From 07b827cae9d13b371cc61391aedf099620a89157 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Mahdi Dibaiee Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2022 10:38:32 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] I don't recommend Ireland --- _posts/2022-10-27-i-dont-recommend-ireland.md | 266 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 266 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _posts/2022-10-27-i-dont-recommend-ireland.md diff --git a/_posts/2022-10-27-i-dont-recommend-ireland.md b/_posts/2022-10-27-i-dont-recommend-ireland.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5c11c4c --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2022-10-27-i-dont-recommend-ireland.md @@ -0,0 +1,266 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: "Why I don't recommend Ireland when asked" +date: 2022-10-27 00:00:00 +permalink: i-dont-recommend-ireland/ +categories: personal, ireland +author: Mahdi +--- + +I have been living in Ireland for the past three years, and when asked about +what I think of Ireland, and more specifically when people ask me for my +perspective to factor in their decision to move to Ireland or not, I usually don't +recommend Ireland, and here I will explain why. + +# Bureaucracy + +For anyone who lives here, the slow and carelessness of the bureaucractic system +is a familiar fact. + +## Visa and Immigration + +The immigration office has a 1.8 review on [Google +Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Garda+National+Immigration+Bureau/@53.3173976,-6.2685184,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x48670e856a8d9255:0x36a986ddb0dc0915!8m2!3d53.3473339!4d-6.2561597), +which I completely understand, here are some personal experiences dealing with +this office: + +When I came here first in 2019, I was given a short-term visa that had to be +replaced by an Irish Residence Permit (lasting for a single year only). I +couldn't believe the process: There was a website from the government which +you would have to keep refreshing at certain times of the day, with the hopes +that appointment slots would show up as you refreshed page, and you had to +use those buttons, fill out the form as fast as possible to get an +appointment. I believe this system has changed since, but it was mostly +pushed by COVID to make the change. + +The fact that I have to renew my residence permit every year, going through a +process that takes at least 2-3 months at a time, is itself extremely +painful. When I want to apply for visas to other countries, the expiry date +of my residence permit has an important influence over their decision, and as +such this is not merely an inconvenience but a very limiting factor. It +usually means the last few months of the residence permit and while +conducting the process to renew it, I am unable to travel. + +When I and two couple friends of mine were applying to get our Stamp 4 visas +last year, every single one of us encountered a problem in our process, +"mistakes" you might call them, but the frequency of such mistakes is +annoying: For me, they gave me a Stamp 4 visa for one year, which is supposed +to be two years in duration. They of course did not answer emails or phone +calls, so I had to show up to the office and drill the mind of the guard standing in +front of the building to let me get my IRP and passport to someone inside to +resolve this issue. He accepted (which was nice of him), but when he came +back, he only came back with my passport and said "You are right, this was a +mistake, we will send you another IRP soon". "Okay, where is my current +IRP?", and to my astonishment, they had thrown it in the bin, that left me +with no residence permit until the new one arrives. This was while I had an +appointment at Spain BLS to get a schengen visa, which required me to bring +my IRP... I insisted and insisted but they didn't give me back my current IRP +until the new one arrives. To me this is just ignorance about the problems +caused for people who depend on their residence permit. My two other couple +friends also had similar issues and had to chase the office down to be re-issued +correct residence permits. + +I started working here on a Critical Skills Work Permit with a company, and I +realised the company's culture at the time was toxic (later the product manager +who was creating this atmosphere was fired), and I wanted to change my company, +but I was surprised to learn that the Critical Skills Work Permit does not allow +you to leave your job before a year, and if you do, you are not eligible for +another work permit before the year ends. I think I prefer UK's system where if +I leave early, I pay the price of the visa sponsership and am free to change my +work, rather than being locked in with no options available. I felt like a slave +that one year. + +## Driving License + +The process to get a driving license in Ireland is probably the most horrific +process I have had to go through ever. Here is the painful journey: + +To get a driver license class exemption because I had a driver license in my +own country, I had to send my passport, my residence permit and my original +driver license with a translation to the NDLS office _by post_. If it's not clear, that +means I am literally left with no identity document whatsoever. If I am +stopped by a Gardai and asked to bring identification documents, I will