We may have moved on from the low-skilled exodus to the UK in years gone by, but even highly-educated Irish emigrants face some harsh realities when moving to London, with lower wages than here and steep living costs, writes MARK HENNESSYLondon Editor
AN EVENING walk along Clapham High Street in south London, with detours into local bars, offers proof in minutes that a new wave of emigration from Ireland is occurring. The real surge has yet to happen. But it is coming, and soon.
The Irish emigrants of 2011 are not, however, a single group with common characteristics. Some are better equipped than others to survive in an exciting, but expensive city – one which is often lonely for those ill-suited to the challenges ahead.
The number of new Irish has increased steadily over the past couple of years. Up to now it has been concentrated, but not exclusively among the better-educated, who have found jobs in the city’s financial and related trades.
In the past, the less well-educated Irish came to London with little money and even less information. Today, the London Irish Centre in Camden finds that many of this group are at least trying to be better prepared.
“In the weeks before Christmas, we saw groups of people coming over for a couple of days to check things out. They came to us to find out about national insurance numbers, employment chances,” says Jeff Moore, who works at the centre.
However, tough realities exist: “We have seen cases where people have over-estimated their possible earnings – and by a fair bit. Some have been thinking about getting the same in sterling that they would have wanted in Euro at home. It doesn’t work like that,” said Moore.
Housing is the single biggest challenge. A room in a two-bedroom apartment in Fulham will cost each person £380 (€455) per week, says Dubliner, Liza-Jane Kelly of estate agents, Marsh and Parsons, but “it won’t be a dump, it will be a clean, nice flat”.
However, there are other costs to bear in mind when moving to London: a month’s rent in advance, six weeks’ deposit, bills for inventory checks and contract fees, while many forget completely about council taxes, which will cost £800 (and upwards) for bottom-tier accommodation in the poorest-quality districts.
“Volkswagen has a poster at the moment for the new Polo, where it points out that going to the cinema in the West End can cost you £21, a drink over a fiver,” Kelly says. “This is a great city, but it is an expensive one.”
Moore agrees that the cost of accommodation is high here. “The cost of a room in a shared house is between £100 (€120) and £150 (€180) per week. A shared room in a backpacker’s hostel will cost £70 (€84) to £100 (€120) per week in advance, but usually no deposit is required.”
Meanwhile, local authority tenants in Ireland should think carefully about emigrating, he says. “We strongly recommend that [they] do not abandon it in the belief they will be eligible for similar housing here. They will be deemed intentionally homeless and ineligible.”
People with children need to think even more carefully about emigrating and should check the availability and quality of state schools in different boroughs before deciding where to live. Private education costs on average £12,000 a year.
On the upside, pay on building sites has picked up: “Three years ago, carpenters could have earned £160 to £170 (€191-€204) a day. That went down to £130 (€156). It has steadied since,” says Niall O’Dowd, director of concrete frame contractor OD Formwork.
But old rules have been abandoned along the way. Few sites now offer Saturday working, and, if they do, workers can largely forget about overtime rates for four hours work before lunch.
British hospitals are recruiting some of Ireland’s new nursing graduates, often including free accommodation as part of the deal. But with public sector cuts in place and more to come, this will tighten opportunities all across the board.
However, with qualifications and degrees, Irish immigrants can build sound careers, especially in accountancy and financial services, says Dublin-born recruitment expert Vanessa Byrnes of Alexander Mann Solutions.
“All of the big accountancy firms are hiring. They were badly burnt during the last recession when they didn’t,” she says. Indeed, the firms are working hard to offer attractive candidates a clear career path to get them on board. The £40,000 jobs are not for the faint-hearted, however, with long hours and pressure part of the deal.
The same goes for employment elsewhere in the City, where Irish engineering graduates are increasingly popular with Goldman Sachs and other financial giants. The unpopularity of bankers, however, offers prospects, since new British graduates are shying away from the sector: “Recruitment demand in the first quarter is significantly up, but it is too early to say if it is a trend,” Byrnes says.
This is the final part of a week-long series on emigration
CLOSE TO HOME AND NO LANGUAGE BARRIER
PAUL GAVIN, RESEARCHER, CASTLEBAR, CO MAYO
Like so many of the newly-arrived young Irish in London, Paul Gavin (right) decided to live near Clapham Common in south London, in what is rapidly becoming the new Irish enclave now that prices have risen in the traditional Irish neighbourhoods of Kilburn and Cricklewood.
Gavin arrived in July 2009 after finishing two contracts as a researcher with the Department of Justice in Dublin: "I started to look for new work from that February, but there was nothing around. All of the agencies that I was looking at had had their budgets cut."
Today, he works in a similar role with a health quango, the General Optical Council, on Harley Street: "This was great, as I only finished in Dublin the previous May so I wasn't long out of work," he says. By night, the 30-year-old is studying law at King's College.
"Things are tough here at the moment but there are still jobs available for those who want them. That's the problem – everyone wants them and there's not always enough to go around.
"Anyone with a trade should consider London now while the building for the Olympics is still going on. Qualified teachers seem to be in short supply, as well as nurses. However, they cannot expect to earn anything close to what they get at home," he says.
Sharing a three-bedroom flat with two others, Gavin says accommodation is expensive and so is travel, "however, I love it here. It is one of the best cities in the world. It is very different, though I can understand why people say it is a lonely city, because everyone is so rushed all the time."
He has built up a good social circle in his time in London. "There are so many Irish over here. A gang meets up to play football every Saturday, while I am hoping to join a GAA club in the coming months when they start training, probably the Fulham Irish.
"All in all, I would recommend London to anyone who wants a change of scenery from home.
"Chances are that you will know someone over here which is a great start. There is no language barrier and it takes less time to get home to Mayo from London with Ryanair than it does to get the train home from Dublin."
Life in the UK
Bring enough savings to last for two months. Extra funds are necessary just to pay up-front bills
Remember that transport costs are high – particularly once outside of Zone 1 and 2 on London Underground.
Plan to join GAA clubs and other Irish social networking organisations before leaving home
Accommodation costs are high: a room in a shared house is between £100 (€120) and £150 (€180) per week. A shared room in a backpacker's hostel will cost £70 (€84) to £100 (€120)
Even if you live in rental accmmodation, you must pay council taxes, which will cost £800 and upwards
Parents must be mindful that the availability and quality of state schools varies greatly in different boroughs. Private education costs on average £12,000 a year
