ESTM

SUN DRIED

mate im gonna send you a PM with some questions if you dont mind dude, i think the reason you couldnt send it was to do with the amount of posts you need to add before you can.

Appreciate your help so far buddy

Eddie

grandad90

I have emailed them to clarify the pay and position details, im guessing the cost of living cannot be that low if they have to import so much! I will update when I get a reply.

mhfoster

Yeah, I agree that the pay seems a little low, even if they provide the housing etc. The thing about St Helena is that it's accessible by ship only- no airfield, although I think one is in the works. I couldn't take the job there no matter how much it paid; I have elderly parents in Canada and in a family emergency couldn't bear having to wait for the boat to arrive, pick me up, and slowly cruise me to an airfield on Ascension or in South Africa. No thanks.

Copout

Hi all,
A mate told me about this site and suggested I help out with any queries.
I joined the RCIP in 2008 and am coming to the end of my (tether) sorry, time here.

I'll try and be brief and provide a synopsis of life here.

The Good:
Weather. (hurricanes permitting!)
Scuba Diving.

The Bad:
All I can say is, I wish I had known about this site back when I was applying, I would have read the comments and hopefully taken heed of the advice.

Unfortunately I fell for the sales pitch during my interview. (Warm weather, beaches, etc.. yay!)

What they didn't tell me was that I'd be treated with utter contempt, working alone without adequate protection (be it body armour, baton, radio. Yes a radio! Sometimes there's not enough to go around). Being sent to shanty towns in the middle of the night trying to placate some psychotic couple hell bent of killing eachother - me included.

Or locked up in a roach infested cell-block with Jamaican prisoners absuing you for 12 hours solid with no break for lunch.

Note: this are not isolated incidents. This is your day to day life as an officer here. Trust me the nice weather soon pales into insignificance.

And there was me thinking my beat would be a stroll along the beach helping tourists apply their suntan lotion.

You've also no doubt been made aware of the numerous killings between rival gang members. Which is all well and good, but more recently innocent people have also been victims of these thugs, occurring in the nicer areas too. Just read the online newspapers and search the archives if you need convincing.

Before I came I had this idea that people who lived in the caribbean as always being chilled and relaxed, happy go lucky. Just like the lilt adverts. How wrong was I? They are, IMO the most uptight, hostile, short-tempered, angry people I've ever come accross.

Forget any skills you have from your UK force, it all counts for nothing here. They just want someone to toe the line and ask no questions. You'll soon be demotivated and feel like a fish up a tree.

You frequently have rest days cancelled at very short notice. By short I mean a phone call at 6am... "Oh by the way you're needed for work today, see you at 6.30).

For that you'd expect to be recompensed? No way, no overtime, no federation exists here. They'll promise a day back in the (distant) future and hope that you forget.

And if you do happen to speak up and politely remind them, you're seen as a trouble maker and threatened with the cancellation of your contract.

That's the other thing. Because you are on a work permit, there's always someone who knows someone who can get you kicked off the island. The amount of times I've been threatened this I've lost count. To that end, you feel like you're constantly walking a tightrope, thinking, is today the day I arrest, p* off the wrong person?

Believe me, the excitement of living on a tropical island soon wears off. It's the grass is always greener syndrome.

The Ugly
The country as a whole is financially in turmoil. About 9 months ago we never got paid! It was eventually given to us in installments. FFS! There have been wide reports of civil staff cuts over the coming year, which is why I'm surprised they've started recruiting again. Again check the online newspaper to confirm this. You will see the salary is shown as 'tax free', however this will change. It's just a matter of when and by how much.

Some government officials are sugesting 10% and others as much as 27%. PLUS, the removal of your dental and healthcare plan. Which is another added cost for you.

Now is not a good time to relocate. If you are hell bent of trying this move out, I'd suggest you wait a year to 18 months and see what happens financially. It's so uncertain at the moment and any decision will have a huge element of risk involved. IMO it is not worth the risk.

When staff cuts do come, who do you think they'll start with? Expat officers or locals...?

I hope you take into account the drawbacks along with all the grand delusions you have of endless summers, cocktails, and sandy beaches. There is a price to pay for this, and for me, and others before me, the price isn't worth it. I just wish I'd known about the expats site before I took the plunge.