be +unable to provide anything. That's part of the problem, once they had +processed my application (which took months), they sent me back my passport +and IRP, but not my original driver license. Of course, they had lost or or +forgotten or some other "mistake". I call them, and chase it down and they +say "don't worry we will send it to you and you should have it next week". +Next week and I don't get anything, I call them again and they say "Oh no, we +had not sent it, but I will make sure it is sent this time.", I hang up, and +again, a week later nothing. I call them again, this time I am not hanging up +until it is done. To put it into perspective, each one of those calls took +more than 50 minutes because I had to wait behind a queue for about 40 +minutes, and put on hold for long times as they were investigating what +happened. + +After the months-long process of getting the exemption from 12 classes down +to 6 classes for having a foreign license, I start looking for instructors to +do the classes with and then try to do the test. All instructors are busy and +you are lucky if you can get classes in weeks, sometimes they accept students +for the next 2-3 months. + +Once you do finish your classes, then you can get on the waiting list for a +driving test, and that easily takes 8 weeks or more, and once you do get an +invitation to book your test, you don't get to book a test for tomorrow, +sometimes there are only slots available for the next few weeks, which puts +the actual time from class to test to a range of 8 - 10 weeks. + +I think of the Irish driving license process as essentially nepotistic: the +system is built on the assumption that people have families with cars, and a lot +of time on their hand to practice with the learner driver. If you do not qualify +for these conditions, you are bound to have a very expensive, very long and very +frustrating process ahead. + +You are expected to practice with a driver who has held a license for 2 years +sitting beside you (that's the only legal way to drive on a learner permit), +however this is not available to people who do not have a family here (i.e. +people who have just moved to the country). This leaves them with the option of +hiring a driving instructor, which can cost you at least €35, and given how long +it may take you to get comfortable with their car, this can get very costly +fast. It is not only the matter of money either, driving instructors are busy, +and it means they are not even available to give you a class a lot of the times. +I personally was turned down by many instructors because they were too busy. + +To hire the instructor's car for the test is usually more costly, in my case it +cost €60 to hire their car, that's on top of the test price itself which is €85, +that means if you want to do a one-hour pre-test, hire the instructor's car and +pay the test, it will cost you around €180 per test! + +I wish everyone good luck on their test, because if you fail the test for any +reason, you will not be given a re-test for another 6 - 8 weeks at best, and +again, you won't be able to book immediately, and have to arrange with an +instructor to see when they are free to lend you their car, etc. etc. All of +this means the time between tests can easily grow to 10 weeks. + +All in all, if you want a driving license in Ireland, set aside at least a year +or more, and a lot of patience and capacity for frustrations. + +# Diversity + +When I talk about lack of diversity, it's not only about ethnic groups, but it +also includes a lack of diversity in art communities, sport communities, and +other communities and areas that benefit from a diversity of population. + +According to Ireland's Central Statistics Office, In 2016, Ireland had 82.2% +White Irish residents, followed by 9.5% other White backgrounds (91.7% total +White), 1.7% non-Chinese Asian and 1.5% other backgrounds +([source](https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp8iter/p8iter/p8e/)). + +It is different walking in London and Dublin, in London I, as a brown-skinned +middle eastern, do not feel I am standing out among the crowd, but in Dublin, +and more so outside of Ireland, I do. + +My main sport for the past 7 years or so has been parkour, a sport that you can +find active communities for in every city in Iran, but in Ireland there is a +tiny community with no strong facilities (I know of many parkour-specific gyms +and parks in Iran). My only option was to use a gymnastic gym's adult class and +just do my own training there using the equipment, which has since been closed +and at the moment there is little opportunity for me to train since the small +community in Dublin trains during work hours and weekdays. I'm not alone in +this though, and I know in general other than specific favourite sports of +Ireland, most other sports have tiny or nonexistant community among adults +(children have much more facilities for sports, but apparently somehow people drop sports +as they reach adulthood here). + +I decided to learn piano during COVID, so I bought a piano and started learning +the basics on my own, but now that I would like to attend a sort of class or +have an in-person teacher in a music academy, there are not many adult in-person +classes with slots available. I have emailed and called different centres but +was not able to get in-person classes. + +This also applies