This isn’t really a comprehensive guide, just some personal supplementary information to Chen He’s content.

Chen He’s link: https://chenhe.me/post/ireland

Chen He’s content is excellent and detailed, basically answering many of my initial questions about coming to Ireland.

The article is incomplete and will be updated periodically.

Background

Location is in Dublin, admitted to DCU.

Before Departure

• Let me specify the model directly: Supor Little Green Pressure Cooker. Why this specific one and not others? Because: 1. Pressure-cooked rice tastes better. 2. It’s more convenient for stewing dishes like beef brisket or braised chicken legs. I also brought a Xiaomi rice cooker, but found that the rice cooked in it wasn’t as tasty - only pressure-cooked rice tastes good😋. Also, this model seems to be the only one that can cook rice in just 10 minutes under pressure. Looking at other models, none were this fast, possibly due to its smaller capacity.
• Medications: Strongly recommend bringing Gan Kang (cold medicine) - one pill makes you feel much better when you have a cold. Also bring some transparent waterproof band-aids.
• Water bottle: After arriving, I found it difficult to buy a water bottle I liked. If you’re still in China, it’s important to buy a suitable water bottle from Taobao.
• Xiaohongshu: Previously thought it was just a beauty app, barely used it in China. After going abroad, I discovered it’s actually an overseas life app. There are many guides on the following topics on Xiaohongshu, you can browse as needed. Of course, some people dislike it and look down upon it - to each their own (don’t hit me, Chen He).
• Driver’s license: I brought mine, but it expired after arrival, so I haven’t used it much. If it’s still valid, it can reduce the time needed for getting a license here.
• Cash: Actually, you don’t need to exchange too much Euro. Having a dual-currency credit card like Visa or Mastercard set up in China is sufficient - you can use it directly here. Cash transactions are relatively rare here.
• Clothes: Recommend bringing layered clothing. Due to the variable weather and large temperature differences between indoor and outdoor, you might need to frequently add or remove layers. Winters are quite cold, you can bring two down jackets or similar thickness coats to alternate.
• Luggage: Hainan Airlines allows student verification, permitting up to two 28-inch suitcases. However, that was too much for me - I ended up bringing one 20-inch and one 28-inch. Also, a 28-inch suitcase can easily exceed weight limits when full. A 26-inch would also work.
• Medical check-ups, dental work, surgeries, etc.: These are expensive here, try to get them done in China. Things like dental fillings or laser surgeries.
• Power adapters: A high-quality power adapter will be very convenient. Consider preparing some simple adapters and buying one with multiple charging ports. Also consider purchasing a special power strip that has a UK standard plug but Chinese standard sockets.
• Living expenses: Rent might be €600-1200, if you cook your own meals, food costs about €500 per month, total living expenses might be €1000-1800 per month, depending on personal spending habits.
• Flights: Hainan Airlines’ direct flights to Dublin are good, especially if you transit through Shanghai rather than flying from Beijing - the tickets are cheaper. So taking an extra flight actually saves money.
• Temporary accommodation: Can be booked on Airbnb or Booking.
• Chinese cooking ingredients: After arriving, you’ll find that a large part of daily life is grocery shopping and cooking. However, basically all seasonings are available at local Chinese supermarkets, so you don’t need to bring too many seasonings. For a specific list of items sold, you can search the Rong Xing Hang WeChat mini-program “353 Gou”.

Immigration

Just show the following:

• Passport
• Insurance
• Admission letter

After Arriving in Ireland

• Arrive at accommodation: Just hail a taxi at the airport.
• Get a phone card: You can get a student plan, €20 for unlimited data. I got Vodafone. Remember to set up automatic 20-day top-up, otherwise you’ll need to manually top up each time.
• Get a transit card: First get an adult card, then exchange it for a student card in the city center. Student cards are half price. You can then cancel the adult card on the website and get a refund.
• Apply for IRP (Irish Residence Permit): Book in advance, if you wait until September when school starts, you’ll be queuing until November. With IRP, you can leave Ireland, like going back home or visiting the UK or Europe.
• Apply for a bank card: Can be done through AIB, no need to visit in person, can be done via phone. Requires student ID, student bank cards are free of annual fees. Apply for the bank card early, as the address proof it provides is important for other procedures.
• Apply for PPSN: Although not always necessary, better to have it just in case. Get it done early. It’s needed for tax purposes if you find an internship. It’s also needed for driver’s license applications.

Payments

Most daily scenarios use card payments - just tap your card on the wireless symbol to pay. You can also set up Apple Pay on your phone for payments.

Housing

There are two apartments near DCU, highly recommended, on Shanowen Road: Shanowen Square and Shanowen Hall. Best to book several months in advance, otherwise there might not be available rooms. In the city center, Beckett House is also good, suitable for TCD students. Of course, if you get lucky with the school dorm lottery, that’s the best. In summary, prioritize school dorms, student apartments, then look for private rentals. As for homestays or living with landlords, it varies by person - for me, I’ve experienced it, not a nightmare but not a dream either, but having the experience is enough, I wouldn’t want to do it again. Some classmates said their homestay environment was good though.

