Thinking of leaving Ireland?

Making a move to live and work outside Ireland might in the current economic climate make good career sense. With the lack of jobs and the many predictions that the recovery will be slow, moving to locations could be the only way to either find a new position or develop your career. Whilst the so called “New Ireland” of recent years saw a halt to emigrating we also had many Irish return to the boom. In addition we had many new nationalities come here over the last 10 years to fill the jobs we could not find people to do. The real possibility now is that we could be heading back to significant emigration but hopefully not to the level of the 1980’s etc.

The first and most important thing you should do is research all the locations you are considering moving to. Factors such as language, availability of work, cost of living should be key elements of this. If it is a country within the EU then you will not have any problems around legal entitlements to work. Outside that you will have issues around working visas. Most of this can be done on the internet. It is very easy now to find the most popular sites for jobs, accommodation as well as the attractions in each location. You can even talk to recruitment agencies here in Ireland as many are either part of large multinationals or the independent firms that have strategic relationships with other recruiters based in those locations. There are also some firms who when they recruit can put you in contact with local firm that can assist you with relocation. It is also a good idea to find out your salary value and the current tax structures.

We know that many of our more recent immigrants have returned, most particularly people coming from Eastern Europe. One of the positive aspects for some is the countries they are returning to are in better shape than our own. There has also been a trickle of people moving to the old favourites such as the UK and Australia. Numbers would be considerably higher but for the current state of those economies. As these countries will see a recovery before we do in Ireland, I would expect the numbers to increase. One of the more open countries at this moment is Canada. They have had a skilled shortage in some sectors for many years and they have not been affected to the same extent as other developed economies. Think about mainland Europe. Germany, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg traditionally attract and welcome international staff and have much to offer in terms of high profile jobs. Communication should not be a problem as English is a corporate language in many organisations and if you can speak some German or French it’s going to be an advantage in everyday conversations.

If you are looking for a completely new experience and a challenge why not look at places in the developing Eastern European countries such as Poland, The Chech Republic or Russia. They are growing and transforming economies attracting foreign investment. Don’t be afraid of the language barrier as the new generation of Eastern Europeans is well educated and the opportunities available there are mainly cross-border projects.

It is always helpful to have an exit strategy. Would suggest that whatever position you take, the role offers skills that you can one day use on your return.