I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and a happy New Year! Now that 2015 is officially here, it’s time to put your job search back into high gear.
If you’re like many of the clients I work with, you’ve thought at least once or twice about moving this year. In fact, you may have even thought of moving to another country.
For many people, moving abroad is a lifelong dream. It started in college when they thought about doing an exchange program and then lingered when they became a professional. They were just not sure where to begin.
One of my goals for 2015 is to bring you information about the steps required to make such a big move. Some countries are easier or harder to move to from a legal perspective.
To start off, I traveled to one of the most popular places many people want to move to: Europe. In December, I visited Dublin, Ireland to get the scoop on how you might move there.
I met with career coach Karen Willis. Karen specializes in empowering her clients to discover their new career plans or to change careers. A native of Ireland, Karen relates to the struggles her clients go through as they juggle career and other life commitments.
Karen explained that roughly five years ago, a number of large companies began to open offices in Dublin. The entire list is too long to go through, but the short version includes Google, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It’s incredible to see so many big dot coms opening offices in a downtown area the size of downtown Memphis.
You may wonder why Dublin was selected. First, it’s the closest European country to the U.S. It has the lowest median age in Europe, so there are lots of young, mobile, educated workers there. And, because they’re part of the E.U., people can move from all over Europe to work there. That means that they also have a diverse work force that speaks many languages. In addition, Ireland’s corporate tax rate is around half what other countries offer at 12.5%. These factors make Dublin an attractive place to be.
But, back to the relocation side of things. What do you need to do to make a move to Dublin happen?
During my conversation with Karen and a few other folks, I learned that unfortunately, it can be quite tricky to move to Dublin. When applicants are considered for a job, by law those in Europe are prioritized above applicants from other countries. Informally, it sounds like Irish are also prioritized above other Europeans.
This means that if you really want to move there, you’ve got to get creative. Here are a few ideas:
- Transfer with a U.S. company that has offices there. This is easiest when you’re already working for the company.
- Apply for highly specialized positions. Similar to the U.S., those working in highly technical fields like engineering or healthcare will find it easier to move abroad. Here’s the entire list of jobs that fall into this category.
- Work in a senior level position. The rules are more flexible for those in very senior level roles.
- Consider going back to graduate school – in Europe. If you’ve been thinking of going to graduate school, this could be a great way to build a bridge to Europe.
- Consider other cities in Europe. Rumor has it that cities such as London are easier to get your foot in the door.
- Start a business. Dublin is booming with start-ups, and successful dot coms. If you’re an entrepreneur, this can be a great way to transition to another country.
If you’d like to learn more, tune into Tuesday’s Copeland Coaching Podcast. In my new episode, I will be interviewing Karen Willis about what you need to know to relocate to Dublin.
You can also learn more about Irish work visas here. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation has additional information about employment permits here. And, to learn more about Karen, check out her website here.
As you may find, moving to Ireland or the rest of Europe can be difficult. However, I hope these steps will make the process a little easier. As the year goes on, I hope to share with the you the immigration details for other countries.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.
Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. Thanks.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
