Am I doing all that I can to land an Engineering job in Ireland?

Hi Kenneth,

Ireland is a funny one.

First of all- yes, you probably ARE eligible but that is entirely dependent on how difficult it is for local employers to find someone with your skills inside Ireland.

Irish recruiters are mostly spin doctors. they are paid by placements. So it's in their interest to encourage all and any to apply- it's a numbers game for them. Sorry for the bad news there. But we've found most to be very lacking in providing a realistic outlook to applicants. Many are plain bad mannered and unprofessional. They're not like they are in the US where in the US I've found recruiters to know you'll be back a 2nd time, and refer friends if you have a good experience. Here they're more short term thinking in general.

And that is the case also with the whole culture of business I've found here. I don't know where you're from but I was born in Ireland and have worked most of my life in the US, including gone to school there, as well as some years in Europe and the attitude is far more non commital here. Unless they know you from a friend of a friend and someone locally can vouch for you- the Irish are WAY too cautious in my view in this regard and won't take risks.

All of this is not to deter you completely but just to give you a realistic picture of the attitude. If you came here for a holiday and met a few people with a clear intention to get something, they'd be much more likely to consider you. I believe those visas are there to help make it a bit easier for employers in case they happen to know someone from outside the country already but otherwise, we spent some time here before being able to get anyone to take notice and hire us, despite the fact that we've owned and run very successful businesses and were very open to doing a number of different kinds of jobs we had the experience and skills to help companies with- they are just VERY cautious and scared to make decisions if there's any perceived risk. Have you tried the UK, yes, I know Brexit and all, but still, it's a more professional atmosphere with lots more opportunity I feel.

Best,

Geraldine