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?

Hold on - the Op doesn’t have citizenship or an EU passport, is British and is planning to work minimum wage jobs. Surely she won’t have entitlement to work in Ireland? I thought you could only work legally in very limited professions where there is a shortage?

There are no visa requirements for British people in Ireland and vice versa. A legacy of being a British colony.

Ok I’m so wrong! That’s weird - my grandparent was Irish so I am
trchnically entitled to citizenship but because I didn’t apply before my kids were born they are not. I have toyed with the idea of moving over but read that my kids couldn’t work- I must have been looking at the professions that could get citizenship and misunderstood. Hmm, that changes things..

Hi OP - I moved to ROI a few years ago and I love it. It’s economically better off than the UK - I wouldn’t say it’s recovering as such, we’re just going really well (compared to the UK!).
when looking at house prices on daft you need to know that in practice the price advertised is the staring price. Most places at the moment will have a bidding war and will go for over that price. I wasn’t aware of that when we lived and it was a bit of shock compared to home where we typically offer under the asking price.
I would look at staying as far outside of Dublin as you can but on strong public transport links. I live rurally and without a car each it would be very hard.
good luck

I would not move to Dublin. For example at a local playground, adults do not communicate with each other, it's just heads down in phones. They will rarely say even a hello if they don't know you. In the city it's very busy, not sure how your DC's are with crowds, but I hate it.

Move to a town within an hour or so of the capital would be my advice.

OP is planning on minimim wage so finding 60e for each doc visit plus 80e+ pm for meds can be a deal breaker.
On arrival she is not a citizen and has not paid into the system so the Irish benefit system "owes" her no duty of care.
Getting sick after arrival has to be put in the what if plan

It isn’t the cost of a GP alone. It is taking out private health insurance which the majority of people have for themselves and all family members. This means that should something happen and the GP refers you - you can have it looked at quickly and get treatment quickly for a minimum sum eg €250 for a consultation - some of which you can get back.

Without PHI you can be waiting years. The OP is talking about moving three adults to Ireland - three adults being supported by minimum wage. Ireland is an expensive country. It is a crazy decision and being honest, I think it’s pie in the sky and the OP is grasping at straws and in reality has no idea where to go, if anywhere. It’s just a dream.

It’s like me dreaming of moving to a better country - eg selling everything and going to Switzerland. While there is nothing to stop me in theory, I won’t do it for all sorts of practical reasons.

Oh I agree its pie in the sky generally but I don't know why some people focus SO much on the differences in the health care systems. For a start, we are not talking about something like the US system which can be ruinously expensive. Critical care in the public system is usually very good and at minimum cost, health insurance is not astronomical (500 per annum for me) and not really necessary for younger healthier people, I barely know why I bother myself. I have my fair share of bits and bobs go wrong with me but I think people are a bit over obsessed with their health to be honest.

I agree, I think there's a bit of scaremongering going on regarding healthcare - unless the OP has a chronic health condition or something.
I don't have private health insurance, and many people I know don't have it and have managed fine. The caveat to this is we live in Dublin with good access to hospitals, and are generally healthy.

My parents are over 70 and both have medical cards and have only in the last few years started needing more medical care. Again they received excellent care on the public system.

Also bear in mind the in patient hospital fees have been scrapped in the last budget, and you can claim back medical expenses in your tax every year.

Nrtft so not sure what’s been said so far.

Ireland is so much more expensive than the UK. If your use to SE prices you may find it nit as bad property wise but the COL is far worse than here.

We moved to Ireland in march 2021, our rent was more than 5 times our UK mortgage, we are from the North. We were not far from Dublin so there were definitely cheaper areas but location is very important job and school wise.

Every property we saw on the market went into a bidding war and sold way above listing price. My friend has been trying to buy for years, she’s scrimped and saved and is outbid every single time, she lives rurally too so it’s not just a city thing.

