Moving to Ireland

[HardieHa]

I live just outside of the M25 in the south east and will inherit some money soon. It is not enough to buy here so I will have to move either north or to Ireland. I am leaning towards Ireland as I feel they will recover faster and it would be nice to get my EU passport back! BUT, what do I need to consider?

I have been a single sahm of 2 autistic children for almost 20 years so will be looking at minimum wage entry level jobs no matter where I go. I have 2 teens, 18 and 19. Only one wants to move with me no matter where I go but I am hoping to persuade them both to come. Ideally I'd like to buy a 3 bedroom house so both can live with me but I cannot afford a 3 bedroom in a city/large town.

Should I risk buying in a semi-rural area? I have been told that I may not be accepted in rural areas due to being obviously English so I may not be able to find work. Or should I buy a 2 bedroom flat in a city? Where it won't be such an issue to be accepted and find a job but my other child can't come and join us?

This sounds like you will be taking on a lot. Moving to a new country, getting back into the workforce, supporting your kids into adult life. Do you really want to do this without any support from friends and family? And have to navigate support for your kids in an entirely new country/system? What happens if one or both of your children move back to/stay in the UK?

If you move somewhere semi-rural you will need to run a car which might be difficult on MW. It will also make it difficult for your kids to be independent.

Sorry to be so negative, but I wouldn't do this in your shoes.

Couple of things. Firstly, you will be in good company lots of English here.

Property is expensive. Public transport is minimal outside cities. Supports or programmes for your son's if required are typically non existent.

Can you drive have you spent any time here? Job wise there is currently full employment but opportunities are sparse outside big towns.

Daft.ie, is the local property website.

You could post on Craicnet for more replies.
Have you been in ROI? It’s not England light, different culture.

What about considering Northern Ireland @HardieHa Many of our systems such as education and the NHS would be more familiar to you and your DC than those in Ireland. Your money will probably go considerably further in the property market here too.

@GiveMyHeadPeaceffs is right. Something that just struck me out groceries in normal times are +25% more expensive so your standard of living would be impacted.

GP costs E60-80, per visit. You may secure a medical card but it takes time and income dependent.

Have you looked at the Irish property market? Housing is exceptionally expensive and not readily available in many areas.

I am leaning towards Ireland as I feel they will recover faster

Recover from what? It’s the country with the second highest GDP in the world, according to the IMF.

and it would be nice to get my EU passport back!

Living in Ireland won’t get you an Irish passport.

Have you ever been to Ireland? You don’t seem to know all that much about the country.

I will have to do it away from family and friends anyway. I can't afford to live in the south east unless I use my inheritance to subsidise a rental property for a few years until it's all gone, then I'll have nothing left to pass on to my children.

I see your point, but i will have to be several hundred miles away from everyone whether that's in the UK or Ireland.

I've been looking at daft.ie to see what I can afford. and with employment that's why I'm thinking that I should buy a small place in Dublin rather than somewhere more rural.

I have looked at dafte.ie to see what I can afford.

Most of the world is struggling due to Covid and Ukraine but due to their already high GDP per Capita and membership to the EU, I think Ireland will recover much faster than the UK. And after living in Ireland for 5 years we will be able to apply for citizenship which will give us membership to the EU again.

You are looking to buy your forever 3 bed home for cash in Ireland?

You dont have a job and no ties so not a great credit risk
No family or friends and somewhat dependent adult children

Why not look at moving north of London

@HardieHa becoming a citizen is very time consuming and expensive my sil just completed it after six years and C. 5k.

Property is in low supply and prices ar going up. If you have a specific place you are looking at there is an Irish forum boards.ie that has an accommodation board.

Do you have specific questions about living in ROI?

I've been keeping my eyes open for property and there are many in my price range, there are none where I currently live!

I'm used to time consuming paperwork so that may not be an issue, I wouldn't have to worry about that for 5 years though and 5k doesn't seem that outrageous.

But in Ireland you will be dealing with a new and different culture, getting a PPSN, dealing with a different tax and benefits system, a different healthcare system (where, for instance, you need to pay for gp visits), an under supply of housing, a high cost of living etc etc. Why do this, when it’s clear you know very little about Ireland and are largely running with the idea that you’ll eventually get an EU passport? What about your children dealing with a different country? An English friend moved to Dublin in 2019 with two autistic teenagers, and they have both struggled with the change. The younger really hasn’t settled, and both plan to go back to the UK when they leave school/university.

