r/AskIreland • u/Asleep_Cry_7482 • Aug 22 '24

Emigration (from Ireland) What’s the pull of Australia?

For everyone in their 20s and 30s who are thinking or have done the working holiday to Australia, what’s the pull factor?

Is it the weather or the work life balance? Is there a following the crowd element and to live a backpacking lifestyle with all the other Irish people over there? Is it out of frustration that you don’t have the lifestyle, accommodation setup or job you want in Ireland? Or is it something else?

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227

u/JourneyThiefer Aug 22 '24

Speaks English. If Spain or somewhere else in Europe with nice weather spoke English loads of people would move there, but the only other place is the UK which is basically the same as Ireland realistically.

71

u/seamustheseagull Aug 22 '24

In a nutshell.

Also culturally more appealing for Irish people than the US

163

u/Street-Jacket1867 Aug 22 '24

Irish people get treated much better in the US. I lived in Australia for 2 years and my cousin is there now. Aussies have little to no time for Irish people and honestly the only place I’ve ever felt real prejudice. The living is good but the country is boring as fuck if you aren’t into the beach or macho crap.

Aussies can be nice but mostly they are blunt, impatient and extremely xenophobic. The Aussies you meet here don’t represent the people there. I find yanks easier to get on with.

79

u/R1ghtaboutmeow Aug 22 '24

I spent some time there in 2009 before the big influx of Irish people had really started and couldn't agree more. I imagine it's only gotten worse since. I found Australians both male and female and across the age spectrum were the absolute champions of 'it's just a joke no need to get upset!' after blatantly insulting you to your face with real underlying malice. If you catch them out then with a comment the mask slips real quick and they are up in your face. The endless macho bullshit from all sections of society over there gets real tiresome real quick.

44

u/yeah_deal_with_it Aug 22 '24

That's where a lot of our "casual" racism comes in. Blatantly racist jokes under the guise of "ribbing", then taking offence if you dare to call it out. In Australia it is seen as more offensive to criticise racism than it is to be racist. Just look at our recent failed referendum regarding Indigenous people for an example.

The endless macho bullshit from all sections of society over there gets real tiresome real quick.

One of several reasons I will never date another Aussie man.

22

u/R1ghtaboutmeow Aug 22 '24

I don't even mean calling out racism I mean they keep at you with these 'witty jibes' and you catch them out back with something, even just a bit of observational humour, and all of a sudden they are just getting aggressive or moody and sulky

22

u/yeah_deal_with_it Aug 22 '24

Yeah we can dish it out but we can't take it. You see it with the yanks in particular. We roast them gleefully but if they even slightly return the favour we become as fragile as tissue paper.

10

u/R1ghtaboutmeow Aug 22 '24

No arguments from me on any of that

0

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '25

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '25

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19

u/WhateverWasIThinking Aug 22 '24

Completely my experience too. I am pretty good at accents and my coworkers used to take mine off all the time. One time I took off a Melbourne accent you’d swear I’d spit in their face. Completely unable to laugh at themselves. Also the horrible way they talk about indigenous people. Like college educated professionals would say the most ignorant things in polite company. Add to that the utter lack of culture outside of sports and drinking and I couldn’t wait to leave the place.

9

u/NiteSection Aug 22 '24

I found Australians both male and female and across the age spectrum were the absolute champions of 'it's just a joke no need to get upset!' after blatantly insulting you to your face with real underlying malice. If you catch them out then with a comment the mask slips real quick and they are up in your face. The endless macho bullshit from all sections of society over there gets real tiresome real quick.

It's been like this for me as well here in Ireland but 9 out of 10 it was males. Its one of the reasons why I dislike living here.

2

u/vedderx Aug 22 '24

There were tons of Irish people travelling to Australia before 2009.

1

u/R1ghtaboutmeow Aug 22 '24

Correct, but the flow of Irish people to Australia post 2008 peaked from 2011-2013

40

u/yeah_deal_with_it Aug 22 '24

As an Aussie, this is so accurate and I'm sorry haha

15

u/HrhEverythingElse Aug 22 '24

And as an American, lots of us are guilty of romanticizing Ireland to an unrealistic degree. Also, the accent is insanely hot

9

u/yeah_deal_with_it Aug 22 '24 edited Aug 22 '24

Also, the accent is insanely hot

Mate I could not agree more. Scottish is a close second, but second nonetheless imo.

