Jobs in Ireland for Foreigners

Working in Ireland has many attractive sides to it. Besides the favorable job opportunities, this country has an abundance of natural beauty. With world-known companies like Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and Dell having their offices in this country, it has been attracting more job seekers than ever from all around the world, including the United States.

The process of migration to Ireland requires plenty of planning. You’ll need to take care of your visa, job application documents, open a bank account, and get yourself an Irish PPS number. Don’t worry, though, with this article you will find out about all the tricks of getting a job in Ireland as an American.

First Thing’s First: Figure Out What Kind of Job You Want

The first thing you should do is check whether the job you’re interested in is eligible for a work permit. You can find the official list of ineligible occupations for employment permits here. The Irish government also provides a list of the most sought-after positions for anybody looking for the best career opportunities.

List of the Most Demanded Jobs in Ireland in 2024

According to facts from one of the latest researches, Irish employers are currently looking for the following specialists:

• Business intelligence analysts. Irish companies are growing and collecting more and more data. Analyzing this data and making useful insights can significantly grow any business, which is why these specialists are in high demand.
• Software engineers. Nine of the ten most prominent software companies have their offices in Ireland, making this country a perfect place for you if you’re a software engineer looking for job opportunities.
• Compliance managers. These specialists ensure that the company’s policies and procedures comply with local laws and regulations.
• Recruiters. There are over 1000 recruiter jobs on IrishJobs.ie, which makes this position an excellent opportunity for many job seekers. Also, you can expect at least a €29,925 annual salary, according to Payscale.
• DevOps engineers. With an average salary of €45,538, a DevOps engineer position in Ireland looks appealing for many job seekers.

Find an Opening for the Job You Want

If your job is eligible for getting a work permit in Ireland – it’s time to find a relevant opening. Below we will show you how to find a job in Ireland using the best resources with tons of available vacancies.

1. RecruitIreland.com – you can find the position you want by using relevant keywords or filtering by location, for example, Dublin. It shows you the most popular job categories in Ireland at the moment – accounting, customer services, distribution, engineering, graduate, hotel and travel, recruitment, and IT. You can also read the latest news in the Irish recruitment industry on their blog.
2. Jobs.ie – this job portal allows you to see the number of available positions per sector. There are also useful tips on their blog for those who want to get employed in Ireland. You can also filter by job title, sector, and location.
3. Gumtree.ie – this website can be a useful resource for anyone who’s about to migrate to Ireland. It offers a wide range of services, such as finding a new hobby or ordering house cleaning. It can also help you buy or sell a car, get yourself a new pet, rent an apartment, or find a new job. At Gumtree.ie, you can find a long list of job openings in Ireland sorted out according to the sector.
4. Careerjet.ie – this another great website for finding jobs in Ireland. All you need to do is to upload your CV and wait until a recruiter calls you. If you want to speed things up, start looking for the relevant positions yourself by filtering the search results using keywords and location.
5. National Recruitment Federation – at the NRF’s official website, you will be able to find a list of Irish recruitment agencies. They’re an excellent option for finding a job if you’ve already arrived in Ireland and have a permanent address as well as the local phone number. A big bonus for you is that in Ireland, recruitment agencies cannot charge for their services.
6. Check local newspapers – while the whole world is now doing job searches online, using good old newspapers still works too. There are a few Irish newspapers such as the Irish Times, Irish Independent, The Evening Herald, or Irish Jobs, that often post job openings. To save yourself some time, you can check out those newspapers online.

Preparing Documents to Apply for Jobs in Ireland for Foreigners

While trying to get a job in Ireland, you might face competition from local specialists and other foreign job seekers looking for jobs in Ireland for US citizens and other countries. In this situation, getting everything right for your job application and trying to make a good first impression is crucial as it might influence your chances of getting a job. So let’s get through some of the most important aspects of your preparation for the application process.

Get Your Resume Done

Anyone wondering how to get a job in Ireland should know that a professional resume can be of big help to you. If you do it right – it will increase your chances of receiving an invitation to the job interview.

Your resume should be one-two pages long and show your professional skills and experience. The resume’s main purpose is to describe the applicant to the employer in the most convenient and easy-to-read format. Unlike the cover letter, which is also an essential part of your application package, a resume is written in a bulleted form for better scanning by a recruiter.

While building a resume, make sure you pay attention to the following things:

• Leave your contact information but do not mention your address;
• Create a customized resume with relevant skills and experience for each position you’re applying for;
• Put a short summary at the top of your resume – just 4-5 sentences that summarize your strengths or achievements that you think might be valuable for the position;
• Include some keywords from the job description to successfully pass the applicant tracking system screening;

• Add references. It is a good idea to provide contact info to your previous employers if they have previously agreed on that. You can also ask your English teacher in Ireland to give you a reference if you’re taking classes. This way, you will have a reference from a local citizen that increases your credibility.
• Use a professional layout – sound design and flawless formatting might catch the recruiter’s eye. The professional resume builder from GetCoverLetter might be helpful in this situation;

Prepare a Cover Letter for Finding a Job in Ireland as an American

A cover letter is less formal than a resume and is primarily used as a supplement to it. However, your recruiter may even skip your resume and only focus on the cover letter, which is why it is crucial to make it look right.

