I am currently interning at Cystic Fibrosis Ireland in their finance department, and so far my experience abroad has been a great one. CFI was originally founded in 1963 by parents of children with cystic fibrosis to improve the treatment and facilities of those with the disease, and it accomplishes this by outreach, donations, and fundraising events. During my first few days, I quickly became acclimated with my role and what it entails as well as adopting some of the company’s practices. While the nonprofit organization is on the smaller side in terms of personnel, their mission is honorable and has led to their great success in decades of fundraising to fight the disease on a national level. Within our branch’s office, there are different departments (finance, marketing, fundraising) that operate separately yet in harmony with one another. For instance, my department is mainly concerned with the accurate reporting of the company’s financials, yet by collaborating across teams we help the other departments align with budget requests. I would say the work culture in Ireland is different than in the US for a few reasons. In general, It seems a bit more relaxed (of course this varies from workplace to workplace): most people get off at 4 or 5 PM which is expected and, at least where I work, there’s an emphasis on the importance of work-life balance. Many of our employees have a hybrid work schedule and I’ve noticed that a great deal of the other interns in the program do as well. In Ireland, it is common to make friends with coworkers as well as go out with them occasionally. At around 4-6 PM, the pubs start to fill with people as they clock off work, and this is a daily occurrence. Meetings and negotiation from a business perspective usually begins with small talk and light humor, although humor should be subtle and not used excessively. Another aspect of business in Ireland that I have noticed is that it definitely ranks higher in ease of doing business when compared to other European countries, most notably because of its competitive tax regime and stable political climate. In addition, it is also important to note that Ireland has a very skilled workforce with a strong emphasis on higher education.
