Can someone please tell me about the Republic of Ireland

[amillionyears]

Dont want to say too many personal details.
If someone was offered a 3 year job there,is it wise to take it bearing in mind the financial climate. Also,I am confused about which healthcare is free and which is not.
And is there anything else to consider.The person offering the job said to think carefully before accepting.
I tried looking in search as I thought this topic may have been discussed fairly recently,but I cant see where.Thanks.

I think some of the descriptions are a little too severe.

Healthcare - I have had two babies on the public system, all care was free. I can't complain. My father recently spent 6 weeks in hospital and all his care was free. What I will say is, if you require immediate healthcare, you will receive a very good service. I.E. in labour/emergency, and it can all be free. However if you need a routine check up or further investigation, then you could be waiting years on the public system for years. Most people pay into private healthcare to safeguard against progressive illnesses that could kill you while waiting on the public scheme.

Public sector - alot of cronyism and I can see why one would think we have been left behind, because the management is pretty poor in the public sector. Obviously the private sector is results driven and much different.

Roads - are pretty good between the main cities, but are hit and miss elsewhere.

Public transport - hit and miss, mostly miss as it is very common to own a car. It is expected (outside of the main cities) that you have your own transport.

Schools - all schools have pretty large class sizes, however there is a culture of exam competition and parents are quite focused on academia. There is a very high rate of students attending 3rd level and the Irish in general are very literate and score highly on global education tables. There is currently a move towards a greater focus on maths and science subjects, moving away from a previous focus on the arts.

Lifestyle - There is a huge interest in GAA and many if not all schools offer after school sports (virtually free). The centre of alot of communities (rural especially) is the local sports club. Teachers and community members devote free time to coaching and fundraising. If you get involved people are very friendly and there is an atmosphere of inclusiveness for childfocused activities.

Weather - bloody awful, but at least people have something communal to moan about.

Lifestyle expenses - Ireland is an expensive country to live in and childcare is very expensive, 2 plus children it is almost prohibitive to work. Which is a pity as it makes life difficult.

Fun - The people are fun! Humour is very important, radio skits are hilarious and generally we laugh alot. Family sitting around the table, drinking tea, reminiscing and poking fun at each other is normal behaviour. Children are allowed to be noisy and laugh loudly and be free. Family sizes are a little bigger than many other European coutries and there is a slight atmosphere of chaos as a result.

@ athinginyourlife, but ... you said your aunt went private, so speculating as to what might have happened IF she'd gone public, that's a parallel universe!

I don't doubt that your aunt exists, or that she needed treatment obviously, but saying what 'would have' happened if she'd gone public, i'm going to file that under the urban myth column.

@ ginmakesitallok, I can't believe that somebody from northern ireland hasn't crossed the border either!!!

re: tallaght, I wouldn't want to live there tbh but I doubt anybody moving from abroad would end up there.

B1ueberry

My aunt paid to go private because she was offered an appointment in 3 months time and she was afraid (rightly as it turned out) to leave it that long.

There is no speculation here - she got seen 3 months earlier because she could afford to go private.

Had she not been able to afford to do that her cancer would have had 3 extra months to grow.

Call it an "urban myth" if it makes you feel better about the shitty injustice of Irish healthcare, but that doesn't change the facts, which are that "private" patrients, who don't pay the full cost of their care, get faster access to life saving treatments paid for by public money.

I'm surprised you can live in Ireland, be sentient, and not know that. It's a matter if public record.

but to compare and contrast Athing, my aunt was seen in 2 weeks from GP referral to initial consultant appointment for what turned out to be breast cancer.All public system. This was in Cork, 2 years ago.

We got a paediatric consultant appt within a month, just recently. It wasn't even urgent.
In contrast, I've been months on a waiting list for a service that is now discontinued entirely.

But the NHS is not very different. Plenty of auld ones languishing on trolleys and long waiting lists.

It just depends on the area that you live in and the specialists that you need to see. We got a paeds appt quickly but the ENT specialists have a 2 yr wait so going private for that. At least you can pick and choose to go private for some things and public for others if you have insurance.

Mollydoggerson I really love your last paragraph, it so reminds me of my dh's family home, I would love to create that atmosphere within my own.

The other thing that I really like about the culture is that people generally are not interested or impressed by status, they take people for who they are not what they do, certainly in the West where I live anyway. A complete shift from the many years I spent living in London and a very welcome one.

