Family of 3 with a young toddler looking to move to Ireland

AdamBurrfoot

03 November 2015 21:56:29

Texas

I am a Senior Security Engineer in Fort Worth, Texas working for a very large financial services company. I understand that Dublin is the financial services capital of the EU ever since its forming. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in the job market for Security Engineers or IT Security Management in Dublin and could provide some insights into the landscape.

In addition my wife is studying to become a Biology teacher and is very interested in teaching high school age (14-18) children in all things science. Knowing that the Catholic Church used to operate the schooling system, we have come to understand that this is no longer the case. I was also very interested in the education landscape in Ireland.

My son, at the time we are planning to make the move will be 5-6 years old. What do I need to prepare him for in terms of schooling to ensure he makes a smooth transition in his studies? Education is very important to me and my wife, and we want him to feel confident and comfortable in his studies vice getting discouraged because he has some catching up to do.

Any information you guys can provide would be invaluable. I have done quite a large amount of research, we have our plans in place and are actively acting upon them, I would welcome any for-warnings or suggestions of things we should be aware of and prepare for prior to making the move.

Thank you all in advance, both for reading this, and for any responses.

Cheers.

JimWalshIreland

18 November 2015 07:19:55

Newbridge & Clonmel

Hi Adam and family and welcome in advance to Ireland . I really do hope everything works out for you. It's a good time to come to Ireland we have gone through a deep recession but are now definitely on the way out of it and Dublin in particular is booming.
I don't have any specifics on the job front for you or your wife but since you have a young family I would recommend that at least one of you land a job here before coming. While financial services are strong in Dublin do not rule out working in some of the smaller cities like Cork, Galway or Kilkenny. The big downside of Dublin this finding accommodation if you have to rent. Rental accommodation has become a serious issue there t- hat's why I suggest that you also look at some of the other cities as well because rental accommodation in the other cities is much easier to come by. If you have capital it's a fabulous time to buy houses in any city in Ireland because they're really low but starting to rise again. However, forget about getting a mortgage with an Irish bank.
As for education for your children you have no worries whatsoever. I have lived in the USA as well as many other overseas countries and the Irish education system stacks up well when compared to other countries. You're right it you speedometer it by the Catholic Church but that's definitely no longer the case. The Catholic Church did leave a good legacy with their schooling system and when I did bring my own children overseas they were always equal to or ahead of children in other countries.
Because early and went through such a deep recession and because so many Eastern European people qualified for our social welfare system, the Irish government had no choice but to make it difficult for any people from overseas to come to Ireland to work in case they lose their job and qualify for social welfare here. So be prepared to be able to demonstrate strongly that you are financially self sufficient and would not have to apply for assistance from the Irish Social Welfare system even in an emergency. This approach will help you get your Visas easier.

Trusting this is of some use and I wish you every success

Kind regards,
Jim

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