You will need to consider other things, medical care, €80/ Dr visit, prescriptions, you can get a family card for €112/month to cover scripts if you have multiple, but they don’t cover everything. I went to a Dr at the hospital and needed bloods, the same standard bloods I’d had at uk hospitals dozens of time accept this time I was told I had to pay £1000 for them. I was able to find a Dr for €80 to do them. Finding a Dr is also an issue, the gp I saw took me on to do the tests but I couldn’t find a gp for my DH and DCs. It’s a common problem finding a GP in Ireland. You will definitely need health insurance if

Yes in rural areas you may have problems being English, but it’s the same in towns and cities and anywhere else in the world, some areas aren’t to welcoming to outsiders. My parents are Irish and I’d never dream of moving to the town my DF came from as being English is not welcome, even though my dad was born and raised there. Where we were was so lovely and welcoming, very multicultural, I felt very welcomed.

Internet, power, water are not as stable as here, in 2 years living there I lost track of the times everything went down and we were in a very busy town with university and major employment hub.

Bureaucracy and red tape, it’s like living in the UK 30 plus years ago. Everything took forever.

You wouldn’t automatically get an EU passport and become and Irish citizen just by moving there.

Support for your Autistic son may not be easy to find either. My friends with autistic children have had to fight even harder than my friends in the uk for support.

I know I’ve posted a lot of negative comments, I’m just trying to be realistic. I absolutely love Ireland, if we could have afforded it we would have stayed, especially where we were.

If you are considering Ireland, you could look at NI, being English won’t be as an issue, properties are cheaper, col is cheaper, you will still have access to the NHS.

As I said, we are in the North, old market town. We live in an area 15 mins from the coast, lots of activities to do, decent location for work and travel, we bought our house for under £200k, house prices are slightly higher but not by much. If we went 10 or even 5 min down the road the costs of houses doubles and triples. We’ve just had friends from Ireland visit us, they couldn’t believe how much we have on our doorstep and how cheap it all is. Financially we take home less than in Ireland but have a way better lifestyle and disposable income since moving back.

Why bother taking travel insuranceI? It is usually not needed but when it is needed, it can save you thousands. When medical issues happen they are rarely resolved by one visit to a consultant. And while everyone says why bother when nothing goes wrong, they are very grateful they have insurance if/when things do go wrong.

€1500 a year plus outlays for GP/dental/medication itself is a large amount for someone on minimum wage.

If the OP needs antibiotics and is charged €65 for the GP visit plus €20 for the medication, that is €85 to magic up when she will already be scraping by.

Minimum wage €452 for adult 20+

(€407 for 19 year old and €362 for 18 year old who may not have this as they may return to education so let’s work on the guaranteed figure for one adult ).

Electricity/gas is extortionate - €250-600 per month. Phone €25-40 per month per person. Broadband €35 per month, Car tax and insurance and car maintenance at least €100 a month, Property tax, house maintenance, public transport expenses (€50+ per week per adult, food and toiletries x 3 adults €700 per month iie if very very good at budgeting.
Add in some discretionary spending - a hair salon €50 min. if she goes to a small unknown salon and doesn’t colour her hair, a coffee shop once a week €4 for coffee and €4 for a slice of cake.
PHI x 1 adult €50 per month
Clothes, shoes etc x 3 people.
It’s simply not going to work.

Teenage sons will need spending money.

Potentially add in the GP visit and meds €85 once or twice a year.
or the opticians and getting new glasses €€€

I’ve totted this in minutes - and have left loads out.

The OP will have a house in a disadvantaged or rural area and will be scrimping and saving every cent.

It’s pie in the sky.

I guess I have nothing to compare it to but what bureaucracy and red tape are you referring to that is 30 years behind and so onerous? . I manage a household by myself and I can't say I find anything burdensome about dealing with the public sector, if that's what you mean? I've also been self employed and that was fine too. Perhaps there is red tape associated with setting up in a new country - which I'd expect to be honest- but to live here on a day to day basis, I certainly don't find it so. Not when I hear about dealing with bureaucracy in France for example.