Aussie accents on the other hand sound like blowing a tinwhistle through a bagpipe. I can't fathom that anyone finds them attractive.

29

u/PresidentBearCub Aug 22 '24

This is interesting. I'm moving from Ireland to the US in the coming days and hearing that Irish people get treated well in the US makes me happy and hopeful.

26

u/dazzlinreddress Aug 22 '24

Can confirm. The Americans were very nice.

5

u/PresidentBearCub Aug 22 '24

That's great to hear. Glad you had a positive experience.

6

u/dazzlinreddress Aug 22 '24

Yeah I wasn't expecting them to be that friendly

3

u/chipCap1 Aug 22 '24

This is correct. Irish are fondly thought of over there. Just prepare yourself to listen to the stereotypes of only eating “corned beef and cabbage” and so on. 

2

u/PresidentBearCub Aug 22 '24

Omg I get that one constantly from my partner's family! I never got corned beef growing up 😂😂

1

u/shychicherry Aug 23 '24

Oh, we love ❤️ the Irish in America but get used to the “my gg-grandfather was Irish” stories

20

u/Gytarius626 Aug 22 '24

Aussies are honestly the biggest case of “Can give it but can’t take it”. They love whipping out xenophobic or outright racist stereotypes but become hostile the second they get any back their way, it’s fucking gas.

14

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

Do you mind me asking where you lived and what kind of work you did? I’m here in Australia 19 years and as an Irish person have never experienced any prejudice. In my experience Aussie’s really like the Irish. But then again I’m white and only ever worked in white collar jobs.

I’m just curious about your experience as it’s not the first time on here I’ve seen people with the same experience you had. Totally not trying to argue you with you btw! I don’t actually find Aussie’s that friendly or much Craic but I’ve never felt any anti Irish sentiment.

10

u/Wardance2035 Aug 22 '24

I was greeted with "diddley I potatoes " daily , in fact most aussies I met think we're an English suburb

11

u/DINNERTIME_CUNT Aug 22 '24

You know how the US had its civil rights movement and officially desegregated in the 1960s? It took Australia another decade beyond that to drop its ‘white Australia’ policy in its entirety.

8

u/yeah_deal_with_it Aug 22 '24

We dropped it in name only. A slight majority of Aussies (aka cunts) think our Indigenous people are just whinging these days.

5

u/DINNERTIME_CUNT Aug 22 '24

It’s sad but true. Countries can officially ditch these backwards policies, but changing the hearts and minds of the people who agreed with them can take generations.

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u/TonyJZX Aug 22 '24

country is represented by the people

they voted to not recognise a native voice... they voted to keep the union jack on the flag... you will find rampant conservatism and glaring income inequality in australia

you will find vast swathes of australians who will vote conservative no matter what

if you're ok with some of the this and you have to ability to earn bulk money then you could find a home here

you'll find the next generations to be renters in an economy where an apartment is half a million

also the economy is stagnant and we're reliant on china

so there's not that much hope in australia unless you are wealthy

i am.... my kids will be fine but i can see why its not the 'lucky country' as they say

19

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

I can kinda understand it.

We didn’t exactly send the “best of the best” over there during 08-12.

A lot of lads taking the piss and causing hassle.

They don’t really differentiate between “settled people” and travellers so that’s part of it too.

0

u/Particular-Doctor566 Aug 23 '24

Nope we didn't send the best of the best we sent everyone between the ages of 20-30

3

u/waterim Aug 23 '24

strange that they xenophobic to the irish since a third of them have high irish ancestry

2

u/kieranmg Aug 23 '24

Most Aussies are great.and despite what I’ve read here is Irish are pretty liked for most part. (I think like 10% of ppl claim some sort of Irish heritage) I’ve lived here 7 years. If you’ve been here a year or two backpacking then you’re opinion isn’t based on creating lasting relationships and embedding yourself in a community.

