Carl Fox, Barntown
Although he and his partner both had good jobs, a strong circle of friends, and an active and varied social life, as 2018 came to a close Carl Fox found himself debating whether to leave Ireland for good.
At the age of 27 Carl, like so many of his peers, was struggling to find appropriate housing, struggling to keep up with rent at an age when his parents and grandparents had been buying their first homes.
‘Myself and my partner (Jade) both had decent jobs in Dublin, we had friends, clubs, communities, but the only places we could live were either with friends - which gets a bit old when you’re in your late twenties - or by ourselves in a glorified box with damp walls and an unsecure tenancy,’ Carl says.
‘When your home situation isn’t what you want it to be it’s hard to be happy, even when everything else is going okay.’
Having grown up in Barntown and gone to school in St Peter’s, Carl left Wexford to study engineering in Trinity, eventually finding work as a robotics engineer with a start-up in the capital.
The epitome of a talented young professional he in many ways represents the ‘ brain drain’ Ireland is experiencing due to the housing crisis, the continued emigration of highly-qualifed, highly-skilled graduates to countries only too happy to have them.
Upon arriving in Sydney, Carl joined the thousands of Irish people contributing to the Australian economy.
‘Work is very easy to come by in all shapes and sizes, the pay is really good too,’ he says. ‘ There’s definitely a more reasonable working environment here.
‘Right now, it just seems like life is easier here. Ireland is in a position where it’s hard to enjoy the good things at the moment, especially with the housing situation for younger adults trying to set themselves up.
‘It just seems like the opportunity available here at the moment is too good to turn down.’
However, Carl has some words of warning for those thinking about joining him. Trying to get work in his area of expertise has proven difficult, but not for the reasons you might think.
‘I’ve had to turn down several offers on account of our Visa situation, our intention is to stay long term, so you need employer sponsorship,’ he says.
‘I’d put out a warning to anyone planning to make the move, Visas aren’t as easy to get as before, there’s been a lot of rule changes recently. There are still options available, but make sure you do your homework on what you’ll need well in advance.’
For those who do make the move though, there is no shortage of support from the sizeable Irish community.
‘ There are certain parts of the city where you can go and it feels like you’re back home there’s that many Irish heads knocking about,’ Carl says.
With his first trip back to Ireland already planned for May, Carl will soon be reunited with a family he has been staying in touch with via FaceTime, with even his grandmother mastering the technology in order to share the latest news.
However, there’s one thing which even technology can’t replicate, something which the speciality shops in Sydney haven’t been able to furnish the young Wexfordian with yet. ‘I’d devour a chicken fillet roll,’ Carl says when asked what he most misses about home.