House (Flat) Hunters: Dublin

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Dublin, Working HolidayLeave a comment

Hello all! So this post has been brewing for awhile, but I thought I’d give myself some time to de-stress after all my house hunting woes were finally settled. So here goes…

Dublin is currently experiencing a housing crisis. With the influx of university students returning for their new semester combined with the increasing number of businesses setting up their headquarters in Dublin (which is due to low business taxes and Brexit making London a less appealing startup location), it makes the perfect recipe for the shark tank that is the real estate market (no seriously, if they smell blood, you’re a goner).

Not only is living in Dublin, especially anywhere near the City Centre, expensive, it’s also extremely competitive to actually obtain a lease. I looked obsessively for apartments for about a month and a half before I finally got one. I was constantly (this is not an exaggeration) prowling the various renting sites looking for places in my price range and in the area I wanted.

So let’s start with the basics: where to search for housing. There are multiple sites that specialize in housing in Dublin, like Rent.ie and Daft.ie. Plus the classic craigslist option (but beware, there are catfishes GALORE here, so I wouldn’t even chance it). I personally found that the best website to look at was Daft, which had the widest selection of properties and usually the most up to date listings of all the sites. Here you can search for apartments/flats and houses to rent, as well as house shares and short term lets, which might be more convenient depending on how long you plan to stay in Dublin/your price range. Make sure that you have a maximum price range in mind going in, and if you find a place that seems to fit the bill ask whether the bills are included in the price because it can vary.

When you go into daft you’re initially prompted for an area you want to look at, as well as a category (rent, buy, share). Put in your desired region and type of property, then search. That will bring you to a page of properties, BUT next click on the “Advanced Search” button. This will allow you to narrow the results by number of rooms, price, etc.

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After you do this, you’ll be presented with a full list of all the viable properties in the area you selected. I found that the best thing to do was to every morning do a search and filter it by “Date Entered.” That way, any time a new property is listed, you can easily see it. Another thing I found handy was to use the Map View, which shows you an interactive google-style map of Dublin, and marks where flats/apartments within your search perimeters are. If you see little numbers on the map, that signifies a cluster of properties in one area, if you zoom in you’ll see them all specifically. This feature is great because it allows you to see exactly where properties are in the scheme of the city, as opposed to looking at the properties in the list view and having to google their location to check where they are (because just because it’s “Dublin 8” doesn’t mean you’re going to be looking over the canal).

Once you find a place that you like email or call the realtor/renting agent immediately. Rooms and flats get snapped up extremely quickly, so you want to make an appointment to view as soon as possible if you find a place you like. I found that if you called, it was easier to get a time for a viewing, as they receive tons of emails every day and are more proactive about the people who take the time to call.

Once you have a viewing set up, be prepared for a crowd. There were multiple times where I would show up for a viewing I had scheduled and there would already be tons other groups of people there to see the same place.

So, if you’re serious about finding an apartment bring a landlord reference and proof of employment/sufficient funds documents with you to the viewing. Most apartments or houses to rent will ask you to provide these documents anyway, so if you have them on hand, you can make an offer immediately and have a better chance at getting the place if it’s something you want.

If your offer is accepted, the first thing you’ll need to do (after you break out into song and dance), is pay your deposit and first month’s rent, as well read over/discuss the lease agreement. Make sure you’re not locked into something you can’t handle. Also, be prepared for most leases to be 12 months, anything less is a little bit rarer to find (and would be more common if you’re doing some sort of house share/sublet).

All in all, it’s a pretty stressful experience, but if you keep at it you’ll eventually have luck (hopefully, if not you can set up a very homey box in St. Stephen’s Green and call it a day). My housemate and I moved into our flat about a month ago and the comfort of having your own place in Dublin makes it much easier to feel at home.

So here’s a photo of my flatmate Hanna and I almost crying with joy as we received our keys and good luck with your search!!

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Bundoran: My Blue Crush Dream Realized

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, TravelLeave a comment

Long have I fantasized about realizing my Blue Crush/Rocket Power dreams and learning how to surf. Living on Long Island Sound in the USA meant, yes, we had the beach, but unless a particularly hefty individual cannon-balled, you were unlikely to see a wave that would crest above your knee. Thus, when the opportunity arose for me to go on a surfing trip here in Ireland, I jumped at the chance.

