Irish coming to San Diego with Uni degree & experience (rent, credit card)

[sav858]

Originally Posted by rhanifin

Yes, a lot of young Irish come here for the summer to work at Seaworld, Legoland, etc. I worked with a few of them.

However, I wouldn't classify 100 Irish as a large constituency. Plus, they are only here for 3 months.

Well it's definitely more than 100 Irish, probably a few thousand and you can definitely feel their prescence but yes it's only during summer and probably not the demographic (college kids) the OP intended to hang out with anyways. But I think overall SD is pretty welcoming to the Irish.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Ha ha. If you are even mildly attractive you'll be able to walk in a bar and have guys falling all over themselves to entertain you. Same with a job. Americans love accents.

[Danni.C]

Hi Clare,

I saw your post and just thought I'd say hello. My Husband is from Co. Meath, but lived in Dublin since College. He's been here in San Diego since 2008. There are quite a few Irish that come over- many young college-aged people... Not sure if you're into the party scene or more a "young professional" type, but no doubt you'll find a place to fit in here...

A couple things to note: You may run into issues with not having American credit. My Husband had a credit line in the thousands over in Ireland, and when you make the move over here, you have to start over with a secured credit card of like $250 limit, because you will have a new social security number (which you will need to apply for to work). Also, you probably won't be able to secure a job before you get a work visa. I know it works that way back in Ireland and some other places in the world, but here you need to be able to prove that you are legally allowed to work here in the US first.
We have a great pro-bono attorney that helped us work out all that messing- she's in Boston at the Irish Immigration Center- but you can email them for help if needed.) It's best to get that all straightened out before you move over... The other reason it's difficult to get employers to sponsor you on a work visa, is because in many cases they have to prove to the government here that there are no Americans that can fill the position and they must have you specifically.

If you are a certified public accountant or whatever (I don't know much about your field), you may need to get proof of American equivalency... But I'm sure there are places to look on the internet that would have that information.

And obviously MOST importantly-- I am being totally honest with you now--take it from someone who knows-- The ONLY authentic Irish food here is at a pub downtown called "The Field". Anywhere else is just faking it... You get a true Irish Breakfast, real sausages (our sausages in America are not the same at all :-P), and rashers and curry chips.

You will end up missing (even if you don't like it anyway): curry chips, chip shops, a full Irish, real tea ( I'm a Lyons fan myself, and have to load a case with it everytime we go home!)- they mostly only have Barry's here... I'm sure it's fine if you're from Cork, but I'm not a fan personally.. , and talking to people from home... We've had conversations with people from walks of life that would have never said a word to my Husband back in Ireland, but when you're far from home, it's nice to hear a familiar accent and stop for a chat-- because you have in common that you're Irish and you're far from home. Also, if you've never found yourself speaking as gaeilge before... you will once you're over! It's so odd... it's like your "Irishness" becomes more important to you.

Things that annoy my Husband and I going back (and you will get annoyed once you get used to the "American" lifestyle) are that stuff in Ireland isn't open 24 hours like it is here... the sheer availability of getting what you want when you want it- it's hard to go back to anything else. Also, the go-slows, and lack of American speed of life... even compared to Dublin. Once you get used to the speed of things here, it's hard to go back to that. Speaking of speed- not sure if you're planning on driving here, but I know my Husband finds it nerve-wracking- no dual carriageways here! It's all like 6 lane, speed demon, crazy driving (and I'm from NYC area!) so... just mind yourself on the roads!

Also, feel free to PM me if you have any questions, or if you want to meet up while you're here! I hope you get settled in well! Enjoy your time in SD!

Take care,
Danni

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Ah HA

The Field, gotta check it out. I take it, it's attached to the ball field somehow?

[AADAD]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Ah HA

The Field, gotta check it out. I take it, it's attached to the ball field somehow?

That breakfast looks quite tasty.

[nightlysparrow]

I'm not seeing from your post how you could work legally in the US---it would literally take years:

Employment

[Danni.C]

The Field is awesome- it's not actually referring to Petco, I think it's probably more like the film "The Field" - a very famous film about "holding on to what one feels entitled to at all costs" (my husband's words)... It's about land ownership- sort of.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Field_(film)

But, I digress, the food there is amazing, the best Irish food in SD!

[ClareScully]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

I'm not seeing from your post how you could work legally in the US---it would literally take years:

Employment

Actually the J1 graduate one year visa, an exchange program between Ireland and US graduates will 100% apply to me when I graduate and will hopefully make some contacts when I am there for the year before I come home, all failing, my brother has just applied for his green card could maybe help his only sibling out lol

[todovabien]

Hi Clare

My husband is a former j1 and just so you know - it's hard to get these visas without being sponsored by an employer. Possible, but I advise you to take the poster up thread's advice about the pro bono attorney in Boston. Immigration to the U.S. is fairly cut and dry and well laid out, rules-wise, but there is a LOT to consider and its not nearly as easy as it seems.

PLEASE look into the "two year rule" which often accompanies J-1 visas. My husband got stuck with it (he is in academia, where it is very common, I am not sure how much it falls on other industries) and its severely impeded our green card process, even though I'm an American citizen. There was even a threat he would have to return to his home country to live for awhile, even though he was married to me, all because of this rule. There is plenty of info online regarding it, and it's important to know about because if you decide to stay in the U.S., want to switch jobs, get married, etc, the rule could really mess your plans up and many immigrants don't know about it.

We were able to waive the rule, but not without jumping through many hoops and risking his j-1 status at some point. Cooperation between the two countries and a future job offer were required to do so. Also, I'm pretty sure your brother having a green card will help you in no way other than giving advice. Sad, but true. Feel free to ask any questions, and best of luck!

Edited to add: +100000 to the advice about credit. Start off with getting an American credit card, it will help to build credit enormously. Even one with a $350 limit (if you're good with it, you'll be able to increase your limit after about 5 months). They don't care about your previous life or credit or finances overseas, you start from zero once you arrive. Unless you rent off Craigslist (and sometimes if you do), a credit check can be required for renting. Sometimes in lieu of credit history, landlords will ask for 6 months rent in advance, so be prepared for that possibility.

[oddstray]

For auto insurance, AAA accepted a formal written declaration of DH's driving record so he could avoid paying sky-high rates as a "new driver". We couldn't find any other auto insurance company that would do that.