to work opportunities, as much as Dublin may be hyped as a +tech hub, I find the work opportunity schene in Dublin to be very limited. Yes, +large companies do have offices in Dublin, but there is not a strong startup +culture here, and so you are limited to the Big Tech corps, and the small and +far-in-between startups. + +# Travel + +Ireland is an island of course, and more importantly, it is not part of the +Schengen area, so if you do not have a passport that allows you to travel in +Schengen area, you need to be chasing visas from Schengen countries to travel in +Europe. You also will have to count these days that you travel in Europe and +Schengen area as days that may be redacted from your reckonable residence when +applying for citizenship, which is in contrast to Schengen countries that do not +track days spent in the Schengen area. + +One might say getting a Schengen visa is not hard, but I lost a ticket to +Iceland I had booked, because embassies and visa offices simply did not have the +capacity to issue visas at certain points, and even though I tried to get my +visa months before my travel, I was not able to find an appointment to get my +visa on time. That's money lost, but more importantly, a chance to see the +active Icelandic volcanos, due to visa issues. + +# Alcohol + +Just too much alcohol, if like me, you do not particularly enjoy alcohol +drinking sessions, you will find it hard to socialise sometimes. Everyone's +default activity is going to a pub to drink beer. + +I remember when I was in Iran, when we wanted to arrange to go out for a night, +it was not for beer, it was for going to a cafe and playing boardgames, or going +to the mountain side of Tehran and sitting at the top of the hill and chatting +and having tea, or going to an Escape Room, or visiting a gallery or a museum or +a theatre, or even gathering in someone's home and cooking together and watching +a movie or a comedy show or something. + +These things are not impossible in Ireland, but they are definitely not the +default, the default is always the pub, and alcohol. To use numbers, Ireland has +the [6th highest alcohol consumption in the +world](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/alcohol-consumption-by-country). + +# Racism + +I know, I know, racism is everywhere, and in Ireland too. I've had racist +encounters with the Gardai, I've had racist encounters with my neighbours who +found my appearance intimidating and had an old lady living in my apartment +scream twice at the sight of me walking in the apartment halls. I've heard many +horror stories of racism in Ireland, and although some Irish people will tell +you "Ireland is not racist!", it absolutely is. I don't know how it compares to +other countries, and I don't think that's a good argument, but you will +experience racism here, specially if you are not white (being white does not +make you immune though!). + +# Infrastructure + +I always find it hard to believe how Ireland is considered a "developed" +country, perhaps I don't understand what is meant with that word, but I expect a +developed country to have good infrastructure and for systems to work well. + +The public transport system in Ireland is _very_ limited and not reliable. That +means a bus not showing up will happen at some point during your time here (not +very common), a bus being late will definitely happen (very common). The weak +public transport system, together with the fact that getting a driving license +and a car is so hard, makes mobility a problem. Bicycles are also not as common +as some other European countries (looking at you, Netherlands!) and some drivers +have no respect for cyclists and think of them as an enemy (quite literally). I +know of many people who don't cycle in Dublin out of fear of car drivers, and I +understand it, even though I don't share the fear myself. + +The housing crisis is an ongoing issue in Ireland for a long time, and again, it +is intertwined with lack of public transport and ease of mobility. If you want +to move out of Dublin to spread out the population, you need a way for people to +be able to move around, but public transport outside Dublin is nonexistant in +many places, and getting a license is hard and time-consuming, so you are stuck +in Dublin with ridiculous rents. + +The public health system is just as broken. One time when I took my girlfriend +at the time to a public hospital for an emergency, we had to pay €100 +"admittance fee", and after that it took them quite some time to get her a scan +and a doctor to look at the scan, after which she was told to wait outside +"until called", when she asked people sitting around her, they mentioned that +they had been waiting for 7 hours until now, in the emergency room, waiting for +_the next step_. + +The coach in the gymnastic gym that I used to go to to train parkour, had a knee +injury, and for the whole 6 months I went to the gym, he was still in queue +waiting for a surgery from public hospital. In Iran, my friend who had a +shoulder injury got a surgery at a public hospital in a couple of weeks. + +# Conclusion + +In the end, all of the things I described may seem like non-problems to someone, +but I have strong reason to not want to live, spend my time and my tax money in +a country that doesn't improve my life, and instead gives me baggages of mental +frustration to carry around. +