Reply to: 50 - 55 euro per hour, Ireland / Cork - survivable?

[Old Greg]

Child benefit is 140 per month per child with no income cap.

[dsc]

I think this is the overall best idea with the Brexit chaos, 2nd wave, economic doom surrounding the UK.

The Best Countries With Long Term Visas for Digital Nomads | Outsite Blog

The overall emergency plan is to bugger off back to Poland where I can most likely get a job in software development as the job market over there simply can't get enough softies. I have a British / EU passport so could theoretically move wherever in Europe, but it seems that 95% of perm jobs / contracts requires two languages, local + English, which makes getting a job outside UK / Ireland / Poland significantly harder.

[dsc]

You’re using assumptions to make a decision like this????

I didn't do thorough checks as moving to Ireland became an option roughly a week or so ago. I was simply doing a rough assumption that retention is around 50-55% but I missed the bit about higher personal allowances if you are married with an unemployed spouse.

[_V_]

This is what I am planning on doing when this contract ends and I inevitably can't find another one. Just spend the year somewhere warm and cheap upskilling at your own pace.

I think this is the overall best idea with the Brexit chaos, 2nd wave, economic doom surrounding the UK.

The Best Countries With Long Term Visas for Digital Nomads | Outsite Blog

[Old Greg]

Food, alcohol, groceries are on my experience so far +10-25/sometimes 30% more expensive , the baseline I'm still trying to get used to is something that costs 12.00gbp should cost 13.euro, but it usually costs 15.

Unleaded is generally more expensive given fx rate, diesel is cheaper given fx rate, but since we're stuck in covid globally , I don't see this as being the real price.

Welcome aboard!

[WTFH]

The difference in costs was less when the pound was stronger.

[Lance]

Hmm I must've had some pretty incorrect assumptions about tax in Ireland as those take home figures are not too bad.

You’re using assumptions to make a decision like this????

[barely_pointless]

You said survivable! Everything in Ireland is more expensive except public transport and Tesco mini poppadoms. Trains and buses are much cheaper and season tickets are fully tax deductible - YourCo can pay for it. But the train service outside of parts of Dublin isn't great.

You could do it for 1500 but for 3 of you, reckon on 2000 to 2500. You'll want to look into health insurance. The public health system makes the NHS look enviable, and you pay for GP visits, although your kid will get them free.

Import your cars if you've owned them for more than 6 to 12 months - I forget which. Google VRT exemption import and expect to bring a lot of paperwork for this.

Food, alcohol, groceries are on my experience so far +10-25/sometimes 30% more expensive , the baseline I'm still trying to get used to is something that costs 12.00gbp should cost 13.euro, but it usually costs 15.

Unleaded is generally more expensive given fx rate, diesel is cheaper given fx rate, but since we're stuck in covid globally , I don't see this as being the real price.

[Old Greg]

Hmm I must've had some pretty incorrect assumptions about tax in Ireland as those take home figures are not too bad.

Rent prices seem to be around the 1500 euro mark in the area, what's to be expected when owning a car (which I'll drag along from the UK), insuring it etc.? Or two actually as I'm sure my wife would kill me if I got rid of hers. Would another 1500 cover food, bills etc.when staying in, occasionally eating out, but still not living like hermits? Just trying to estimate what could be saved and put away.

You said survivable! Everything in Ireland is more expensive except public transport and Tesco mini poppadoms. Trains and buses are much cheaper and season tickets are fully tax deductible - YourCo can pay for it. But the train service outside of parts of Dublin isn't great.

You could do it for 1500 but for 3 of you, reckon on 2000 to 2500. You'll want to look into health insurance. The public health system makes the NHS look enviable, and you pay for GP visits, although your kid will get them free.

Import your cars if you've owned them for more than 6 to 12 months - I forget which. Google VRT exemption import and expect to bring a lot of paperwork for this.

[dsc]

Hmm I must've had some pretty incorrect assumptions about tax in Ireland as those take home figures are not too bad.

Rent prices seem to be around the 1500 euro mark in the area, what's to be expected when owning a car (which I'll drag along from the UK), insuring it etc.? Or two actually as I'm sure my wife would kill me if I got rid of hers. Would another 1500 cover food, bills etc.when staying in, occasionally eating out, but still not living like hermits? Just trying to estimate what could be saved and put away.

[Old Greg]

Thanks for all the replies, OG huge thanks for digging out details etc.

Turns out one role is gone, it was Carrigtwohil, the other one is Athlone, both tell me absolutely bugger all, seems fairly remote.

The other backup plan is to piss off from the UK / Ireland overall at least for a year, to avoid the whole Brexit bag of tulipe and then perhaps come back when the dust settles (if there's anything left). Would allow me to re-train in software engineering, so perhaps a better option overall anyway...

Athlone is a nice enough town on the Shannon, but a pain for airports.

[jayn200]

Thanks for all the replies, OG huge thanks for digging out details etc.

Turns out one role is gone, it was Carrigtwohil, the other one is Athlone, both tell me absolutely bugger all, seems fairly remote.

The other backup plan is to piss off from the UK / Ireland overall at least for a year, to avoid the whole Brexit bag of tulipe and then perhaps come back when the dust settles (if there's anything left). Would allow me to re-train in software engineering, so perhaps a better option overall anyway...

This is what I am planning on doing when this contract ends and I inevitably can't find another one. Just spend the year somewhere warm and cheap upskilling at your own pace.

[dsc]

Thanks for all the replies, OG huge thanks for digging out details etc.

Turns out one role is gone, it was Carrigtwohil, the other one is Athlone, both tell me absolutely bugger all, seems fairly remote.

The other backup plan is to piss off from the UK / Ireland overall at least for a year, to avoid the whole Brexit bag of tulipe and then perhaps come back when the dust settles (if there's anything left). Would allow me to re-train in software engineering, so perhaps a better option overall anyway...

[Old Greg]

Relocation expenses to part cover travel / accommodation etc. for first couple of months:

Claiming Relocation Expenses as a Contractor | Icon Accounting - Accountancy Services for Contractors


Using UK Ltd in Ireland. It's reasonably complex and the agent / client may make up you mind by refusing to deal with a UK Ltd. For an initial 6 month contract, if you are travelling back and forward to the UK (which isn't an option with current Covid quarantine restrictions), and perhaps WFH in UK for some days, it may be worth it:

Contracting in Ireland with a UK Limited Company | Fenero personal tax services


Some additional thoughts. Ireland is in many ways a high tax country, but if you're self-employed and married with a kid with only one family income, it doesn't work out too bad at all:




All other things being equal, especially if your wife isn't working (you get significantly bigger personal allowance), you are probably best off using an Irish Director's Umbrella IMO.

Finally, Cork is a good city and you need to find your feet to work out where is best to live (I don't know it particularly well). If you're going to bring the family across, Douglas is a nice and safe enough family friendly suburb, or there are plenty of places by the sea as well.

[ladymuck]

I wouldn't turn up to an office in Cork explaining I was dodging quarantine by transiting via NI. The client will accept 2 weeks WFH.

GPWM