With its hot climate, beautiful beaches and laidback lifestyle, Australia has long been a favourite travel destination for young Irish people. In 2007, at the height of the boom in Ireland, more than 17,000 Irish under-30s headed Down Under on the year-long working holiday programme, the majority of whom went backpacking along the east coast, taking up casual jobs along the way to fund their trip.

But the demographic of the recently arrived Irish population in Australia has changed dramatically since as unemployment rose in Ireland and the Australian economy contined to prosper. In the 12 months to last June, almost 26,000 Irish were granted a working holiday visa, but analysis by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship recently showed the majority of Irish are now using it as an employment opportunity or pathway to permanent residency in Australia rather than for tourism purposes.

This is borne out in the figures. Although the numbers applying for working holiday visas for the first time in the second half of last year fell by 29 per cent as the popularity of other, more long-term options grew, those applying to extend their working holiday visa for a second year increased by 34 per cent, to 3,735.

The number of four-year, employer-sponsored 457 visas granted to Irish workers and their family members is also on the up, with 10,130 issued in the 12 months to last June, quadruple the 2006-2007 figure. Only British and Indian citizens were allocated more 457 visas than the Irish, who claim about one in 10 of the permits issued.

The resource-rich region of Western Australia has overtaken New South Wales as the most popular destination for employer-sponsored workers from Ireland, followed by Victoria and Queensland. Carpenters and joiners were the biggest group taking up 457s, followed by engineers, project administrators, electricians, plumbers, architects and motor mechanics. Accountants, nurses and other medical practitioners topped the list of occupations not related to construction or mining, while cooks secured the most nominations of every nationality.

Despite recent concerns over the tightening of rules around 457 visas, due to be introduced in July in an effort to control abuse of the scheme by employers, the number being granted to Irish people is still increasing, up 9.1 per cent in the last nine months.

But the most sought-after route for Irish people looking to work in Australia is permanent residency, which was secured by 4,578 Irish people last year, up from just 1,443 in 2006-2007. The majority were workers whose skills are in demand in Australia, who were granted access through the state-sponsored migration programme.

An increasing number of Irish people are becoming Australian citizens too, with over 1,400 successful applicants in the past year alone.

Edwina Shanahan of Irish migration agent VisaFirst.com says the age profile of those applying for Australian visas through them has been steadily rising, and in the last few months there has been a significant increase in professional people like teachers, accountants and civil servants considering the move.

“Many of the tradespeople are long gone, because the construction industry in Ireland collapsed years ago,” she says. “But since the beginning of this year we are seeing more people in professional occupations and public service positions who still have jobs applying to go to Australia because they are finding it hard to make ends meet here.”

Economy slowing

In April last year, the IMF predicted Australia would be the best performing major economy in the world from 2012 to 2014, but since then, financial market volatility and gobal uncertainty have led to a distinct slowdown, which is having an influence on the labour market.

Unemployment across the country was 5.6 per cent in April, the highest rate since 2009. The construction industry has contracted and business confidence has fallen, resulting in a “hesitancy on the part of firms to hire new staff”, according to a recent governmnent report on employment.

The mining industry may also be weakening as a result of a decline in demand from China, and there have been reports of Irish workers, especially in Western Australia, being laid off by employers with little notice. Those on employer-sponsored 457 visas are under pressure to find another sponsored job within 28 days, otherwise they have to leave the country, often with their family in tow.

A report by the Department of Education and Employment found a “marked fall” in the extent of skill shortages across the country last year too, and a survey of online vacancies showed there was a 23 per cent fall in the number of positions advertised last year.

Link, a network of welfare organisations working with the Irish community around Australia, has warned of a significant rise in the number of people seeking their assistance when they can’t find work and find themselves struggling financially. Joan Ross of the Claddagh Association in Perth recently told The Irish Times that some young people, particularly men, are arriving from Ireland totally unprepared, expecting to be offered a job as soon as they get off the plane.

“They get money together for a one-way ticket and a visa, and hope to walk straight into work. They might have a couple of hundred dollars in their pockets when they arrive, but the cost of living is extremely high here and if they have trouble finding a job at all their money can run out very quickly,” she said.

