Am i being stupid?
Jan 4th 2008, 2:00 pm
#16
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Limassol, Cyprus - in a suburb about 15 minutes drive from the tourist area.
Posts: 5
Re: Am i being stupid?
Hi and "No" - you are not stupid to want for a better lifestyle for you and your family 
We had the same idea, although our children are grown up but we are still in our 40's and wanted a better life for ourselves and so, a few years ago - we did just that.
We sold up everything in the UK and moved out permanently to Cyprus. We rent a property here in Limassol and pay Cy£250 (€427) per month for our 3 bedroomed bungalow. My husband works for himself building wooden fencing, pergolas, doing general DIY around (mainly) ex-pats houses, buying & selling "stuff" - he was a civil servant back in the UK...
We also set up a small business towards the end of this summer as I was made redundant from my work in Cyprus earlier in the year and we now also hire out baby equipment to holidaymakers and residents of Cyprus who have visitors with young babies & children.
It's best to look at diversifying your life as there is no guarantee you will be able to carry on with the same job you have done in your "previous life".
Certainly, I would recommend you rent a property rather than buy outright in the beginning to allow yourselves time to ensure you have the right location in Cyprus. Also, if your child is only young - it's cheaper for you to send her to a state school plus she will pick up the language much easier and will not have that awkwardness that older children tend to have when they move to foreign countries.
We put our savings into a Sterling currency account with high interest in Cyprus and get weekly interest on this (you can also have a monthly account, which pays a slightly better rate) and are receiving a little over 4% interest rate.
Plan to have enough funds to last you around 2yrs without an income. Plan on possibly having to buy 2 cars rather than just 1 as schools finish at lunchtime so one of you will need to be on hand to pick her up and also bear in mind that a lot of employers may want you to work "split shifts" resulting in doing your journey to work and back twice a day. Although we are used to travelling the best part of an hour to work each day in the UK, it's just not the "done" thing here in Cyprus. Even the best a/c car can't cope with 40+ degrees in the height of the summer if you are sitting in a traffic jam!
Best of luck
Cyprus with Babies!
We had the same idea, although our children are grown up but we are still in our 40's and wanted a better life for ourselves and so, a few years ago - we did just that.
We sold up everything in the UK and moved out permanently to Cyprus. We rent a property here in Limassol and pay Cy£250 (€427) per month for our 3 bedroomed bungalow. My husband works for himself building wooden fencing, pergolas, doing general DIY around (mainly) ex-pats houses, buying & selling "stuff" - he was a civil servant back in the UK...
We also set up a small business towards the end of this summer as I was made redundant from my work in Cyprus earlier in the year and we now also hire out baby equipment to holidaymakers and residents of Cyprus who have visitors with young babies & children.
It's best to look at diversifying your life as there is no guarantee you will be able to carry on with the same job you have done in your "previous life".
Certainly, I would recommend you rent a property rather than buy outright in the beginning to allow yourselves time to ensure you have the right location in Cyprus. Also, if your child is only young - it's cheaper for you to send her to a state school plus she will pick up the language much easier and will not have that awkwardness that older children tend to have when they move to foreign countries.
We put our savings into a Sterling currency account with high interest in Cyprus and get weekly interest on this (you can also have a monthly account, which pays a slightly better rate) and are receiving a little over 4% interest rate.
Plan to have enough funds to last you around 2yrs without an income. Plan on possibly having to buy 2 cars rather than just 1 as schools finish at lunchtime so one of you will need to be on hand to pick her up and also bear in mind that a lot of employers may want you to work "split shifts" resulting in doing your journey to work and back twice a day. Although we are used to travelling the best part of an hour to work each day in the UK, it's just not the "done" thing here in Cyprus. Even the best a/c car can't cope with 40+ degrees in the height of the summer if you are sitting in a traffic jam!
Best of luck
Cyprus with Babies!
Last edited by CypruswithBabies; Jan 4th 2008 at 2:10 pm. Reason: remembered some more info!
Jan 4th 2008, 8:16 pm
#17
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Cambridge, Limassol - now Oz at "Avoca Beach" NSW
Posts: 300
Re: Am i being stupid?
Hi and "No" - you are not stupid to want for a better lifestyle for you and your family
We had the same idea, although our children are grown up but we are still in our 40's and wanted a better life for ourselves and so, a few years ago - we did just that.
