Probation and performance at work in Ireland
Probation is a very different beast in Ireland. It is not a case of doing time or a box-ticking exercise and the expectations of passing it are very different to other countries. In most cases, people will not tell you if they think you are underperforming, particularly in the corporate/professional services sector. By the time you are aware that people think you have been underperforming, it is often too late for you to do anything about it.
One of the reasons to explain this is that culturally, Irish people are less direct and more conflict-averse than other cultures. As such, your employers may inadvertently try to avoid uncomfortable conversations in a professional setting. Another reason is that the legislation changed around twelve months ago. Briefly, while before organisations could extend your probation if they weren't sure about your performance, now they are under far more pressure to make a decision within 6 months. The challenge is that your employers may not yet have more effective systems to assess your performance and/or may still be conflict-averse.
What you can do to help yourself:
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Do not assume that if no one says anything, they are happy with your performance;
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From inception, ask what 'good' looks like in the role and how you will be assessed during probation;
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If no one puts in time to give you feedback on how you are tracking, taking initiative and put in time to meet with whoever is making decisions about your performance and seek it out yourself;
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In corporate Irish cultures, they like to see you inviting feedback and demonstrating a willingness to work out how they work and how to assimilate. Find ways to learn from others and demonstrate that you are doing so;
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Document every discussion and keep a record of it in case you get to part way or the whole way through probation and do not pass. The documentation may assist your discussions with DETE (if you are on a work permit);
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Get familiar with employment law in Ireland and your rights while on probation and afterward before you decide to accept an offer here. There are lots of cases of people being sent home or being dismissed after years of employment and for many people, this has implications for their eligibility to be and work in the country; and
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Be mindful that some corporate organisations may recruit you and invest in your visa only for you to fail probation or be dismissed later on. If that happens, you will be required to pay back your relocation. Again here, make sure you know what adequate performance looks like in your role and you get regular feedback on how you are performing.
As with anything that involves moving to a new country: do not assume it works like 'home' or like other countries you have lived in. Even if you are, for example, moving from a company in one country to an Irish branch of the same company, know that it will be different culturally and otherwise. You will need to spend time working it out and working out how to cover your arse in the process.
