Country guide for new EPIET/EUPHEM fellows
Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC)
Dublin
Last updated: February 2016
Please note:
This is a living document. If you find any information to be incorrect or out of date, or there is anything you wish to add, please amend the guide (and date it accordingly) and send the new version to your cohort representative for uploading onto the EAN country guides website. Thank you.
EPIET/EUPHEM
Country Guide to Dublin
Updated by
Katerina Chaintarli, EPIET fellow 2015-2017
Last updated: February 2016
1. Before departure 4
2. The Office 4
3. Personal Public Service Number (PPS number) 5
3. Living in Dublin 5
a. Housing
b. Transportation
c. Money, credit cards and banks
d. Insurances
e. Telephone
f. Internet
g. Language courses
h. Furniture and household goods
I. Supermarkets
j. Sport
k. Leisure
A few last useful points 11
1. Before departure
The majority of things can be done on arrival. The department will give you plenty of time to sort all these things out during working hours and colleagues will be there to help. The official languages in Ireland are English and Irish but English is the one mostly used.
A lot of information on Ireland can be found online on various websites and blogs.
Examples:
http://www.justlanded.com/english/Ireland/
http://www.dublin.ie/home.htm
http://www.dublinks.com/
Information regarding Irish public service information:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/
1.1 Visa
Whether you need a visa or not depends on the country you come from as well. EU citizens do not need a visa. People from other countries do need a visa. If you are from one of the new member states of the EU, please check whether some new rules apply for you. This information can be obtained from your embassy.
1.2 Removal
Claims for removal expenses are going through HPSC: This means that you will need to contact your supervisor who will direct you to the person responsible for your removal expenses. HPSC will ask you to complete a form with your expenses and provide receipts for your flight ticket to Dublin and the cost of the removal company. After you submit the documents, it takes almost 2 months to get reimbursed. Please discuss the details with your supervisor as soon as possible.
1.3 Finances
At the beginning of the fellowship you will have a lot of expenses (flight tickets, removal, deposit for renting a flat, etc). It is wise to have a couple of thousand euros in your bank account at the start of the fellowship to help with cash flow (2,000-5,000€ depending on where you move from and the type of flat you intent to rent).
2. The Office
Your office will be in the Health Protection Surveillance Centre which is located at 25-27Middle Gardiner Street, Dublin 1. It is 15 minutes walking from the main train station (Connolly Station). The city centre is also at walking distance (15-20 minutes).
Your desk should be ready when you will arrive with a computer connected to internet and access to public folders.
Administrative procedures to follow upon arrival:
- Get a fob (to access HPSC building and security control)
- Contact IT department to install software that you may need on the computer
- Contact IT to set up a professional email address
- Set up an account for the Library (online)
There is no canteen in the institute but there are small kitchenettes on each floor where you can get/prepare tea/coffee at any time. For lunch, you can bring some food or take away at one of the shops around the institute (sandwiches, small salads, soups). There is a kitchen on the third floor with two microwave machines, dishes and cutlery. People usually break for lunch between12.45-14:30 (half an hour but can be up to an hour). Not everyone breaks and the usual social meeting is the coffee break, every morning at 11 am in the kitchen. It is a nice opportunity to sit down, chat with colleagues and debrief news.
You have a flexi timetable which means that you need clock in and clock out using an electronic system when you come and leave the office. If you have worked more hours, you can take one day per month of flexi leave. Also, you are entitled of 27 days per year of annual leave.
Regarding your pension scheme, make sure that your site has asked funding from ECDC for your pension contributions. Please talk to your HR person for more information.
3. Personal Public Service Number (PPS number)
The Personal Public Service Number (PPS number) is a unique reference number that helps you access social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland. You need this to open a bank account and start receiving your salary. The documents required are different according to your citizenship. Please see here for more details. The closest office to HPSC where you can issue your PPS number is in Parnell Street. It is better to book an appointment online, otherwise you will have to queue for hours. After you submit all your documents, it takes about 2 weeks to receive your PPS number. You can even book the appointment online before you get to Dublin. Just be aware that you need an utility bill with an Irish address with you even if the bill is not in your name.
4. Living in Dublin
a. Housing
To find a place to live can be quite hard.
An option to stay while looking for permanent accommodation is airbnb (www.airbnb.com). You can choose from a variety of rooms and apartments rented out from local hosts. Also, contact people from HPSC and let them know about the type of accommodation you look for in case they have anything in mind.
Renting in Dublin
Prepare for prices of 600 to 900 euros for a room in a shared apartment. To rent your own flat will cost something between 1200-2500 per month depending on the area and the size of the house.
Know what is included in your rent because there are additional charges for:
- Electricity
- Heating (usually included in the electricity bill)
- Water
- TV, Internet
Please note:
- It is common to ask 2 months of rent in deposit!!
- There is no definite first come, first serve policy. Landlords/Flatmates like to meet their prospective tenants and then make a choice. However, they have so many potential tenants to choose from that it is advisable to contact them as soon as you see something that you like (it could be gone the same evening during peak times).
- You might call or e-mail people that will never get back to you. Don’t get disappointed! The demand is so high that they receive a lot of calls and e-mails from people looking for a house/room and you need to chase them to arrange a viewing.
There are many websites where you might be able to find housing. Be aware that you often have to pay a fee. Usually, when you rent a room with a landlord, you will not have to pay any agent fees but always clarify that I advance, especially if you are looking to rent a whole property.