I moved from the south east to the very rural west of Ireland almost 24 years ago. DH and I are both English and have experienced nothing but friendliness from the locals, and have both been able to find jobs when we needed them (I've since retired). Property was a lot cheaper back in 1999!

Personally, I feel our move here was the best thing we ever did, but your circumstances are different (we don't have kids). Just wanted to say that you shouldn't worry about being English - I feel more welcome and part of the community here than I ever did in the UK :)

Yes, the OP being English is the least of her troubles! It would be madness to move to an expensive country she knows nothing about if money is tight and she’s only doing it on economic grounds.

I do but now I'm looking at Dublin I don't think I have as many.

If I did buy semi-rurally, would we have issues as English people? I've looked at jobs in each of the areas I've considered, would I have any issues with being hired do you think?

I know internet coverage can be an issue, is there a map that shows where the coverage is good?

I'm sure there are other things I haven't thought of, can you think of anything I may have forgotten? Just in case I know: import of my furniture and car; stamp duty; pensions UK/Ireland; benefit entitlement/crossover, that might be it actually! I know car insurance is a lot more... what else do I need to know? I don't know what I don't know so thanks for any information you can give me.

Ok, I see lots of negativity and I do understand why, of course I do! I'm looking at moving to a totally new country! I need all this information and I'm grateful for it. BUT.... would my situation really be that much worse in Ireland than it is in England? Honestly?

you need to factor in absolutely zero services for your autistic young adult children

A practical matter would be getting a statement of recognition for your qualifications.

Here leaving cert, A levels would be required. To be honest there is very few jobs here without a degree required, have you a professional area? Brexit has impacted on some qualifications - sporadic but things like fork lift qualifications need to be Eu now etc.

Is it worse no but most things are a bit different. So it will add an extra challenge to each activity, property transactions, Irish law, setting up bank accounts etc.

Job wise depends on sector what area are you in ?

I live in Ireland. It has the highest cost of living in europe. Public transport isn't great outside of the bigger cities. Its schooling system is out dated and whilst there are some great reasons to live here, I couldn't not point these out

What do you work as @HardieHa?
Are your dc finished school? Will they be attending 3rd level education? what supports do they actually need?
I think it’s swings and roundabouts when it comes to England vs Ireland
done things are more expensive but not everything is. There’s no council tax here or water rates, but slightly more tax paid on earnings.
I think food prices are pretty similar these days depending on where you shop.

@Maybebaby12345 interesting comment on the education, our local school has a lot of families from UK and they are always complimentary and grateful to not have to navigate the academies and the rigid uniform requirements.

I would say it is very dependent on where in the country you are. And level of education.

I am reading the op as having 3rd level aged family - sadly if they have learning challenges they are unlikely to secure or thrive. Third level is starting to become more inclusive but it is early days.

As another MNetter suggested, post your query on the Craicnet part of MN as that's for Irish mums.

I would agree that things are expensive in Ireland vs the UK. That said, although we pay per visit to see our GP, you can generally get to see the same doctor in a practice and you don't have to wait days and days for an appointment. We do have a drugs payment scheme that means per month there is a maximum that any person should have to pay for prescription drugs.

Along with www.daft.ie I'd recommend checking out www.myhome.ie as an alternative property website.

We have a shortage of homes (be they flats/apartments/houses) for people at the moment. Rents are shooting up as are mortgages because our banks are linked to the EU interest rates which keep increasing at the moment.

Apart from Dublin, if there was anywhere else on the island of Ireland that you might be interested in moving to, best ask the question on Craicnet.

My husband moved to Ireland 2 years ago with me , I'm irish and he's English and he loves it. He'd never go back to the UK despite how expensive things are here, we have a better standard of living, our area is far safer than where we were living and people are friendlier. We were 2 years in the UK Midlands and barely got to know anyone. My husband walks down the street here and people say hello to him. Dublin is different though. Bit rougher and far less friendly . Loads of other places that are worth considering