Undeterred

Hello Everyone,

I am hoping you will be able to help me.

I am considering a move to Cayman Islands, having been shortlisted to potentially work for the Government.

In the meantime I am wondering if anybody else has worked as a civil servant and enlighten to me as to what to expect? I am interested to know whether Government provide any additional assistance to those they recruit from another country, such as relocation allowance, travel/insurance discounts etc.

I have briefly considered the cost of living issues. Was a little disheartened but I guess you cant have it all!

This post may be a bit premature (as I may not be offered the job) but feel it prudent do some research now.


Many thanks

Gordon Barlow

As long as you're not coming as a teacher...! (What line of business would you be in - broadly speaking?)

Don't worry about the remuneration package. They will offer what they usually offer, and there won't be any room for negotiation. There are about a thousand foreigners in the Civil Service; it's not as though you would be the only one.

Undeterred

Thanks for the reply. The role is within the legal department....... What's the problem with teachers?!

I'm apprehensive about the possible move as id be dragging my wife away from a job she loves and is well paid. For that reason she is not as keen on the move as i am.

Before looking into cost of living i thought we would be able to live very comfortably on my salary alone but appears not to be the case. Property rental is much higher than i had expected.

Gordon Barlow

Hmm... Of course you know already that you're taking a huge, huge risk taking your wife away from a job she loves. If she can't find anything comparable here, she will have to build a whole new life for herself. However, there are plenty of things to do for women on their own. There's the International Ladies Club, which has lots of mahjong and bridge tournaments, and the Humane Society is always looking for volunteer dog-walkers, and there are plenty of sports to play and bars to drink in!

I don't think you would have a problem surviving comfortably on your salary. Anything over CI$50K, and you'd be fine. Have you checked out The Cayman New Resident website? It contains a wealth of useful information.

Expat teachers in government schools have a very high turnover rate, these days, because many of with the local kids are brought up to disrespect them.