mollymalone

I would love to hear from anyone living in Anguilla, or has lived in Anguilla.

We are currently living in Nassau, Bahamas, and considering a possible job opportunity in Anguilla. I find Nassau a very small place, with limited shopping facilities and a bit isolated.... but realise that Anguilla is MUCH MUCH smaller. Is there a good social life amongst the expats and locals? I find a lot of people here in Nassau keep to themselves - very hard to make friends. What does everybody do?!

We are from the UK, and have 2 kids aged 4 & 2, so school would be a big decision-maker. They are currently attending an international private pre-school here, and I want to know whether there are any similar schools in Anguilla. I tried searching the net, but I am not getting much info. I read somewhere that there is the Anguilla International School - but can't find anymore info or website.

Thanks for your help.

eastofthesun

I've lived in Anguilla for many years. It's peaceful, as places go, and people are friendly and welcoming. From what I've heard, this is not always so in the Bahamas, especially in Nassau.

The International School is no more. The Teacher Gloria Omolulu Institute is excellent, and is also an excellent place to meet other parents who are passionate about education. Our public schools are full, because the booming economy has required so many foreign workers. As a condition of bringing your children, I believe they are requiring you to home school or use the TGOI as a condition of your work permit(s). I think you would want to do that anyway. It's not expensive.

We have nice supermarkets and other stores. Anguilla is becoming very prosperous, and many people have become Consumers of Goods. But if you're really into shopping, St. Maarten is a US$12 ferry ride from here.

There are some great employers here, and there are the other kind. Who offered you a job?

There is a rental housing shortage, and some profiteering. You would be wise to have housing included as part of your employer's compensation.

mollymalone

Thanks for the information.

I just checked out TGOI's website - I wonder if it's the latest one?

Do you have children attending the school? Do you know what the school fees are and if they do full-time for kids?

What is it it like for a young family there? What do expats do at the weekend etc.? Is there a lot to do? Is it easy to make friends?

Are the public schools very good, and do a lot of expats send their kids there? That doesn't happen here in Nassau - nearly all of the expat kids go to international schools here.

Sorry, loads of questions. We don't have an offer yet - we have to follow it up first, but don't want to until we have enough info, as it is through a friend, and we don't want to mess them around.

Thank you!

Concern1

Apparently Eric Clapton lives there. So you'll be in good company.

eastofthesun

I answered mollymalone's last message a few days ago, but I don't see it posted! I'm sorry, I have no idea how that happened. Here it is again...

I'm a single male, sorta "between girlfriends," so I don't have kids in school. Or anyplace else that I know of. But I know a lot about how things work here, and have a lot of friends who tell me a lot of things.

I don't know about TGOI's website or school fees but I know Dr. Banks as well as her brothers and all of them are persons of great vision and intelligence. Mrs. Banks knew how to raise gifted children. The children at TGOI are dynamic and inspiring. That's not something we see everywhere in today's world. I'm showing how you can BUY that for your kids and you ask what it costs. Were you planning on spending the money on something more important than a whole new outlook for your children?

This whole island is really just a small town. 13,000 people. So we don't have everything. We don't have international fish and chips franchises or bowling alleys, but we have people who smile at strangers and say "Good morning" to everyone they pass.

We have a very successful learn-to-sail school for kids, and very well funded tennis and golf groups for kids who are interested. On weekends many people go to the beach, and wherever you go, you find new friends.

The public primary schools are more than adequate. The one middle and secondary school has problems. The whole world has problems and many people here thought we could keep them out. But they've reached our shores, along with the money economy and prosperity and Anguilla is no longer utopia.

In the South Atlantic there's a utopian community of 270 people living on a magnificent island called Tristan da Cunha. It's another British Overseas Territory. It's the most remote inhabited place on earth. The people are prosperous, modern and educated, and live in a community where people still care for one another. It's like something you only read about. It's not perfect. It can get very windy and what they call a beach is made of stones. So it's not utopia.

But it's like Anguilla in many important ways. It's paradise.

