Vladimir Vysotski - Expat in Ireland
Mr. Vladimir Vysotski is a Russian expat living in Ireland with his wife and 2 children. Mr. Vysotski moved to Ireland 12 years ago, seeking a better quality of life for his family and found that it was easier for them to be granted residency in Ireland.
While he and his family are able to adjust to life in Ireland quite well, he mentions that he doesn’t have a very good experience with processing visas and international health insurance in Ireland, but his biggest challenge is trying to get and maintain a job in the country.
Visa processing and other formalities can be quite difficult when moving with a family abroad. There are several companies that offer services in international health insurance as well as immigration services to help you avoid the hassle of processing things yourself.
Read more about Mr. Vysotski’s experiences as an expat in Ireland below.
Q: Where are you originally from?
A: I am originally from Russia.
Q: What made you move out of your home Ireland?
A: I was looking for a better of quality life for my family.
Q: Where are you living now?
A: I live in Dublin.
Q: How did you come to choose this new Ireland of residence?
A: It was easier for me to get granted residence in Ireland than most other countries.
Q: How long have you been living in Ireland?
A: 12 years.
Q: What has been the most difficult experience you've had in Ireland?
A: Trying to get/maintain a job.
Q: Would you say that formalities like getting visas or work permits and international health insurance was particularly difficult in Ireland? What was your experience with these?
A: I have not had any outstanding experiences with these types of things.
Q: Are you living alone or with your family?
A: I’m living with my wife and two children.
Q: How are they adjusting to the Expat Lifestyle?
A: They have adjusted quite nicely.
Q: Was it easy making friends and meeting people?
A: Irish people are very friendly and it was very easy meeting people and making friends.
Q: Do you mainly socialize with other expats in Ireland?
A: No, while I do have some acquaintances who are expats I mostly socialize with Irish people.
Q: How did you manage to find a social circle in Ireland?
A: It was easy for me to find a social circle in Ireland through the Church and political parties.
Q: What are the best things to do in the area?
A: Anything to recommend to future expats?
Q: How do you find the local culture and people in Ireland?
A: The People are very friendly and the local culture is very interesting.
Q: What do you think are the positive and negative sides of living in Ireland?
A: The positive side is that it is a new and interesting life experience. A negative side would be living far away from your parents, relatives and friends.
Q: Do you miss home and family sometimes?
A: Yes, sometimes.
Q: How do you cope with homesickness?
A: I talk to my family on the phone and on Skype on a regular basis.
Q: Do you have plans to move to a different Ireland or back home in the future?
A: No not currently.
Q: What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
A: The hardest aspect of my experience was the study of a new language.
Q: What tips can you give other expats living in that Ireland?
A: Try to socialize with the natives of the Ireland as much as possible.
Q: Do you have favourite websites or blogs about Ireland?
A: My favorite blog about my host Ireland is my own blog “Life in Ireland” (http://www.newinireland.com). It contains more than 140 posts about various aspects of living in Ireland.