Ireland

Accommodation: Popular areas • North of Dublin • West of Dublin

If you are coming to Ireland to live and work you need to find a suitable place to live. Due to Ireland’s phenomenal popularity both the rents and property prices have gone up so much in the last couple of years that Ireland, more particularly Dublin has become one of the most expensive places to live in Europe. Since Dublin is the main business centre of Ireland and the place where most of the population live (more than a third of them) the accommodation prices are the highest here. A similar situation is found in other cities in Ireland, e.g. Cork, Galway, Limerick, etc though the prices there are a bit lower than in Dublin. The prices/rents also vary within the cities. This depends on location, size of the property, whether it is furnished or not, etc. A general rule is that the further you go from the city centre the less expensive your housing will be. You can expect to be able to buy/rent a nice 3-4-bedroom house for nearly the same amount of money that you would need to buy/rent a 1-2-bedroom apartment in the city centres.

Accommodation - Popular areas

Popular areas in Dublin include Ballsbridge, Rathfarnham, and Churchtown, which are close to St. Andrew's college, and have public transportation to the centre of the city. Average monthly rents for flats are:

• Two-bedroom (450+ Irish pounds)
• Three-bedroom (550+ pounds)
• Four-bedrooms (650+ pounds).
• Semi-detached range from 650+ pounds for a three bedroom to 750+ for a four-bedroom.
• Detached flats rent for between 650+ for a three-bedroom to over 800 pounds for a four-bedroom.

Accommodation - North of Dublin

North of Dublin are residential areas near Sutton Park School that have train and bus service to the centre of the city. Average monthly rent for flats ranges from

• 400+ for a two-bedroom apartment
• 500+ for a three-bedroom
• 600+ for a four-bedroom.
• Semi-detached rentals range between 500+ pounds for a three-bedroom to over 600 pounds for a four-bedroom.
• Detached ranged from 700 - 800 pounds.

Accommodation - West of Dublin

West of Dublin is also a popular area but it has no international schools, few flats, and only adequate bus and train service to the city. Monthly rentals range from

• 450+ pounds for a two-bedroom
• 500+ for a three-bedroom.
• Semi-detached rentals go for between 450+ for a three-bedroom to 500+ for a four-bedroom
• Detached range from 600+ for a three-bedroom to 700+ for a four-bedroom.

Transportation: Bus • Importing a car • Driving license

Transportation - Bus

Buses are the main mode of transport in Ireland. The price of tickets in Dublin on regular buses ranges from 60p to IR£1.25.
You can call for a cab or wait for them in ranks in central locations. You may have to wait for a while before you get a cab, better would be to order for a cab by phone. Finding a cab after midnight on weekends is usually difficult.
Buying a car in Ireland is not cheap. The cheapest family cars cost around £10,000. Some models in the "mini" class cost about £8,000 or less.

The average cost of motor insurance in Ireland is about £750: for a third party fire and theft policy for a fully licensed driver aged over 25 with a clean record. However, for younger drivers this rises enormously and many companies are offering discounts for women drivers, over 30's.

Transportation - Importing a car

Importing cars from abroad can be time-consuming and costly. Importing from non-EU countries incurs import duties and vehicle registration tax. In a number of circumstances people may be exempt from these taxes depending on the age of car and the length of time the person has owned it. For further information you can contact The Revenue Commissioners, Vehicle Registration Offices, General Enquiries, Custom House, Dublin 1. Tel: 353-1-8734555 or Vehicle Registration Tax, VRT Exemptions Section, Burnfoot, Co Donegal. Tel: 353-77-68253.

Transportation - Driving License

Licences obtained in non-EU countries are invalid and holders must sit an Irish driving test to obtain a licence.

Utilities: Electricity • Water • Telephone

Utilities - Electricity

ESB is the national provider of electricity in Ireland. They operate 24 power stations nationwide, which have a total capacity of 4164 MW. Electricity supplies are provided through a national grid comprising high voltage 110kV, 220kV and 400kV lines. Adequate supplies are available to meet any major industrial demand at any location within the country. Industrial users are principally supplied at 110kV or 38kV (high voltage) or at 20kV or 10kV (medium voltage). Low voltage supplies are also available at 230V.

Utilities - Water

The cost of metered water for industrial use in Ireland varies by county. In addition, most local authorities have a charge for meter rental. Again this varies with most charging below £100. Some local authorities also have a minimum charge

Utilities - Telephone

Ireland has one of the most advanced and competitive telecommunications infrastructures in Europe. The investment of over $5bn in recent years has resulted in state-of-the-art optical networks and virtually unlimited bandwidth. The telecommunications market is fully de-regulated and currently over 20 companies compete on the basis of value-added services.

Some of the leasing telecommunications providers active in the Irish market include WorldCom/UUNet, Eircom, BT/ Esat Telecom, GTS, Cable and Wireless, Genuity, Colt and Furmus.

Education: Top schools in Dublin • Top schools outside Dublin • International schools

Education - Top schools in Dublin

Demand for good Irish schools is high, so obtaining a place for children can be a quite a challenge. Dublin schools include

• Castleknock College (for boys age 12-18)
• Castle Park Preparatory School (ages 3-13)
• Drumnigh Montessori (ages 3-9)
• Rathdown School (ages 4-18)
• St. Andrew's College (ages 4-19)
• St. Columbia's College (ages 11-18)
• St. Kilian's German School (English and German, ages 12-18)
• Sutton Park School (ages 5-18)
• Ecole franco-irlandais de Dublin, which provides French instruction for students aged 3-16.

Education - Top schools outside Dublin

Outside Dublin, schools include:

• Brook House School, Bray, Co., Wicklow (ages 3-18)
• St. Gerards School, Bray, Co., Wicklow (ages 3-18)
• Midleton College, Midleton, Co., Cork (ages 12-18)
• Our Lady's Bower, Athlone, Co., Westmeath for students aged 13-18

Education - International schools

A complete listing of International schools can be found in the Directory of the European Council of International Schools

Work Permit:

The recent economic boom has brought the unemployment level to virtually zero. Infact Ireland is importing skilled labours from Eu and Non-EU nations. For this purpose the Irish government has introduced a liberal work permit. Work permits are no longer issued in Dublin alone, any Irish consular post can grant the same.

Your employer has to apply to the Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. <mailto:lyncha@entempdoc.irlgov.ie>. He has to prove that the job being offered cannot be done by Irish or EU nationals. After your employer sorts out the initial paperwork, the next step requires proof of the foreigner's previous employment or training qualifications. An employer has to prove that you are suitable for the position.

The application starting from receipt of work permit takes 4 weeks to process. The duration of work permit can be between one month to one year. The validity period varies from one month to one year.

Indian embassies in Ireland:

Important numbers:

• Garda Síochána (the Irish Police Force) 999
• The Fire Brigade 999
• Ambulance 999
• Mountain and Cave Rescue 999
• Boat and Coastal Rescue 999
• Gas Emergency (leaks ONLY) - Nationwide - 1850 205050
• Vehicle breakdown: 1800 66 77 88

Maps:

• Map of Ireland
• Road map
• Map of Ireland (black and white)

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