Farming work in regional areas of Australia, which can form part of the three months’ work in regional areas required for working holiday visa holders to extend their stay from one year to two, is also becoming harder to secure. Jackie Jarvis, WA manager of the Harvest Hotline group which helps to place backpackers with farmers looking for casual labourers, told ABC News last week that farmers all over Australia are being “literally inundated” with applications.

“In some situations where there might be say, 25 fruit picking jobs available, we’re hearing stories of hundreds of backpackers turning up because of word of mouth,” she said.

Skills shortages

Although they are not as acute as before, skills shortages still persist in certain occupations, with vacancies in the automotive trades, engineering and mining-related industries most difficult to fill, especially in regional areas of Western Australia and Northern Territory. It should be noted, however, that the majority of positions in mining are on a fly-in-fly-out (known as FIFO) basis, which means workers spend a few weeks working in regional areas every month before flying back to an urban centre where their family may be living.

According to a recent Clarius Skills Index report prepared by KPMG, the occupations in most demand across Australia include corporate services managers, engineers, ICT professionals and advertising and sales managers. These are followed closely by accountants, legal professionals and construction managers.

While the focus of Western Australia’s recruitment drive has been on construction, mining and engineering in recent years, the WA Skilled Migration Unit, which sent a representative to the Working Abroad Expo in March, is now focusing on attracting chefs, cooks, bar staff and managers from Ireland for the hospitality industry. Perth has a particular shortfall, with up to 2,000 vacancies needing to be filled by the end of this year across hotels, wineries, vineyards and restaurants.

The Australian healthcare system is currently experiencing a critical shortage of nurses and midwives, especially in New South Wales (read a previous Generation Emigration article about it here). Nationally, there is a predicted shortfall of more than 110,000 positions in the next 12 years, and Irish nurses are particularly sought-after as they are English-speaking and regarded as highly trained.

The Western Australian Police, which needs to employ an additional 500 members before next year, has also been actively recruiting Irish gardaí at recent fairs in the UK, and are still accepting applications from those who have applied for permanent residency status in Australia.

A major national broadband fibre optic project in Melbourne has created opportunities for IT professionals, while several thousand electrical tradespeople with experience working with high-voltage pylons will be needed for infrastructure works in the Northern Territory in the coming years.

For Barry Corr, director of HR consultancy Luminant Talent Consulting and CEO of the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce, preparation is key to making a successful move to Australia.

“You can never do enough research,” he says. “When we speak with candidates for prospective jobs with our clients, those who show an awareness of the marketplace and how they can transition from Ireland to Australia go to the top of the list.”

The chamber has expanded exponentially in the last five years in line with the rise in the number of young people arriving, and they now have a “traditional” membership of around 4,000 across Australia and another 4,000 followers on social media. They run a popular mentoring programme to partner young professionals with senior business people who are established in Australia, and information and networking events.

“There are significant opportunities all around Australia in all sectors, but the market is competitive and Australian employers expect people to make a significant contribution to the business,” Corr says. “They need to research their industry, have their qualifications accredited and ready, and demonstrate that they can make a significant contribution to the business, which employers now expect.”

“The government has a permanent migration programme with a quota of about 190,000 people per year and recognise they need to bring in large numbers of skilled workers to keep the economy going and feed the need for skilled labour,” says John McQuaid, director of Arrive Australia Migration Services who moved to Sydney from Ireland in 1989.

There is also a need to fix the demographic, as the population is ageing. By 2050, it is predicted there will be just 2.7 people of working age to support each Australian aged over 65, compared to five currently.

“They are in desperate need of young skilled people to keep the economy growing and to pay taxes to support those in retirement,” McQuaid says. “For many Irish people, especially those in their late 20s and early 30s, there are still plenty of opportunities here.”

Is there anything we’ve left out, or do you have any advice to share? Leave a comment in the box below this article.

