If you are independent, confident and tired of going to the U.S. in the summer, Ireland is the place to go. The country of lucky shamrocks is full of opportunities for young people. The WAT Ireland program is relatively new, but it’s gaining popularity among students and there are number of reasons for that.

The program costs only €400, which makes it relatively cheap. No visas are required since Ireland is in the EU (for EU members, otherwise you have to pay an extra fee of €100). The process of obtaining a work permit is a matter of only two weeks.  The plane ticket is also much cheaper compared to the U.S.; prices range from €350 to €200. It is a completely self- arranged program, which means that you are responsible for finding a place to live and a job before arriving in Ireland. The Internet is always of great help in such cases. There is also the option of asking your WAT agency to give you the details of other people enrolled in the program, so you can get in touch with them and share ideas.

Money is the main reason why Ireland is becoming a popular destination. The minimum wage is €8.65/hour, plus the euro has always been a stronger currency than the dollar. The cost of living has a reputation of being one of the highest in Europe, but there are numerous huge department stores, which offer their own products and charge very little. As for food, there are numerous German- owned shops such as Lidl and Aldi, where food is almost as cheap as in Bulgaria. On average, if you only eat at home and select the low-priced items, €60 will last you for a week.
As for housing, prices vary from city to city. If you choose to live in Dublin, you have to know that your rent per room will be around €500-600 a month. Cork, the second largest city in Ireland, is also quite expensive, but smaller cities are much cheaper. Rent there will cost you about €300-400 a month.

The weather in Ireland is not very pleasant, temperatures do not exceed 25 degrees and it rains a few times a week. On the bright side, this is what gives the country its reputation of being evergreen. Irish people are foreigner-friendly, helpful and love to go to pubs. Pubs are a part of Irish culture, always full of people and often feature live music.
The national treasure known worldwide is the Irish whiskey – Tullamore Dew. Another Irish premium product is the Guinness beer, which is probably the most popular drink in Ireland and is something that you definitely have to try if you are looking for the full Irish experience. Luckily for some, the legal age for drinking is not 21 as in America, but 18, so there is nothing to stop you from socialising in the evening after a hard day’s work.

What you should bear in mind is that despite the good minimum wages, jobs are becoming harder to get because as of June this year, the economy is in a recession. Restaurants, hotels and bars have been very affected by that and the number of hours per week you will get may suffer as a result. My advice is to have at least one secured job prior to arriving, although it only took me five days to find a job on the spot.

For those of you who are still hesitant whether they should try something different, I am definitely giving you thumbs up because it is a wonderful experience and you will not regret it!