With people from all over the world choosing Ireland as a place to live and work, we speak to those that have put down roots in the country. This time, we talk to David Troitiño, a pre-sales systems engineer at EMC in Cork.
Where are you from?
I am from Asturias in northern Spain. It is a good mix between Ireland and the better-known southern Spain. Weather-wise, it is quite similar to Ireland, with lots of rainy days all the year round but with the typical small bars where people gather to socialise. The landscape is also really similar to Ireland; green fields everywhere, lots of small villages, and a few cities just a bit bigger than Cork.
How long have you been in Ireland?
Four and a half years.
Why did you move here?
My wife is Irish and, after five years of living in Spain, we wanted a change and to try the Irish lifestyle before making a decision of where to settle for good. I was working in EMC Spain and when we saw the opportunity to relocate to Ireland we didn’t think twice about it.
What work do you do?
I am a pre-sales systems engineer at EMC, so my role is to design systems that will solve our customers’ IT needs. At the same time, I have to give our customers all the information about these solutions so they are sure they have chosen the right company to work with and that we will help them to solve their IT challenges.
How would you describe your working environment?
It is an unstoppable evolution. There is a constant flow of new ideas about how to do better at our job and how to approach new ways of communicating with our customers. There is a healthy mix of young and more senior people, with everybody adding their two cents to make our company a great place to work.
It is a multicultural environment with more than 40 different nationalities and more than 20 languages spreading all around the different departments of the company. In my group alone, we have six different nationalities and we speak five languages.
What do you like most about your job?
Being able to contact so many different people and offering my help to solve the problems they face in their jobs. I also love the opportunities we have to connect with other departments in the company through the different social events held during the year.
Was it difficult to adjust to living and working in Ireland?
There were funny things at the beginning. In Spain, I faced a 90-minute commute every single day so, for the first few days, I did not know what to do with the extra three hours I had every day.
I miss the big hipermercados in Spain where you could buy bread, a motorbike and a flat-screen TV all under one roof!
What surprised you about moving to Ireland?
Being paid more frequently than once a month – that is good!
How does your working life help to make you feel at home here?
I work in a multicultural environment and we currently support 10 European countries, including Spain, so I have a good mix of working with my Spanish colleagues.
What do you like most about your adopted home?
My wife! Then, the patience of Irish drivers. It is a treat to drive around and not have to rush everywhere. This patience extends everywhere and somehow I feel more relaxed here than ever before.
