50 - 55 euro per hour, Ireland / Cork - survivable?

[dsc]

So it seems that Ireland still has a fairly lively job market, well at least in my area of expertise.

Only been there once to do some commissioning for a week, so don't know the country. Read that its uber expensive, so not expecting that the quoted 50-55 euro ph is going to last long or be enough to save up. Still, it's a whole lot more than sitting at home and not invoicing.

Few things which might make it better, for starters, its not Dublin, so perhaps less expensive? Currently renting in the UK and would have to do the same there, heard that this might be rather hard though as properties are really hard to come by there. Not massively keen on dragging my wife + 2yo with me only to find out that they "changed their business attitude" and don't need me anymore, so would probably stay in a B&B for a few weeks to suss things out and see if its worth it. Normally I'd just fly in / out, but with Covid I'm not sure how easy that would be (or how risky).

Anyone has any ideas on what the most tax effective way is to run this contract through? Umbrella, Irish ltd? I have a UK ltd if that helps (doubt it). Accountant knows bugger all as it's all Irish tax law he knows nothing about.

[NotAllThere]

How many potatoes is that? (As my esteemed colleague from Cork would ask me).

Yes. It's survivable. For most people in that region, it's a good wage. From my few visits there, it's not a bad place to live.

[ladymuck]

Seems to be enough places in Cork to rent? Depends on your specific location and requirements of course

Property to rent in Cork | Daft.ie

There are travel restrictions at the moment into Ireland whereby you will have to restrict your movments for 14 days on arrival. This means you should plan to arrive two weeks before you start work in order to comply. You may be able to bypass this by going in via Northern Ireland as border restrictions are not in place. Coming back to the UK is currently unrestricted.

gov.ie <-- basic info and the locator form you'll need to complete
Travel - Department of Foreign Affairs <-- details which countries are on the green list (very short) and the guidelines for arrivals from elsewhere

[Old Greg]

So it seems that Ireland still has a fairly lively job market, well at least in my area of expertise.

Only been there once to do some commissioning for a week, so don't know the country. Read that its uber expensive, so not expecting that the quoted 50-55 euro ph is going to last long or be enough to save up. Still, it's a whole lot more than sitting at home and not invoicing.

Few things which might make it better, for starters, its not Dublin, so perhaps less expensive? Currently renting in the UK and would have to do the same there, heard that this might be rather hard though as properties are really hard to come by there. Not massively keen on dragging my wife + 2yo with me only to find out that they "changed their business attitude" and don't need me anymore, so would probably stay in a B&B for a few weeks to suss things out and see if its worth it. Normally I'd just fly in / out, but with Covid I'm not sure how easy that would be (or how risky).

Anyone has any ideas on what the most tax effective way is to run this contract through? Umbrella, Irish ltd? I have a UK ltd if that helps (doubt it). Accountant knows bugger all as it's all Irish tax law he knows nothing about.

That's a good enough rate for Cork. Contact Icon Accounting and use a Directors Umbrella. Cork is a nice place as well. The only problem is that the travel expenses regimen is crap, but you will be able to claim for the first few weeks if relocating for a contract. I'll dig out the details in the morning. Google Deloitte Ireland tax calculator and select proprietary director and appropriate options for spouse to get an idea of your take home.

Lastly you can use yout UK Ltd for a shortish contract and I will dig out those details in the morning.

[Old Greg]

Seems to be enough places in Cork to rent? Depends on your specific location and requirements of course

Property to rent in Cork | Daft.ie

There are travel restrictions at the moment into Ireland whereby you will have to restrict your movments for 14 days on arrival. This means you should plan to arrive two weeks before you start work in order to comply. You may be able to bypass this by going in via Northern Ireland as border restrictions are not in place. Coming back to the UK is currently unrestricted.

gov.ie <-- basic info and the locator form you'll need to complete
Travel - Department of Foreign Affairs <-- details which countries are on the green list (very short) and the guidelines for arrivals from elsewhere

Belfast to Cork is a pretty long journey...

[ladymuck]

Belfast to Cork is a pretty long journey...

True. It's just an option if the 14 day stint was going to cause a problem.

[Old Greg]

True. It's just an option if the 14 day stint was going to cause a problem.

I wouldn't turn up to an office in Cork explaining I was dodging quarantine by transiting via NI. The client will accept 2 weeks WFH.

[ladymuck]

I wouldn't turn up to an office in Cork explaining I was dodging quarantine by transiting via NI. The client will accept 2 weeks WFH.

GPWM

[Old Greg]

Relocation expenses to part cover travel / accommodation etc. for first couple of months:

Claiming Relocation Expenses as a Contractor | Icon Accounting - Accountancy Services for Contractors


Using UK Ltd in Ireland. It's reasonably complex and the agent / client may make up you mind by refusing to deal with a UK Ltd. For an initial 6 month contract, if you are travelling back and forward to the UK (which isn't an option with current Covid quarantine restrictions), and perhaps WFH in UK for some days, it may be worth it:

Contracting in Ireland with a UK Limited Company | Fenero personal tax services


Some additional thoughts. Ireland is in many ways a high tax country, but if you're self-employed and married with a kid with only one family income, it doesn't work out too bad at all:




All other things being equal, especially if your wife isn't working (you get significantly bigger personal allowance), you are probably best off using an Irish Director's Umbrella IMO.

Finally, Cork is a good city and you need to find your feet to work out where is best to live (I don't know it particularly well). If you're going to bring the family across, Douglas is a nice and safe enough family friendly suburb, or there are plenty of places by the sea as well.

[dsc]

Thanks for all the replies, OG huge thanks for digging out details etc.

Turns out one role is gone, it was Carrigtwohil, the other one is Athlone, both tell me absolutely bugger all, seems fairly remote.

The other backup plan is to piss off from the UK / Ireland overall at least for a year, to avoid the whole Brexit bag of tulipe and then perhaps come back when the dust settles (if there's anything left). Would allow me to re-train in software engineering, so perhaps a better option overall anyway...