Educational standards were/are higher than the UK because of the homogeneous non imigrant population in Ireland compared to the UK so literacy appears higher
that is changing rapidly, as a result standards are falling
the universities in ireland are falling way behind the UK

I have family and friends there, costs of medicine aside, its still very old fashioned in that the consultant is god! Much less evidence based and much more "that's the way Mr X likes it done here, he's always done it that way"

I would never ever EVER give birth there! do not go if you are even half contimplating being even slightly less than careful! Maternity practices are medieval! and that's not just from friends who've given birth there but from MWs I know who've gone to work there!

Primary schooling, maybe on a par or not as good, I do know that the primary teachers there in general havent a clue how to deal with the influx of english as second language children they've had in recent years. But secondary schooling better IMO as less streaming into applied subjects too early.
However in seconday tutoring or "grinds" are the norm! almost all students have either grinds or go away to revision camps in easter and summer so not sure how much credit the schools themselves can take!

personally I'll never say never

but there would have to be some MAJOR reason for us needing to leave the UK (like war), or if the only job in the world we could get was there, to make us move back to Ireland

Primary schooling, maybe on a par or not as good, I do know that the primary teachers there in general havent a clue how to deal with the influx of english as second language children they've had in recent years. But secondary schooling better IMO as less streaming into applied subjects too early.

I've worked in both systems, I wouldn't agree. I found the resources were better in Ireland to support new arrivals to the country e.g. language support classes, resource teachers.

Maternity practices are medieval! and that's not just from friends who've given birth there but from MWs I know who've gone to work there!

Maternity practices are not medieval where were you giving birth that you could make that comment?? We're hardly a high infant mortality country.

Totally agree with the consultant still seen as the big cheese, however I know doctors and consultants in Ireland appreciate the fact that they can prescribe drugs without the constraints of NICE.

sophie I know a lot of midwives in Ireland, they all say that what interventions you get (and whether you get it, or if you get it even if you don't really need it) all depend on who the consultant is NOT what the woman actually needs based on up to date evidence based research

mortality varies HUGELY from hospital to hospital because of this!

I also know neonates nurses who say that babies from X hospital come in the Y because of the consultant there, babies from Z hospital rarely make it because of how that consultant likes to do things....

Most have worked in the UK too so are quite qualified to compaire

One Irish neonates nurse I know says that if she ever gets pregnant she will move to England to deliver even if she has to swim across the channel at 9 months!

One hospital has totally banned doulas for "infection control" reasons , more like because the consultant doesn't like them

I am Irish and Ireland to me is not very dissimilar to Regional UK , although it is less rough.
It compares very poorly to London but if this person is moving from somewhere outside London, they shouldnt find Ireland too much of a letdown although like anywhere you should choose your area carefully.

Re Education, the big difference is that you can get a good standard of secondary education for free in Ireland whereas in the UK so many people seem to pay huge sums to go private. Even good private schools are only 5-6k pa.

The health system is perhaps not as good as the NHS, it costs for one thing although private care is certainly cheaper in Ireland than in the UK.

A thing I think you are wrong about the reasons for taking out insurance. I know several people who have had lumps checked out in private and public and they are treated the same so your aunt does seem to be an anomoly. Yes the public care is less luxurious but I cant say I have seen cancer care as anything other than speedy.

Regarding other complaints, yes if you need a hip replaced or some other non life threatening condition seen to, you will wait a lot longer in the public system than in the private one, although I dont know how this compares to the NHS waiting times

:o I live in one of math's 'bad' areas of Dublin.
I thought it was pretty rough when we first moved (from one of your nice areas!) but have grown to love the place on a good day. There are quite few parks, schools, supermarkets etc within walking distance, lots of bus routes into the city centre and a Luas stop.
Also, we have quite a big house with a garden which we can actually afford the mortgage on, DH works in the city centre and it takes him less than 15 minutes to cycle to work.

I used to live in London, and 2 good things I would say about Dublin are it takes much less time to get around and people are friendlier. I also reckon there is a better work life balance here.

MathAnxiety,
That's a very comprehensive list! Haroldscross? Yes or no?

Anyhow, OP, just tell your friend to read any of Marian Keyes' novels. She is pretty spot on in her observations!

There is such a lot of bullshit on this thread.

I've had 3 babies in Ireland, we have midwife led units, you don't need to go near a consultant from one end of pregnancy to the next, so the idea that one is controlling everything is as laughable as it is wrong.

Educational standards are not falling at all. Even if they were (which they aren't) we are how far above you? Is it 5 places, is it 10? No, we are 22 places above you, we are TOP TEN and you are languishing at 31st. So woof to you lady.

You obviously haven't the first fuck what you are talking about.

to the irish poster who'd never ever ever give birth in Ireland... i had one in the uk and was refused an epidural (costs the nhs £500 I guess), had one child in Ireland and it was no better or worse except that I GOT an epidural the second time.

I lived in England for ages and although it'd be great to have the nhs, I think our education system is better.