In case you're wondering why I've lasted 2 years, lets just say I wanted to leave sooner, but any reference would have been "damaging" for me. Note: please also read up on allegations of corruption.

I only have 6 weeks to go. I am so looking forward to returning to some kind of normality. If anyone would like to job swap in the meantime I'd be happy to listen!!!

Copout

Sorry ESTM cannot read your private msge until I have 3 posts!

Copout

What sort of foolishness is this? (purses lips, & kisses teeth!)

ESTM

haha, i know mate i dont understand it either, ive resent the pm to you though if you still dont mind answering a few questions?

If you still cant view it ill post it on here mate

Eddie

Sue

We had to implement a min 3 post count in order to deter spammers who try join then try and spam members via the PM system.

You should be good to go now

RCMPing

Hey Copout:

Although it's very sunny where I am today, I feel as though my proverbial parade is being rained on by your post! That being said, I'm finding your rather bleak description of RCIPS very informative. I too have been contemplating the move down to sunnier, southern climes, but you've certainly given me pause. It sounds as though your days off (when you have them...yikes!) are already occupied with keeping ESTM up to date with the force; I'm wondering if I can bother you for any scraps of info? Would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Mike

RCMPing

Alright, sorry for the long quote in that message; thought I'd turned it off. Hey, I'm new here. But, you know we Canadians; we'll screw up the procedure, but we'll be very apologetic about it!

ESTM

Hi RCMPing

There are a few threads on this site which have been created to inform peeps of RCIP.

I have been looking into going out there for ages and over the last 2 years i have been keeping myself informed with as much info as i could possibly get my hands on.

Are you thinking of applying?

Pleased to meet you on here

Eddie

RCMPing

Hello Eddie:

I have been thinking about the Caymans for a few years now, though it's only recently that I've been diving into the real research (real estate, taxation, etc). I gotta say, I was quite surprised to read the posts in relation to the force itself, though I shouldn't be given the crap I (and probably everyone reading this) deal with everyday in our own forces...just hoping for that greener grass I suppose! lol

Though I'm sure Copout would love to reach through cyber space and give me a smack for it, I am still thinking seriously about it; however, my timeline would likely fall more in the "year-18 month" range which CO was suggesting, but who knows with that. In the meantime, I'm trying to educate myself some more...and it looks as though my education is lacking here! I'd love to pick your brain with what you've found.

And nice to meet you as well.

Mike

Copout

Hello and welcome to the party RCMPing.

I'll try and assist with whatever you need to know.

The RCIP is a great place ............ if you've lost all ambition and have no self-worth.....

RCMPing

Hey CO

I was in a traffic section for 2 years...if you added, "no soul and a heart the size of a shrivelled prune" to your list of descriptors, them we're in business.

Seriously though (actually, I think we're all being serious...frightening!), I'm very interested in your views of/experiences with the RCIP. Having recently escaped from the section of no ambition and less self-worth, the thought of going back isn't appealing...but let's be honest, the sun is.

Copout

Interesting.

I too was under the impression life was all sunshine and rainbows before I came. In fact I told everyone that would listen, doesn't matter what sh!t I'm dealt with, I'll even wipe the prisoners butts 24/7 if it meant living in the sun....

Well let me tell you this.... the sun got hot, I got sweaty and the A/C broke...

Is this a good analogy?

What I'm saying is, if it's the weather that you're comming for, you'll soon regret it. Easy for me to say I know. With you sitting under a grey cloud with a 90% chance of rain...

What UK officers, and a number of Canadian officers (cos I've worked with them) don't realise is, in our home police forces there's rules and regulations. YES they get on our nerves, YES they're seen as a pain.. BUT.. they're also in place for a reason, and occassionaly they work in our favour.

So we don't go on patrol with no safety equipment, facing a rude boi that wants to chop you up with his machette.
So we've always got back up when running to a 'armed suspects on'.
So we don't get a phone call on our day off telling us to parade in 30 minutes.
And we don't drive cars with bald tyres.
Knowing that we won't be 'kicked of de island' should be arrest the 'wrong' person.
I could go on and on..... Let me know if I should