Paperwork: the visa and permit options

All applicants for points-based programmes, which include permanent residency or state sponsored visas, must submit an online expression of interest through SkillSelect on the Department of Immigration website. Applicants must pass an English test, have a set amount of work experience in an occupation on the consolidated skills shortage list, and meet age requirements for the visa type. If the criteria are met, the applicant will be invited to lodge a formal visa application.

The consolidated skills shortage list for all of Australia currently has about 200 occupations listed. Each state or territory has its own separate list, so check both before applying. Note that these lists, as well as the application criteria, change regularly to meet immigration needs.

Application costs range from $360 for a working holiday visa to $3,060 for some of the skilled visas. Migration agents can assist with the application process for an additional fee, but are not essential. Many skilled workers will have to have their qualifications accredited, which could cost more and take up to 6 weeks.

Working holiday visa: Allows 18-30-year-olds travel and work for up to one year (you can work just 6 months with one employer). The visa can be extended by a year by working for three months in a regional or rural area.

Employer sponsored (457): The 457 visa entitles you to live in Australia and work for up to four years for an employer who will directly sponsor you. You need to have a job offer in Australia to apply, and the employer will have to prove your skills can’t be sourced in the local area. If you want to change positions your new employer must agree to sponsor you, and if you lose your job you must find another within 28 days. Workers can bring partners and children on secondary 457 visas. Changes to the programme will be announced in July, see immi.gov.au for updates.

General Skilled Migration programme: for workers whose occupation is on the skills shortage list but don’t have an employer to sponsor them. Each state or territory has its own skills shortage list, and if your occupation is on it you can apply for a Skilled Nominated visa. If your occupation is not on the state list for the place you want to move to, but is on the national list, you can apply for a Skilled Independent visa.

Employer Nomination Scheme: allows employers to sponsor highly skilled workers.

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme: designed to encourage skilled workers to move to regional areas.

Study visa: allows students to work 40 hours a fortnight. It is becoming increasingly popular, with numbers of Irish almost doubling to 645 between 2009 and 2012.

For more visa options or further details, see immi.gov.au.

Is there anything we’ve left out, or do you have any advice to share? Leave a comment in the box below this article.

This article is part two of a series on the labour markets in major destinations for Irish emigrants. Read part one on Canada here . For information on accommodation options in Australia, read Finding your dream home in Oz.

I was sitting in a computer room in NUI Galway last April, studying my notes on economics when I saw my phone vibrating and answered the call. I had been successful in my application to work on a finance graduate programme for Dell, but how would I like to live in Bratislava, Slovakia? I said I’d think about it and immediately went to Wikipedia. This small former communistic country was not beside Slovenia as I had thought and was very close to Vienna, Austria.

I kept researching and found the country had 5 million people with 500,000 in the western capital of Bratislava. It was cheap, and hosted the European headquarters of many worldwide firms lured there by low tax rates. I weighed up my options and thought, why not? I was young with no responsibilities and ready for the adventure of living in Eastern Europe.

Myself and another Irish guy from Dell arrived here in glorious sunshine in late August to start our first jobs after college. One thing that struck straight away is the reserved nature of the Slovaks. It takes time to build relationships, and there is often a language barrier. Recently I asked someone “What’s your level of English?”, their straight-faced reply was “Yes”.

They have a word “dobre” that they use like we use “grand”, and it works in every situation. To use it properly is to say it a very casual way, as enthuasiasm is not their suit. My Slovak is quite limited even after 8 months here. It’s one of the hardest languages in the world with seven grammer cases and takes a Slovak 12 years to learn. As some of the Slovaks say themselves, it’s not very useful or international except for in Slovakia. It makes a difference though to make an effort.

Overall, Slovakia is a country on the up. All my Slovak colleagues have masters degrees from the local business universities, are very motivated, and talk about how the Celtic Tiger in Ireland had been a model for them to follow. This conversation always ends with “…but what happened?” I usually reply that some of us got greedy and we weren’t used to prosperity.

