MSP1968

Hi, I am looking into moving to Bermuda with my younger son who is 5 (I'm divorced). My older son at Uni for another three years and so not sure what he will be doing when/if we go (as in needing to work there). I have worked there before in 1990 for 6 months but as a young single 21 year old I didn't pay much attention to schools, lifestyle etc.

Can anyone give me some ideas as to what to expect if I move with a 5 year old - schools/where to live/ideal salary etc. I understand about work permits etc and healthcare (no NHS like in UK).

Hope anyone can help just to make things a bit clearer. I am secretarial/personal assistant and childcare and domestic qualified.

Thanks for reading.

Pistolpete2

Doesn't look like anybody in Bermuda is jumping in on this so I'll give it a try.

You say that you understand about work permits and healthcare but indirectly they will both be key to whether you can make a go of it in Bermuda.

Since there are now two of you this implies that you would need two-bedroomed accommodation. On top of this, healthcare costs have spiralled out of control in recent years such that they are popularly recognised as being unsustainable on the Island. The costs for these two items will largely dictate what you will have to make to survive, plus add-ons for food, utilities and transport, plus misc items.

You need to consider whether your skills and qualifications will actually be able to command a work permit in the Bermudians-preferred world of now less than full employment. On top of this, it would definitely be ideal if you could get a position in an exempt company where not only are salaries typically higher but healthcare is covered rather than being a deduction. This is no easy task for an executive/admin assistant role as Bermudians should, I would expect, have a lock on this area and the position of executive/admin assistant unless it is extremely specialised.

All the other details are really incidental, though naturally the nicest areas are typically the most expensive. State primary schools are typically pretty good all-over but the wheels start to fall off sometimes at the secondary school level.

I would hazard a guess that one would need a gross salary of $70,000 per annum in order to pay for:

Accommodation $24,000
Health Insurance $8,000??
Other Deds 5,500 (plus $4,000 if you are eligible for pension plan)
Utilities 5,500 (phone, gas, elect, cable tv, internet, plus occasional water??)
Food etc. 10,000
Transport 3,000 (Bus? plus)
Misc 8,000 (Clothes, travel, purchases)
Sitter/Entertain ?????

Remember also that health insurance doesn't cover everything and there could be deductibles on certain charges. You will know your own health.

ionie

I also worked in Bermuda some years ago and it's very different now. There have been redundancies in the banks and big law firms. No one would have foreseen that in the 90s.
Before considering anything else, contact the employment agencies on the island and apply for work. You will then know how much you could earn. If you don't get any interest then that's the end of it.

mikelincs

You will also have to address getting permission from your son's father to be able to move there, if he isn't prepared to agree, then you might well have to go to court to get a court order.

Gordon Barlow

This is the best response so far. Bermuda is like Cayman in that one has to have a job to go to before even attempting to settle there. One can't just turn up as though it were an English town.

Also, Pistol Pete - surely she could live on less than $70K. I doubt if there are many secretaries on that kind of wage.

ClaireGib

Hi everyone

Sorry can I just jump in with a quick question, I was going to start a new thread but people on here seem to know what they are talking about.

I'm a chartered accountant so am looking to come over for a 2 year contract but before commit to the plan - can anyone advise whether it is likely at all that my husband would be able to find any work- he is a painter and decorator. I'm thinking the locals do that sort of work? Can he join me without a job offer on my visa?

Thanks for any advise and sorry again for jumping in with unrelated

dfjordan

I haven't lived in Bermuda for some years now, but even then, it was basically impossible for an expat to get a permit for that kind of work. Now, with the economy in a real mess, it's got to be worse. To get a permit your employer has to show that there is no Bermudian available or qualified for the job, and immigration is very tough on that.
He should be able to accompany you, but he'll go out of his mind with boredom.

papabri

I'd say it is unlikely (but not impossible) that he would find work on the island. I have heard stories of construction business owners who were once able to bring in Filipino workers that can no longer do so because immigration won't let them. This particular business has been forced to hire bermudians instead.

In order for the business to sponsor your husband for a work permit, they need to demonstrate that they advertised the position sufficiently (usually 1 week in the royal gazette, bermuda sun, emoo, etc), but no qualified bermudians applied, and that your husband has the skills and past experience on his resume/CV to justify his hiring to immigration.

I have friends who have come as CA's with a significant other who was not a designated professional (ie marketing, sales, etc) and their significant other was able to get a job and work permit. Hope that helps somewhat.

Pistolpete2

Certain categories of jobs are closed to non-Bermudians or restricted such that Bermuda Immigration will not normally grant a work permit unless under abnormal conditions, where there are no Bermudians looking for work, which is unlikely these days, apart from in nursing.

See this listing:

http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_0001c8.htm

Painter is closed!

Painter / decorator is a particularly unfortunate category to be seeking a job for in Bermuda since there are many Bermudians who make ends meet in these tough Bermuda times by the side-line of doing this if only as casual work, many Bermudian students too when on vacation.

Gordon Barlow

Same thing in Cayman, if any Lister is thinking of looking here. Our restrictions are not as formal as Bermuda's, but just as tough.

Eastender50

I lived in Bermuda also, came back to the UK in '93 after 12yrs. I have a brother-in-law still over there, and things are very different to what you and I remember, the crime rate has soared, gangs and gun crime seem to be rife. Work permits are not easy to get, I hear stories of ex-pats not getting their visas renewed etc.

By what I hear Bermuda is not a place I would even think of working now, its had its time, the government has many problems. All such a shame because during the '80's it really was 'another world'.

ClaireGib

Thank you all that's very helpful, just confirmed what I thought really. Shame really, would like to try working in the Carribean for a couple of years.

Pistolpete2

Well go ahead and do just that, remembering that Bermuda is definitely NOT the Caribbean by any stretch of the imagination.

However, it and Cayman rank way way ahead of anywhere else in the region when it comes to potential for job opportunities in the financial services field - reinsurance, brokerage, captive management, associated legal and accountancy/audit, trusts & banking plus Bermuda for shipping management.