchabhan

www.statista.com/topics/3418/healthcare-system-in-ireland/#dossierKeyfigures

Surely the main difference is that the majorityof Irish residents have to pay for primary health care and non referral visitsto A&E.

What I’m saying is that paying 60 euro for same-day GP visits to see the same good doctor each time (have not yet had an A and E visit, fingers crossed) and an 80 euro hospital fee for each of my three day surgeries (which also involved free Covid tests and a pre-operative consult each time, plus more than adequate phone consults afterwards) has been well worth it, compared to ‘free’ NHS GP visits which were either weeks away or involved a time-consuming and stressful queueing on the street system.

My GP has several times either not charged me, if it was a very brief consult/drug change etc, or specifically told me to bring DH or DS to the same appointment eg for flu vaccines.

Again, I recognise individual experiences in both systems will vary widely. I did have good midwife and birth care in a different part of the UK.

@Moyny

I entirely agree that there are swings and roundabouts. I see the advantage of paying for a GP visit if you have the money and can get it on the same day. But paid for health care is anathema to most UK residents.

[quote Ulchabhan]@Moyny

I entirely agree that there are swings and roundabouts. I see the advantage of paying for a GP visit if you have the money and can get it on the same day. But paid for health care is anathema to most UK residents.[/quote]
It was to me too, I’ll be honest, and it took me a while to get used to not just waving and skipping straight past the receptionist on the way out! (I think the first time she had to shout after me as I went out the door, and both of us ended up laughing as I went ‘Did I forget something?, genuinely puzzled’.)

But I’m actually surprised to conclude that for me, paying for GP visits is worth it. My parents have always had medical cards, as even before age entitled them, their incomes were low.

I think its very difficult to explain to people in nhs land that it has been paid for via all those deductions on payslips, it isn't free.
I grew up with the nhs and student grants. But back then it was more like call the Midwife than this is going to hurt.