We sold up everything in the UK and moved out permanently to Cyprus. We rent a property here in Limassol and pay Cy£250 (€427) per month for our 3 bedroomed bungalow. My husband works for himself building wooden fencing, pergolas, doing general DIY around (mainly) ex-pats houses, buying & selling "stuff" - he was a civil servant back in the UK...
We also set up a small business towards the end of this summer as I was made redundant from my work in Cyprus earlier in the year and we now also hire out baby equipment to holidaymakers and residents of Cyprus who have visitors with young babies & children.
It's best to look at diversifying your life as there is no guarantee you will be able to carry on with the same job you have done in your "previous life".
Certainly, I would recommend you rent a property rather than buy outright in the beginning to allow yourselves time to ensure you have the right location in Cyprus. Also, if your child is only young - it's cheaper for you to send her to a state school plus she will pick up the language much easier and will not have that awkwardness that older children tend to have when they move to foreign countries.
We put our savings into a Sterling currency account with high interest in Cyprus and get weekly interest on this (you can also have a monthly account, which pays a slightly better rate) and are receiving a little over 4% interest rate.
Plan to have enough funds to last you around 2yrs without an income. Plan on possibly having to buy 2 cars rather than just 1 as schools finish at lunchtime so one of you will need to be on hand to pick her up and also bear in mind that a lot of employers may want you to work "split shifts" resulting in doing your journey to work and back twice a day. Although we are used to travelling the best part of an hour to work each day in the UK, it's just not the "done" thing here in Cyprus. Even the best a/c car can't cope with 40+ degrees in the height of the summer if you are sitting in a traffic jam!
Best of luck
Cyprus with Babies!
We had the same idea, although our children are grown up but we are still in our 40's and wanted a better life for ourselves and so, a few years ago - we did just that.
We sold up everything in the UK and moved out permanently to Cyprus. We rent a property here in Limassol and pay Cy£250 (€427) per month for our 3 bedroomed bungalow. My husband works for himself building wooden fencing, pergolas, doing general DIY around (mainly) ex-pats houses, buying & selling "stuff" - he was a civil servant back in the UK...
We also set up a small business towards the end of this summer as I was made redundant from my work in Cyprus earlier in the year and we now also hire out baby equipment to holidaymakers and residents of Cyprus who have visitors with young babies & children.
It's best to look at diversifying your life as there is no guarantee you will be able to carry on with the same job you have done in your "previous life".
Certainly, I would recommend you rent a property rather than buy outright in the beginning to allow yourselves time to ensure you have the right location in Cyprus. Also, if your child is only young - it's cheaper for you to send her to a state school plus she will pick up the language much easier and will not have that awkwardness that older children tend to have when they move to foreign countries.
We put our savings into a Sterling currency account with high interest in Cyprus and get weekly interest on this (you can also have a monthly account, which pays a slightly better rate) and are receiving a little over 4% interest rate.
Plan to have enough funds to last you around 2yrs without an income. Plan on possibly having to buy 2 cars rather than just 1 as schools finish at lunchtime so one of you will need to be on hand to pick her up and also bear in mind that a lot of employers may want you to work "split shifts" resulting in doing your journey to work and back twice a day. Although we are used to travelling the best part of an hour to work each day in the UK, it's just not the "done" thing here in Cyprus. Even the best a/c car can't cope with 40+ degrees in the height of the summer if you are sitting in a traffic jam!
Best of luck
Cyprus with Babies!
Good post, good info, the twice daily commute for lunch with the family is truly a Cyprus cultural habit. We lived in Mesa Geitonia and witnessed it every day.
We still read the Cyprus Mail and Cyprus Weekly online to keep in touch with news. Cant wait to see who wins the February elections and when the water runs out!!
Last edited by DerekM; Jan 4th 2008 at 8:16 pm. Reason: paragraphs slipped!
Jan 6th 2008, 1:26 pm
#18
Tim Higgins
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Kyrenia
Posts: 9
Re: Am i being stupid?
No, your not being stupid.
However, if you read the comments from other forum members, you will find that North Cyprus has a lot more to offer you in terms of cost of living, property costs and employment opportunities.
Be more than to help if you need it.
However, if you read the comments from other forum members, you will find that North Cyprus has a lot more to offer you in terms of cost of living, property costs and employment opportunities.
Be more than to help if you need it.
