LIVING IN LIMERICK YOUR GUIDE cookmedical.eu COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL. DO NOT COPY. NOT FOR EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTION. WHY LIMERICK? Welcome HOW TO GET HERE GETTING SET UP Limerick is a great place to live and work, and is at the heart of one of the fastest growing regions in Ireland. ACCOMMODATION The move to a new country or region can certainly be TRANSPORTATION daunting, but also extremely exciting! We hope that this guide can help you prepare for the move, and settle in as HEALTHCARE quickly and comfortably as possible. We are available to you throughout the settling-in period EDUCATION for any questions or concerns you may have. Whether it’s choosing a place for you and your family to live, or FAMILY FRIENDLY wondering where to get the best coffee in Limerick, we have you covered! CULTURAL DIVERSITY If you need some information which is not in this guide, DISCOVER LIMERICK your first stop should be to ask your colleagues here at Cook. We are a friendly bunch and are more than happy SPORTS & SOCIAL to assist you in any way we can to help you get settled into life in Limerick. Feel free to contact our HR department on +353 61 334440 or at [email protected] and we will do our best to help you or point you in the direction of someone who can. We would also love to hear your ideas on what we can add to this guide to life in Limerick that will help those who join us in future. We hope you find this information useful in your new adventure, and welcome to Limerick from all at Cook Medical! > 1 > Why choose Limerick? Are you thinking of coming to Limerick to further your career? Maybe you’re not sure? Did you know Limerick is the third largest city in Ireland? Take a look at some key facts and figures that make Limerick a great option as a place to live and work. HOUSING €22,848 Highest disposable income outside Dublin €170,000 Average house price 150 *44% lower residential rental costs NATIONALITIES compared with Dublin UP TO * Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), Rent Index Q3 2017 100 LOCAL AREAS OF INTEREST THOMOND PARK Home of Munster Rugby FESTIVALS (European Champions 2006 & 2008) A YEAR HUNT MUSEUM Former custom house holding a large collection of ethnographic treasures MILK MARKET An outdoor food market located TRANSPORT LINKS on Mungret Street 2 HOURS KING JOHN’S CASTLE Dublin to Limerick drive time A 13th century castle located on King’s 25.6 km Island on the banks of the River Shannon Shannon Airport distance from the city centre COLLEGES 1.75 MILLION Limerick has three renowned third level Annual Shannon Airport passenger traffic institutions (University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Mary Immaculate College), with 6,000 students graduating each year and 24,000 students overall. > 2 > How to get to Limerick TRAVELLING FROM THE AIRPORT From Dublin Airport, you have a couple of options. The most direct option is Eireagle, which will cost €25, and the cheapest option would be to take the Dublin Coach which leaves from the airport once per hour and goes to the Red Cow, where you will change to the M7 Express Service which will go to Limerick. The cost of this will be €15 if you book online, or €20 to get a ticket at the bus. You can ask at the airport for the ‘Dublin Coach’ or the ‘Green Bus’ and you should be able to find it. There are other options such as J.J Kavanagh & Sons, but these tend to be more expensive. A taxi for this journey could cost anywhere from €250 to €300. Dublin airport is also the headquarters of Ryanair and Aer Lingus, which means affordable flights to destinations in Europe and around the world. Ryanair makes it especially easy to reach most places in Europe for a weekend getaway at an affordable cost. From Shannon Airport, you can get the Bus Eireann Bus 343 from the airport to the city. A taxi for this route would cost approximately €45. Shannon Airport is the nearest airport to Cook at just 20-30 minutes away. The airport handles over 1.7 million passengers per year and flies to a vast number of global destinations. You can also rent cars at either Shannon or Dublin airports if you prefer to drive yourself. WHERE IS THE COOK MEDICAL OFFICE? Cook Medical employs approximately just under 900 workers at our two offices in Limerick. Cook Medical Ireland O’Halloran Road National Technology Park V94 N8X2, Limerick EMEA Support Centre Cook Medical, Block 1 Hamilton House National Technology Park V94 TRW8, Limerick > 3 > Getting set up OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT visit the PPS Number Allocation Centre in the county that