4Beans

Hello

Am a newbie to this site and may only be a temporary visitor - a revisit to the expat trail after a break of five years (only just realised the length of time - wow!) is beckoning but nothing certain yet! Husband interested in potential job in Turks & Caicos and the info I've found to date on the web makes it all look heavenly. Have not been able to find out anything about day to day living - ie accommodation ('ordinary' if there is such a thing rather than fab movie star hideaways!), doctors, dentists, supermarkets, etc.

Very grateful for any info and advice.

Thanks.

4Beans

PPS

Hi

I'm a manager working in Providenciales .

From the web you will no doubt see fine beaches and hotels. The likes of Parrot Key, The Palms and now Amanyara where a host of celebrities go.

Well the place is great if you can afford to stay at these hotels and all you want is sea and beach with not the best of service (mind you the filipinos have improved things).

But those of us working here have a dfifferent perspective. The island of Provo right now is a big building site wity many (and ugly) developments in all areas of the island. Over development is a reality with a greed to build every where. The infra structure is poor generally bit there is a road building programme.

It is expensive to live here albeit there is no income tax (yet). Expect tp pay circa $2000 for a decent 2 bed apartment or house maybe more if you want in a good area. Them add $300 for utiliites per months. Allow say $150 per week for general shopping add for drinks. Going out is expensive. There are not many 'expat' type bars but expect $5 for 1/3 bottle beer and $7/8 for shorts. If you go to dominican or local bars prices drop to $3/3.5. so entertaining yourself is pricey.

The locals have grown rich quickly and their government trumps up their nationality so expect some racial overtones. For me it is as bad as anywhere in the Caribbean. And there is alot of sexism. The local men treat women with disdain. There are some good TI's mind you, particularly those from the other islands.

Possibly 1/3 of the people on island are on work permits which cost anything from $7000 per year for me to $2500 for a carpenter to $300 for a cleaner. everybody has to reapply each year.
Of the immigrant labour most are haitian and there are dominicans, jamaicans as well as europeans and north americans. We now have filipinos indonesians, mexicans and chinese here. There is some crime - burglaries- some drugs are available to the youth here- but it is kept quiet and by other Caribbean standards still low.

There are some people who have chosen to make there home here and love the place so try and get another perspective. Mine and many of the people I work with tolerate the place and make the best of a reasonable standard of (expensive) living and look to the future elsewhere.

This could have been an exceptional place but rapid development to satisfy rich americans seeking to avoid tax is always a problem.

Hope this is of help

Baz

Hiya,

I thought Cayman was behind until i vistied Provo!

My impression of Provo is that there is bugger all there. There is basically a big main road that goes down the middle of the island, with small roads going off this road, most of which (as far as i could tell,) became dirt tracks very quickly. There are some nice hotels on Grace Bay, but not much else, like the other gentleman who contributed to this thread said, there is lots of building going on, with very little control of it. The island did not strike me as particulary attractive, apart from the beaches and sea, there were a handfull of restaurants and bars.

After two weeks on business there, i formed the impression it would be a great place for a honeymoon, but i would go out of my mind if i lived there (and i am not a city / hustle bustle fan, i like it quiet.) Indeed, come to think of it, many of the expats i met living there seemed to be losing their marbles from boredom, many seemed to have turned to alcohol to pass the time (i can't say i blame them.)

tags

We are also looking at a possible job opportunity in Providenciales. We have 2 small children who will be 4 and 2 by September, and found a private school called Provo Primary School. Do you know what it's like, and if there is a likelihood of getting places for them? What do the wives and ladies do out there whilst the husbands are at work and kids at school?

twistopher

Hi Guys,
As a newbie to this site, i am really heartened by the great advice often given to each other - makes the daunting task of moving country so much easier.
I have a good opportunity to move to the Caribbean (Turks & Caicos, Barbados or Caymans) and am a little concerned at the advice given on TCI. Is there really nothing to do?
From lengthy web investigations i've managed to see that there seems to be a thriving expat community, loads of sports (diving, golf, sailing, fishing etc), good schools etc.
I'd love to hear from people who live there and can give an informed view. I'm not keen on my wife and little girl being bored out of their minds while i am working.
If there isn't anything to do, then why do people (esp expats) live there?
Many thanks for any help, and keep up the great advice.
Chris

Baz

Hi There,

I have said my piece on Turks, but you mention that Cayman is an option. I would consider this before Turks.

I would suggest Cayman is a great option for a few years, but not neccesarily a permanant move. It is a safe place to live, a great place to bring up kids, good private schools, beaches, water sports, nice restaurants and bars, friendly, and easy to make friends (lots of clubs etc.) Its a great quality of life, like i say, i can't see myself here for ever (we are heading to Oz,) but would reccomend it for a few years.

Provo as an island looked very similar to Cayman, but infastructure wise, and development wise, it struck me as what i would imagine Cayman was like twenty years ago (i.e there was bugger all in Cayman twenty years ago.) Therefore, IMO you would be better off going for Cayman, much more to do.

Caribgirl

I live in Provo and have been here for 10 months now. Although it's pretty quiet, it's definitely what you make it - there's plenty to do if you get out and do it!

It's true that there is a lot of construction going on, but it's fairly spread out, and the beaches are still quiet. The roads are not all great but they're working on them one by one, and everyone has a 4x4 so it's not a problem anyway. As for being expensive to live here, it is compared to say the US, but wages are higher, and tax free, and there's not a whole lot to spend your money on. We manage to go ouot for dinner 6 times a week and still save a decent amount of money.

