To be thinking I might move to rep of Ireland?

[headcandygrl]

Aibu to think of moving to Ireland?
I am fed up of the lack of jobs here in the U.K.!
There seems to be (from the little research I have done) more benefits there (child benefit is WAY more!) , better job opportunities, less of an effect on jobs due to Covid. I have seen on here that they don't pay council tax! No water bills either. As far as I can see they pay slightly more tax! So it kind of evens out! But wages are better...
The education system there doesn't seem to pigeonhole children for a young age! They don't have to pass GCSE equivalents to do the A LEVEL equivalent...
University costs are less!! They have a grant system that is not paid back!!

Am I looking over with rose tinted glasses?? Is this the reality?? Anyone in Ireland who can clarify details for me?

Now I know they don't have an NHS like ours but from what I can see it is somewhat free for those that need it!!?

It is true that private schools are much cheaper here, because teachers' salaries are paid by the state same as those in the public sector.

I'm not completely thinking all about money really...I just get the impression ppl are more easy going there and that there are more opportunities??

"Stuff" costs more here. We have same shops as the UK but pay more. EG clothing, even when exchange rate is poor. I just checked I have a dress from New Look with a £25 /€33 tag still on it. Sterling isn't v strong against the Euro at the moment, around 90p = €1. Even at that rate, my dress would cost about €28.

Scale that up every time you buy things, and it is expensive. Groceries csn be expensive if you compare like for like, e.g. Tesco Ireland vs Tesco UK

Free university cost doesn't usually touch the full cost of renting in student accommodation/living costs

There is annual property tax, rates vary dependent on where you live.

Health insurance costs a lot. GP visits cost a lot, see also paying for eyes and dental care. Free health care exists, but you won't see the top of a waiting list for a long long time.

Cars and fuel I imagine are more expensive. Road/Motor tax is high on older, cheaper to buy cars.

Free primary/secondary education still costs a lot for uniform, books, extra activities.

Good luck being an English person in Ireland!

Why?

Hi OP! I’m Irish but live in England. I think Ireland is generally v expensive for living—property is expensive, medicine, food etc much more so than UK. Also not great transport so you have to factor that in.

Are great opportunities in a narrow range of sectors, if they are not your sector then getting work is hard.

Ireland is more expensive for uni in terms of upfront costs, it’s not like England with the huge loans available. If you need accommodation then parents will generally need to stump up.

Health is a expensive—around 60 euros to see a doc, plus pay prescriptions on top. But find it was better than the NHS if you can afford.

Schools are way better—not that they’re amazing, but a lot of English schools are very poor. I don’t really get what you mean by pigeon holding—you do Junior Cert subjects and then usually also do them for Leaving Cert, similar to england? But more subjects (6 min). Depending on the ages of children, they may also have to take Irish and learn this all the way to leaving cert. they’ll also have to do English and maths too.

Might hell to know where in England you’re comparing to? Are you looking at London vs Dublin?

Also schools are trying to reduce costs for parents in terms of books. A few ppl I work with have their dc in school that don't charge for books and they only have a flat fee. Some schools are buying in more programmes that don't use books and so are reducing the costs that way.

@kittykat35

Also schools are trying to reduce costs for parents in terms of books. A few ppl I work with have their dc in school that don't charge for books and they only have a flat fee. Some schools are buying in more programmes that don't use books and so are reducing the costs that way.

Yes, my ds is 7 and they only use one book.

We pay 30euro to the school per year and this covers the Irish app licensing fee and photocopying.

What is your line of work? If you are on a low wage, you will pay less tax than the UK, will have free health care etc but cost of living is v high. People say you need health insurance but I don’t know... I have it now but I’ve done maternity in private and maternity on public system and I found the public system fine (apart from the post delivery ward).
Generally I think research shows Ireland is a better place than the UK on the whole for kids. However the primary school day is very short so childcare costs continue even for school aged kids - there’s no cheap breakfast club/after school like I hear of in the UK.

If you’re looking to move to the nice parts you’re looking at Dalkey/Foxrock/Rathgar for property and you’re looking at private schools too. You’re also looking at cars for work, plus activities and lots of school trips, etc.

