Philigirl

Hi,
I am a single woman in my mid 30's moving to Bermuda from the US in about 1month.
I got a job in health care in Paget with a salary of $180K.
I am currently waiting for my work permit.

My questions are
1. What areas should I live in (in terms of safety). My budget for housing is $2700/mth.

2. How much did it cost for you to ship your furniture and household items to the island? After doing my research on emoo I am definately not interested in buying used furniture

Thank you

Pistolpete2

I'll jump in with 'something' for want of anything else cropping up.

There are several nice residential areas right on your doorstep if working in or near the hospital complex and Paget, such as Point Finger Road itself, Trimingham Hill and Cavendish Heights. Your budget would 'stretch' to a decent one bedroomed apartment in these good and convenient areas. Also consider Melville Estates and Brighton Hill area, plus Tee Street/Berry Hill, Kent Avenue / Happy Talk??? Also consider Pomander and even Harrington Sound Road and area around it. Just not sure what supply is like in these areas these days.

Containers between US ports and Bermuda tend to be expensive - at least USD3,000++ by the time stuffing charges and pick-up/drop off are included so beware.

If you have a bit of patience, and time on your hands, you could go the slower approach of accumulating your furniture by going to garage sales and cherry-picking the nicest stuff. OR you could rent fully furnished - some apartments are beautifully furnished. If you ship ALL of your stuff in, you probably would then want to ship it all out later - consider the costs.

elbigotontito

Hello @pistolpete2,
i may move to bermuda with a salary of 125-130K.
Can you please tell me if that is enough to have a decent life ?

thanks !

Pistolpete2

If you are on your own, 125-130K is a lot of money, even if that is before deductions for social insurance, health insurance and payroll tax/hospital levy and maybe pension contributions.

The rest is up to you. Look for and then find a reasonable apartment first. Then focus on what the work experience in Bermuda can do for your future career prospects, so as not to tarnish it when you move on*, since few are able to stay in Bermuda for long periods these days due to informal work permit term limit restrictions, which would mean you can't expect to be in Bermuda for ever, while on a work permit.

If you avoid spending the time simply partying hard and jetting the globe, then you can still have a decent time in Bermuda and maybe put something away to enhance your future prospects for that decent life.

* in some industries, work experience in Bermuda is not taken seriously, so you have to make the most of it

HTH

aratan

Here is a link to eMoo, which is a good little site for getting an idea about rentals and stuff for sale.

This is not the only source to look at for rental properties, but it is a good starting point, and will allow you to get an idea of what you get for your money.

http://emoo.bm/realestate.aspx?catId=40&idr=40&lang=en

elbigotontito

Great! Thanks for the info. I'm planing to save as much as I can, except for the rent. Like living a decent place, not luxurious.

I have one last question. I'm moving with my wife. And my main concern is if she can find a job over there?
She is even more qualified than me, with MBA, Masters in Finance, etc.
Is that possible?

Thanks again

Pistolpete2

Your indicated salary levels will still be OK but it would always be advisable that a spouse also has employment, particularly if they have qualifications, as they could otherwise become very frustrated.

See this, if you haven't already seen it:

Bermuda Work Permit and Immigration Policies

at:

Preference of employment in Bermuda

also:

Bermuda Employment Opportunities

You would need an accountancy professional qualification (ACA, ACMA, CPA, CMA) to move into accountancy.

It is likely that other solid and relevant professional experience as a minimum would be needed, on top of an MBA or other Masters, in order to gain a work permit in the other indicated business areas.

This would have to put you well ahead of any Bermudian applicants, many of whom would also have an MBA or Masters and in finance these days because Bermudians by necessity have to think very commercially when they make degree and career choices in a twenty five square mile country where jobs that pay the bills are not particularly diverse in nature.

aratan

I would ballpark it and say that you should be able to get a 2-bed 2-bath place of decent quality for between $2.5k and $3.5k. Looking at eMoo there is a fairly decent selection at the moment, maybe slight less available than usual given the time of the year.