A perfect cover letter doesn’t exceed a one-page limit and explains to the employer why you are interested in the position. Try to mention how your skills can be useful for this role, why you’re looking for a job in Ireland, and your motivation to join this particular company.

When you’re sending your cover letter, paste it into your email body for it to be the first thing your recruiter sees when they open it.

Send a Follow-Up If Needed

If you don’t hear back after submitting your job application documents, there’s always a chance your letter didn’t get to the recipient, so you need to send a follow-up. Don’t be too persistent, though. Wait at least a week after your submission and only then write a personalized email to your recruiter. Remind them about your desire to become a part of the company and kindly ask whether they have received your documents.

Receive a Work Permit

To legally work in Ireland, apart from a visa, you’ll also need to receive a work permit. It is issued by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation. A General Work Permit in Ireland can be given to applicants who obtain positions with an annual salary higher than or equal to €30,000. It includes all occupations not listed on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits mentioned earlier. In exceptional cases, the committee can consider occupations with annual pay of €27,000. It includes the following categories:

• Non-EEA students who have finished their education at an Irish third-level institution during the past 12 months and have been offered a position from a Critical Skills Occupations List
• Non-EEA students who have finished their education at a third-level institution abroad during the past 12 months and have been offered a position from a Critical Skills Occupations List
• Customer support representatives or sales representatives who are fluent in a non-EEA language

To grant you a work permit, an Irish employer must satisfy a Labour Market Needs Test. It ensures that any Irish or EEA candidate cannot perform the work involved in the position you’re being offered. To pass the test, an employer must advertise the vacancy with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Employment Services/EURES employment network for no less than four weeks, post the job in a local newspaper for a minimum of 3 days, and advertise it on a local job board for at least three days.

Apply for an Irish Visa

While a visa might not be a mandatory thing for you to get a job in Ireland, it is absolutely necessary for you to stay there legally. To come to Ireland for work you’ll need an Employment Visa. To apply for it, you’ll need to have immigration permission to work in Ireland. This means that you’ll need to have a job offer or an employment contract on your hands to prove that you’re eligible for a visa. Permission for work in Ireland is issued by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation (DJEI).

It is possible to apply for an Employment Visa up to three months before you travel to Ireland. You’ll need to fill out an online application form, send your passport, and pay the fee. You will also be required to send supporting documentation that includes the following:

• Two relevant (no older than six-month-old) passport-sized, colored photographs of the applicant;
• The current passport and copies of all previous passports;
• Signed application letter with applicant’s contact information;
• An employment permit issued by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation;
• An employment contract (if any);
• A confirmation letter from the Irish employer;
• Proof of previous work experience and qualifications;
• Proof of the applicant’s financial sufficiency;
• Medical insurance;
• Previous visa refusals (if any).

Also, if your documentation is originally not in English and you’re providing a translation, make sure that you provide this additional information as well:

• A translator’s confirmation that the translation of the original documents has been done accurately;
• The translation date;
• Full name and signature of the translator;
• The translator’s contact information.

Application processing is done in order by date, and it is highly advised not to purchase plane tickets before you find out the result of your visa application.

Apply for an Irish PPS Number

A Personal Public Service Number or a PPSN is a number that is assigned to every legal Irish resident by the government and is mostly used for taxes and banking operations. Having a PPSN is obligatory for anyone who plans to work in Ireland to prevent any problems with paying your taxes. It is possible to get a job without a PPS number. However, it is necessary to inform your employer that you don’t have one yet and are applying to get it.

To apply for an IPPS number, you need to find your local Department of Social Protection and fill out a special form. For non-EU applicants, it is necessary to provide the following documents:

• Your current non-EU passport;
• Your national identity card;
• Proof of your current permanent Irish address, such as a household bill.

If you have just arrived in Ireland, it might be impossible to prove a permanent address. In a situation like this, your employer might apply for your PPSN on your behalf.

Open an Irish Bank Account

To successfully receive your monthly salary and pay your taxes, you’ll need to open a bank account in Ireland. Here are a few of the most popular Irish banks that you can consider:

• Bank of Ireland
• KBC
• Permanent TSB (PTSB)
• Allied Irish Banks (AIB)
• Educational Building Society (EBS)
• Ulster Bank

You can either open a bank account before you come to Ireland or after. The first option was nearly impossible only a few years back. However, now some banks are making this procedure easier for those considering immigrating and expats. The Bank of Ireland, for example, now has a page on its website called ‘Coming to Ireland’ where those who are coming to Ireland for the first time or Irish citizens returning to the country can find plenty of useful information.

These are the things that you’ll need to open a bank account in Ireland successfully:

• Your photo – it can be your passport or a driver’s license.
• A PPS number – while it’s not an absolute necessity to open a bank account, you still might be asked if you’re working at the moment and whether your salary will be sent to the opened account.
• Personal details – your address of residence and phone number.
• Proof of your permanent address in Ireland – you need to provide two printed documents that have your name and address of your residence in Ireland on them. It can be a bank or credit bank statement, a utility bill, insurance, or rental agreement form. Keep in mind that the date should not exceed six months from the time of your application.

To Conclude It All

Ireland is a beautiful country to live in. Not only is it an attractive destination in terms of employment, but also a favorable location for anyone who wants to live in a place with a rich history, delicious food, and breathtaking landscapes. Don’t hesitate to use our tips, and your move to Ireland will hopefully be easy.