Bundoran is a town on the very upper tip of the west coast which borders the Atlantic Ocean and is known as a surf haven. We went through TurfnSurf, which is a company based in the town that provides hostel stays and surf lessons. A very nice woman met us in City Centre and boarded us onto a pre-booked coach bus. The bus took us from Dublin, all the way to Bundoran, which was about three and a half hours. Little did I know the quickest route is through Northern Ireland, so when I started seeing Union Jack flags scattered about the countryside, I was a bit confused. While this detail may mean little to you it does mean that if you have an Irish sim card, TURN OFF YOUR DATA while you’re passing through (learn from my mistakes, for the sake of your mobile bill).

The trip was quite easy, with the bus driver making stops for bathroom breaks and snacks (which ended up being more of a curse than a blessing as for the rest of the trip there were various scents wafting thorough the bus ranging from cheese and onion crisps to coffee). We arrived at the hostel, which was in a choice location, with the shore right across the street and the town just a short walk away, and were taken inside by an employee of the company.

In the week leading up the the trip, we’d been emailed by the organizer giving us more details about the schedule. They also said we’d be greeted on arrival with a glass of complementary wine (yas yas yas yas). However, there was no wine in sight by the time we had all moved into our rooms, and when I was voted to be the emissary of those waiting for free alcohol, the Hostel employee told me that the bus was late so they cancelled the free wine (???????). In my opinion that would be a reason for more wine not less, so after that initial disappointment we retired to our room so we could rest up for the next day.

The rooms were quite nice, we got a double and it had two beds, a TV and our own bathroom with towels. Granted, the TV only showed Irish soap operas, but that was as entertaining as anything else I’ve seen on Irish networks to be honest.

The next morning we woke up and headed downstairs for breakfast (which was included, cue my wallet breathing a sigh of relief) and consisted of cereal, toast and some tea/coffee. Afterwards we headed back to our rooms to change into bathing suits and head down to grab wet suits.

The surf instructors chatted with us and sized us up for our wet suits, laughing as we timidly took the body-conforming garments.

Cue the worst part of surfing: putting on a cold wet suit. Honestly though, the biggest downside of this trip was tugging that freezing slab of fabric over my limbs. If there were ever a time that I’ve felt like a sausage, it was that moment as I was zipped into the casing that would keep me warm for the next three hours.

It was then we were loaded into the car and zoomed over to the shoreline where we unloaded the boards and plopped them down on the sand. The instructors were really funny and nice, constantly making jokes and giving helpful tips. They showed us the technique for popping up on the board on land and had us practice a few times. After a little safety brief (always protect your face when you fall, save the money maker!!) we strapped on the ankle cord and made our way into the surf.

The water wasn’t too cold and the wet suits, despite my misgivings at the beginning, kept us really warm. Soon enough I was standing and falling on a loop, I was even the first person to stand and surf a wave (cue victory dance). While I’d expected it to be really difficult, it was actually pretty easy to pick up, especially with the instructors around to give you little tips and tricks. The best part was no one was an expert, so any time anyone stood up on the board or surfed for awhile, the whole group cheered and got a little thrill out of it. The weather was mildly sunny too, which elevated the mood.

Surfing turned out to be one of those things that is fun even when you’re bad at it, which can’t be said for a lot of water activities.

After about three hours, we lugged our boards back onto the beach and set off back to the hostel. Hanna and I grabbed lunch at a little cafe down the street (which was good because after three hours of surfing I was SO HUNGRY) and then spent the rest of the day walking along the beach and exploring the town. There’s a nice little walking path that goes along the cliffs that you can access from the downtown area which is good for your free time after surfing.

We then headed back to the hostel, where they were hosting a little barbecue. Though we’d been told they were going to have the barbecue, they didn’t tell us that in order to attend it cost ten euro, which we happily paid, but the one thing that could be said about our booking was there were the little surprises (see *wine) and inconveniences that could’ve been avoided if we’d just been a little bit more informed, but that’d be my only complaint about the trip itself. The BBQ was pretty cool, with all you could eat burgers, hot dogs and salads. It was BYOB, but one of the surf instructor’s bands played, which was pretty entertaining. People started dancing towards the end (once they’d had a few drinks in them) and then the whole crew went down the street to a pub called Chasin’ Bull to continue the party.