you intend to live. Before you can be allocated a An essential first step when you get to Ireland is PPS number, you must show that one is required for opening your bank account. You will need to fill in an a transaction with a specified body. application and provide proof of identity and proof of address. The ID can be in the form of a passport, You will be asked to produce proof of identity and driving license, or EU national identity card. Proof address in Ireland. Different documentation will be of address should be a recent utility bill (under 6 required, depending on your nationality. A complete months old) or correspondence from a government list of documents required as proof of your identity authority. Cook will provide you a letter in place of is available here. your proof of address. TAX CREDITS In most cases, you will have to carry out the opening of the account in person, but you may begin the What are tax credits? application process online. Sometimes it is possible Tax credits reduce the amount of tax you pay on to do it by post with certified copies of your your earnings. Everyone is entitled to Personal documentation. It is simpler if you already have an Tax Credits. The specific amount of tax credit Irish address, but if you don’t it is possible to open each individual receives is determined through an account as a non-resident and use proof of your set criteria used by the Inland Revenue and will foreign address. Some popular banks in Ireland depend on personal circumstances. Only when you (including their helplines) are: have received your PPS number will you be able • Bank of Ireland (0818 365 365) to register online with the Inland Revenue through • Allied Irish Bank (AIB) (0818) 724 724 these steps: • Ulster Bank (1850 424 365) Step 1: Login to www.revenue.ie. • Permanent TSB (1890 24 12 24) Step 2: Register my account – you will need your PPS number for this. Your password will then be sent There are many international banks, so your bank to the address provided within 3 to 4 days. Note: at home may have a branch in Ireland. Make sure The address used when applying for a PPS number to check all of the details when researching and has to be the same one used when registering your choosing an account, as many charge fees unless details on www.revenue.ie. you keep your balance at a certain level, and some even charge you per transaction. Step 3: Once you have your password you can log back into Revenue. Go to the Jobs and Pension PERSONAL PUBLIC SERVICE (PPS) NUMBER Service section and enter your employer information - Company Registration number (Cook Ireland Your Personal Public Service (PPS) number is a Ltd. 8203176O), commencement work date and unique reference number that helps you access employee number. A Tax Cert confirming tax social welfare benefits, public services, and credit information will then be sent to Cook and information in Ireland. Allocation is done by face-to- the employee within 48 hours. The new tax credit face interview. However, if you are moving to Ireland information will subsequently be uploaded into you can book an appointment for a PPS number Cook’s payroll system. allocation interview before you arrive. You should > 4 > Accommodation WHERE TO FIND ACCOMMODATION For a full list of available accommodation and rental information, check out some of these websites: Castletroy is a great place to live and is very close to Cook’s offices. Along with regular rental properties, • Rent.ie it is known for its student accommodation. This • Daft.ie is good if you don’t mind lots of student activity because these houses tend to be less expensive • Property.ie to rent. Some of the large student accommodation • AirBnB.ie areas in Castletroy include Milford Grange, Elm Park, and College Court. ACCOMMODATION COST Some more residential areas include Annacotty Did you know the average cost of renting a three- and Monaleen. These are a little further from Cook, bed house in Ireland is €1,198 per month? Here but are no more than a five-minute drive away in Limerick and the greater Mid-West region, the and are accessible by bus. These tend to be less average monthly rent is €956 in the city, and as low popular with students due to their distance from as €750 when you move outside the city. the university, and so they are a good option for Some typical costs you might incur as a tenant may peaceful living. include these: Some of our employees prefer to live in Limerick city • Electricity €40-€60 monthly and there is a bus service from the city to Castletroy or you might be able to arrange a lift with one of • Gas €15-€30 monthly your new colleagues.