So, I have just put the phone down on the second call today from an Irish recruitment agency. I am definitely hot stuff right now ! Reg and I being both redundant shortly (today is my last day, he ends his contract next week) we have been casting a few lines towards Ireland, ever since Reg got called out of the blue for a job there. He turned it down at the time, as he was starting a great new job, but then they decided to outsource the whole thing to Morocco, and his contract didn't turn permanent. I have started looking seriously for the last fortnight or so, and so far, I have heard from a few recruitment agencies, they are all agreeing that I should be looking for a job that pays at the very least 45K€ plus package) and that I shouldn't have too much trouble finding one. :shock: Really ? Me ? You mean... I've got skills ? :redface: Gulp. They are, to quote one of the charming young men who called me, "all jumping on me like ants on candy". I'm not used to being candy. So... it means changing countries, going to a country that I have actually never been to before, although it has been on my wish-list for a long time, and I have friends who have had successful experiences there and really loved it. I like the thought of Ireland, it has always appealed to me, but thinking of leaving my family and especially my friends behind feels... weird. The moving also will be a bit of a mess to sort out, but we have researched that a bit, it could work out ok... So... I'm thinking. Any opinions, advice, thoughts and even silliness is welcome.
You mean you're not the ants? Is it better to be candy? Can't really help... big decisions are really a bugger... I just applied for a job in Las Vegas and the thought ofd me and the sig other moving countries is daunting but also exciting too... if you can both work in jobs that look good then it'll be better han one of you loving your job and the other hating it. gotta be resenting that if you're the one who hates their job.
Well I would if a) you were actually Irish and b) you ever showed up for cons when I'm there, so I actually knew how you speak, you lame pseudo-Irish fairy ! Thanks spiky
Big decision! If you do decide to go, remember that keeping in contact is very easy these days, and there can be cheep fairs for flights home. Also think of all the new experiences, friends etc. You could decided, if feasible, to try it for a wee while - a busmans holiday. If you don't like it, return home, or move onto newer pastures. 'The world is your mollusc'.
But I'd go for a cheap fare, as a budgie carnival might be a risky way to travel. Kat, it's a big decision, but Ireland got rated best country to live in a few years ago on various factors, and it's generally considered a great place to be. Even if you don't decide to go there, being head-hunted is a nice thing that should boost not only your self-esteem but also what you're able to ask for where you are. But if I were you, I'd go to Ireland.
Oops - I wondered why psycho budgie was glaring at me! Definite risky method of travel - psycho budgie would probably get fed up half way, and take a nose dive to nearest perch, to squawk with evil intent at some poor soul, probably departed due to PB's actions.
This is becuase I hate you and suspect you smell of otters. Ireland is wicked, You should move there, life is an adventure. where abouts are you going?
I don't smell of otters, I smell of cheese, garlic and snails, but that is better than smelling of wee. We are more or less concentrating on Dublin, as I don't drive, it would be handier for public transport... And also it looks fun.
It might be quite difficult for Reg if he doesn't speak English too well, he'll have to translate everything twice from Irish to English to French until he gets used to it.
Apparently, there are quite a lot of French-speaking jobs there, and he understands fine, it's just opening his mouth and speaking, but he's already proved that he can do that when he has to. Also, he is the one who's the most excited about this, so I'm not too worried about that part of the adventure.
Oh well cool then. I wonder how the working ethos/lifestyle compares between France and Ireland. I mean on one end of the scale you have work obsessed nutjobs like the stereotype Japanese office worker, and on the other you have the stereotype Jamaican workers where any time this month or next is a fine timescale for getting things done. I don't know anything about the working pace of life in France or Ireland but it would be one of the things I'd think about, unless they're identical.
Both involve lots of alcohol... one's wine the other's whiskey. As those laid back Malaysians say 'Same-same but different.'
Well seeing as I don't drink, that won't change much for me. I guess that the working pace in Ireland may be rather faster than it is in France, but then I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't prefer it, I have always hated ending up with nothing to do for days on end, I don't know what to do with myself... The only way to know, is to go...
Weeeee! Good luck, Kat! :smile: (and I don't know about the other 95% of Ireland, but the bit that we saw - around the Galway area, - had all the signs in both English and Irish, so communication was never a problem!)
Yeah, from what I've gathered, English is the every-day language there, as only about 1% really speak Gaelic fluently, although most kids learn it at school so people have pretty good notions of it...
dublin is supposed to be a great place to go (my brother goes whenever he gets chance, it's the guinness) but apparently everything's a little on the expensive side... just something to bear in mind sounds great though, hope it all works out!
