Working in Ireland is straightforward on paper for Europeans and the British: no permit, no sponsor, no visa stage. The real work is finding the job and then settling the administrative sequence that decides whether your first payslips are normal or taxed at the emergency rate. This guide covers working in Ireland from the first search to the first pay cheque, with the 2026 figures.
Can you work in Ireland without a permit?
If you are a citizen of the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, yes. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens benefit from free movement, and British citizens from the Common Travel Area. Non-EU family members of EU citizens can apply for a residence permit with permission to work (Stamp 4EUFAM), explained in living in Ireland as an EU citizen.
How do you find a job?
- JobsIreland.ie, the public employment site, where you can post your CV.
- Intreo centres, the public employment and welfare service.
- Recruitment agencies and company sites.
- EURES, the European job portal, which lists Irish vacancies.
Before the first day you need a PPS number (see the PPS number guide) and a registered job in myAccount.
What about your qualifications?
NARIC Ireland, hosted by QQI, provides a free online comparison of your foreign qualification with the Irish framework. It is an opinion, not a decision: the employer stays free to judge it.
For a regulated profession, recognition goes through the Irish authority: CORU for health and social care professions, the NMBI for nurses and midwives, the Teaching Council for teachers. NARIC does not cover these cases. For teachers, registration is through the Teaching Council's portal. You must be fully qualified in your country, and the Council compares your training and may set conditions such as an aptitude test or adaptation period. Primary teachers also face the Irish language requirement.
What must your contract say?
Your employer must give you the essential terms in writing within five days: the names, the workplace, the start date, your role, the contract duration if temporary, pay and pay period, normal hours, probation and overtime. The rest comes within a month: leave, sick pay, pension, notice, collective agreements and training.
Probation lasts at most six months, extendable to twelve in exceptional cases. Check the clauses on non-competition before signing: Citizens Information recommends taking legal advice. An employer cannot forbid a second job without an objective reason such as safety, confidentiality or conflict of interest.
A contract is easy to sign and slow to unpick. If you want to know whether a clause is standard, or which of your rights come from the law rather than the contract, Moovy can explain the legal baseline and the official page behind it. For a binding review, ask a solicitor.
What are the basic employment rights in 2026?
- Minimum wage: €14.15 an hour from age 20; €12.74 at 19; €11.32 at 18; €9.91 under 18. Budget 2027 announced €14.94 from 1 January 2027, not yet voted. Tips and premium pay do not count towards the minimum.
- Working time: 48 hours a week on average, usually measured over four months.
- Paid leave: four weeks a year if you worked 1,365 hours in the leave year (1 April to 31 March); otherwise 8% of hours worked, or a third of a week per month of at least 117 hours, whichever is better for you. Two consecutive weeks after eight months.
- Public holidays: 10 a year, including St Patrick's Day on 17 March and St Brigid's Day in early February. Good Friday is not one.
- Statutory sick pay: five paid days a year at 70% of normal pay, up to €110 a day, after 13 weeks with the employer, with a medical certificate.
- Notice: that of your contract; otherwise one week minimum, none if under 13 weeks' service and your contract is silent.
What about your pension at work?
Since 1 January 2026, if you are aged 23 to 60, earn at least €20,000 a year and have no workplace pension, you are enrolled automatically under the MyFutureFund auto-enrolment scheme. In years one to three (2026 to 2028) you pay 1.5% of pay, your employer matches it and the State adds 0.5%; the rate rises to 6% each from the tenth year. You can opt out between the sixth and eighth month.
What if something goes wrong?
Talk to your employer first. If it persists, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), the labour inspection body and tribunal, takes complaints online on workplacerelations.ie. Unfair dismissal law does not protect you during a written probation of up to one year, except for protected reasons such as pregnancy or union activity.
If you lose your job, you can claim Jobseeker's benefits, based on PRSI contributions and habitual residence; contributions in another EU country can count, as set out on Citizens Information.
What is it like working in Ireland day to day?
Hours, pay and leave follow the law and your contract, and a growing set of workplace rights apply from the first day. Working in Ireland means a working week averaged at 48 hours at most, four weeks of annual leave for a full-time year, ten public holidays and the right to receive your main terms in writing in five days.
Ask your employer to register you for payroll as soon as you give your number. Your tax credits then follow through Revenue's notification, and your first payslip should reflect them. Revenue's website explains how your rates and credits are applied.
How do you handle sick days and notice when working in Ireland?
Statutory sick pay gives five paid days a year, at 70% of normal pay up to €110 a day, once you have 13 weeks with the employer and a medical certificate. Many employers offer more in the contract; read yours. To resign, follow the notice in your contract. If the contract is silent, the legal minimum is one week, with none under 13 weeks' service.
What if you are a teacher, nurse or other regulated professional?
Registration comes first. CORU covers health and social care professions, the NMBI nurses and midwives, and the Teaching Council teachers. Each compares your training with Irish requirements and may impose conditions. Ask the authority what it requires before you move. NARIC Ireland's comparison is a useful extra for the employer, but it does not replace registration.
What if you want to work for yourself?
Self-employment follows different rules from the employee route described here, and a freelancer's social cover differs from an employee's, so check the Revenue and Citizens Information pages before you start. For retirement savings, employees without a workplace pension are enrolled in MyFutureFund for employees; check your own situation if you work for yourself. Families should also read schools in Ireland and the childcare section of cost of living in Ireland.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Starting without a PPS number. You will face emergency tax.
- Giving your PPS number during recruitment. Give it when hired.
- Confusing a NARIC comparison with a licence to practise.
- Assuming tips count. They do not count towards the minimum wage.
- Not checking changes every 1 January. Wages, taxes and contributions move with the budget. Check Revenue's pages for the 2026 figures and the announced 2027 changes.
For the rest of your arrival plan, return to moving to Ireland: the step-by-step guide.