Now, things to do....all the usual outdoor stuff, diving, snorkeling, sailing, golf etc but there are also lots of events organised. There are loads of excellent restaurants, quite a few bars, spas everywhere. It's not exactly bustling but then you wouldn't be moving ot the Caribbean if that's what you wanted. I don't have kids but know plenty of people who do and they all seem pretty happy with the shcools and so on - the mums all get together during the day and do activities and stuff so I don't think the wife and kids will be bored. Check out www.enews.tc for an idea of what's going on.

Hope that helps!

twistopher

Caribgirl,
Thank you so much for that - sounds exactly as we have been told by many others. I'm sure cost of living is higher than US, but compared to UK i bet it's no more expensive and probably cheaper.
Just out of interest do you and/or hubby work and doing what exactly?
I am in construction and am actively looking (well, waiting on some news of possible interviews actually), so didn't know if you knew anything/anyone on this?
Thanks again for your help - perhaps we'll run into each other some day soon.
Chris

Caribgirl

Hi Chris

I work in an office and my boyfriend is in construction, like most of the expats here. There's obviously lots of construction going on so hopefully you'll get a job sorted out quite easily depending on what you do. I'm sure you've done your research but you can get listings for local construction companies on TCImall, and you could also check out the web sites for the new developments which are being built to find out who the contractors on those are. A lot of them are foreign so might not be listed in the TCI business directory. Some of the big construction companies pay housing allowance and provide cars as well which would help with the living costs.

Forgot to mention also that we're only an hour and a half from Miami, and there are 3 flights a day, so if you do get fed up of the quiet life you can nip over there for a long weekend to catch up on shopping, movies etc.

Good luck with the job search, hope you get something soon!

cinetech

Hi Caribgirl and everybody

Thanks for the great post!
Can you or anybody else tell me what's the vacancy rate for
appartment rentals there?

I mean, is it true that $2000 for a 2-br appt. is the norm?
Cheers

Cinetech

liams121

Hi Caribgirl,

As a newcomer to the site and someone looking for information on the Turks and Caicos it was great to read your comments.
I've been offered a position in Providenciales and I'm trying to compare the cost of living to the UK. The salary appears to be a bit low, so it would be helpful to know what the expected salary for a senior management position would be and also any advice on the cost of health and education.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Liam

Caribgirl

Hi guys

Ok, it's true that accomodation is expensive - you're talking at least $2000 a month for a two bed/two bath house but if you look around a bit it is possible to find a really nice place for a bit more, usually with a pool or beach access so you do kind of get what you pay for. Check out the real estate section on www.enews.tc for an idea of what's available. Your employer will probably sort you out with somewhere for the first month while you look for your own place. Electricity is expensive, about $2 - 300 a month, water is expensive if you use city water but cheap if you get it delivered frm the water truck (we pay about $100 a month)

Generally the cost of living is high, but then there's not too much to spend your money on. The supermarket is expensive compared to the UK, but it's not ridiculously expensive. We tend to eat out most nights so I'm not the best person to advise on the cost of normal food etc but I do know that a loaf of bread is about $4 and a dairy milk is $1! Every now and then the supermarket gets a load of british food in, so you can get Heinz baked beans and tomato soup and wakers crisps, usually for 5 times the rpice they would be at home. Eating out is not too expensive, depending where you go - there are some really nice really pricey restaurants but also cheaper bars/cafes with the usual burgers,pasta, steak menus. A bottle of beer in a bar is about $5, bottle of wine in a restaurant about $30

Hmm, what else? Cars are expesnive for what you get because of the import tax. Most people have a 4x4 because the roads are terrible and the drivers are worse! I paid $4000 for a 12 year old jeep which is about standard - there is no point getting a new car as the roads wil reduce it to a heap within months anyway, but you can get an ok (ie better than my heap!) one for 10 - 20,000. Insurance is cheap $300 a year for third party and petrol is cheaper than the uk, although you do end up driving a lot more than you'd expect. I spend about $50 a week on petrol and my car's a gas guzzler.

Education costs I have no idea about. I know that the local primary schools are meant to be excellent. A lot of expat kids go to the Ashcroft school so you could check to see if they have a web site. Health costs - the one time I went to the doctor it cost $70 to see him, and $30 for the prescription. That was before I had medical insurance though which now covers everything including dental. Simple emergency cover is only about $600 a year, but comprehensive cover is quite a bit more expensive. You might find that your employer pays part of the premium though and you should check if that's part of your package, especially if you've got kids. I have no idea what a senior manager would get paid - it depends what sort of business I suppose. Realisitcally speaking, at least $3,000 of your salary is going on rent, utilities, car, medical insurance etc so how much you need would depend if your partner is working too, how many kids you have and what you want to do with your spare time. The beach is always free!

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

tcibound

Hi Caribgirl,

If you are still around, I have tons of questions! I am looking to move to TCI and very excited about the prospect. How did you find employment there? Did you have it secured before arriving? Is there an agency, or other source you can recommend? Many thanks!

sivi1

tcibound, did you ever hear from Caribgirl? I too have questions for her as I'm moving to the Turks shortly.

sivi1

Hello Caribgirl,
Are you still around to answer a question or two?