Tag: Working Holiday

Barcelona Weekend

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Travel, Working Holiday4 Comments

Hello friends!

So I’m sorry about the radio silence lately, I’m already into the seventh month of my gap year which is both terrifying and… nope it’s just terrifying. For all those of you who are considering the gap year in Ireland or in the early stages, be prepared to hit month six and suddenly be very interested in marriage (as long as that EU citizenship is up for grabs *sassy shrugging girl emoji*).

After my mom came to visit and we had our grand road trip, I was itching to get back into the traveling game. Three glasses of wine deep the next Friday I decided some adventure was in order and booked myself a trip to Barcelona for four days! I’d been to Spain before, but only in the South, and long had my inner Cheetah Girl been telling me it was time to feel the Barcelona heat.

So, off I flew, crammed into the tiny matchbox that is a RyanAir plane (but for eighty euro round trip, they can do no wrong, even though by the end of the flight I felt like my neighbor was my long lost conjoined twin).

I arrived to Barcelona and after needlessly confusing myself on which bus to take(side note, A1 and A2 will take you to city centre), I finally arrived at Pars Tailor’s Hostel, which was a really nice smaller hostel if you’re looking for one. The interior was designed like an old tailor (hence the name) with tons of common room space for people to chill. It’s the kind of hostel that’s good for solo travelers, since everyone hung out together and made friends in the common room over sangria (how I love sangria).

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While I got a top bunk (which has always scared me even though I’m technically an adult), I was happy to be in a new place. Eager to explore my friend and I (who had met me at the hostel, as her flight arrived earlier), went in search for food. Here is where I take a brief moment to express how much I loved the food in Spain. We ate empanadas and sat outside a café, mine had some sort of meat in them, which could very well have been unicorn since it tasted so good (this may have been due to my lack of lunch, but I think they still would’ve been fantastic on a full stomach).

We decided that we wanted to go out that night, and joined in on the sangria and night out deal that the hostel did, which was really fun but also a lot to handle when you’re a grandma like me (I love pajamas and wine, what can I say) and they don’t even start to go out until midnight or later. Let’s just say that flaming shots were had, and apparently there were dancers in masks, I have no recollection of the last part but needless to say they know how to party in Barcelona.

The best part of the trip to me though was going on a tour and just generally walking around, looking at all the architecture and people-watching. The buildings all had beautiful balconies and the Gaudí architecture broke up the standard cityscape with their surreal fantasy-like colors and angles.

We also visited the Barcelona Cathedral, which I would definitely recommend to anyone planning to go to the city. First of all it’s just a beautiful example of a Gothic cathedral, with huge faulted ceilings and intricate detailing, but it also has a few surprises. In the courtyard to the right side they keep thirteen white geese in honor of their Patron Saint Eulàlia, who was thirteen years old when she was beheaded and who had a white dove fly out of her head (strange but the geese were cute). You can also take a very rickety elevator ride (during which I imagined my Tower-of-Terror-style death about eleven times) to the roof of the cathedral and see out over the entire city. Very much worth conquering my fear of heights and questionable construction to see.

I even ended up doing a Tapas Tour (all of which was done through Sandemans) which brought us to three bars and gave us tapas and drinks at each bar. We also learned how to drink out of a traditional porrón, which is essentially just a pitcher with a pinched spout so you can chug wine and still look classy (until you spill said wine all down your front when trying to stop the stream, in which place I would suggest wearing black).

In summary, I spent four days wandering around the warm(er than Dublin) city, looking at all the architecture and stopping occasionally for some of the delicious food (churros, ham on baguettes, tapas, paella = YAS). Barcelona was the perfect weekend trip to just get away and have a bit of fun. 🙂

Dublin Strolls: 13/12/16

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Dublin, Ireland, Travel2 Comments

One of my favorite things to do in Dublin is just walking around. There are so many beautiful little alleyways and houses and landscapes hiding in plain sight, so I thought I’d start doing a series called Dublin Strolls with random bits of scenery I come across around the city.

Today my flatmate Hanna and I decided to walk down to the Sandymount beach…

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Brussels and Bruges

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Travel, Working HolidayLeave a comment

While I’d never had any great aspirations to go to Belgium, the cheap airline prices and thoughts of delicious chocolate lured me into buy a flight spur of the moment one day while I was procrastinating at work (some people scroll through Buzzfeed to occupy themselves, I make questionable travel decisions!).

Soon enough, my flatmate and I had our single carry-ons stuffed to the brim with outfits and toiletries and were on our way to Brussels for four days of waffle-induced-food-coma bliss. We arrived and made our way to the train station within the airport to catch a ride into the city. This seemed simple, but unfortunately, none of the trains said anything about Brussels City Centre. After milling around for a few minutes, consulting google maps and stressing about our general lack of geographical knowledge, we boarded a train. Eventually we got off at a stop which was much farther from our hostel than anticipated, but still made it into the city all the same (thank God).

We chose the Meininger Brussels City Hostel, which is a chain of hostels that are scattered around Europe. After realizing that we were put in separate rooms, a very nice employee (shout out to Maple) switched us into a different room so we could be together. It turned out that even though we’d payed for an eight person room, we ended up in a four person room (score) with two mild Canadian boys with terrible taste in music and a habit of walking around (and speaking to us) whilst only in their underwear. However, deciding that it could be much worse, we were happy with the situation. The room itself was one of the nicest I’ve had in a hostel. The linens were clean the room was modern and the shower had fantastic water pressure. There were also separate rooms for the shower, toilet and sinks so that the bathroom wasn’t completely shut down when one person was in it.

