It’s been almost two months that I have moved to Ireland now and guess what? I survived.

The first week has been very difficult. Foreign country, no car and being alone knowing that I was going to be alone for a long time…all of this started to led me down the path of discouragement.

BUT! Since I like to think that I am a practical person (or maybe sometimes “shoot first then ask”, it’s more appropriate ) I began focusing on what I really needed to do to blend with this beautiful country. Took me a while to figure out but luckily there’s plenty of info online and people here are really, really friendly and helpful 🙂

Here’s a short list of what you have to do when you are moving your first steps in Ireland:

First of all, get a PPS number. It’s easy, free, takes just a couple of minutes and you will need it for almost everything (including being hired and open a bank account).

Then search for an house to buy or rent. Not only because it’s important, but also because most of the times when dealing with public services you will be asked for a “proof of address” (eg. a bill, renting contract, whatever).
A good resource is Daft.ie : contact every landlord, don’t be afraid to ask questions and eventually you’ll find something. Almost all landlords require 1 year of contract but if you really have/want to leave and you have a good reason to do so you can just talk with them and make an agreement.

Now you should have everything you need to open a bank account. Some banks may ask for an employment letter, just ask your employer, he’ll know what to do.

All this should take 1-2 weeks tops, so don’t be discouraged at the beginning! My personal advice is to rent a car for the first period: unfortunately here in Limerick public transport is not so reliable and moving from an office to another may be difficult. Enterprise.ie has good prices and they can even pick you up, so no need to go to their offices.

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