Someone sent me an article once about Slovakia being “the 8th unfriendliest country in the world to tourists”. I can really see why when I live here. There are not many tourist attractions in Bratislava, and the small city can seem boring for visitors. But the true beauty of Slovakia is in the countryside and the unspoilt nature that is guarded and never promoted outside the country.

Highlights of my time here so far have been skiing in Jasna, which is cheap and has as good facilities as Austria, and hiking in the Tatra mountains. In Bratislava, the public transport is clean, affordable and regular. But it does get busy when hockey matches are on – hockey is the main sport in Slovakia and they are very successful at it, winning the world championship in 2002 and having many players in the NHL in the US.

Wherever you go in the world it seems there’s a GAA club and an Irish bar, and Bratislava is no exception. But we always head to Goblins, the local expat bar, where the Guinness is the best I’ve had outside Ireland and there’s a real sense of community among the regulars. It is just like a local pub in Ireland, the only difference is the pints here are €1.50!

The second time I went there the owner roped me into joining the Slovak Shamrocks GAA club, which travels regularly around Europe for matches. We play tournaments against Prague, Vienna and Budapest, and have a mix of Americans, Slovaks, British and Irish on the team.

There’s a lot of work going here too. All the English speakers I meet have jobs with multinational firms like IBM, Dell or Amazon, or are teaching english. The unemployment rate in Bratislava is 4 per cent so there are a lot of opportunities here whether someone is skilled or unskilled. They’re trying to build a culture of business start-ups and innovation, but it will take a lot of time to change old mindsets and that is the expat’s advantage.

I’m very glad to have the chance to see another part of the world that was not always open. Slovakia is a country that is growing at a fast pace in every area, and although the people can seem different to us, with time they open up. My heart will always be in Ireland, and I’m returning in September, but at the moment everything here is “dobre”.

Governments and organisations looking to build relationships with their diasporas have to devise strategies which reward both parties for their engagement, a conference in Dublin heard today.

Speaking at the closing session of the Global Diaspora Forum in Killiney, chairman of the Gathering Tim O’Connor said the tourism initiative had been an example of the “democratisation of diaspora policy”, which showed how governments, business partners and communities at home and abroad could work together for their mutual benefit.

“It has created a platform whereby local areas, right down to families, parishes and county councils can get actively involved,” he said.

“There is a lot of good will towards Ireland or towards home countries generally, but for a lot of people in the diaspora it is not clear to them what they can do. One of the challenges for the homeplace is to devise compelling and manageable propositions that are doable for people.”

Mr O’Connor said ConnectIreland, an initiative which financially rewards individuals or organisations overseas who create jobs in Ireland, was another practical initiative which benefitted both the home country and members of the diaspora.

Kathleen Newland of the US Migration Policy Institute said the “world had a lot to learn” from Ireland’s diaspora-led approach, which has centred around the concept that “it is fun to be Irish”.

“I work with a lot of governments around the world on diaspora engagement and there is often an ‘eat your vegetables’ approach to diaspora engagement, something that you need to do and that diaspora communities are obliged to give back to their home countries,” she said. “But not until you make it fun and rewarding will that engagement be sustainable.”

The European strand of the two-day forum was attended by approximately 200 delegates from around the world.

While yesterday’s sessions concentrated on how countries could benefit economically from their diaspora communities, the focus today was on how new communication methods and cultural and tourism initiatives can strengthen the ties between the two.

In his concluding remarks, Professor Mark Boyle of the Department of Geography in NUI Maynooth said the European Union’s Horizon 2020 scheme, which will provide €80 billion in funding for research and innovation between 2014 and 2020, was a good opportunity for diaspora communities and organisations, but a coherent EU policy on diasporas was needed.

“Unless you get the policy right, the funding and support mechanisms won’t happen,” he said.

Read the report from day 1 of the forum, at which Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore spoke, here.

The Irish diaspora is a valuable resource to Ireland but its support cannot be taken for granted, a conference in Dublin heard today.

Speaking at the European strand of the Global Diaspora Forum in Killiney, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said maintaining a relationship with diaspora communities can have great economic benefit for any county, but the relationship “should be a two-way partnership”.

