Ireland Working

Ireland’s low unemployment rates make it easy for travelers to find work. Securing a job legally is another story. A strict work permit policy that favors nationals and members of the EU complicates visitors’ dreams of paying their way around the island. The Department of Enterprise recently announced it will not grant any work permits to hotel clerks, barstaff, and bus drivers. Expedited work visas, however, are available to skilled employees in certain sectors of the medical, technical, and construction fields. Professionals in these fields report receiving their work visas in a matter of days. For more information, direct questions to the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment (www.entemp.ie).

Since April of 2007, students with primary, masters, or doctorate degrees from an Irish third-level educational institution have qualified to apply for the Third Level Graduate Scheme, which allows foreigners and non-EU members to continue living in Ireland while they apply for a green card or work permit.

Visa Information. Citizens of the EU and most Western countries need only a passport to enter Ireland. To remain for longer than 90 days, visitors must obtain permission from the Alien’s Registration Office in Dublin (☎01 660 9100), or the local police (Garda) station. Though EU nationals may work in Ireland without a permit, non-EU visitors must have potential employers submit a work permit application to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (☎01 631 3333; www.entemp.ie). Only if the worker has technical skills will employers agree to pay the large renewable fees attached to the application. Employers must list the position for at least one month on the National Training and Employment Authority website (www.fas.ie) and prove that there is not a more qualified national or EU-member candidate before the work permit will be issued. The permit takes seven to nine weeks to process, is valid for between one month and one year, and can be renewed upon expiration. If your 90-day visit period has expired by then, you will have to reenter the island with your new work permit visa. It’s the sort of struggle that would have inspired an Upton Sinclair tome. For this reason, it is advisable that visitors seeking employment begin their job search before making their way to the Emerald Island. Those with Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand visas will have an easier time. A Working Holiday Authorization permits you to work in Ireland for twelve months; contact your Irish Embassy for details.

For full-time students, there is a costly but effective loophole in the bureaucratic madness. BUNAC, USA offers students the ability to work anywhere in the Republic of Ireland for up to four months. The company also offers an “Ireland/Britain Combo Package,” which includes a four-month work permit in Ireland and a six-month work permit in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. (☎203-264-0901; www.bunac.org. Ireland permit US$400. Combo package US$690.)

Those whose parents were born in an EU country may be able to claim dual citizenship in Ireland, or at least the right to a work permit. Commonwealth residents with a parent or grandparent born in the UK do not need a work permit to work in Northern Ireland. Contact your British Consulate or High Commission for details before departure and the Department of Enterprise upon arrival.

Long-Term Work

If you’re planning on spending a substantial amount of time (more than three months) working in Ireland, search for a job well in advance. The Maryland-based Association for International Practical ...more

Teaching

Teaching jobs abroad are rarely well paid, though some private American schools in Ireland pay relatively competitive salaries. American schools overseas require American teaching certification. In most ...more

Au Pair Work

Au pairs are typically women, aged 18-27, who work as live-in nannies in exchange for room, board, and a small spending allowance or stipend (usually €60-70 per week in Ireland). American au pairs ...more

Short-Term Work

Work and live in the same place at The Ark hostel in Belfast or the Dublin International Youth Hostel. From waitressing and bartending, to childcare and farmwork, temporary workers find their way to ...more