Where can I stay and who can I talk to about working in Ireland?

July 19, 2005 10:02 PM

Ireland Work and Travel Filter: I will be in Ireland for the month of September, to see what it might be like to live and work there, as well as have a nice holiday. I’m planning on staying in Dublin for most, if not all, of this trip. My professional background includes nearly ten years of experience in marketing and business development for architecture, engineering, and construction management firms. Additionally, I have some experience with sustainable/green building projects, project management, and document control systems.

I’ve looked through the archives and have found this post, but not much else relevant, which leads me to these three questions:

1. Any suggestions for where to find a month-long sublet (either a studio or with roommates [but having my own room])? Daft.ie has been my primary resource for listings, but I’m not having much success. I’d consider long term in a hostel or b&b, but I’m trying to keep the cost down to around €500.

2. Does the “informational interview” exist outside the States? I assume it does, and I would like meet to with people in architectural, engineering, and construction management related firms. Is researching and then calling firms to introduce myself too bold and American? Is it better to try and arrange an introduction, if possible?

3. Would getting an assessment saying that I am “work visa worthy” have any merit? They are described on Workpermit.com as “A way for candidates to improve their chances of gaining a work permit or visa for only £30 (about US $55).”

Thanks, and any input about this topic (and/or fun things to do in and around Dublin) is appreciated!

posted by trixie_bee to work & money (6 comments total)

Sorry my stupid links didn't work!

This post

daft.ie

workpermit.com
posted by trixie_bee at 10:06 PM on July 19, 2005

Perhaps you could contact DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology).
posted by luckypozzo at 10:49 PM on July 19, 2005

Fáilte. The Irish government has quite a good info portal - it might be of some help.
posted by ascullion at 1:47 AM on July 20, 2005

Where to stay: you're right, daft.ie is more geared towards longer term lets (though you might get lucky), have a look at www.dublinks.com, there's more to choose from there, as well as more searching options.

Informational overview: not sure what you mean by this one, but it couldnt hurt to call firms directly and see if they're willing to chat. www.irishjobs.ie is an ok first port of call to see who's hiring. (sorry, not much help on this one)

Work permit: ascullions link above is good starting point, check out also the Dept of Enterprise Trade & Employments info section on work permits: http://www.entemp.ie/sitemap/internationalworkers.htm

Things to do: there's been a couple of threads on askmefi before on things to do in dublin, here's one: http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/7719#156496
Or feel free to contact me if you've any other questions, email is in the profile.
posted by kev23f at 4:41 AM on July 20, 2005

I'm a Irish construction professional (based in NYC) and get headhunting calls and emails from Dublin every week. They're desperate for people.

Don't use the phrase "informational interview", no one will know what the hell you're talking about and you may come off as too management jargon-y.

As someone mentioned above, try dropping into my alma mater the DIT (on Bolton Street, that's where their built environment dept is) and look at the jobs posted on the boards. They'll probably be more entry level though.

Also look at the construction jobs on the Irish Times' site at www.ireland.com and contact some of the agencies posting the ads.

I'd be wary of pushing the visa thing too early (and I speak as the beneficiary of several job sponsorships). Employers are well aware they exist and if they like you it'll come up naturally.

Also, get an Irish or British construction dictionary. The technical terms, contract forms, project team makeup etc ARE different in the States and I was a little bit lost when I first came to NY. (I assume you're american).

Good luck! Feel free to email me if I can expand on any of this, or offer advice on what to do in Dublin (I'll rabbit endlessly about that) - I'm a native Dub.
posted by jamesonandwater at 5:56 AM on July 20, 2005

For housing, I went though Trident Holiday Homes and stayed in Landsdowne Village, which is in Ballsbridge.

http://www.thh.ie/
posted by luckypozzo at 6:19 AM on July 20, 2005