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Oisin Gregorian

Vlog Leaving it all behind... one emigrant's story of saying goodbye to Ireland

Young graduate Oisin Gregorian is making a video diary of his experience of leaving Ireland for Spain.

‘OUR PLAN IS working. We’ve turned a corner.’

So said the late Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan when delivering his budget to the Dáil back in December 2009. Having just started a four-year course in DIT, it did make me slightly hopeful.

‘If we’re supposedly turning the corner heading into 2010, surely it’ll be even better come 2013/14!’’ I thought. Unfortunately, we only began to turn the corner just as I entered my final year.

I was proud to finish the one and only college course I had signed up for. I was proud that I attained a degree without repeating a single module. I was proud that I had a piece of paper that maybe, just maybe, would allow me to further myself in my field of study without the thought of doing a masters.

Then harsh reality set in. ‘We would like to offer you an internship.’ ‘Fantastic’, I thought to myself. ‘A chance to prove myself and perhaps be kept on!’ Then came the sticking point. ‘Unfortunately we will be unable to offer you payment for the duration of the internship.’ This was, of course, to become a recurring theme.

As interesting some of the internships I did were, the lack of payment never made things easier. Even if I managed to network my way into paid freelance opportunities, I struggled to break even. Eventually, I joined the masses at the local social welfare office and managed to keep up my unpaid work, wishing and hoping for a lucky break that would lead to a steady flow of income. It never arrived.

‘Do I really have to keep doing this until I get the required three years’ experience most job adverts state?’

It was at that point, nearly a year after finishing college that I decided to put my skills to better use and work to get a TEFL certificate. I initially wanted to do Primary Education, but was put off it around the time of the CAO deadline due to a poor forecast in that particular sector. Maybe with real life experience, I’ll return to that option down the line.

TEFL instantly opened doors for working abroad and gaining experience in a whole new environment; experience that I’d like to use back home down the line. It could be a year from now, it could easily be more. When I got the call of a job offer teaching in a state school in southern Spain for the academic year I accepted on the spot. I didn’t even need to call back following a chance to think it over.

We as a nation talk of emigration as a bad thing. Any time you see a report on the subject, it often takes a more negative angle. One moment we’re getting into trouble, other times we’re lamenting for a pack of Tayto and a cup of Barry’s like you’d swear it was the end of the world.

We as a demographic have offered the world so much as a diaspora, and if I can keep a video diary in the process to prove just that, what harm?

Uploaded by Oisin Gregorian

Oisin Gregorian is an Irish multimedia journalist currently working as a teacher in Seville, Andalusia. He worked previously a sports writer and production assistant. Follow him on Twitter @Oisgreg.

President Higgins has spoken directly to the Irish Diaspora: “We owe them a debt of gratitude.”

20% of GPs who graduated in 2010 now live abroad

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34 Comments
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    Mute Joan Featherstone
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:19 PM

    Sounds like a lovely hardworking fella with the right attitude, my son left nearly three years ago and the gloss has worn off would love to come home but to what…saddens me to think it’s still happening, wish you the best.

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    Mute Jack Dexter
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:48 PM

    I heard Talk to Joe the other day telling someone to take a job bridge appointed. I had to laugh and Joe is on over 350 grand a year plus expenses.

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    Mute CeannComhairleDollop
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:03 PM

    Sure sure sure….go on yeah…hold the loine ive gotta nother caller on loine two lol

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    Mute Glen
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:06 PM

    Best of luck Oisin
    Unfortunately you didn’t have any choice. But now you have a job and the sun smiling down on you.

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Sep 30th 2014, 7:56 AM

    Jesus Glen, that sounds like a Eulogy. He isn’t dead. He is one of the lucky ones. Why don’t they interview one of the people on the scratcher who can’t emigrate because they can’t get a visa? See how much they feel sorry for Oisin.

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    Mute Shane Hickey
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:44 PM

    I’ve emigrated for a second time. Best decision I ever made. The next thing you’ll know ten years had passed and you barely noticed

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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:20 PM

    Those who study subjects with consistently high graduate employment rates are the ones who don’t find themselves needing to leave the country.

    Sure we’d all love to have an artsy fartsy job in media or film but the number of graduates in these soft fields far outweighs the number of employers demanding their skills(or lack thereof in many cases).

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    Mute Joan Featherstone
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:32 PM

    As per my post above re my son….did engineering not exactly arty fatty????

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    Mute Joan Featherstone
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:33 PM

    *farty* feckin predictive text agh….!

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    Mute Dave Nolan
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:43 PM

    Media is an incredibly difficult industry to get into in Ireland. For years after I graduated I tried to get the experience needed but just couldn’t get any. I remember one radio station turned me away when I offered to volunteer because I was not “local” despite living in the area for 7 years. Last June, I decided to apply to the UK to see what I could get. Within a month I had two offers. Now I work for one of the largest TV broadcasters in the UK.