“You can never take your people abroad for granted or assume their goodwill,” he said. “It is essential that governments be attentive and responsive to the concerns and issues that impact on our communities abroad.”

Now in its third year, the two-day Global Diaspora Forum is an initiative begun by former US secretary of state Hilary Clinton to celebrate diaspora communities. Ms Clinton suggested Dublin co-host the event with Washington at a meeting with the Tánaiste in Ireland last year.

Mr Gilmore told 200 delegates that Ireland was engaging the diaspora in support of the country’s economic development through initiatives such as the Global Irish Economic Forum, the Global Irish Network, the Gathering and Connect Ireland.

But the Government was also ensuring emigrants “both longstanding and new” received much-needed supports by providing more than €11 million in funding each year for Irish organisations abroad.

The European strand of the forum was organised by the Irish International Diaspora Centre, which is working to create an Irish diaspora centre in Dún Laoghaire in Dublin.

Best practice
Director of the centre Gerry Dunne said Ireland “punches far above its weight when it comes to diaspora issues”, and has the potential to become an example of best practice in diaspora engagement and policy.

“By reaching out to our diaspora, we can create communities centring on business, technology and the creative industries. We can share ideas and collaborate to bid for business and implement initiatives for the common good,” he said.

An estimated 215 million people worldwide are living in countries they were not born in, an increase of 40 per cent over the past two decades.

Business editor of the Economist Robert Guest said cheap flights and new communication methods were changing the nature of global migration, with more people on the move than ever before. “Diaspora networks are much more like networks than they ever used to be, much more tightly connected to each other, which has profound consequences for the world,” he said. “It makes the world brainier . . . Diaspora networks speed the flow of information and ideas across the borders of the world.”

Speaking from the forum in Washington, US secretary of state John Kerry said the US “benefits from the hard work, the minds, the creativity and talents” of immigrants.

The forum continues tomorow with workshops on volunteering, tourism opportunities and networking. See globaldiasporaforum.ie.

The potential influence diasporas of all nationalities have on their home countries and how it can be cultivated will be explored at a two-day conference in Dublin and Washington beginning today.

The third annual Global Diaspora Forum, an initiative of former US secretary of state Hilary Clinton, is being held outside the US for the first time this year.

The European strand of the conference, which will be addressed by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore this afternoon, has been organised by the Irish International Diaspora Centre Trust, which is working to deliver an Irish diaspora centre in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin.

Mr Gilmore discussed the idea of hosting the forum in Dublin with Ms Clinton while she was here on a visit last December.

The aim of the event, Ms Clinton said, is to “bring people together to look for ways to cooperate, persue common interests” and “launch new projects”.

The issues of voting rights for emigrants, the benefits of diaspora networks, emerging trends in diaspora engagement and technological advances which help to connect communities will all be explored.

Speakers over the two days will include The Economist business editor Robert Guest, co-founder of the US-based Migration Policy Institute Kathleen Newland, director of Global Alumni Relations Sean Brown and Irish Council of State member Sally Mulready.

There will be a live link-up between the forums in Dublin and Washington, where US secretary of state John Kerry is the guest speaker.

The full conference programme is available here.

For more on the forum, and diaspora related articles from the newspaper in recent days, see Simon Carswell on What Irish America could teach the world about putting the diaspora to work, Ciara Kenny on how Irish emigrants have headstart in socially networked world, co-chair of the Global Diaspora Forum Kingsley Aikins on how the Global Diaspora Forum can help drive State’s recovery, and Mark Hennessy on how the Global Diaspora Forum in Dublin looks at creating opportunities at home and abroad .

The Irish seem to seek each other out no matter where they find themselves in the world. We’d like to hear whether you feel part of the Irish community where you live, how you participate in Irish activities and events there, or whether you deliberately avoid other Irish people.

Whether you are involved in coaching a local GAA team, are the owner of an Irish bar, volunteer for an Irish welfare organisation, associate with members of the Irish business community, have joined or run an online social network for Irish people abroad or are an emigrant who has linked in with other Irish since arriving in your adoptive home, tell us about it in the comments section below. Do you think the Irish diaspora is special?