The next morning we woke up (a little bit more sore than previously) and made our way downstairs again for breakfast. The day was so windy that we had to be shuttled to a different beach where the waves were supposedly smaller. And let me tell you, if those were the small waves, I’d hate to see the big ones. We trekked towards the rioting waves which came up all the way to the rocks and left no part of the beach untouched. I must admit, every lifeguard instinct in me was telling me not to go in the water. There was a pretty strong current going and I was (embarrassingly) clinging to the shore with my surfboard lagging behind me.

One of the instructors noticed and came over, reassuring me that, no, I was not going to die a horrible watery death like the mental images I was conjuring. With a bit more encouragement from him, I finally sloshed through the water and gave it a go, riding a admittedly small wave all the way in. With that all my fears subsided, the waves were pretty big, but the water was shallow and it was easy to jump over them if you weren’t ready.

The second day turned out to be even more fun because there was far less waiting around for the waves to come, and thus far less time to think about basking sharks (which you should definitely google because they are hideous and live in the Irish waves).

After another three hours we were driven back to the hostel where we had a few hours to pack up our stuff and grab a bite to eat. We went to a pub down the street called Maddens Bridge Bar, where we were served cold beer and the best pub fare I’ve had since being in Ireland (their chicken was delicious). When we had been thoroughly stuffed, we returned to the hostel and boarded the three hour bus back to Dublin.

So there it is, my surf weekend! I would definitely recommend TurfnSurf if you’re thinking of a weekend trip to Bundoran. Here’s some of the pictures they took to prove I actually did go in the water…

 

 

 

 

 

Irish Bank Accounts – The Final Step (!)

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, Travel, Visas, Working Holiday4 Comments

Do you see that in the distance? That’s the finish line! You’re so close to being done with all these boring processes. Run Forrest, Run!

So once your form 12A comes back, you’ll be home free and ready to make that bank appointment. In order to open an account you’ll need identification (passport is best) and proof of address. Your proof of address must be one of the following options: a utility (gas or electricity) bill in your name, your 12A or a health/motor/house insurance document. The easiest and most attainable for working holiday participants is the 12A.

Firstly, you’ll have to choose your bank, for me Permanent TSB was the best option as they have an account called an Explore Account which seemed easy to set up/most appropriate for my situation. They give you 10 cents back each time you use the card (up to 5 euro, but that’s two cans of Bulmers from Spar) which was a nice little plus. However, there are multiple other banks in Ireland that you could look into opening an account with (Bank of Ireland, AIB, Ulster Bank).

Since I work weekdays and by the time I get home the bank is closed (damn you business hours!!), I called in and made an appointment to set up an account on a Saturday. Permanent TSB has extended hours until 8pm on Thursday and limited Saturday hours at their Grafton Street branch, so make sure you call in to book one of those times if you’re unavailable during the day. If you’re free during the day, however, you can book an appointment online during regular business hours and plan it at your leisure.

When I got there I was taken to the upstairs offices where a very nice woman named Bernie took me through the steps of registering my account. She made copies of my passport and 12A and asked basic questions like where I was living, my job title/salary, how many credit cards/bank accounts I had, etc. Once all that was done and the necessary documents were signed, I made a password for my online account.

Unfortunately, your account isn’t formally open at the end of your appointment, so I wasn’t able to deposit the checks I’d had saved up that day. *Side note, in Ireland it takes five business days for checks to clear which is eternally frustrating, but it is what it is.* By the next business day (the Monday after my Saturday appointment) my account was registered and I deposited what I had into the kiosks they have in their branches.

They said that it would take about three business days for me to receive the pin for my card and then it would be up to three business days after that for me to receive my actual debit card. Which to me makes no sense because why not send them together? Or send the card first? But I have long since stopped questioning the random, long and rambling processes. My pin ended up coming on the Thursday of that next week and I was dreading having to wait all the way until Tuesday for my card, but to my surprise it came the next day (which in retrospect was bad because then  I was so excited to have access to my funds I went a little bit overboard on pub charges that night…)!

Once you have your bank account set up, you’ll be ripe and ready to take on the world as a fully functional, official Working Holiday participant. You can also set up direct deposit if your job has access to that, which will eliminate the five days of waiting for checks to clear (hallelujah).

And that, my friends, is all she wrote on the multi-tiered process of getting set up. Congrats if you’ve gotten to that point, if not, hang in there! Any questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a comment (or if you just want to vent about how frustrated you are, I will be 100% willing to join you in commiseration).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Form 12A – A Title as Boring as the Form Itself

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, Visas, Working Holiday3 Comments

So once you get your PPS number sent to you you’ll be ready to send off your form 12A. This is the second to last step in the process, which will then allow you to set up your bank account (yas).

