DRushworth

Hello everyone,

I've been considering looking for a job in Cape Town and just wanted some feedback as to how difficult it will be to get a job and what a decent salary for someone at my level might be.
A bit of background info about myself:
I am currently based in London but have worked abroad before.
I studied at the University of London and am a chartered global management accountant (CIMA) with 10 years experience in finance and accounting.
I've worked for 4 different multinationals as a regional finance analyst (EMEA), global finance analyst (reporting 112 countries), business controller and finance controller for UK & Ireland.

My current company doesn't have a presence in South Africa so I will have to look for a job myself. Is there anything I can do to improve my chance of finding a job? What kind of salary should I be looking for (I'd be looking for a finance controller or finance manager position)?

Many thanks in advance for your help!

ededed

It's been said before, you can't turn up in SA and apply for a job. You need a valid work permit and a company to support you in that application.

I don't know if your position is on the new critical skills visa list (a search of the dha ZA government website will confirm) but even if it is, you need a prospective employer who is willing to do the hard yards of applications and interviews - and proof they've exhausted the local talent pool first - before they'll even be able to advertise the position. Check pnet.co.za for jobs, you might get a perfect match.

Plan B is to marry a South African. Might be quicker and easier.

MartynK

I think you're going to find this very difficult. Ed's set out the main obstacle, so I'll just add to that:

Employers face a number of problems and delays if they want to engage an expat. Most companies can't be bothered with this, unless they have very strong reasons for recruiting a particular person, and they usually consider the impact on their BEE status too.

Accountancy is a popular course of study in SA, and a lot of South Africans are keen to live in Cape Town (lifestyle, better local government and perception of lower crime risk). That means you'll face competition from people who have immediate advantages, and who can start work straight away.

There are various visas available under the spouse/life partner and business/investment categories, but I'm assuming you're not interested in these. About the only thing I can suggest is visiting SA and spending some time in Cape Town, doing some local research and trying to build a network. Just don't mention any of this at the port of entry!

scot47

Protectionism is the game. Pretoria want to maximise employment for their own citizens.