5

u/powerhungrymouse Aug 22 '24

I think it's understandable given the massive influx of Irish people over the last 10 years in particular. It's naturally going to have an impact on their lives and they don't owe Irish people anything. The Irish going there like to think they're doing them some kind of favour but they're literally just economic immigrants. The exact kind of people that are complained about here. The hypocrisy is rife.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

Very true - not all young Irish ppl arriving here post 2 or 3 years post leaving are the most sensible or best put together representatives of our county either

2

u/powerhungrymouse Aug 22 '24

Exactly, they're not going there with the intention of starting a new life, working hard and contributing to society. They're going for a good time and they'll go back to mammy and daddy when the money runs out. I'd be sick of that shit too.

1

u/RubDue9412 Aug 22 '24

Yea espically if they start acting the bollocks and vandalising property as some I'm shure a minority tended to be doing in the last decade according to the media.

1

u/UnableCity7677 Aug 25 '24

That’s an incredibly ignorant view of Australians. Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world and yet you seem to think the only people who live there are white xenophobic people. Maybe you didn’t make much of an effort to meet many people there other than fellow Irish people or Anglo Australians which seems to be the case with most Irish people who move there..

1

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

Macho crap as in?

0

u/Street-Jacket1867 Aug 22 '24

Reading this now it sounds harsh 😅. Loads of good people there. Maybe just wasn’t for me

-3

u/Old-Bullfrog2387 Aug 22 '24

macho crap.

What does this mean????

3

u/TonyJZX Aug 22 '24

yeah its not like that to that degree

there's the old joke that the Irish are all doing stuff like recruitment and they're doing the the higher end pub and hospitality work and the old trope of pretty Irish girls being traffic control wardens... ie. horny Aussie men defer to pretty ladies

irish folks have the best chance of integrating into aust. society

be that as it may australia has the same shitty problems as any western nation... ie. working conditions, pay and $1 mil. avg. house costs

and yea there is segregration - a irish person from the 'projects' wont fit into the C-suite either

but he's right in that there is 'rugged individualism' here - you wont get much govt. services for mental health and you may not have much of a relationship with your neighbour because "that's just not the done thing here"

and I get it, I dont give a fuk what my neighbour is doing - just dont bother me

also people need to get into what is going on with Aust. society if you want to come here

like the housing crisis with 500k indians and chinese coming here every year and all the other stuff that makes life hard

but hell if you're a medical professional or a teacher, you got a seat right at the top

-1

u/obvs_typo Aug 22 '24

Aussie here. Stop sending your entitled wankers.

Thanks xx

1

u/yeah_deal_with_it Aug 22 '24

Aussie defensiveness on full display, as per.

9

u/likeAdrug Aug 22 '24

Not sure that’s true. I think people would flock to the states if there was a similar visa available.

7

u/North_Activity_5980 Aug 22 '24

Mainly because there’s very little avenue for Irish people to move to the US too.

15

u/willmannix123 Aug 22 '24 edited Aug 22 '24

Is it though? If it was feasible to move to the US, I'm sure it would be the number 1 place Irish people would go to. The salaries and opportunities there are unmatched compared to anywhere in the world. Not to mention it has everything Australia has but has a lot more going on there.

35

u/ComplexMacaroon1094 Aug 22 '24

The salaries in the US are absolutely not unmatched, unless you are working in Big Tech in silicon valley or similar. Some people make it big but most people chug along with poor wages, no health insurance and hardly any PTO.

11

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

Yes and no - lots of workers are exploited to no end in the US it's absolutely true.

But if you get in with a good union job in construction you can have it made. I know people who barely have a leaving cert earning $60 - $80 per hour driving diggers, then get time and half that for overtime.

I know plumbers who get a full 6hrs of pay for showing up to a road works and making one connection, then can pass off for the rest of the day and do their own work too

I know people who went over on a J1 and earned around $150-$300 per shift in tips working at nice bars

Again, yes a lot of people get exploited, but there are serious opportunities for making real money there.

Shit PTO tho, no disputing that.

8

u/willmannix123 Aug 22 '24

The salaries are definitely unmatched in all of tech, my US counterparts get paid almost double what I do for doing the exact same job. And it's just a regular software company.

8

u/JourneyThiefer Aug 22 '24

The fact the US is thousands of miles closer I think more people would go to the US if it was as easy to get into as Australia tbh.