***UPDATE: So as of 2017, the 12A has morphed into the form 12 which you can do online on your revenue.ie account. When you sign up for revenue.ie, it takes five business days for them to send you your password in the mail (assuming you don’t have an Irish drivers license, which if you do fair play to you, but the rest of us peons need to wait). Once you get your password you can set up your account fully and have access to all the revenue features online!

The form is is similar to to the W-9 if you’re from the US, essentially you’re filling out your information (where you live, how many dependents you have, whether you’re married or single, your income) to figure out how much you should be taxed and how much credit you’re owed in future.

You can find the link to the 12A pdf on the Revenue website here and I would recommend printing it out sooner rather than later and having it all filled in and ready to go so that when your PPS arrives, you can shoot down to the post office right away.

All in all it’s a pretty basic form, make sure you know your gender and marital status! But what’s important is that it will act as your formal proof of address when you’re registering for your bank account.

I sent it in on a Saturday and it came back in about two weeks, so it does take a bit of time to process (thought that makes it even better when it actually comes, I may or may not have done a celebratory dance outside the mailbox).

Side note, if you already have a job at this point, you may have notice that about half of your paychecks are being taken as emergency taxes, which are basically the work of the devil. Don’t fret however, once you get your 12A sorted, you can call into revenue and let them know you need to be taken off of emergency taxes, their number is 1890 333 425. Once you do this, your next paycheck will return all the unwarranted taxes taken from you (which will make you feel like you’re rolling in dough when you get it).

Next up is the bank account, which I’ll be posting about soon, and which I’ve just succeeded in acquiring *bring in the dancing lobsters.* More to come my friends…

PPS Appointments & the Wonderful World of Taxes

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, Visas, Working Holiday2 Comments

So, in keeping with the informative post theme that I’ve got going on lately, I’ve decided to write a bit about the PPS appointment, which is the third to last step (don’t give up yet, move towards the light!!). Assuming that you find yourself a job, you’ll need a PPS number, which stands for personal public service number, in order to do the fun stuff like get paid (which is always the end goal) and pay taxes (not so much the end goal).

Unlike the GNIB, which is a big shit-show of people vying for appointments and spots in the line, your PPS appointment will be something scheduled and organized. In order to get an appointment though, you have to make an account on MyWelfare, which is the Irish site which deals with public services. BUT in order to access MyWelfare you have to use your account information from MyGovID, which is confusing but is pretty much the same account details.

There’s a link in the left hand corner of the MyGovID page which says “register,” which’ll lead you to the sign up process where you can input all your information. From there, you’ll see an icon on your MyWelfare dashboard which says “Appointments,” which is where you’ll need to go to reserve your spot.

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I would recommend going on and making your appointment as soon as possible. I went in and did it right after the GNIB because usually there’s nothing open until the following month. You can always go in and cancel or change the date of your appointment, but getting in as early as possible means that you can sooner be paid and set up your bank account.

When the time comes for you to go to your meeting, you’ll need official proof of ID (which means get out that passport) and a document proving your employment/address in Ireland. Make sure your proof of employment document has your address on it, if you’re requesting it from your employer, make sure they have it on there. Most employers will know how to write a formal letter of employment, but there are tons of templates online that you could fill out and just send to them to fill in their details and sign.

*Also note the address of your appointment, there are two PPS offices in Dublin, one is The Intreo Centre 197-199 Parnell St in Dublin 1 and the other is D’Olier House on D’Olier St in Dublin 2. I went to the latter office, it’s between the Spar and the Ashfield Hostel.*

Once you get there you’ll check in and fill out a sheet with basic information like your name, birth date, address, etc. Then, they’ll call you up to a desk (for me it took less than 10 mins to have my name called) where they’ll ask you for a lot of the same information you filled out on the sheet. You’ll have to present your passport and proof of employment document so they can take scans. The woman who spoke with me also called my employer just to confirm I worked with them, so let your boss know when your appointment is just in case they call.

After all the documents are scanned and you’ve answered all the questions you’ll be free to go! They’ll send your PPS number along (it took me about 5 business days to get it) along with a PPS ID card, which comes a bit later.

