Dublin is an incredibly international village. Especially young expats from all over the world come to Ireland’s capital for all kinds of reasons: jobs in one of the multinational companies, studies in one of the universities or just to learn English while jobbing for a couple of months. And even though the Irish are very warm and welcoming in general, the beginnings can be as harsh as the Irish weather.
Don’t know how to find a flat? Need help with your job search? Want to improve your language skills? Don’t know where to go out? Don’t worry! To facilitate your arrival, I compiled a couple of useful links that should make your first days easier! Thank me later, here we go!
Accomodation
“Jaysus Christ”! Dublin’s housing market is tough. The rents are (too damn) high and competition is fierce, especially in September when most students arrive! So, if you are a student and you have the time, try and arrive in August.
Daft.ie is the most common way to look for a (shared) room or an appartment. It certainly is no inside tip, but it still works and you should definitely give it a try. Ads on daft.ie are generally by the landlords and not the tenants that share the flat so you have to visit the appartment to get an impression of the daily live and your flatmates in spe.
A more convivial way to find a shared flat is Facebook. There are several groups, like The Ideal Flatmate Dublin, Flatmate Dublin, Dublin apartments for rent or Places to rent in Dublin (just join the groups, they are closed because they have to cope with spam). They are largely populated by internationals, just as the shared flats themselves, as Irish students rather live in student residences on campus or with their parents (which is not surprising, considering the rents). Don’t feel offended if certain ads claim they want “no *insert language* speakers!” Most of people want to practice their English during their stay and therefore try to keep a balance of languages in the flat.
The search can be frustrating and may require some patience and some nights spent on a couch or in a hostel or two, but these places are also great to get to know people! Also, your chances of getting a room are way better if you stay positive!
Jobs
Whether you are looking for a full-time job to finance your stay or just a part-time occupation as a language teacher or waiter, jobs.ie and gumtree.ie should help you! On gumtree you will also find all kinds of stuff and services! You’re welcome. If you need help with your visa, you will find all the information you need over here.
Communities & Language Learning
Now that you found a roof and a job, let’s get you to the fun side of arriving in Dublin! Are you an Erasmus? There you go! Also, drink responsibly. Are you French? Voila mon pote! Yeah I know there should be an accent… but I can’t find any on my Irish laptop…can you?! Also, don’t try any of the croissants you find here… just don’t. Eres Español(a)? De nada. If you are Brazilian, it shouldn’t take you too long to find the Brazilian community in Dublin (and here’s why)! Anyhow, this Facebook page might be useful, this cultural blog is interesting and this is kind of a Brazilian gumtree where you can really get all kinds of stuff and services (worth a look if you are not Brazilian)! Pode crer.
I know, I know, some of us will try to avoid meeting people from our country of origin for their stay in Dublin, but those sites can still be very useful, e.g. when you’re looking for some foods from home to cure your saudade!
As Dublin is so international, you should take the opportunity and improve your language skills or even learn a new one! Here’s a group that regularly meets in different pubs. Great craic!
Going Out
Contrary to what my British friends told me, the Irish don’t just eat potatoes (some of them even aren’t gingers)! There are loads of great pubs, bars, cafes, fast foods and restaurants that offer awesome food from all over the world in Dublin! Discover the best on lovindublin.com, a great blog that features not only loads of restaurants and reviews but also events of all kinds!
Timeout.com has a broad guide to Dublin covering everything: Bars, Clubs, Cinemas, Theatres and Restaurants.
As for bars and pubs, of course you will (and should) make your experiences around touristy Temple Bar. A bit more unique are the Bernard Shaw that offers great pizza in a big blue bus (yep!) or the Back Page, where Ping Pong and consoles are awaiting you.
For concerts, check out the Button Factory. It’s a great live venue and also hosts very nice club nights. The Academy also has all kinds of live shows.
There are a lot of clubs in Dublin but prepare for parties ending at 3am. Get lost in the Opium Rooms with top bookings by the Hidden Agenda and Abstract. The Twisted Pepper hosts excessive parties (with a rather young audience) at night and is a barber shop and cafe during the day. District 8 is a recent pop up club with world class techno acts. There are way more venues to discover in Dublin and I am sure you will have a great time here!
Phew, now those are a lot of useful links! So here’s a useless one!
If you liked what you just read, guess what: like it! If you even found this useful, share it with your friends! Got more useful links? Please comment below! Don’t agree with some of the above? Comment why! The best you can do, however, is subscribe! Because more madness is still to come and you don’t want to miss that…
Dublin and All 