PhD student earning Sh. 192,000 in Ireland opens up on hard life

Irish Times: Ronald Wafula wakes before dawn. He uses the quiet time to get some study done before starting on a two-hour and 40-minute journey by bus to college. Originally from Kenya, Wafula is one of some 21,000 international students studying in Ireland, many of whom are struggling.

He was elated when he won a scholarship to research a PhD in finance at University College Dublin (UCD) in September 2020. Looking back, he wasn’t prepared for the challenges that lay ahead. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet, he says.

His first year of study was online due to restrictions. After securing temporary housing, it took Wafula more than 10 months to find suitable accommodation for his family to come to Ireland. He now lives with his wife – who is not permitted to work under her visa – and one of his children in Rathangan, Co Kildare, while the other child stays in Kenya.

Betty: The ugly truth of Kenyans in the US and the money they make

“It’s quite hard to break into the Irish [accommodation] system as an immigrant, especially of colour,” Wafula says. “They want to see a pay slip before they have a conversation with you.”

Wafula gets a monthly €1,500 (Sh. 192,046) scholarship stipend. He has worked as a tutor at the university, but his Stamp 2 visa limits him to work no more than 20 hours each week. His hours are precarious and he does not know if he will get any in the current semester.

Meanwhile, his income is quickly swallowed up by his monthly rent (€1,100 or Sh. 140,834), electricity (€200 or Sh. 25,606) and daily commute (€18 or Sh. 2,304 a day).

“It is practically impossible to live any life,” he says. “It becomes really hard to say you’re enjoying it.”

Wafula admits experiencing mental health difficulties throughout his time here. “You have to put on a bold face, so your wife and kids don’t see that… I’m not enjoying the process, but maybe the outcome, which is getting a PhD and hopefully getting a job,” he says.

Wafula wrote to UCD president Andrew Deeks in August, claiming international PhD students were “suffering in silence” and facing “systematic” discrimination during their time in Ireland.

In a statement, UCD said international students receive an offer pack that references accommodation, the cost of living and visa advice. While the college generally has sufficient on-campus places for international students, it said that it does not currently have family accommodation.

The university said PhD candidates have a student status and are deemed to be under full-time instruction, while scholarship holders are exempt from tax on their scholarship income.

They are not normally employees, a spokesman said, and issues around employment are controlled by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment.

The experiences of international students is raising wider questions around Ireland’s policy of attracting more and more students from abroad.