Once you get your PPS number, however, you’ll be ready to send in your form 12A, which I’ll post about next, which is important because it is one of the few documents you can use as official proof of address in order to open your bank account.

All in all, by this point you’re probably wanting to pull your hair out, but that wouldn’t be good for all your future Facebook pictures from various scenic Irish locations. So take a deep breath, make some tea, buy and eat a whole roll of chocolate digestives and keep on going.

So here’s a majestic picture of the Cliffs of Moher to inspire you…

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Job Hunters: Dublin Edition

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Dublin, Ireland, Working HolidayLeave a comment

Hello all!

Sorry for the radio silence lately. I’ve been up to my ears with work and apartment hunting (which is a nightmare in Dublin, rant/post to follow).

So, my last informative post that didn’t have to do with frolicking in Phoenix Park was about the GNIB, which is pretty much your first step in the long and arduous process of setting yourself in Ireland (but breath a sigh of relief because if you can survive the Immigration Office, you can do anything).

Next you’ll want to find yourself a job, unless you have a sizable trust fund which will allow you to live luxuriously in a studio flat surrounded by non-Ikea furniture (those people can promptly walk into the Liffey).

Depending on your degree/experience, the difficulty of getting a job will vary. If you’re looking for something specifically in your field, it may take longer/be harder to find something quickly, in which case you should definitely bring enough money for you to subsist on for at least two months if not more. If you’re a bit more flexible and willing to take whatever position comes to you, you’ll find that there are lots of opportunities.

I personally signed with a recruitment/temp agency. I contacted them and went in for an interview where they went over my CV (which you should have edited and in tip top shape before you move over) and asked me questions about my previous experience. Signing with a temp agency is a good move to start out, because they can give you jobs as short as a day, a week and also as long as six months. If you want to get office experience for future job applications it’s great for getting your foot in the door. It’s also a way to get immediate work, which could be helpful until you find something more permanent if that’s your goal.

Otherwise, if you’re looking for something specific or any jobs in Dublin I would definitely recommend using the site Indeed. With Indeed, you can set the location and search key words relating to the job you’re looking for. I found the best way to do it was to search for the field you want or your goal position, for example “customer service,” and then filter the results by date. That way you can see jobs that were recently posted. Also, if you make a profile and upload your CV, it’ll save your information and automatically input it in jobs you’re applying for (which saves a ton of time that could be better spent in the pub).

If you’re not having any luck with Indeed there are a few other sites that are useful including:

There are also tons of cafes, bars and restaurants that are hiring all around Dublin, especially if you have service experience or if it’s the high season/tourist season (summer). In this case, it might be best to hit the pavement and hand out CVs personally. It’s one thing to say you are personable with customer service skills, and it’s another to meet the manager yourself and leave an impression before they’ve even looked over your credentials.

Make sure to have multiple copies of your CV printed and at the ready, I’ve found the best places to print are the various public libraries around the city (my closest is the Rathmines Library). They’re cheaper than the internet cafes and you’re much less likely to meet a sketchy internet prowler, which is always a plus.

Good luck with your search for employment my friends!

Phoenix Park — Dublin

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Dublin, Ireland, TravelLeave a comment

Like any girl of my generation, I grew up thinking I was going to be a princess after watching Disney VHS tapes. My mind was filled with images of tame woodland creatures that would flock to me and be my friends. Unfortunately, reality set in as I aged when I realized that no, the coyotes do not want to hear me sing. No, the squirrels do not want to sit on my shoulder as I twirl in my full skirt. And no, the birds most certainly don’t want me to stroke them as I hum in perfect tune to no one in particular (except for the handsome prince conveniently lurking within hearing distance).

BUT, all of those dreams came rushing back when I visited Phoenix Park this past week. Phoenix Park is an absolutely massive and beautiful area on the north side of the Liffey. It includes huge expanses of greenery, gardens and some monuments/official buildings.

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Most importantly it has free roaming herds of Dublin Deer. When hearing this you might think, well I have deer at home…why would this matter. Well good friends, it matters because these deer are not like your average deer. For one thing, they’re gorgeous, much prettier than Bambi with many of them sporting white coats and massive antlers.

For anther, they’re tame. While you may see many signs telling you not to approach them, they are very used to humans roaming about the park. When my friend and I held up some of the freshly cut grass (there are football fields in the park which are maintained and mowed), a few of the deer came right up to us. They ate the grass and padded around us for awhile, obviously used to people bringing them food (we saw other people giving them carrots).