Mark Hadden and Simon Reynolds were neighbours for years. They had zero in common, but each were massive contributors to our memory bank. They sat on our bookshelf side by side as reminders of what we once held dear. I don’t think they or us ever foresaw the day they’d be swept off into the cardboard box bound for the Vincent de Paul.

Maybe I will be running after them down the road shouting ‘come back come back’? Or maybe I’ll be moving on so quickly that we won’t.

I have very mixed emotions at going but the overriding one is of a quick slice, a clean break with a laser sharp knife. Move on, move on, as a colleague catchphrased, accompanied with a hand wave and an eye roll.

Music….out

Books…..out

Music books…..out

I have a fear of the kids growing up in a house with no books, no CDs. But when was the last time I picked out a CD, checked for scratches, opened the CD player, put it in, bent down, pressed the buttons and picked a track? Probably before the firstborn arrived – pre 2008. When was the last time I called up an album from Spotify? Yesterday. It’s a transient data society now and if it’s not on the smartphone or within arm’s reach, it isn’t happening.

We wake up with a combination of excitement and fear and nervousness daily now as we prepare to fly our family to Montreal. The challenges over there will be so much with ourselves and our kids there will be no time (and maybe even less inclination) to wonder where are our cultural touchstones are and how we will instil that into our kids.

Why are we doing it? We are doing it to give ourselves a chance at taking a risk for once on our lives. We want to be able to look our children square in the face in 2043 and say yes: we took a chance and we jumped. We understood the risks, we looked at options, we evaluated and decided and compared until eventually we snapped the cord and hopped out.

Dates are fixed now. Flights are booked. One way, no return box checked. Day by day it becomes more real as small items are ticked off the list: clear the attic, buy the paint, empty the shed, find the birth certs, ring the school. Slowly the realisation dawns that our youngest daughter and only girl will start speaking with a Canadian accent. Her first words might be Mommy and cookie, not Mum and biscuit.

For parents, (as sons and daughters of Sligo and Dunleer), this gives us pause for wonder. Sometimes we look at her and her brothers and wonder: is this really fair, or are we satisfying ourselves at their expense?

And yet the 30-year question remains. This has been a guiding principle throughout this whole process: the conversation we may have in 2043 when the house echoes to the last slammed door and the youngest has been sent off to college on why we didn’t move when we had the chance. The point is the reasons proffered then for not moving and doing nothing are simply unacceptable to us now.

“Children are too settled”: they’re not, they’re too young.

“Too far away from home”: home is where we are immediately as a family. It’s not a soft screen, green-tinted memory clip of TK lemonade and sandwiches from the back of a ’88 Nissan Prairie. We make our own memories for our children as parents.

“We mightn’t like it”: we won’t know unless we go.

Very little is completely unknown today. Data floods downstream pushed by Skype, Google, Facebook, email. I can walk the yellow man on Google maps from my new Montreal home to my new Montreal office, look left and right, check traffic, and find alternative routes from my bedroom in Knocknacarra. Michael Moore refers to a sense of fear enveloping America in “Bowling for Columbine”. It is this concept of general foreboding around the unknown we want to drill out of ourselves and our children. Where’s the need? What are we afraid of?

If we achieve nothing else in the next year, that will suffice.

Robert also hears the second half of Dick Fitzgerald’s story. Dick spoke about being homeless and ending up in Pentonville Prison so often that he was given the nickname, “The Governor of Pentonville”. He then got control of his drinking and managed to turn his life around to such an extent that he was able to help other alcoholic homeless men. Dick died last month.

Click here to listen to a podcast of the programme. To read more about the series, or to listen to the first installment, see Telling stories about the Irish experience in London.

This documentary is part of a four-part series on the Irish living and working in UK, funded by the BAI Sound and Vision Scheme.

Lorraine Malinder

In central London last summer, a nurse, journalist, business graduate, beautician, construction worker, architect and medical student gathered in a circle at the office of the Federation of Irish Societies to talk about jobs, relationships, personal finances and homesickness. They had not met before, but they had several things in common; all were Irish, under 25, and had left home in the past two years in search of better opportunities across the water.

