In Poland, Jacek Piekarz (25), who calls himself Jack, was a civil servant in local government in the town of Jaworzyna Slaska, earning 250 a month, much of which went towards a bank loan he had taken out to pay for his university education.
He has a degree in history and has written for magazines in Poland, but his English is not good enough for him to get office work in the Republic.
He arrived in January, which he found "warm" compared with home (Ireland's mild winters appeal to the Poles) and immediately set about finding work.
His first job was at minimum wage in a city-centre pub, where he believes he was cheated.
For example, he was asked to work overtime and then not paid for the extra hours. He also feels the pub manager and customers were rude to him.
He has since landed on his feet with a job as a security guard with Securitas. He is currently posted at Eason's in Dundrum Town Centre and earns nearly 500 a week.
"I feel I am being treated with respect, which is the most important thing," he says.
Piekarz will be able to pay off his student loan in four months now, whereas in Poland it would have taken him years.
By June he hopes to be sending money home to help support his mother. He is in a better financial situation, even though the cost of living is four times higher here than in Poland.
His rent here is 400 per month in a north Dublin house he shares with two other migrants, one Chinese and the other Nigerian.
Like many Poles, he sees himself on an upward trajectory, gradually moving towards more demanding employment as his English improves.
He plans to stay in the Republic for three or four years before returning to Poland, by which time he hopes his improved English will help him get a better job at home.