While there are warnings that they’re wild, they do seem quite friendly with humans. If you’re anywhere near the park or visiting Dublin for the day, stop by, it really is magical. The Dublin Zoo is also within the park grounds, so if you’re out for the day with your family, its a good place to explore. Though word to the wise, don’t chase the deer or scream at them (this sounds like common sense, I know, but we saw some pretty atrocious behavior by some over-enthusiastic park goers). They’ll be much more likely to come up to you if you hold out food to them from afar!

Cell Phones in Ireland

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, VisasLeave a comment

Hello friends…

So, I’m entering week number two of my Working Holiday Authorization in Dublin and I thought I’d go ahead and talk about cellphones. Not only because I’d be lost without the guiding light of Google Maps, but also because Pokémon Go just came out and I know you’ll all want to keep up with your teams (#BlueTeam4ever).

The first step is to check on the status of your phone if you have one. If you want to use your current cell phone, you’ll have to make sure it’s “unlocked” or, in other words, that it’s not still attached to your contract. If you’ve had it for more than 2 years, you should be able to contact your network provider and have it unlocked for you, which essentially takes your phone off of their network.

If you, like me, have a more recent phone that is still on the 2 year contract, there are a few options, all of which are not too fun or convenient. The first is you can pay off the remainder of your contract and the price of your phone. That means you’ll have to pay them what you would have had you continued using their service. If you’re close to the end of your contract this isn’t that bad, but if you recently got your phone, this could be too much.

In the more unfortunate case, you’ll have to either use a different phone (I used an older generation iPhone that I had lying around the house) OR you could buy a cheap smart phone when you get to Ireland and just use that.

**Bonus third option: if you buy said cheap phone and activate it, you can make that phone a “hotspot” and sync your newer phone to that so that it can still receive messages and such. That’s just if you insist on having your phone that’s still locked into contract.

Once you have the unlocked phone, all you need to do is get a sim card from an Irish phone company and top up.

One of the many reasons to love Ireland is their lack of long-term cell phone contracts. Once you get the sim card you can “top up” — or add money to your account — and be done with it. I’ve been using a brand called Three which I like quite a lot. For 20 Euros a month I get unlimited data, unlimited texts and free calls to any network on the weekends, which has worked well enough for me since I use FaceTime to call people most of the time.

There’s other options as well, however, which you might want to check out. Companies such as Meteor, O2, Postfone, Tesco and Vodafone all offer plans that may suit your particular situation better.

As long as you remember to top up on time, you’ll be free to Tweet and Tinder to your hearts desire!

GNIB Registration — AKA Hell on Earth

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, Visas5 Comments

Hello all! As I’ve just gotten onto the right sleep schedule, I’m ripe and ready to crank out the blog posts on all I’ve learned in the past few days. One topic being the dreaded GNIB or Garda National Immigration Bureau. When you receive your Working Holiday Authorization, it informs you that you have to register with the GNIB within 90 days of entrance by going to their office in Dublin, which is over by the Liffey. Once you do this, you’ll be given a GNIB card, which is necessary to have as a form of proof of ability to work. What they don’t tell you is that this process is by no means as easy as it sounds.

First of all, the GNIB is only open Mondays and Tuesdays from 8am-9pm. While this time period seems long, you have to get there VERY EARLY in order to be seen. Each day, they give out a certain amount of appointment numbers and if you arrive too late, you may not be able to get a slot.

While the office opens at 8am, it is extremely important you get there early to procure a spot in line. I would suggest arriving at 6am or earlier if you want to get in and out before they close. I know this sounds absurd, but people sleep overnight to get spots, and many arrive between 5am-6am.

I personally arrived at about 5:45am, and ended up with the appointment number 95, which was lucky as I saw others who got numbers in the 200s.

When the GNIB opens, they’ll slowly start letting people inside. You’ll queue up in order to get your appointment number, and once you have this, you sit and wait until the screen flashes your number. This can take a very long time. I was in the door at 8:10am and was in the second group of people they let in, and I wasn’t seen until around 12:30pm.

Once your number is called, you will walk up and speak to a representative. Make sure you have…

  • Your passport
  • Your Working Holiday Authorization
  • An Irish address and phone number for them to have on file
  • A credit card/debit card to pay the €300 fee

From there they’ll have you pay the fee and take your picture for your GNIB card (which looks just like any sort of identification card). They’ll hold on to your passport while you go back to the waiting room.