Home and Bedding

You can order from IKEA, they’ll deliver to your room. But note that delivery times aren’t always accurate, might arrive the next day. Remember to use student discounts - I realized after checkout that there was a discount, contacted staff, and they helped cancel and re-settle the payment. Homebase also has good stuff, their electric heaters are great - dozens of euros for a large but light one, useful when heating stops at night in winter.

Pharmacies

Rarely visited pharmacies in China, but pharmacies here sell many things besides medicine, like cosmetics, health products, skincare, and bath products. Basically, Boots can handle everything. There’s a large Boots in the city center with a photo booth on the second floor, very versatile.

Dining

Basically cook for yourself. You can buy ingredients from Rong Xing Hang Chinese supermarket in the city center. Rong Xing Hang’s mini-program offers city-wide delivery, free delivery for orders over €30 with the note “Rong Yi Life”, orders placed in the morning arrive in the afternoon, very convenient!!!

I don’t use other supermarkets much. There’s LIDL and Tesco near DCU with some fresh produce, I mainly use them for meat.

As for meat, the pork here has such a strong smell. Basically haven’t eaten it. Only eat beef.

LIDL’s Rib eye steak is quite good, well-marbled, €8+ for 400g, can last two meals. Also LIDL’s chicken legs with skin and bone are very cost-effective.

Rong Xing Hang sells beef brisket, makes great stewed beef.

The stoves here aren’t great to use, mostly electric ceramic hobs. Might need some time to get used to the heat levels.

Public Transit

Ireland’s public transit system is well-developed, basically no need for taxis. TFI Live can show real-time arrival times for the next bus at any stop, more accurate than Google, very useful at stops without electronic displays, recommended to download and use. Mainly buses, occasionally Luas, Dart, etc.

Online Shopping

Recommend using Shein, free shipping above certain amounts. Usually takes about 10 days for delivery. Can buy daily necessities, etc. No food items.

Also students can get free Amazon student membership for six months. Greatly reduces shipping costs.

If not using Shein and wanting to shop like on Taobao, then use international shipping companies - air freight takes 10 days but shipping costs are extremely high, about 200-300 RMB for 2kg. Sea freight is cheaper, about 60-80 RMB for 2kg. So if you can buy daily necessities on Shein, try to buy there, shipping is free.

Ochama has more comprehensive products, including various Chinese foods and some Jingzao products (JD’s European company), use invitation code (7WYM5K) at checkout for €10 off. But shipping is expensive, rarely used without discounts.

Clothing

Dundrum Town Centre in the south has lots of clothing stores. Henry St in the city center also has many clothing stores.

Domestic Travel

If you’ve signed up for a language course (I did DCU’s 5-week language course, quite good, otherwise the start of school would be too overwhelming, it’s like getting to know the school in advance), July-August are good for traveling. Can visit Galway and Cork. But if you haven’t signed up for a language course and only arrive in September, the weather isn’t great, it gets cold and daylight hours decrease significantly, so September when school starts is okay for travel, but after October isn’t suitable. The next good time for travel would be after April next year, when daylight returns and temperatures rise.

Visas

• Try to apply for UK visa in China, if applying in Ireland, they only give 6 months, but in China, they give 2 years. This makes it convenient whether going to Northern Ireland or the UK.
• Courses here are short. After winter break and second semester, there’s lots of free time. If you don’t have plans, it can be very boring. Especially in winter when daylight is short. Since visa applications here basically require using scalpers to queue, recommend starting visa applications right after arrival. To be safe, pick an embassy and start applying for visas. Make one round trip to the destination country during the visa period. This process will also cost lots of time and money, but there’s no way around it - to get a long-term Schengen visa, you need to accumulate entry/exit records. I applied for a French visa. Usually they issue visas for these durations: 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, multiple years. Single or multiple entry doesn’t matter, as visas over 3 months are unlikely to be single entry.

Job Hunting

This is also crucial. Came here clueless, only got a clear understanding after arrival. This section will be updated after I complete the process since I’m still job hunting.

• NG positions: Also known as campus recruitment positions, application period is September to November after arrival. Most NG positions close after November. So need to apply early. Regardless of skill level, recommend applying for NG positions. However, for those with over 2 years of experience, it’s difficult to get NG positions at big companies. But going through the process, if you get interviews, it’s good experience.
• Experienced positions: Application period starts in late April next year. Since I’m just starting to apply, I can’t really say much about it yet. Also, job hunting is somewhat up to fate. Many companies require you to have a 1G visa before they’ll even consider giving you an interview opportunity. If you apply too early, companies won’t process your application.
• Internship positions: These are hit or miss, since the master’s is only one year, many internship positions aren’t for us but for undergraduates. Can only say, try applying.

Contact

If you have questions, you can also contact me through these channels.

Xiaohongshu:

Whatsapp：