Airports conjure up a lot of different emotions for many people: excitement, sadness, and even fear. One could argue that this is especially true for the Irish, who have a long history of emigrating. It was certainly true for me.

It was the end of summer 2012 at Dublin Airport Departures. I was 22 and had just graduated. Ireland was slowly recovering from the grips of a recession, and finding a job was tough. A couple of friends had been planning the trip Down Under for months and I thought “Why not”? I packed my bag full of summer clothes and headed to Sydney for 3 months.

4 Years Later

Sydney was a brilliant experience. I had a great job and an amazing lifestyle. I had swapped the Spire for the Opera house and my commute to work on the Dart had been replaced with walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Beach at the weekend, barbecues on the balcony, trips to Fiji and New Zealand. People thought I was mad when I decided to come home but believe it or not, after 4 years, this lifestyle gets old.

The reality hits when you realize how far away you really are, and Skyping family and friends is no longer enough of a substitute for a cup of tea and a chat. I had made two trips home for Christmas in that time, but they were short, and saying goodbye at the airport each time was excruciating. It was a big decision to make the move back to Dublin, but you start to miss the important things: your grandparent’s 80th, the births of nieces and nephews, funerals, weddings and, of course, the general craic.  

Back to Reality?

So, lying awake at 3am with horrible jetlag - “the fear” was starting to kick in. I hadn’t had a chance to update my CV, so I decided to start the job search by connecting with a couple of Directors from recruitment companies on LinkedIn.

Within a week, I had interviews set up with some fantastic companies in Dublin.  After 2 weeks of running around town like a lunatic, I was lucky enough to receive several great job offers!

One day in particular stands out to me above the rest. I was running late for an interview and it was lashing rain, so I frantically jumped in a taxi. I soon realised that I had no cash on me, and the driver wouldn’t accept card. He brought me to my interview regardless, wished me luck, and said “Don’t worry about the money love - God will be good to me today… I might even win the lotto”. I couldn’t believe it! Only in Ireland.

I started at Cpl one month to the day I landed back in Dublin. I have now been here four months, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.  Not only has my team been extremely supportive, but I’ve also had the flexibility to take time off and attend a greatly anticipated family event (nothing like an Irish family wedding!)

Do I regret My Decision? 

Yes, it’s wet and windy some days, and yes, car insurance has gone through the roof. But do I regret coming home? Not one bit!  It’s weird being a tourist in your own country, and it would be easy to get back to the sun. But after being abroad, you learn to appreciate things you would never have thought about before – the atmosphere in a pub at the weekends, the fun of working with people who understand your humour, and the beauty of traditional Irish cuisine, such as breakfast rolls.  Readjusting can be tough, and it takes time to settle back in, but if you’re having cold feet about moving home, all I would say is: do it! Sure, I sometimes miss the friends I made or the heat of the Australian sun, but in the end, there’s no fire like your own home fire.

Thinking of Coming Home?

If you need any help with the move home or would like any guidance and advice Cpl have set up a great service called One Tribe to help! Click here to find out more. 

For more information visit www.cpl.ie.

To start your search visit www.irishcentral.com/jobs.