The OP's friend probably doesn't give a &^% whether pregnancies are midwife led or not.

So many posts in this thread bare next to no resemblance to the Ireland I grew up in!

I grew up in south Co Dublin which I can recommend as a fabulous place for families - leafy suburbs, great schools, easy access to the city and the countryside too for that matter.

The education system is excellent, I don't understand any criticism of it. The only draw back is that about 90% of state primary schools are run by the catholic church, so if you're not catholic it may not be ideal. But, (if you live around Dublin in particular) there are non-denominational Educate Together schools which are supposed to be excellent I think.

The secondary schools system is vastly superior to GCSEs and A Levels imo, I think it's better to have a more general education up to leaving school. All exams are just set by the department of education rather than different exam boards around the country.

I don't have huge experience of the health system in either Ireland or the UK, but my outsider's impression of both is much the same - you won't be left untreated just for being poor, but you may get treated more comfortably and more quickly if you have insurance. The big difference I notice is having the free GP, that can be a massive expense if it's something you need a lot.

Overall, it's just a lovely place to live. People tend to be relaxed and have a sense of humour. There is no real class system and certainly no obsession with one. If you can get a job that will comfortably pay the bills (which is the difficulty atm), you could end up very very happy there.

Utterly bewildered that someone from NI hasn't crossed the border :O

It's a little like someone from Scotland not having been to England - not that unusual IMO, especially if someone is from the far North.

There are lots of church of Ireland schools too. So you can choose from Catholic, C of I, Educate Together and gaelscoil, or private.

I like it here. I liked England too. But :-0 at the suggestion that Ireland is a backward thirdworld country!

Wow! Finding some of the stuff on this thread quite astonishing!

Listen, I gave birth just a few months ago in one of the busiest hospitals in the West. The antenatal care is a bit rushed and busy, but it's kindly and thorough. If you were in any way high risk you'd get loads of careful attention though. My midwives on the labour ward were supportive and lovely, got me through a great birth, helped set up breastfeeding. Yes I was kicked out after about twelve hours, but was happy to be discharged to go home with baby!

I don't know much about Dublin but don't fancy it personally. Here in the West, though, the quality of life is pretty darn sweet, and on rare good weather days, it's a paradise. Childminders are a far cheaper option than creches for childcare.

Tracey's post is a great summing up of the work environment situation here. Public sector a bloated joke. Private sector v different and growing more cosmopolitan by the day. In the cities at least.

'The people are fun! Humour is very important, radio skits are hilarious and generally we laugh alot. Family sitting around the table, drinking tea, reminiscing and poking fun at each other is normal behaviour. Children are allowed to be noisy and laugh loudly and be free. Family sizes are a little bigger than many other European coutries and there is a slight atmosphere of chaos as a result. '

I agree with all of that. Especially about toleration level for children being children. When we visited from the US when DD1 was small she said 'I love Ireland because kids are wild and nobody cares' -- maybe a bit of an overstatement, but she really loved the way the Irish rellies treated her. I grew up on the south side of Dublin too (Stokes) and the DCs thought it was the most fantastic place they had ever been. So much to do, so easy to get where you felt like going for an impromptu Saturday hike or a swim. And yes, much more choice in terms of educational environment, though country schools can have smaller classes (the two room school where my mother went is still alive and kicking and educating a very small number of children from Infants to 6th.)

Apologies Alfalfa -- I knew I'd probably put my foot in it. I have a cousin whose address is technically D15-Clonsilla but where she lives is really lovely. There are pockets that affect quality of life in a lot of the areas I mentioned.

'Also Bettystown is in Meath, not Dublin, and Lucan is. And Navan is a shithole. '
Yes you are right wrt Bettystown and Lucan, but parts of Navan are nice enough. (imo)

HaroldsX is nice in places. I am proud of having gone to the Rocky Horror at the Classic (RIP) there back in the late Jurassic.

Lacking -- all hospital care of women in childbirth is done according to the predilections of the supervising doctor no matter where you are, Ireland, UK, US; decisions are made based on science filtered through the experience and preferences of doctors in this field no matter where you go. Giving birth anywhere is a lottery as far as care standards go.

The grinds are done so that students can do well in exams. Exams results are incredibly important in Ireland where there is only one exam and only one avenue to third level -- via the CAO system. Students go to grinds that are taught by teachers augmenting their day job. The students who do them come from every sort of school. The existence of grinds is testament to the intense desire to get to university.

OP, it's like anywhere that isn't home for you: there'll be things you hate, things you like. It might never feel like home, but depending on where you lived, it'd probably make a fine base for three years. Plus very easy to make trips back to the UK.