gentleurbane

Hello,

I am new here, contemplating a move to Barbados. The forum gives good informations and was a great help in understanding Barbados. However I have some specifc questions, grateful if experienced members could help me make the important decision.

I am offered a job with a salary of USD 125K/ annum NET and a housing allowance of USD 4K/month. Annual Bonus of 20%. They will provide a car as well.

- Is it a fair salary for the position and experience, I have 25 years of experience & the job is that of a business unit head.

- As per the recruiter NET salary means all taxes will be paid by the employer and I dont need to pay any taxes while I am considered a tax resident. Is this the usual practice in Barbados and any pit falls I need to be aware of?

- Are there any equivalent of council tax that tenant need to pay on top of rental? The propoerty sites do not specify the details of extras. Thanks to the members here, I searched the recommended sites in other posts.

- Appreciate suggestions on desirable areas to live , my work place would be bridgetown.

- Finally, I am assuming living cost of 20 higher than Uk ( groceries & utilities). Anyone recently moved got a ball park figure please?

Thanks once again, i know that is too many questions there, any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Serendipidy

Hi Gentle and welcome to the forum..it sounds like an amazing offer you have been given but as to the question of whether it is a fair salary for the position you are best placed to decide that as you know what the current market is

Most people moving to Barbados are more interested in the lifestylel benefits rather than the financial as obviously salaries vary country to country.

Re cost of living did you mean 20% higher than UK?

My experience of % higher or lower compared to uk is as follows but others may differ in their opinions

Utilities - 50% lower
Rent - 30% lower
Food - 50-200% higher
Gas/Petrol - 30% lower
Entertainment - 50% lower
Clothes/Furniture etc - 100% higher
Cars - 100% higher

Re the tax questions I cant help but others might be able to

With a 4k USD living budget and a car you could literally choose anywhere...if you are more specific on things that matter to you outside the finance then you might get more relevant advice

Once the financials are aside you could also consider the complete change in culture, socialising, healthcare, access to fanily, customer service and slower pace that also would affect many peoples decisions, immigration etc are all things that people experience issues with

Sounds like your offer is amazing...and many would not hesitate but for me the real benefits of Barbados is the life changing pace climate and better work and life balance

gentleurbane

Thank you very much Serendipidy, some great info and pointers there, much appreciatedEspecially the breakdown of costs. Thank you.

I have said yes to the offer, now fingers crossed and waiting for the process to start, though the costs give me jitters from time to time :-)

Sunniebgi

hi.. ok.. so my 2 cents. .(as always.).

Work permit. One would assume that the company/business you will be working for will provide you with a work permit. and hopefully they have done their required request for someone locally to be placed in that position before someone from overseas is brought in.. (there is a procedure that a company must follow.. they can't just hire from outside and assume the work permit will be done.. likely not your problem but..)

if it's just you.. the amount you are being offered will see you comfortably in Barbados for the foreseeable future, especially with the rent of 8000.00 BBD, you could live anywhere, as serendipity has said.. except maybe Sandy Lane. .but then again.. maybe there). and if they are providing a car.. then it's even better.

I'm not sure what you mean by tax on top of rent.. but.. you pay the rent.. you will likely have electric, phone, water on top of the rent, but it does depend on where and the landlord and still that rental amount should cover all of this. there maybe landtax on the property, and other little items, but the landlord may likely have already included those in the rent as well.

and your work place may not be Bridgetown proper, but then again it does depend on where the company offices are located.. your living situation would likely wouldn't necessarily be in Bridgetown either.. St. Lucy, St. Andrew, St. Joseph and St Philip (and possibly St. Peter) would likely not be ideal locations either, but again.. it all depends on how far from work or how close to your preferred living style you want to be.

Good luck...

gentleurbane

Thank you Sunniebgi for the advise, your comment on work permit is an important one, makes me think there could be considerable lead time. Will check with the employer.

I will be moving with my wife and 9 year old daughter.

As to the tax- i meant the council tax as in Uk which the tenant need to pay to the local borough council. I am doing a detailed expense sheet as I need to save to pay off my UK mortgage as well, so the idea is to get everything rolled in to the 4000 USD rental allowance which the company will pay directly to the landlord.

Did you mean likely be ideal & not is a typo I presume?
" (and possibly St. Peter) would likely not be ideal locations either"

Thank you onvce again for the help
Cheers...

satellite_ian

I think she really does mean "not ideal"..

Although the island is not really that large.... travelling can be a pain owing to traffic density.

I think the point is to determine exactly you are working, the school your daughter will be attending...and the expectations of the lifestyle you and your family want to have. From there you can decide where is best to live... as in type of place and location..

Sunniebgi

Thanks Ian.. and Yes.. I did mean.. Not Ideal.. but it is all dependent on where your work will be and where you daughter will go to school.

No type of council tax in Barbados. (that I am aware of). We pay mortgage (or used to).. land tax (once a year) on our property assessed value, but that is something the landlord/owner would pay and hopefully not pass it on to you. 8000.00BBD should be plenty for rent (at least that is my opinion.

based on the work permit. your wife will not be allowed to work and your daughter will have to have a student visa, which will be dependent on your work permit. You may also want to talk to the company about her school fees, depending on where you choose to send her.

gentleurbane

oh.. got it..thanks Ian & Sunnie.

That leaves out my preferred locations, even St James to an extend :-(
I am looking at providence, St Gabs, St Winifreds, Willis & Codrington as potential schools. She is in year 2. That leaves me with potential accommodation options of Christ Church, St George & St Thomas. I have been hoping for a beachfront villa with easy access to school and office, looks that is not to be. Over the years in UK, we have developed a pathological dislike to traffic snarls , hope they are not s bad in Barbados ? Looking at available information I see accessing Warrens ( that would be my work place) from east side would be less hectic , plus the schools would be quiet accessible, right? Christ church and St George are my current preferenvces for accommodation. Any views please?