    Never give up, just cast your net a little wider. And I wish this young lad the best of luck.

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    Mute Mike O Neill
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:53 PM

    Nice one Dave. Unfortunately cronyism abounds in all areas of Irish life.

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    Mute Karen O'Hanlon Cohrt
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    Sep 30th 2014, 2:45 AM

    Hear hear Joan, no subject area is safe in my experience. I myself have a phd in biotechnology (nothing ‘artsy’ about that) and I too left Ireland almost 4 years ago after spending a miserable few months on job seekers allowance and rejection after rejection. Happy enough abroad but would love to go home one day

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    Mute Joan Featherstone
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    Sep 30th 2014, 8:20 AM

    Hopefully you will get to come home Karen, its so different when you go because you have to rather than go on ‘the big adventure’…hope you are at least a little settled at his stage and get to come home now and again. Best wishes.

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    Mute Brian Gormley
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:22 PM

    Best of luck to him, sunny Spain for a year

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:28 PM

    Sincere best wishes Oisin, in this life you have to make your own career moves.

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    Mute irish in calgary
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    Sep 30th 2014, 12:39 AM

    Left ireland 4 years ago so angry and upset the upset part is gone, haven’t been back the flights are so expensive for us but hopefully ill get back soon and see my mam and dad and siblings, great country run by $ankers for years… that wasn’t bankers fyi…till we meet again

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    Mute Liam Treacy
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    Sep 30th 2014, 7:10 AM

    Sadly it’s the voters who are the …..ers. Their values and expectations are not thought through. Straight talkers never get voted in or re-elected. SF are popular based on lunatic economic offers. They have copied FF. People like to believe there is a free lunch. Our politics is full of people whose experience is in the classroom or as “community” workers. Clueless about economic realities. They never tackle the “insiders” aka the public sector who vote themselves benchmarking and use union membership to bully the rest. These very comments will launch a series of attacks which proves my point. People believe there must be a free lunch paid for by the “government”.

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    Mute Tony Hartigan
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:48 PM

    And your out of this godforsaken BANANA REPUBLIC. Good luck too you.

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    Mute Sean J. Troy
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:12 PM

    While I fully support your decision to move on and do what’s right for you, there’s a reason why emigration is portrayed negatively. It IS negative. The state has sunk a lot of money into at this point during the course of your education and as far they’re concerned, if you don’t come back and contribute to the economy and the exchequer you’re a complete write off.
    This is coming from a 4th year student, there’s a pretty big chance I’ll have to leave as well.

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    Mute Ayla Tuohy
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:46 PM

    Brilliant! Any chance you have written a ‘how to emigrate to spain’ guide? Im having difficulty’s trying to find what agency helps with eu immigration and am being passed from intreo to eures to a silent dead end. It seems emigrating out of the Eu is easier! Helps us out with a ten easy step guide please….!

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    Mute Jason
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:50 PM

    Why do you need help? Just go wherever it is you want to go to.

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    Mute Denise Friary
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    Sep 29th 2014, 8:55 PM

    When I retire I am going to spend four months of the year from November in Spain for the warmer winter climate,at the moment I spend 6 weeks a year there because I save my holidays for it.

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    Mute Denise Friary
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:07 PM

    Pontius, Thanks will look into that.

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    Mute Maria Clery-Breen
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    Sep 30th 2014, 6:03 PM

    Pontius , I live in Spain in a Spanish house and yes it’s does get a bit cold , it cost me 33€ last year for heating , that was for two bottles of gas , I have my hot water from the sun .

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    Mute shinythingshine
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    Sep 30th 2014, 4:42 AM

    Reading this from my office in the middle east. Tried to get work at home in education for the guts of six years and no joy. Had the offer of my current position in under 6 months of applying around. I miss home, my friends and my partner but there was nothing left in Ireland. I have no idea how long I’ll be away for as I’ve really settled here but I tried as hard as I could not to leave..

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    Mute Dave Quinn
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    Sep 30th 2014, 12:17 AM

    Any schemes going to get us back?

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    Mute Dan Yull
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:25 PM

    Great article btw. Nice to see another young Irish graduate representing the lost generation of young people who can’t get a break in this country. Living in France as a young graduate myself teaching English.

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    Mute James Bradley
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 3:39 PM

    Great article, well written!!

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    Mute Barry Walsh
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    Oct 12th 2014, 5:53 AM

    But remember, he is one of the lucky ones. What about the young people without qualifications?

    What hope do they have?

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    Mute FMan
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 12:52 PM

    Why always the emphasis on ‘graduates?’

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