Job hunting can be a painful, long and torturous process involving hours of scanning the newspapers and Internet for positions, never ending rounds of interviews and even after all this when one finds a job there is the turmoil of moving house. Now try all that as a foreigner.
Kirill Klyashtorny (30) from Russia did and he found himself working as a programmer for Pan-European in Limerick. A university graduate in electrical engineering, Kirill Klyashtorny spent seven years working in his native city which he reports has a very poor labour market.
"There is a lack of job opportunities in St Petersburg and after some time working there I wanted to look for something else so I looked outside of my country," he says.
He searched the Internet and e-mailed a number of Irish recruitment agencies with his curriculum vitae. He got a call from Irish Recruitment Consultants operations manager Robert Graydon who said he was very interested to meet the job hunter. Kirill Klyashtorny organised a week-long visit in October last year to meet with recruiters. The electrical engineer had already made a series of phone calls to employers but this strategy didn't succeed and he thought it would be better for them to meet him in person.
But why did he pick Ireland? "I found that Irish legislation was the most friendly to foreign workers. It is very difficult to get a visa to work in Europe if you are not an EU citizen, but the Irish system was more open than the rest," explains Kirill Klyashtorny.
However, the Irish system is not without its drawbacks. He adds: "I came here at the end of December, beginning of January but my wife and two children had to wait three months before they could join me," he says.
"I understand the policy is there to protect the national work market but three months is a long time to be away from your family. But as far as I know, it has got better and the period of waiting used to be a year." For all the trials and tribulations involved in relocating to Ireland Kirill Klyashtorny is happy with his new situation.
"The people I meet are very friendly and helpful and I have had no real problems settling in," says the competent English speaker who has been studying the language since secondary school. "English was also part of my university course but it is only since I came here that it has really improved."
He finds the availability of work and career prospects encouraging. "The job market here is developed and growing. There are a lot of companies and opportunities which is not something you can say about St Petersburg. I enjoy my job and I feel that I have the chance for professional growth here."
