We came home for good – not just for Christmas

Finn O’Loughlin, strategy manager PwC Advisory

I’m from Sandymount in Dublin. After completing a master’s in finance, I joined a stockbroking firm in Dublin. A part of me was keen to travel and work abroad so after three years working there I got a one-way ticket.

My travels started in Haiti, a few months after the 2010 earthquake, where I spent six weeks working with a great organisation called All Hands. I then went travelling through South America for four months before going to Australia where I joined a small management consulting firm in Sydney for three years and a large drinks business, in a strategy role, for two years.

I met my wife Michelle there and made some great friends so Sydney will always be a special place for me. I moved back in May of this year. After being home for Christmas a few years ago, I found it hard saying goodbye to family and friends and get on the long flight back down under so I decided to start planning the move home.

Moving back without a job was always going to be a risk given I really wanted to continue working in strategy. I’ve been very lucky to find a role with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the strategy team within their advisory business. I’m really enjoying being back. It’s great to be able to catch up with family and friends every weekend and there’s a great buzz around Dublin these days.

Aoife Meehan, human resource executive Investec

I graduated in 2009 from Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITTD) with a degree in accounting. It was right at the height of the recession so I had limited choices in terms of a career at home. I decided to move to London.

I fell into HR and never looked back. In London I was fortunate enough to build a wealth of experience in a number of firms from a City-based recruitment company to a top 50 legal firm moving onto an underwriting syndicate for Lloyds of London. I decided to gain my professional qualification from the Chartered Institute of for Personnel and Development in (CIPD) and was encouraged to push my abilities to develop professionally and personally.

I came home earlier this year. It took about six months to make the final decision to move back as I loved living in London but I wanted a new pace of life and to be closer to family. London is a fantastic city but opportunities started to arise in Dublin and I couldn’t let that pass me by.

It took two months to get a new role. The best part of being home is just that, being home. I forgot how friendly people are and that took a while to get used to again. It was hard at first to adjust as many of my closest friends are still living abroad but four months on that is starting to change. I’m delighted to be home and starting a new chapter with a fantastic new role.

Gavin Murphy, senior project engineer Ethos Engineering

I joined a south Dublin based building services consultancy as a graduate engineer in 2007 and was one of the lucky ones to have been kept in work through the recession.

I left Ireland in 2011 as it was time for a change. There wasn’t a lot happening in Ireland. I had a few friends in Auckland NZ so decided to follow them over, just in time for the Rugby World Cup. I joined a multi-disciplinary consultancy in their Auckland office.

I decided to move home in 2016 as things were starting to pick up here and my partner and I were both able to secure good jobs with long-term prospects. I was offered and accepted a job with Ethos Engineering before I left New Zealand, which made the decision to come back easier. We were contemplating staying in New Zealand for good but it’s just so far away.

It’s great being back with family and friends. Working on projects in my own city is very rewarding. I love Ireland. It’s a beautiful country which I probably took for granted before I left. That said, it’s not an easy transition, my partner and I get “homesick” for Auckland when we see photos on Facebook of our mates on the beach and its freezing or lashing rain in Dublin.

Sandra Kelly, regulatory finance manager, Eir

I’m originally from Knock, Co Mayo. I worked with Ernst and Young in Dublin for four years, where I trained as a chartered accountant. I left because of a sense of adventure – I always wanted to travel and experience other cultures.

I worked in the United States, in San Diego and Washington DC, with a business advisory firm called CrossCountry Consulting, as well as taking time out to travel in southeast Asia, South America and north Africa.

The lure of family and friends brought me back. My siblings were having babies and getting married, my friend were getting married. The decision was made easy in the knowledge that there were good job opportunities in Ireland at the time.

I love being home and I have settled back into life in Dublin a lot quicker than expected. I got offered a job within two weeks of landing in Dublin Airport. The best thing about being home is that it is so easy to make casual plans with friends and family such as meeting up for tea and the chats midweek. It was always so stressful to catch up with everyone when I was just home on holidays.

What I miss about being abroad are my DC girls – Washington was a great home away from home, and will always have a little tug on my heart!

John Mulvey, associate director Ethos Engineering

I finished college in June 2006 and jumped on a plane in November 2006. I left for a one-year holiday and ended up spending nearly nine and a half years away. There was no recession when I left, but it happened while I was over there so that’s why I stayed for so long.

The first place I landed in Australia was Melbourne. I stayed there for seven months and worked as a labourer on a building site before heading up to Brisbane. As I had studied building services engineering in college, I decided to get a job in that. I joined a company as a graduate engineer in 2007 and left the same company as an associate.

After being there so long, and becoming an Australian citizen, it was time to make a decision. My parents are not getting any younger, so I decided to come for them.

I was very nervous about coming back home. The biggest fear was work, as I had never worked in Ireland as an engineer, acquainting myself with different codes and standards. I got a job with Ethos Engineering, which is a fantastic company, so I settled in like I have never been away. Also being back with the family is brilliant, getting to see my nephews and nieces. I missed them being born and a lot of birthdays.