Powell, our Trinity College and Indian Ambassador, give us a run down of his essential tips for planning your study abroad move to Ireland…
Been here, done that! As an international student, the first few weeks in Dublin were my hardest. Although, I like to do my research before going anywhere, the move to Dublin was easier said than done. I learned a lot from my mistakes and I want to write this blog to all those people who are planning to move to Dublin as a student.
Packing your bag
Everyone knows that there is a weight limit to the amount of stuff that we can carry on a flight. So you have to be extremely smart with your packing. I know everyone is tempted to carry as much as they can, but you have to choose the things that you really need. The rule for clothes that I applied was to pack two weeks of clothes. Think what you will be wearing everyday for the next two weeks and just pack those outfits. If you come from a warm country it probably is a better idea to buy winter clothes in Ireland – saving flight weight. Dublin is a small town and people usually walk here a lot. It’s a good idea to bring a comfortable walking shoes with you.
Getting a mobile network
There few mobile networks available, most popular one is Vodafone. The other options available are Three mobile and Lyca. Three and Lyca are comparatively cheaper options available. All these stores can be found on the Grafton Street near the city center.
Accommodation search
Searching an accommodation in Dublin is one of the hardest thing to do, especially for people who are new to this city. It took me ten days to find a place and I consider myself lucky in this regard. Some of my friends were not able to find a permanent place even after 4 weeks. I would suggest to all the prospective students to apply for college accommodation if you can afford it. This will save you a lot of hassle. The accommodation provided by universities are value for money. However, if your budget doesn’t allows you to stay in college accommodation then there are few things that you can do…
Daft.ie and Rent.ie
The above two sites are the best resource for rental houses. You can set filters based on your budget and location and the website will show you all the listings of houses available. To get a viewing, you need to send an email to the letting agents or the landlord’s with your details. It is really important that you write your email clearly stating your university, course of study and duration of stay. If your landlord likes your details he will respond to you with a suitable time for viewing.
Facebook pages
There are multiple pages on Facebook with the details of sharing rooms. Follow pages such as Flat and Flatshare Dublin and The Ideal Flatmate Dublin. There is a high success rate of getting a place through these Facebook pages as the ads are mostly posted by tenants who are vacating the place and are looking for replacements.
Hostingpower.ie
Another good option available is hostingpower. The website has list of rooms which are pre-approved by their staff. These rooms are mostly available in family homes. They have some very good listing and the prices are affordable.
Read hosting stories from our Ambassadors
Beware of the scamsters
Every year students are scammed through various scamsters. The usual scam is to post fake accommodation on various websites and then ask people to transfer money. To be sure that you are not scammed, don’t handover the deposit money until you have signed the lease and you have the keys to the house. Also, refuse to make cash transactions. Rent and deposit should be paid through bank transfer so that it can be tracked.
Buying utensils and food
Once you have successfully found a place to stay, you will need to shop for grocery and other necessary items. For utensils, you can go to Ikea, they have very good deals and some really smart options available. You can take bus 140 from the City, which will drop you to the door! For grocery shopping, the best places to go is Tesco, Aldi and Lidl. They have very competitive prices and a lot of variety.
Well that’s my brief how-to for Ireland covered. There’s lots more of course so don’t forget to subscribe to this blog to stay in the know! Any questions, please comment below.