At this point in the process you’ll have to wait until they call your name over the loudspeaker. It is good to sit in the far corner of the room during this process (over by the entrance to the bathroom) because the speaker is the best there and it’s easier to hear your name called. It took about 2 hours for this to happen in my case, with them presenting me with the card (and returning my passport) at about 2:30pm.

All in all, I spent 9 hours at the GNIB in order to fully complete the process. You are allowed to leave while everything is processing, however if you miss your appointment that would be on your head. I was personally too nervous to leave during my time, but a very kind friend brought me coffee, which was a relief. Definitely bring a book, your iPod or a laptop to use, because the waiting is basically like the DMV on crack.

So, in conclusion, the GNIB is like the 9th circle of hell, but once you do it you’ll be home free (JUST DON’T LOOSE YOUR CARD!!). So when it comes to the Immigration office, may the odds be ever in your favor…

**Side note – Avoid the bathroom at all costs as it is terrifying. The whole thing is lit up blue with a strobing light overhead in order to apparently keep people from shooting up (?????!!!!). Excuse me while I continue to have stress nightmares about peeing there.

***Second side note – I went on the 4th of July and never have I enjoyed the concept of freedom better than when I walked out of the GNIB doors, I literally almost kissed the dirty pee-stained sidewalk (I didn’t though, for the sake of dental hygiene).

 

Dublin Week 1 – First Impressions

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, Travel, VisasLeave a comment

After planning and worrying endlessly about my gap year, I’ve finally arrived in Dublin and settled in. I’m living in an area called Portobello, which is a pretty hip and generally nice area of the city near the canal. So far I’ve frequented a few pubs and coffee shops and set myself up nicely (however, spoiler alert, normal filtered coffee is very rare around here, the closest you can usually get is an Americano).

The Stint housing is absolutely amazing. If you’re thinking of doing a gap year in Dublin or even an internship (as they coordinate those as well) I would highly recommend contacting them about their program. Not only is it centrally located, its decked out. When I arrived last Tuesday, completely disheveled from my long flight, I walked into the house and immediately felt at home. The kitchen and living room are nice and spacious, perfect for movie nights or casual hang outs in the evening. There’s a nice little back patio with furniture to sit about and a grill, which we used successfully for our Fourth of July party! My room has a terrace outside where I can sit out and relax, that is, when the weather isn’t being bipolar.

Stint arranged a cab to pick me up at the airport and bring me to the house, which was a relief, and the driver gave me a very handy update on the Brexit (which is all anyone is talking about around here). Then I was met by Melanie, the head of the Stint program, who gave me the tour and a little swag bag that had a water bottle, some much needed instant coffee, a map of the city and other little odds and ends. She was very kind to me despite my deliriously tired state, which I was thankful for because I looked like a garbage person I was so bedraggled .

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I’ve found the best place to shop for groceries around here seems to be Lidl, which is just down the street a ways from the flat in another younger/hipper area called Rathmines. There’s also Tesco Express, which is good but a tad bit more expensive.

One of the things that struck me, especially in the few days of adjusting, was how hard it is to find certain things in the shops around here. It took me about four days to find a place that had notebooks, pens and tape. There’s also a very limited selection of shampoo/bathroom essentials at the grocery store so it’s best to try to find yourself a pharmacy. No Walmarts to be found in Dublin!

Here’s a little guide that I made to where to buy different items around Portobello…

Groceries: Lidl, Tesco/ Tesco Express, Aldi

**Helpful tip – you have to bring your own shopping bag or they charge you for one

Shampoo/Conditioner, Bathroom Essentials: Boots, pharmacies (there are a bunch of privately owned pharmacies around that usually carry all your basic items)

Office Supplies: Eason

**Eason also has books

Clothes: Penney’s (very cheap, kind of like Forever 21, they also have homeware), TopShop, H&M

Makeup: Boots, Penney’s (cheap but a pretty large selection, with some toiletries as well), Lush (more expensive)

That’s my mini guide to shopping, but if there’s anything I forgot shoot me a comment. I’ll be posting about my experiences registering with the Garda Naturalization and Immigration Bureau (or GNIB) and getting my GNIB card, which will be a doozy of a post because it was a hellish experience. More to come!