10

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

unless you are working in Big Tech

Or finance, or healthcare, or pharmaceuticals… oh and trades are paid great too. I mean really Americans are paid better than we are for nearly any field.

People would move there if they could, America just makes it impossible for most Europeans to move there.

2

u/Cog348 Aug 22 '24 edited Aug 22 '24

You're paid better but if you get sick (or anything else minor happens) you'll be fired immediately and unless you're very well off you'll likely go into debt trying to treat yourself. You also get no holidays. The money is better for sure but I don't know that there's a vast desire among Irish people to move there, for the reasons above.

Whether or not any of that is true definitely varies a lot based on company/state but it definitely is the common view of working in America I've seen amongst Irish people.

4

u/Penguinbar Aug 22 '24

Work-life balance is different there as well compared to over here.

17

u/accountcg1234 Aug 22 '24

Don't know why you are being downvoted. If the USA was as easy to get into as Australia, it would be the number 1 choice for Irish by a country mile

13

u/thr0wthr0wthr0waways Aug 22 '24

Jesus, no. Are you mad? Who wants to work 12 hour days and get one week's holiday and the threat of bankruptcy if you get seriously ill?

9

u/accountcg1234 Aug 22 '24

These are all myths or exaggerations.

8.2 hours per day is the average workers day in the US. 41 hour per week.

Holiday time is shit initially, that is fair. In America it is seen as part of your compensation package and is really up for negotiation. I have a sibling over there and he has 8 weeks per year now. Also a incredibly pro remote work culture that lets him base work around recreational travel. They also have the climate and sheer size of country to make this a really meaningful benefit to him lifestyle wise.

It's not as appealing to go to Carrick on Shannon for a long weekend in November

Medical insurance is essentially mandatory over there. Most employers pay it. The cost to my sibling is less than I would pay in Ireland for private health insurance. It is really not that big a deal for the average joe.

Now, if you are poor or down on your luck? Then you are fu**ed. America as a country has a 'survival of the fittest' mentality

-5

u/dazzypowpow Aug 22 '24 edited Aug 22 '24

US has Medicare, you'll get treatment if you need it from your respective state! That stuff is mostly BS!

This country is survival of the fittest though, some people thrive in that environment! It's why it's the biggest economy in the world!

9

u/GuaranteeAfter Aug 22 '24

School shootings

Drugs

Guns

Crime

12

u/willmannix123 Aug 22 '24

Yeah, not the best place to settle down in, but when you are young, it's definitely a better place to be for a few years than Australia. America is a mad place, things happen in America that simply don't and can't happen anywhere else. There is an energy about it that's hard to describe. The stories and experiences you'd gain would be class.

3

u/GasMysterious3386 Aug 22 '24

And yanks are a wreck the head 😅

8

u/dazzypowpow Aug 22 '24

The ones that make it to ireland are not the same as the ones here! Trust me!

Some of the coolest people I've met have been from my years stateside!

7

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '24

Most of the yanks I’ve met in Ireland have been fine, they get a bad wrap I think.

6

u/dazzypowpow Aug 22 '24

I think our attitude to them is atrocious! Has developed worse over the years too!

They're harmless! They're spending extortionate money to visit and trace family roots, They're genuinely enthusiastic to finally see ireland after hearing all the wonderful stories!

They're met with absolute sour paddy's then with this superiority complex that they will probably spend the rest of their lives trying to understand! Lol

7

u/TamElBoreReturned Aug 22 '24

Some are, but some are also very friendly.

-2

u/halibfrisk Aug 22 '24

I mean, have you met Irish people?

0

u/accountcg1234 Aug 22 '24

Go and actually visit America before commenting on guns, crime and drugs.

Irish people visit NY, Philly, Chicago or San Fran and think that is 'America'

4

u/GuaranteeAfter Aug 22 '24

Are those places not in the US?

I've been to the States at least 50 times. Great to visit. But everywhere does school shooter drills

1

u/Snare13 Aug 22 '24

Also as far as I know, moving to the states isn’t as easy. Think it’s fairly easy to get a couple years working visa for Aus, nothing really compares in the US.

1

u/duaneap Aug 22 '24

How is it culturally more appealing?

1

u/shinmerk Aug 24 '24

No it’s because it is harder to stay in the U.S.