Preparation for Travel

Home from Home

Measure the usable floor space (in square feet or metres) of your current house as a reference point for viewing accommodation. Note the number of rooms and any additional living/storage space such as garage, basement, garden shed, car port, loft etc.

Personal Records

You will obviously need passports and/or identification for travel purposes. Bring birth certificates and vaccination records for children. These will be useful for enrollment in school. Remember to bring driving licenses as well as other reference documents like car insurance certificates, proof of current address, banking references etc.

Keeping in Touch

Bring your address book, phone book and email list if you have one. Pass on your new address to friends and family as soon as you have chosen your new home. The sooner you get in touch with people at home, the sooner they will write back!

Moving with Children

Involve your children in the move as much as possible. Reassure them by bringing their favourite foods and toys. Bring back lots of photos if they are not with you on a look and see visit. Bring plenty of photos of friends and extended family when you do relocate, as small children need a visual reminder of their loved ones back home.

Selecting Accommodation

Renting Accommodation

Lease agreements will typically run from 6 months to 2 years. They are usually drawn up by the landlord or agent, based on a standard format. In some cases, a solicitor may be engaged by the landlord or by the agent, with an inventory listing and a section on special conditions relating to a specific property or agreement. The owner or rental agent will usually look for:

• A signed lease agreement

• References or letter of guarantee from employer

• A refundable cash deposit held as security for the duration of the lease, equivalent to at least 1 months rent.

Most houses in <country-regionw:ston><placew:ston>Ireland are of block wall construction with slate or concrete tiled roofs. This makes houses more solid and long-lasting, but also more difficult to heat. The roof materials also mean more straightforward designs to keep building costs down. There is a recent trend to introduce timber frame construction, or hybrid block/timber frame, but these would still form a very small percentage of new houses. 

Older houses in general will have a larger overall floor area with larger individual rooms, but a less imaginative layout. Newer houses will have a more innovative layout, more features such as en-suite bathrooms etc., provide better heat insulation, but have a smaller floor area.

There is no such thing as an average house just as there is no such thing as an average family. Hence the need for focused assistance to meet the needs of individuals and families.

Education

Child Care

As in many other countries, a growing percentage of Irish mothers continue to work outside the home while their children are young. Job-sharing and part-time hours are commonplace, with child minders and crèche facilities widely available.

Pre-school (3-4 years)
Most children would spend 1-2 years attending a pre-school. These vary from local informal play groups to the more formal Montessori schools. The hours would typically be 3-4 hours per day, 5 days per week, mornings or afternoons. Almost all of these would be private (fee paying).

Primary Schools (4-12 years)

The primary school cycle is 8 years. The majority of schools are state funded and parish based with a Roman Catholic ethos. Most have boys and girls segregated. Private schools are also available providing alternative emphasis e.g. non-denominational, international flavour etc.

The Irish language is taught in all schools at both primary and secondary level. While it is a mandatory subject, certain exceptions apply for "visiting" students.  

Secondary School (12-18 years)

The secondary school cycle is 5-6 years. The majority of schools are state funded. There is a mixture of co-ed and segregated schools. The major state exams, Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate, are taken in 3rd year and 5th respectively. (or 6th year as some schools have a transition year as 4th. year where the emphasis is on non exam subjects and life skills.)

3rd Level Education (18+ years)

3rd Level courses vary widely from 1 year diplomas to 3 or 4 year primary degrees for arts and sciences to medicine, dentistry or veterinary which are longer. Adult education courses are provided at local level as evening classes in everything from cookery to computers and art to yachting. More facilities are now being provided for people with special needs as awareness grows and funding is made available.

Settling In

Simple Tips

For those already familiar with Ireland, but new to Cork, community orientation is often simply a matter of finding their way around the locality, locating schools, the various shops and shopping areas, opening hours for various facilities, knowing the whereabouts of medical services and procdures to be followed in the event of an emergency. People will also be interested in sporting, leisure and cultural activities in their local area, and in the city generally.

For those unfamiliar with <country-regionw:ston>Ireland or even <placew:ston>Europe, there is more to community orientation than meets the eye. The only safe bet is not to make any assumptions!

People need bank accounts and access to Irish money. They may need access to other professional or technical services in due course, which may be very different to those in their home country.

They need to know where to shop for groceries at the outset, but also for everything else. They may need to source ethnic food, or other services or products that relate to their home culture.

People may need to become familiar with driving on the "wrong" side of the road and understand the rules of the road, both the written ones, and the unwritten ones!

Whatever it takes, people relocating here, need to feel safe and secure in their surroundings, and feel they are equipped to manage effectively in their day to day activities.

Common Difficulties

The facilities readily available to people who are already established in an area, can often be a source of difficulty for newcomers. Problems are typically associated with lack of appropriate means of identification and acceptable references to establish a track record, particularly in respect of financial credit, or some other risk.

The relocation agent is well equipped to negotiate much of the red tape here, but there are inevitably some limitations. Typical areas of difficulty are:

• Opening a bank account, securing credit facilities, and setting up direct debits

• Getting a mobile phone

• Obtaining Car and house insurance

• Getting a Driving licence

An employer can be of great assistance in these situations