A good German friend of mine lives and works in Ireland. He says that's it's the most expensive country he's ever seen, but that the salaries are also among the highest. To him, Israel felt like a very cheap place to be a tourist. To me, that didn't sound half bad. I hope everything works out well for you if you do move, Katcal.
I''l type out a full report on returning to a normal keyboard, but just to say that I am now totally reassured, the Irish ARE civilized, you can get Pterry books in most bookshops, some of them even read them on the tram, and just so you know Rinso is truly not Irish, nothing here smells of wee. Although I have got a cold and it's freezing outside, so I'll have to check that one.
I'll have you know I'm completely civilized! I haven't used a knife to cut my toenails in ages! (by the way, one of the best places for fantasy books in Dublin is Waterstones in the Ilac centre off Henry St. which is just off O'Connell St. in the city centre. On the second floor near the entrance of the shop.) PS - The tram is called the Luas (the one that goes through the city) or the Dart (the one that goes...um...still through the city, but more for the suburbs). Call it Tram and people will look at you weird. PPS. The whole wee thing...honestly, it depends on where you go (in every sense of the phrase ) PPPS. The cold and it being freezing outside...and wet...and miserable...get used to it.
I know the tram is called the Luas, but if I just wrote Luas on the board, no-one would know what I meant, and the Dart aren't trams, they're suburban trains, that's quite different ! Also, don't worry, I'm used to being cold, wet, winded and miserable, it gets a lot colder in toulouse in the winter...
Feel free to hit me Re: The Dart - couldn't think of the real designation for it. I shall now go into a corner and shut up.
**Bouncing around like a very mad and totally not French rabbit** I got the job !!! Yay ! O2 is sending me my contract, the pay is good, about twice what I last earned here, so wooohoooooo !!! All I have to do now is move an incredible amount of stuff to a remote rainy island hundreds of miles from here. Oh well, here goes nothing !
That's Great! Congratulations! Ps. Make sure you pack the good weather and bring it with you! Pretty please!
Thanks guys Somehow, the whole thing becoming real makes it that much scarier, realising just how much crap we have that will need moving or storing, all the paperwork that needs to be done, realising this will mean spending probably about a month away from Reg. 4 days was already really hard, so this sucks, but still, it must be done I guess...
Well, I definitely think we should meet up sooner or later, not just for Irish lessons ! (although I guess the accent comes naturally after a couple of gallons of Guinness...)
No worries - I'm usually due at least two or three trips to Dublin a year:smile:. Just say the word when you are settled and I'll trot up there (or take the train) and say hello!
So, the deal is done, my new job begins on Feb. 4th, and I'll be arriving there on Jan 30th... Yikes Yikes...
Nah, Yikes, honestly... Every step further is making it more and more real, and therefore scary. Now I have to find somewhere to live ! I have at least found a couch to crash on for a couple of nights on arrival, but will that leave me enough time to find a flat before I have to go to work ? Will I ever finish packing ? Will I ever see my stuff again ? Will I survive a couple of weeks without Reg when 4 days was already a torture ? Find out in the next episode of Lost (in Ireland, another strange island, full of weird creatures. And potatos)
In answer to your questions - yes. yes. yes. and er yes. Saying that I cannot say what state you'll be in, gibbering wreck is a possibility, or even worse - totally sane! You will cope, things will fall into place - keep a sledge hammer handy in case you need to force the odd thing into submission (good for stress relief, however not to be used on Reg).
Watch out for the Toxic Badgers of Doom. They are vicious little buggers when cornered! If you feel threatened by a potato, try to make yourself look as much like a deep fat fryer as possible. They should run away at that point. If not, threaten them with ketchup or a pan of boiling water. They should then roll onto their backs in the traditional 'pose of submission'. Thankfully, they don't have rabies, so if one of them nips you, all you should need is a tetanus shot:smile:
here are a few pics of the place where we should be living, hopefully by the end of the month... Project Shamrock - a photoset on Flickr
Having not been on the Boards for a very long time and being the other Irish 'oldie' around here (apart from Mazekin) and not including Rinso. I'd like to say welcome to Ireland. Dublin is one of the most expensive cities in Europe if not the most expensive to live! - but you're salary seems to match the cost of living and I suppose if you do decide to move somewhere else eventually you'll be able to command a higher wage! Although I used to live in dublin I have been living in in Belfast for a good few years now so if you fancy a daytrip 'up north' to see the tourist hotspots give me a shout! I'm not regularly on the net as I can't get access in work anymore but I will try and drop by once a week when I visit my mum - let me know how your getting on and if you have any questions drop me aline..