Private school is a lot cheaper in Ireland, you can get a v good school for less than 10k per year. Also to remember; in Ireland you sign children up for the best schools when they are born. You can often get a place in private (not necessarily of your choice) without this but don’t count on getting a non-private school you want.

We moved to Cork about 15 years ago and I wouldn't recommend it, there isn't a magic fountain of jobs and housing. Quite the opposite, rent prices are ludicrous, 1000+ a month for a one bed apartment, the housing market is a shambles with bidding for places completely out of hand. Groceries are very expensive.
Also, don't forget there is no NHS, every doctor's appointment will set you back 50-60 euros, prescriptions costs are high.

[quote headcandygrl]@Jakey056 thanks for that. It is very informative.

What I mean about the junior cert is that you don't HAVE to pass them to sit your leaving cert though? You could flunk the junior cert and still be allowed to do the leaving cert. [/quote]
????

...probably not, depending on the school to a certain extent, but why is this a deciding factor? I don’t think many schools in Ireland would let someone who is failing subjects move on to LC. Also you need to pass English Irish and maths (and usually also a foreign language, in some cases also a science) to go to uni. And you need 6 passes at LC to apply.

It would be beneficial to know what line of work you’re in, where you might work and want to live, the age of your children etc. and the kind of budget you’re working with. Also depending on the quality of life you have right now.

Rent is outrageous in some places, and pretty high in others.
It can be difficult to get on the property ladder.
You have to pay for the doctor, I paid €60 for a telephone consultation that lasted all of 3 minutes. Medicines are expensive.
Car insurance is really expensive, think full comprehensive for £400 would be not much less than €1000.
You pay for everything for school, uniforms, books, stationary. Also the school will charge for consumables. When you get to secondary there’s usually a voluntary charge, which isn’t voluntary at all. And you have to pay for all books etc.
Electricity, gas, television, internet etc are more costly.
Schools can be oversubscribed and you’re not guaranteed a place just because it’s the closest school to you.
Support for university is not available to everyone, there are eligibility criteria you need to meet, eg income level of family etc. If you are awarded support for fees you’d still need to cover rent/living expenses. It can be very expensive in some areas. There isn’t a student loan system in Ireland so if you don’t qualify for a grant, you have to pay the student contribution charge every year.
Running a car is expensive, not only with insurance.
As there are no rates, nothing is subsidised.

And yes, the Junior Cert results aren’t taken into account for the Leaving Cert and no school would stop you from pursing the LC without the JC.

We looked into moving there and we’re out off by

Standard and cost of healthcare
Religious schooling
Conservative attitudes
Fewer job prospects

*were put off by

Would you be eligible to live there, not being an EU resident?

@Onjnmoeiejducwoapy since when were the nice parts of Ireland restricted to Dalkey/Foxrock/Rathgar and private schools! Talk about a SCD bias.

@TakingTheLowRoad I think they would v v heavily advise against it in all cases, and I think some schools (if OP wants to go private) would give a firm no? I know mine would not have kept anyone on in that position. If you flunk say JC maths you have little chance of passing LC or getting into a university.

In some ways it’s more restrictive than UK for entry to uni because there are set things you have to pass.

Although things have changed a lot it's still a very conservative country. I'm Irish living in England and would never move back
The religion in schools is a deal breaker for me

@Bedroomdilemma hahaha guilty as charged!

I think I assumed from OP’s first post about being high earners that they were looking at this sort of thing, but I might have been thinking CFO when she meant mid management

Schools are called free but

• books parents buy

-photocopying, supplies etc etc to pay a fee to school

• voluntary contributions
• uniform tends to be few places that have generic most is through certain suppliers.
• any extra activities all paid for by parents

-school day shorter so possibly extra child care needed. -very few schools supply school lunches mostly is packed lunches no kitchens etc for hot food.

All things in shop cost more.

Transportation poor.

Doctors fee , hospital, a and e fee. May get Insurance but only get some fees back. Medicine to pay for.

I live here and when relatives visit they notice the difference in cost on simple things.

Chile care costs hard to find spaces.

These are just a few things.

Always suprised when my mam in uk orders something like fridge or cooker and is there in couple of days. Qh n ever tried here is weeks before item can be delivered.

I think if you get a job with a good salary you will have a better quality of life in Ireland.

Housing not easy to find for family .

I think the education is better in Ireland as there's less discrepancies between schools.