The one bad thing was it was far away from the restaurants and nightlife of the city, so once you were there you were a bit isolated. Also, if you’re thinking of booking here, it’s more hotel-like than most hostels and there were multiple families staying there, so it’s not what I would call a “party hostel.”

After dumping our stuff, we set off to explore the city, bopping from one area to the next with no real destination in mind. We went to the Town Hall and explored the little alley way shops. Eventually we ended up eating at a conveyor belt sushi place called Kabuki where we spent the next hour taking our pick of Japanese dishes off a little train that traveled around the restaurant (this is not a joke) and drinking bottled water out of wine glasses (which sounds excessively fancy, but they refused to give us tap water so we had to go big).

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Since we had gotten up at 3am that morning to catch our plane, by the time we’d finished dinner we were pretty much zombies, so we headed back to the hostel for the night.

The next day we did a full city tour through Sandeman’s New Europe tours, which have branches in multiple cities in Europe and were recommended by our hostel. Our enigmatic guide (an Irishman named Mick) led us through the city showing off the Grand Place, the famous Manneken Pis and the covered market (Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert).

Once this had finished we ate a lunch of chocolate covered waffles while overlooking the city and then made the decision to sign up with the same company for a beer tour (when in Belgium, right?).

The beer tour took us to two bars where we got to taste all the traditional beer flavors of Belgium, including a Trappist beer which is brewed by monks.This seemed a bit odd to me but hey, if God made water into wine, why can’t monks make it into beer? I certainly thought the Belgian beer selections were heavenly anyway. After the tour finished a big group of us who had been on it together headed to the Delirium Cafe, which has over 2,000 types of beer (cue dancing girl emoji) to have a few glasses of the strong stuff. I’ve always been a huge Delirium Tremens fan so this was a cool treat.

After stumbling home (those Deliriums have very high alcohol percentages), we prepared ourselves for another early morning.

We spent the next full day in Bruges, a city about an hour outside of Brussels by train. We booked the tour through the same company we’d used the day before (they made a fortune off of us) and the price included the train to and from the city as well as a guided tour (which for £30 didn’t seem too bad).

I immediately fell in love with Bruges. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site and seems completely untouched by the modern world. As an old medieval port, it had retained it’s old city feel, with cobblestones and beautiful churches and towers dominating the landscape. No cars were to be seen, with horses and buggies winding through the streets. We took a boat ride along the series of canals which was cool because it gave you a completely different perspective of the city than you got walking.

We ate lunch in one of the many little cafes and by the time the sun went down, both myself and my flatmate had agreed that this was the most whimsical spot in Europe and that we had to move here and rent a little flat along the canal (rent is expensive in Dublin, I can’t imagine how much it would cost in Bruges…).

My biggest regret from the trip is that we didn’t spend a night in Bruges, but in the end we took the train back to Brussels.

The next day we were killing time before our later flight. We had seen the sights, had all types of beer, eaten chocolate and frites (their famous twice-fried french fries) and waffles more times than socially acceptable and ended up strolling around the botanical gardens. While Brussels was fun and beautiful, it was definitely no more than a two day trip max.

Finally, we boarded the train (the correct one this time, huzzah) and started our trip back to the Big Smoke.

A Day in Howth

On By EmilyinEarnestIn Ireland, Travel, Working HolidayLeave a comment

Hello friends!

So I wanted to take the time to write about a day trip I took recently with my gal pal Hanna. One of the best aspects of living in Dublin is how easy it is to escape the city when you need a breather and be in some of the most beautiful landscapes. Howth, a town about 30 minutes away by train, offers just such an escape.

We grabbed our tickets that day from Pearse Street Station and hopped onto the train, which took us along the coast to the little seaside town. As soon as you step out of the station and walk along the little fish shops and chippers and see the boats in the harbor, you can just feel yourself relax.

The town itself is pretty bustling, with tons of tourists and residents milling around the sidewalks and through the market (then again we went on the weekend so it might have made it more crowded). There was a cluster of people standing at the edge of the dock, looking down into the water, so we made our way over, eager to see what the commotion was all about. There, bobbing in the water, was a seal! It blinked up at us, it’s whiskered face hopeful that we’d throw some fish down. When a toddler threw an apple at it instead (so rude) it submerged itself back into the waves. With thoughts of cute underwater creatures in mind, we continued on our way.

We knew we wanted to do the cliff walk, but needed some sustenance first, so we stopped at a pub and grabbed some fish, chips and cider, which then led to thirty minutes of food-coma, which we pretending was just us appreciating the ambiance of the pub.

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Hanna enjoying her pint 🙂

Once you get off the train, if you just take a left and walk all the way along the beach, you’ll eventually see the road start to veer sharply right and up a hill, that’s where the cliff walk starts (and also when your leg muscles start to feel the burn).

The views along the path are incredible, with the expanse of ocean extending out from the cliffs dotted with heather plants. Then again, they say a picture is worth a thousand words so here we are…

The entire walk took about 2 hours, but that was mostly due to the fact that we were stopping for majestic photo shoots every seven steps. It was a bit rocky and narrow at times, so good walking shoes would be a must if you’re planning on doing it.

After a questionable descent which involved us deciding to take a different path down for a “change in scenery” and then ending up in a random residential neighborhood, we finally returned to the shoreline.

We were very tired after our failed attempt at being spontaneous and decided to refuel with a good old fashioned 99 (which is soft serve with a flake stuck in it, the perfect combination of things).

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If you’re thinking of a day trip, Howth is perfect. Even if you don’t feel like doing the cliff walk, there are tons of little shops and a food market that you can stroll around in, or you can just plant yourself by the beach and read a book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!