Dublin is divided in 2 parts: The North part (postcode with odd numbers) and the South part (postcodes with even numbers). As HPSC is situated in Dublin 1, some nice areas to look for accommodation are:
· Dublin 3 (Clontarf is nice and close to the HPSC by bus. There are new block of flats where you can look for a flatshare).
· Dublin 2 (although it is an expensive area). Another area with a lot of new flats is the Grand Canal Dock (Dublin 2) which is very close to the centre and to work.
· Dublin 7 (can be cheaper than the other but not all the areas in this postcode are good).
· Dublin 1 is very central but most places are very old and some area are not very safe.
· Dublin 4, 5, 6 and 8 can also be another option but vary depending on availability and on how easy is to commute to work.
Websites:
http://www.daft.ie/dublin/houses-for-rent/ (this is the most popular website)
http://www.rent.ie/
http://www.property.ie/property-to-let/dublin/
http://www.let.ie/
http://www.myhome.ie/rentals/dublin/house-to-rent
Be careful not to get scammed, when you look for an apartment without an agent! There are people renting out flats that don’t exist. The typical story is that the apartment seems too good to be true (too big for the price). The owner often tells you that he is in the UK (or abroad) and is using a phone that might not be Irish. The owner typically tells you to pay a deposit before you’ve seen the apartment, ‘so that he knows you are serious about renting the apartment’ or needs you to make a deposit to send you the keys by mail since he/she is living abroad. Often the owner also wants to know your personal details like passport number etc. The story can sound very realistic and may include a (non-existing) rental agency. Therefore, never pay anything before you´ve seen the apartment!
b. Transportation
Bicycling
Bicycling is big in Dublin, especially in the summer. Bicycles can be bought new in bicycle stores that can be found everywhere in the city or you can look online and buy a second-hand bike
Become familiar with the bicycling rules because they might be different from what you are used to in your home country, especially at crossings. And be aware that in Ireland people drive on the left side!
Public transport
You can choose between buses, the Luas (tram) and the train.
Bus: http://www.dublinbus.ie/
Luas: https://www.luas.ie/
Train: http://www.irishrail.ie/
Buying tickets:
- The city is divided in zones, and the fare you have to pay depends on the number of zones you are travelling through.
- Tickets can be purchased from machines at the luas or train stations and on the bus from the driver (on the bus you have to have the exact change!). Please note that you should bring coins if you plan to buy tickets from the bus driver.
- The best way of using public transportation is having a leap card. This is a card which you can either top up and pay as you go or you can purchase weekly/monthly/annual tickets for all types of public transportation. See here for more details.
Getting to the HPSC:
You can easily reach the HPSC by public transport.
- Luas: The closest stop is Abbey Street
- Train: Closest stop is Connelly Station
- Bus: There are various stops depending on the bus at Parnell Street, O’Connell Street and Talbot Street
c. Money, credit cards, banks and pension
The currency in the Republic of Ireland is Euros. Most credit cards are accepted in Ireland although you pay an additional fee. Cash dispensers can be found everywhere, and bank cards, including the ones with a Visa/Maestro logo, work in these machines. Try to always have some cash with you because you cannot pay everywhere by card.
Opening a bank account
To open a bank account you need to present your PPS number, payslip and documentation for your address in Ireland. This varies between banks but the PPS number is required everywhere.
Most banks in Ireland are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, but may be open longer on one day a week.
Main banks in Ireland:
Ulster bank: http://digital.ulsterbank.ie/
Bank of Ireland: https://www.bankofireland.com/
Allied Irish Banks: http://personal.aib.ie/
Note: Try to open your bank account as soon as possible and forward the bank details to HPSC in order to receive your paycheck in a timely fashion.
d. Insurances
Public health insurance
Everyone residing in Ireland has the right to health insurance services as well as hospital assistance. The services are not free and you habe to pay for your visit to your GP/hospital.
It is good to have your European health insurance card in case you need it. You might want to consider a private insurance (e.g. specifically for expats) to cover in case you think it is essential.
Other insurances
The ECDC recommends that you obtain additional insurance including: travel, disability, work liability, etc. Many of the former EPIET Fellows have recommended ExpatPlus. (https://www.expatplus.com/English/international-healthcare-medical-insurance-for-expats.htm).
e. Telephone
You can either get a pay-as-you-go SIM card or have a contact with one of the telephone companies. For the last, you might need to have an Irish bank account, so it is better to get a pay-as-you-go SIM card in the beginning. These can be obtained virtually everywhere – supermarkets, minimarkets and in kiosks.
There are many providers – check the newspaper, ask your colleagues for help and any offers.
· Meteor.ie
· Vodafone
· Tesco Mobile
· Three
· O2
· http://www.lycamobile.ie/en/ (Lycamobile offers cheap international calls and also a service “feel like home” when you travel abroad where you make and receive calls like you are in Ireland.
f. Internet
There are many providers – check the newspaper for any offers, and feel free to ask your colleagues for help. Keep in mind that price will be related to bandwidth so the more you pay the faster the connection.
g. Language courses
For fellows based in Ireland, there is no funding provided by ECDC for language courses as the language of the country is English. You might be able to get some funding in case you need to take English lessons but in case you want to learn any other language, you will have to fund yourself.