Advice please
 

Hi All

Really appreciate all of the posts here and links to other websites, I've been lingering for a while (that makes me sound creepy!) but never registered. I'm currently residing and working in Jersey (channel islands) and I'm looking at the possibility of a move to Cayman.

I work in corporate/trust services and was wondering if anyone had any idea what the average salary was for someone fully qualified (ICSA/ACIS) with a couple of years experience? Also if anyone knows of any reputable firms they would recommend or any to avoid?

Also any advice that anyone would give that isn't available on the cayman new resident or other similar sites would be really helpful.

Thanks

Chris (Dr pepper, what's the worst that can happen :p)

Re: Advice please
 

Chris - the most sensible thing for you to do is to register at a recruitment agency in London. Freelance enquiries for jobs don't work well here.

Re: Advice please
 

Just out of curiosity, why another tiny island where everything is just as expensive as Jersey?

Re: Advice please
 

Chris can answer your question, Moses, but let me just say that all tiny islands aren't the same! Cayman is a very cosmopolitan place, with maybe a hundred nationalities among its 55,000 people. And it's Caribbean-hot, and near to the USA (not necessarily a good thing, of course!) and all the Latin American countries.

I've been to Jersey, and if things had gone differently I'd have landed a job there, many years ago. A lovely place, and much prettier than this flat and relatively barren island. But variety is the spice of life, isn't it?

Re: Advice please
 

Jersey is certainly nice, but even with a good job most of your money is wasted on expensive housing and flights to escape the island. I lived there long enough and have my housing quals, but wouldn't go back permanently. Walks and beaches are still great, but a lot has changed over the last few years.

Re: Advice please
 

That's a shame. I remember Jersey as one of the places we could easily have settled in. Mind you, it was in 1977 when I applied for a couple of jobs there, unsuccessfully. Then when one came up in Cayman I took it. We only intended to be here for the usual two or three years, but it was such a great place to bring up our son (then 2 1/2) that we stayed. Cayman too has changed a lot, of course. The anti-expat sentiment has become worse and worse, and the native Caymanians have a monopoly of political power. (Chris, I hope you are prepared for that!)

Re: Advice please
 

There are many reasons for moving, but I'd really like to know the reasons why the OP wants to move (apart from weather:-). Jersey also used to be a great place to bring up kids, but then again anywhere rural would be better these days. Big issue in Jersey for me was the housing situation and we were lucky enough to rent a half decent 2 bed apartment. A lot of people who went over in the 70's had a good life, but now the island is overcrowded. The population has probably increased by more than 25.000 since the 70's and I just find that the golden years are gone.