I applied for a PhD opportunity worth €18,000 per annum, I have a wife and two kids, presently concluding my masters in Germany. I do not know if the scholarship amount will be enough for me and my family. Here in my masters programme I earn extra 300 from my sponsor for my two kids and 300 for my wife. Also my scholarship pays for my apartment making it €2100 per month. I do not know how it is done in Ireland. can someone answer this?

without knowing the specifics of the scholarship you have applied for, I would say that €18,000 is the entire amount; it would be very unusual if accommodation costs were also paid. €18,000 would be very tight in Ireland for a family of four to live on. Primary schooling is free but you would have to pay for books, uniforms etc. If your children are pre-school age, that is not free although there is limited assistance from the government for this. Have a look at www.daft.ie for an idea of accommodation costs. Scholarship monies are usually paid direct into your bank account, monthly.

Thank you for the info, this helped alot.

Unfortunately there is minimal postgrad funding available in Ireland across all disciplines, and much of the funding that was available has been cut or taken away entirely. I am a current PhD student in Ireland, and the main funding opportunities are to a maximum of €16,500 per year + fees. There is currently no provision for rent, bills, and in most cases expenses while doing a PhD. Also, there is no student loan system, or Career Development Loan, as in the UK, so if you are unfunded, you are pretty much left to your own devices.

Most full-time PhD students have to work in order to fund themselves, and may receive a very small maintenance grant from their local authority, but you must satisfy residency criteria for that, as far as I know. Hope you find a way to make it work, if you are successful.

It's going to be tight anywhere but if Dublin then I really think you would struggle badly. Are you an EU / EEA citizen or would you and your wife also have potential restrictions on working to earn additional money?

@Biwildered I am not an EU/EEA. I am in the category of international students. If I will be allowed to do extra work then it will be ok to pay rent and other bills. @LilMsss, thanks for the info. opportunity stated clearly €18,000, the chances that I will get the scholarship is very high. Does it mean that Germany is better than Ireland? should I reject the offer if given the opportunity?

Congratulations on the PhD opportunity. I have moved to Ireland last October. From what I can see, the scholarship amount depends very much on the type of scholarship. I know people who get more money for travel purposes (personal travel, as they moved away from home), their dependants etc. So you should ask your supervisor. Re whether it is better in Germany and whether you should not take it, that very much depends on what you want to do. Do you want this project enough to be ready to perhaps sacrifice some things? Good luck

What more can I say you guyz have really done justice to my questioneven up to the unasked. Thanks and I am with this forum.