@theleafandnotthetree fair enough, most of the bureaucracy was setting up stuff. There were lots of asking for stuff then after we sent everything in they’d ask for more in stead of just asking for everything all at once or not putting relevant information on paperwork or in telephone calls. Sometimes it just felt like we were going round in circles.

Thanks, I was wondering was there some big chunk of life administration I was forgetting! 🤣 Fair enough, that does sound really frustrating.

This, sadly.
Unless you have a medical card - means tested, health care is very expensive. My GP costs €65 per visit.
We pay a huge sum for very high cover to a private health insurer. Glad we did- we got to use it recently. It was invaluable.

My last electric/gas bill was €180 for two months. In winter maybe €400 but then we got €200 credit off this. C1 rated 3 bed semi.

My last electric/gas bill was €180 for two months. In winter maybe €400 but then we got €200 credit off this. C1 rated 3 bed semi.

Well then your usage is very low. It is not usual to spend 200 a month on electricity during the winter months - which in Ireland are from Nov - April. If you join a facebook page called make a house a home, you will see people are getting electricity bill s for over €1000 every two months - some of these are in apartments.

Regular electricity usage of washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, electric shower, gaming consoles, laptops, kitchen appliances, tvs , kettle etc. There are even state adverts advising people when to blowdry their hair to avoid using extra electricity!

"this is one mistake you have to make for yourself." ... There are tens of thousands of Brits employed in well paid, secure jobs in Ireland (myself included). Just because it didn't work out for you it's a 'bad plan' - absolutely laughable! There is full employment here at the minute with lots of job opportunities going, it's probably the best time to make the move.

I wouldn't return to the UK if you paid me! Nothing wrong with the people but Council tax, water rates, terrible road congestion, outside the EU and overpopulated.

what’s your budget? Moving to NI would be easier practically with tax, pensions etc.

@BatheInTheLight just reading the reviews about Ireland makes me not want to visit let alone live in the country as it sounds so expensive and backwards. I live in Cork and have done for the past 6 years and Dublin for over 15 years. My electricity bill for this month is tracking at €159 for a 4 bed semi, family of 5 with daily showers and washing machine probably 4x a week. We are only electric so no gas. Our

OP, are you a first-time buyer? If so you might be an ideal candidate for shared ownership in your own area, or at least in southern England. Many new housing developments have as condition of being approved by planning that a certain percentage are 'affordable' - in my area that means they're offered as shared ownership (you buy a percentage, then rent the remaining, and can increase the percentage you own in the future if you're able to) - and only to first-time buyers.

If this worked out for you, you'd be able to stay somewhere with support from any family or friends, plus it'd be more familiar for your autistic sons.

https://www.gov.uk/shared-ownership-scheme

I don't see how it's particularly low usage... I WFH 3 days a week and my wife is a SAHM. I don't understand how people got those crazy bills! Maybe they never switch supplier or had the heat on all hours of the day?! Just checked and my highest two month bill for dual fuel was €356 after the government credit.

Posted too soon.
Our electric bill for last month was €157. Yes there are housing shortages but who knows how mu ops inheritance is? Maybe she can afford what she wants. It's all so doom and gloom sounding and the country is not that bad.

It isn't backwards and it is seen as better than being in the UK for all manner of reasons, not least Brexit. Ireland is great and as my PIL say Dublin is a fantastic place to live 'if you have money'.

However it is unfair to tell someone planning on moving to work in a minimum wage job while supporting two teenagers in education, that Ireland is not expensive. It is unfair and it is wrong to encourage her to move thinking she can do more any more than survive.

Just to let you know too OP that it's not necessarily Dublin vs rural, if you look in eg meath, Kildare or wicklow you can be in a big town and on the commuter belt. Most counties have big towns. Dublin (while I am from there and loved it) is very expensive to live in a nice area and the dodgy ones are tough. Best of luck in your decision op, Ireland is great. Personally I wouldn't ever move anywhere I had to fly to see my family but if you are picking a different country, we're the best ;) x