Thanks once again, you are a grest group & incredibly helpful. will keep you posted on how the things go...

satellite_ian

You see there you hit it on the head! Warrens is to be your work place.. different to Bridgetown lol....

Millenium Heights might be worth your while checking out... it's a good sized villa community.... not too far from the highway to get yourselves to the west coast beaches if that becomes your hangout... and similarly placed to get yourself anywhere else.

Atlantic Shores on the south might work for you too..... you might even get a beach front (or close to) property there.

Traffic jams are a fact of life here... it's not central London.. but for a small place it can get fairly well jammed up... and fender benders (and the associated chaos) or commonplace.

But, all that said, I have a great time here.

gentleurbane

Thanks Ian.

Checked out both suggested areas, both looks good. Thanks very much.

Now on to schools, that will be a tough one, I guess...

cheers

Sunniebgi

Ok. I can help with schools.

Your daughter is 9 now.. when will she be 10.. I ask because it does matter.. (and what is your projected move date and her age.. because that also matter). and how long do you think you might be in Barbados.. as that also matters for school as well.

Codrington is going to be the most expensive and it is also the only International Baccalaureate program school on the island. It does not follow the Ministry of education curriculum (as the others on your list will) which also means the students do not have to sit the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (11plus as it's called locally).. All the other schools, even if the child plans to stay in that school if they have a secondary school, have to sit this exam.

Primary School is from age 4/5 years up to age 10/11 years. .Secondary is 11/12 to 5th form and some have 2 years of 6th form as well.

providence, St Gabs, St Winifreds, Willis & Codrington

My preference for Primary school up to/through age 11 is St. Gabriel's.. that's where my 3 went to school and have come out the other side doing quite well. a good mix of students and a well rounded learning environment. St. Gabriel's does not have a secondary school.

Wills is also only a primary school.


St. Winifreds and Providence both have secondary schools (as well as the primary school).

ST. Winifreds is the older, more established of these 2 schools. Providence was opened only a few years ago as a primary school, however, they now have a secondary school as well.

While I can't speak specifically about any of the other school (other than St. Gabriel's), Each school is different in their own way and it might be best to check for an online presence or ask for information to be sent to get a better idea.

As for traffic. Codrington and Providence will prove the easiest to get to (meaning no traffic) but Codrington is going to be the farthest to get to, depending on where you live).. St. Gabriel's, St. Winifreds and Wills (to a lesser extent will be the most challenging traffic wise.. but trust me.. it can be done..

and as Ian said.. Traffic, for a small island, can be frustrating and is an unfortunate part of everday life , when schools are in session. . from September to June..

and you will need to decide if living close to work is best.. or school.. or your spare time.

I might agree with somewhere like Millenium Heights for it's convenience to Warrens, but it's also not far from the West coast.. but also. .a Beach Front Villa in St. James/St Peter, is likely to take up the full 8000.00 per month bbd.. but it's worth a shot. (if you can actually find one). You may find the Christ Church area a bit better in the rent realm if you are looking for something close to the beach..

I hope this has helped..

gentleurbane

Thanks very much Sunnie for your advice on schools.

St Gabs and Providence appeals to us overall, threw in condrington to the mix considering the waitlist in schools in Barbados & we dont get in anywhere else. Logic being , being expensive may be not as oversubscribed as other school. Then, i may be wrong there.. She will come some where around Q1 2007, and by then she would have turned 7 ( in year 2 in UK, she started a bit early). Being mid term we are really worried about her gettign a place anywhere really. We are not purticularly keen on IB, plan is for 3 years minimum & 5 years maximum and then she should be able to fit right back in the Uk system she left behind.

Regarding accommodation, we always preferred staying closest to school as possible while not too far from office. That way Christ church and Miilenium heights look appealing. Or even St. George as I see spacious houses with large gardens there though not many ( Flip side being inland). St. James looks great , though it might stretch our budget beyond which probably we are prepared to do, but the deterrent is the traffic to get to the school. School run will be wife's domain and she will be comfortable not having to navigate difficult traffic conditions or use public transport if they are good. How good are they? Having said it all, depends which school we get place in to start with :-)

Thanks once again Sunnie for the great advice, much appreciated.

Sunniebgi

another school to consider.. basically because it's small, she would stay there from her first year through the 11plus and in to secondary and they may actually be able to do some part of the curriculum that she would have gotten in the UK.. Lockerbie College. Homepage - Lockerbie College it is pricey, however.. the class size is very small and the attention to education is great..


Need to ask again the age.. in one spot you said 9 and in another you said 7.. (as I've just gone back over reading this)..

If you are considering a school she can move from primary to secondary with (even having to do the 11plus), I've spoken to a friend about Providence. The secondary is fairly knew and is coming along ok, but not great at the moment (teething pains as many would have) but they have just gotten a new headmistress and the school is doing great on the primary level. Just wanted to add that back in.

gentleurbane

wow Sunnie, thank you very very much, you are so kind, much appreciated. We will now start talking to the schools. I guess we have a few great options, now to see who has places :-)

she is 7, apologies for the type earlier.

cheers,

gentleurbane

One more thing Sunnie. does any of these schools practice caning / punishment that you know of? Heard some schools in Barbados do, we prefer one that does not.

Our short list so far are,
- St Gabs
- St Winifreds
- Providence
- Willis
- Codrington
- Lockerbie

Thanks a bunch.