“We all know youth emigration has become a huge issue in Ireland,” says Marie-Claire McAleer, senior research and policy officer with the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), who chaired the discussion. “The Central Statistics Office provides us with estimated numbers, but we have no record of the reasons people have for leaving, their experiences once they go, what challenges they encounter, how they transition, what supports would have made their emigration easier, and what advice they might have for other young people considering emigrating.”

The London meeting was the first of a series of focus groups in the UK and Canada organised by NYCI last year in an effort to find answers to some of these questions, and explore the impact of emigration on those who have recently moved away. The findings, published in an NYCI report yesterday, make for interesting reading.

The experience of moving to another country was described as an enriching and positive one by the majority of young people who participated. Most said they had left Ireland by choice, but that their decision had been motivated primarily by the lack of opportunities for them in Ireland.

“Some… were really excited to go, while others said they hadn’t really wanted to emigrate but had to. Having trained as solicitors or engineers but not being able to find work was making them depressed. But even those people said the experience has been the making of them,” McAleer says.

The London group spoke positively about the cultural diversity, an active social scene, good career prospects and the opportunity to see and do new things in the UK, while the Canadian cohort praised the outdoors lifestyle, good weather and the large population of young Irish people, which made making new friends easier.

Despite the benefits, they missed simple things from home. The silence of country life, playing golf and driving a car were mentioned, and among the long list of Irish tastes they longed for were Tayto crisps, brown scones, Sunday dinners, Guinness and “proper chocolate”. Some in the Canada group said they missed the freedom of travel in Ireland, as even a trip between cities in Canada could take hours on a plane.

Social life
“The ones in the UK, although closer to home, were not saved from homesickness,” McAleer says. “They still missed the people, the craic, and the Irish sense of humour, and many mentioned how affected they were by the impact . . . on parents and siblings.”

Some had been surprised at how hard it was to say goodbye to friends and family, while others experienced more difficulty settling than they expected, or became homesick or lonely at other times since. “They all encountered challenges, whether they left by choice or not,” McAleer says.

Participants in both the UK and Canada relied heavily on Irish support systems and social networks to make friends and career connections. GAA clubs, the London Irish Centre, the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre in Toronto and local branches of the Irish chambers of commerce were commonly cited as having played an important role in helping them to settle and meet new people, especially in the first few months. One young man said if he needed assistance in London, he would contact the GAA first rather than the Irish embassy.

Jobs
While some of those travelling to Canada had researched the jobs market in advance and were well prepared, others were taken by surprise by the differences between the Irish and Canadian systems, and were left feeling “bewildered”, “frustrated” and “disheartened”.

“Many thought they would be able to walk straight into a job, but the reality was quite different,” McAleer says. “Even though there was work available, it took eight weeks or longer to secure a position. Networking is much more important there than in Ireland too, and they all agreed that you have to be tenacious, almost aggressive, about chasing up a job.”

For certain occupations, such as engineering or occupational therapy, candidates need to get their Irish qualifications accredited in Canada and some may need to do more studying or sit exams. “This is costly and can take months. Many weren’t aware of this, and had to take jobs in bars or restaurants to get by,” McAleer says.

Finances
For all respondents, in both the UK and Canada, funding was the biggest obstacle. Financing the move abroad, and visas for Canada, required a lot of saving in advance, which was particularly difficult for those who were unemployed. Supporting themselves financially while waiting to find work and be paid abroad was compounded by the expense of a first month’s rent and a deposit on a place to live. Many had to rely on parents to fund them for the first few months.

“Many of them said that without the support of their parents, emigration wouldn’t have been an option. You need a significant financial reserve to get by in another country until you find a job,” McAleer says.

The lack of a credit history in the UK was another challenge, which had caused difficulties for people in the London group when opening a bank account, renting a home or getting a mobile-phone contract.

Future
Despite the challenges, the young emigrants who participated had a “very positive outlook on life and the situation they were in”, McAleer says.