JAJ

You should be aware (in case you're not) that a British citizen passport - if you have one - does not in itself give you the right to live in Anguilla, even though it's a British territory.

eastofthesun

That's true. Although Anguillians have had full British citizenship restored to them, and have the right to live and work in the UK (and thus the entire EU), these rights are not reciprocal. This may not seem fair to you, but if it were otherwise, the small islands of the Overseas Territories might be overwhelmed, socially, culturally and economically, by people from all over the EU.

Nor can I, as an Anguillian, move to Bermuda or Montserrat without applying just like anyone else.

These rules are generally the same throughout the Overseas Territories.

I should add, for anyone else who might be interested in living in the sun, that we have an acute labour shortage here right now, and are especially in need of experienced construction workers and supervisors, those experienced in specialist hotel and restaurant skills, certified teachers, medical people and other skilled individuals. I can provide more detailed information on request.

I have no commercial interest in any of the above.

JAJ

Tristan da Cunha is not a British Overseas Territory in its own right, it's a dependency of St Helena. But in practical terms, there is not much difference.

eastofthesun

There is no agreement on what the Dependencies are. There are two Dependencies, the other being Ascension Island. It says on the Ascension Island Government website:
http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/a...nd-welcome.htm

"Ascension Island is a British Overseas Territory which, together with St Helena and Tristan da Cunha, forms a single territorial grouping under the sovereignty of the British Crown. The group of islands is presided over by a single Governor who is resident on St Helena."

Here's what it says on the Tristan da Cunha government website: http://tristandc.com/government.php

"Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory : one of the remaining former colonies which have not yet asked for independence, and wish specifically to retain their link with the United Kingdom."

I have discussed this point with retired Ascension Administrator Geoff Fairhurst. He believes the above quote about Ascension is accurate.

I don't see how something can be both an OT and part of an OT at the same time, but who am I to say the Foreign Office is wrong?

In a White Paper called "UK International Priorities: The FCO Sustainable Development Action Plan, Forward by the Foreign Secretary," Note 26 reads:

"The UK’s Overseas Territories are: Anguilla, Ascension, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas, the Falkland Islands, Guernsey, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Montserrat, Pitcairn Island, St. Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha, and the Turks & Caicos."

JAJ

Schedule 6 of the British Nationality Act treats Ascension and Tristan as dependencies of St Helena rather than Overseas Territories in their own right:

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/doc...es?view=Binary

Although governmentally they are distinct so in practice they are effectively separate OTs even if not de jure so.

eastofthesun

Yes, governmentally they are distinct, at least in appearance. The Dependencies both have, or had, elected Island Councils intended to make the people believe they were living in a democracy.

Such a system works just fine when the people, their elected representatives and the Foreign Office agree on what should be done. And in most cases, they agree.

But when there is a major disagreement, as there was on Ascension after the FCO promised the people right of abode and the right to buy property on the island, instead of being treated like temporary migrant workers, and then changed their minds and refused to discuss the matter, the Island Council was reminded that constitutionally, it had no authority whatsoever and its role was "advisory only." This led to the resignation of 6 of the 7 Councillors. The Governor tried to have an election to replace them, but all but two people on the island refused to run for office. Two Councillors would not have composed a quorum, so the embarrassed Governor was forced to cancel the election and the island has now gone back to being a company town run by the FCO Overseas Territories Department in London.

So much for a distinct government in the Dependencies. The Governor, through his appointed Administrator in each Dependency, has absolute power, the elected representatives in St. Helena have no authority over the Dependencies and as John Pilger pointed out, "Dictators do this, but without the quaint ritual."

The Governor of St. Helena was replaced three weeks ago. I like the new guy but some very unpopular decisions have been made and he's got to defend them. I don't envy him or the British citizens on Ascension who may have been there for three generations and know no other home but now face exile at the completion of their employment contract.

The lady above asked which school to send her children to in Anguilla. My comments may be somewhat more than she wanted to know about the Overseas Territories.