Microsoft Cert on "Installing & Configuring Windows Server 2012" is €150 in Ireland, while in India, it is $80... What a big difference?

— Naheed (@rosefiero) November 7, 2013

Ireland's largest source of graduate jobs, employers, internships...

If you are a student doing your undergrad or post graduate studies in Ireland and planning to work in Ireland sooner or later, I would recommend that you register yourself with gradireland.com.
There are vacancies put up almost everyday and most of them infact accept applications from people who would require a work permit to work in Ireland. With regards to Internship and Graduate Opportunities for freshers, this website would probably be the most relevant and updated, from what I have found.

Although vacancies are listed all throughout the year, for people who would be graduating in 2014, the time to apply for most of the graduate opportunities are between September and October 2013. Companies like Accenture, KMPG, Deloitte etc have rolled out their application window now.

If you register and opt to receive email updates by customizing the field of your studies and interest, you may not only receive news about new vacancies but also information about when and where the next job fair in Ireland is gonna be held.

Employment in Ireland for Non-EEA Students

For the purpose of International students (Non-EEA) seeking employment in Ireland, it may be possible to stay in Ireland under the Irish 3rd Level Graduate Scheme after completing studies, be it graduate or post graduate,. This scheme exists to allow legally resident non-EEA third level graduates to remain in Ireland for the purpose of seeking employment and applying for a green card or work permit. The permission would be for one year during which a student can work full time (up to 40hrs per week). The permission under this Scheme is non renewable.
It is therefore very important to apply for relevant work before the expiry of this one year permission to apply for a Green card or Work Permit.
The advantages of a Green card over a work Permit are -

• A Labour Market Needs Test is not required.
• Permit holders can apply for immediate family reunification from the INIS and once their spouses / dependants are resident in the State they are eligible to seek any employment and apply to the DJEI for a Spousal / Dependant Employment Permit which is currently issued free of charge.
• Permit holders may apply to the INIS for permission to reside and work without the requirement for an Employment Permit upon completion of the Green Card’s duration.

Present Conditions on Employment Permits:

• Occupations in respect of which a Green Card Employment Permit application may be made must be listed in The Highly Skilled Occupations List with a remuneration between €30,000 and €59,999. 
• For every other occupation not in the The Highly Skilled Occupations List and not falling under Ineligible Categories of Employment for Employment Permits, a normal work permit may be applied for. 
• The remuneration must be more than €30,000 and a Labour market test to be undertaken for the vacancy, unless the vacancy falls in
  The Highly Skilled Occupations List or comes with a remuneration of more than €60,000.
• If the annual remuneration is over €60,000, then a Green Card application can be made for all occupations other than those on the Ineligible Categories.

The First Impression - Dublin City University

Landing in Dublin on the 10th Sep from India for my Masters in Dublin City University's School of Business, it's my first time ever in Europe. My expectations and imaginations of the place were mixed with pictures and videos from the Web, as well as different stories heard from people over the years. However, I didn't confine myself to anything in particular and had been ready to embrace the new Irish experience the way its gonna come to me.

The air outside the Airport felt very fresh and pleasant, as did the bus trip from the Airport to the City Centre. I had booked a room with a Homestay provider for 2 weeks, and would be moving in to the University Campus Residences thereafter. The Homestay host had been very welcoming and hospitable. I was provided with breakfast and evening meal alongwith free internet, laundry and all bills included for 165 euros a week. The room offered to me had a very comfortable bed, a study table, a large mirror, wardrobe and a large window with a nice view. What I would remember for long from my Homestay experience is the food. So delicious and yummy it was, as the lady of the House especially was fond of cooking, and that I never made a point to miss it.

I went to DCU every other day to familiarize myself with the large campus. Knowing that classes would start 3 weeks later, I purposely came early to enjoy some time in Dublin and taste the flavor of the city without being immersed in the busy university life of graduate studies. The first person I went to meet in DCU was Mr Osborne, the International Marketing Manager and the only person I knew from all the correspondence that I had since applying to DCU. He had introduced me to Mr McLaughlin, the Programme Chair for Masters Programmes in Management. Mr McLaughlin was kind enough to spend a good one hour with me over a cup of coffee and showing me around the Department. In our discussion, I mentioned to him that I was looking for something to do in the meantime to keep me occupied till classes start. He was proactive enough to put me through the Director of the Cloud Computing Research Centre for some work. The work was to assist the Director in organizing an industrial event that was to be held in the auditorium. So I saw myself working there through the week and it was a time well spent. getting to know people and keeping myself engaged. I had been told by some of my Linkedin connections who studied in DCU that lecturers/professors are very particular about a friendly and open communication with students, by giving their time to answer queries of students outside class hours, in spite of their busy schedule, and I guess I realized it already from this experience.
 
I also used to go out to the City Centre every afternoon/evening to feel the vibes of the city. Traveling on the Double-Decker buses, then walking down the busy streets in the city centre, watching the street performances of buskers, and then eating out of course had all been really exciting. One would see a lot of tourists during this time of the year I would guess, as I would hear people passing by and speaking in different other languages. It has been 10 days since I arrived and I am writing this blog with a very pleasing feeling and excitement. I already felt at home in Dublin and the feeling of being in a foreign land has vanished away totally. Just crossing my fingers for everything that's ahead - with the stay being on campus throughout the year and the rigorous curriculum of the program that I chose.