“Overall, they showed an overwhelming determination to succeed in their new lives. There is a pervasive negativity around the issue of emigration, but on the whole, the experiences of these young people had been very positive,” McAleer says.

Some spoke about the initial anger at feeling forced out of their own country because of a lack of opportunities, but said those negative feelings had subsided once they settled into their lives abroad.

Several participants said that, while they were enthusiastic about the opportunity to travel and work abroad while they were young, they would be angry if the economy didn’t improve enough to offer them the chance to live in Ireland again.

Opinions were mixed as to whether or not they would return to live in Ireland in the long term. For some, emigration was a temporary solution and they hoped to move back if the economy improved, while others said it would depend on the job they had, their social life or whether they were in a relationship in the future.

Most respondents in the London group thought it unlikely they would be back living in Ireland within five years, with some saying they intended to travel more, or to go to live somewhere else.

When asked what could have been done to make their migration easier, those in Canada proposed workshops on visas and employment opportunities for prospective emigrants. They also thought a grant could be given to unemployed people wanting to emigrate for work.

“Emigration is a reality, it is happening, and we need to support those who are leaving before they go,” says McAleer, “so they are as equipped and empowered as they can be in order to make the move a success.”

Jenny Conlon (27), business development executive, London

I left Ireland… After finishing a journalism masters in Dublin. I worked for eight months, interning in Irish magazines and producing a radio show for a Dublin station. I was working for free to build up experience but couldn’t do it any more.It was time for a change.

I chose London because… it seemed like the best place to look for a career in media, and it is not too far from home. Some of my friends have moved to Canada and Australia but that would be too far for me.

Moving over… I didn’t really have a plan. I’d highly advise one, but I’m glad I didn’t know what was ahead of me. Simple things like setting up a bank account can be a nightmare as you need bills and proof of address. I underestimated how long the job interview process takes, the competition is fierce over here. Starting up costs are definitely not cheap and the price of rent is really high.

London is… a really exciting place. There are so many things to see, you could never get bored. I just ran the London marathon, I wouldn’t have done something like that if I’d stayed in Ireland. I have made an amazing group of English friends since moving to Fulham. We all take turns making a Sunday roast.

I miss… my sister, who is nine years younger than me. If I’m not home for a few months I feel I am missing out on things in my family life. Setting up a whole new life in a new place is challenging but I think it has made me a better person.

My future plan is… to stay here for a few years. I find Ireland quite a negative place, which would not encourage me to go back any time soon. I’ve met someone here too which might affect my decision to go home or not. If I have kids though, I would want to raise them in Ireland.

Eoin Hayes (25), management consultant, Connecticut

I left Ireland… for the US after finishing my degree in chemical engineering from UCC in 2009. I worked in odd jobs for five months, before moving back to Ireland to work more odd jobs, none in my area of training and all for minimum wage. In 2011 I was accepted to London Business School, and lived in the UK until last September when I moved to the US.

I chose the US because… I am an American citizen. I really wanted to stay in Ireland or London, but for someone at my level jobs are so much easier to come by over here, especially well-paying interesting ones.

The hardest thing about moving… is leaving good friends behind and having to build a network and group of friends again from scratch.

The US is… still the land of opportunity. Despite all its problems, you can nearly feel the positivity in the air. The atmosphere of austerity is suffocating and poisonous in Europe, and that doesn’t exist in America.

In the future… I want to return to Ireland, but at this stage in my career, I’m going to have to wait for things to get much better. I’ve just joined a new company and they’re looking for a long-term commitment. I also have a significant amount of debt to pay off so taking a pay cut to go back to Ireland isn’t an option. My ultimate goal is to enter public life in Ireland, however. We deserve better than what Irish politics has offered in recent memory, and hopefully I can be part of changing that.

This article appears in the Life pages of The Irish Times today.

Related: Call to prepare people properly for emigration: NYCI says Government is failing to adequately address youth emigration or support the needs of young people leaving in search of work; NYCI report on youth migration published; One in four have had family member emigrate.