What is expat living like for María, a Spaniard who moved with her boyfriend to Ireland three years ago? Here she shares aspects of her expat life there, like how she found a job, her perceptions of the Irish, and the cost of living in Dublin. She also gives some tips you might find useful if you're planning on moving to Ireland.	María L. Castejón

-Where were you born?

Madrid, Spain.

-In which country and city are you living now?

Dublin, Ireland.

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I'm living with my boyfriend.

-How long have you been living in Ireland?

3 years.

-What is your age?

35 years old.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Ireland?

During 2005, we were very upset with the job situation in Spain (too many working hours, low salaries, poor benefits...) and when we tried to start our company, it was a disaster (huge taxes, lots of bureaucracy...) so when my boyfriend got a good job in Dublin, we made up our minds, closed our own company and moved to Ireland.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

As European Citizens, we don't need any visa or work permit for working and living in Ireland.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Not really because both our jobs have medical insurance (it's one of the benefits).

-How do you make your living in Ireland? Do you have any type of income generated?

My boyfriend got his job while still in Spain, in an IT company; however, I was searching for a job for about four months in Dublin.

When I  was searching for a job I brought my CV to all the recruitment agencies that I could find but I didn't get anything in that way. At the same time, I was applying to several jobs by Internet (websites like: www.jobs.ie and www.irishjobs.ie) and almost every day I usually received some phone calls or interviews.

Nevertheless, I also found out some differences between Ireland and Spain in jobs application process. For example, in Spain you usually send a very complete CV to all the vacancies; but not here, unless you want to lose the job because you're overqualified.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?  

You must be able to understand, speak and write in English. English is the official language although you can find many Spanish people not only in Dublin. There are many languages schools although there is not any free classes.

In the public libraries (www.dublincitypubliclibraries.ie) you can find, apart from learning books, DVD's and some conversation exchanges. Needless to say, many of the Spanish people who come to Ireland want to improve their English but, sadly, some people just don't  and they prefer to speak always in Spanish. It's easier but very sad because they don't give themselves any chance to meet Irish or other foreigners.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Describe your favourite recreational activities there or those that are available.

Of course I miss friends and relatives sometimes but I keep in touch with them by email, phone, facebook and so on. There is also a big Spanish community in Dublin (http://spaniards.es) and there are meetings once per month.

Dublin is not a big city like Madrid or London, but there are many gigs that you can attend, some theatres, nice and inexpensive restaurants and so on, however, there are only a few cinemas.  If you like European or Asian movies you could join the Irish Film Institute (for about 20 Euros per year): (http://www.ifi.ie) and if you prefer commercial movies, you could get the Unlimited card (http://www.cineworld.ie/unlimited), with it you can go every time you want to a multi cinema for only 19.99 Euros per month.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Since the recession is hitting Ireland hard, my boyfriend and I are thinking about moving on to a different country. Maybe just for a couple of years, I don't know.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We're renting a two-bedroom apartment in Dublin 4. Our rental is very expensive but the contract was made last year (rents were very expensive then but now they are much cheaper).

-What is the cost of living in Ireland?

Dublin is very expensive. It's as expensive as Madrid and now it's getting worse every day. The taxes are getting high as well.

-What do you think about the Irish?

Generally speaking, Irish people are friendly and warm.  They are quite open with foreigners because they used to be immigrants as well. However, they don't like people that don't want to learn English or not to integrate.

In my opinion, it's easy to get along with them but you need time to become friends. When you have an Irish friend, he's a true one.

The only thing that surprised me is not many of them have hobbies (they only live for working, drinking in the pub, go shopping,..) but when you find an Irish guy with hobbies, he or she usually is a very interesting person.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Ireland?

Positive things: Dublin and Ireland in general is a very safe place for travelling and living. The countryside is impressive. They have a very relaxed way of life.

Negative things: Dublin is a small city so the cultural offerings are few.  The public transport is not very good and doesn't go to everywhere. It's very expensive, too.  And, of course, the weather!

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Ireland?

If you want to come to Ireland, I'd recommend you to learn English and save money before coming. The recession is hitting hard in Ireland at the moment, so there are not a lot of job offers. However, it's beautiful country and it's worth seeing it.

-Do you have any favourite Web sites or blogs about Ireland?

Spaniards:  Spanish abroad forum: http://spaniards.es
Irish blogs: http://www.irishblogs.ie
Easyexpat: http://www.easyexpat.com
A place to call my own: http://blog.crisopeya.eu -- My personal diary.