[geeks] Working in Ireland and the U.K. (us immigrant with Irish citizenship)

[David Cantrell]

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On Tue, Mar 13, 2001 at 10:57:44PM -0800, Christopher Byrne wrote:
> All,
>=20
> Due to the wonderful policies of the Department of Defense, I have lost my
> big defense contract, and find myself again looking for work. Thankfully =
the
> sector I work in (security) is still very hot, so theres no shortage of j=
ob
> opportunities, but I have a chance to do seomthign interesting.
>=20
> My father was born and raised in Ireland, and after I was born he registe=
red
> me as an Irish citizen. Ireland allows dual citizenship with the U.S.,
> though the U.S. state department doesnt recognize it, and I have an irish
> passport in addition to my american passport.
>=20
> In addition to allowing me to fly to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Mainland CHina and
> other hostile nations (one of the reasons I lost my defense contract) it
> allows me to work without difficulty in Ireland, the UK, and most european
> countries.

All EU countries, in fact.  And being a .ie citizen means you can vote in
some .uk elections if you're living there.  Not entirely sure why :-)

> Earlier today a recruiter specializing in getting U.S. techs to go to
> Ireland and the UK borught up some VERY interesting ppositions and
> opportunities.
>=20
> One company in Ireland for example is offering the equivalent of 120k US +
> 35k sign on bonus, + full relocation + housing allowance and car allowanc=
e,
> and they'll even help you buy a house.
>=20
> This looks like a very interesting position, and there are many others
> available (mostly in the UK, somewhere near London usually).
>=20
> What I'm wondering is, what're the working and living conditions lke. Wha=
t's
> the tax situation like, cost of living, ease of finding housing etc...

Taxes are higher than in the US, but then some costs go out the window,
like you won't need medical insurance for example.  Cost of living in
London is amongst the highest in the world, but that sort of salary is
more than enough to live very comfortably indeed.

> The traffic here is murder, the working environments are pretty brutal (1=
00+
> hour weeks are not uncommon) loyalty is nil, local politics are pretty aw=
ful
> etc...

That sort of hours is very rare here indeed.  In fact, if your boss tries
to make you do it, that's illegal.  If the contract says stuff about opting
out of the European Working Hours Directive, then you can ignore it, as it
is illegal to make that a condition of employment.

> On the plus side it's one of the worlds best climates 9 months a year, and
> there's plenty to do here. Plus you do tend to make a lot more money than
> most other places, which s nice.

London's climate ain't that great :-) but it's *really* easy and *really*
cheap to bugger off elsewhere.  I spend quite a few weekends in Naples,
and getting there costs maybe US$70 return.

> I have been to Ireland and the UK several times before, and I knwo a litt=
le
> of what to expect, but what I'm really looking for is a real feel for what
> it's like to live and work there.

Well, *I* like it, and I wouldn't really want to work anywhere else.  The
rest of Europe is still in the dark ages with comms relatively speaking,
and I *really* don't like the US attitude towards employees.  Sure, I could
make more money in .us, but if that means a lower quality of life - which
it does - then no thanks.

--=20
David Cantrell | root at alphacomplex.org | http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/

    This is a signature.  There are many like it but this one is mine.

** I read encrypted mail first, so encrypt if your message is important **

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