Jerome

A possible work opportunity in Bermuda has presented itself, and I wanted to get a personal perspective on what the place is like before I consider applying.

Apart from the obvious geography/nice weather etc:

What is it like to live there
What is the real cost of living
What transport is available
What services are available
What is the medical care like
What is the social life like
What kind of accomodation is available for rent
Is there a McDonald's there (my barometer for civilisation)

I've visited a few web sites, but they are obviously biased, hence wanting some real experience info.

I'm aware that work visas normally only last 3 years and I'm not worried about that. I also hold dual British/Canadian nationality, if that makes any difference.

Any info would be appreciated.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Bro in law lived there for about 10 years, married a lass from St Helens who also lived there, had two kids by her out there, then moved to Australia and finally back to St Helens

His reason for moving? You CANNOT own property out there unless you have Bermudan nationality. So you rent, and what you rent is pretty grotty since the good stuff is for tourists

He did save up enough to almost buy a house back here though for investment, while he was renting. Needed a VERY small mortgage when he returned, but the property WAS in StH

He said schools were OK. The lifestyle was superb, and the standard of living very good with taxes relatively low.

Island speed limit is I think 20mph?

It's so humid that instant coffee, sugar, salt etc have to be kept in the fridge, or they turn into liquid overnight. Wallpaper falls off the walls or turns into black mould.

When wife visited him, she reported cockroaches the size of mice, mosquitos the size of aeroplanes and sundry other creepy crawlys which were just ignored by the locals!

Tourism obviously the biggest employer, with THOUSANDS of overwieight Americans every year!

Alcazar

Jerome

Cheers Alcazar. All stuff you won't see on a job advert or tourist website. The humidity alone would put me off, and I'm not desparately keen on creepy crawlies either.

JustinB

Newbie here. Sorry - You CAN own property here, but what the government do (sensibly) is, in order to provide housing to it's nationals rather than migratory workers, they set a high threshold whereby a non-national can buy. This is currently $1.5M for a house and $700,000 for a condo. Then you add on 22% Government Tax and 2% Land Tax and basically you're looking at $2M for a house and just shy of $1M for a condo.

Rental Market is good here. If you're serious about moving out here, I *definitely* recommend coming out for a week to get a feel for the place. Secondly rentals range HUGELY from about $1200 - $1500 for a studio (1 bed flat if you're very lucky). 1 beds start around $1700 - $2500 (depending on where they are situated, whether they have a pool/beach access) 2 beds start realistically around $2100 up to $5-6,000. Then it starts getting silly. The most expensive place I ever saw up for rent was $120,000 a month !!

Cost of living : expensive. Bermuda is a tax free jurisdiction, as such you'll either be working for a local company or what's know as an 'exempt company'. The exemption is from paying Corporate Taxes locally, the whole reason for being here !! If you work for an exempt company - the salary the offer you, you will get as they will pay for all your medical ins/social ins. = Tax Free money !! I work for a local company and even then it's not so bad. The local tax on my wages is 4.75% !!

Because of where bermuda is situated (700 miles off the coast of North Carolina) and also because of it's size and lack of agriculture, pretty much everything is imported.

Remember I mentioned there was little or no income tax ? Well, the way the government earn revenue is on import duties. Very few items are exempt (Books being one, I'm struggling to think of others !!) most items are levied at 22.25% up to 33 and a bit %. So you loaf of bread will cost you $3.25 instead of whatever it is in the UK now. A 307 Conv will be around $50,000+ on the road.

Cars - worth buying, if only to keep the rain off your head. We get about 60 inches of rain a year. The speed limit is 35Km/H (about 22 MPH) but most people normally drive at 50Km/H without being stopped. When the isalnd's only 20 miles long, no-one's in a rush to get anywhere !
Be warned though, if you so get stopped for speeding the fines are big. I got done for 76Km/H and was banned for a year and fined $800.
Everyone (from 16 - 80) drives scooters, there is no social stigma to riding one.... Max engine size is 150cc.

Erm, what else.

Weather.

We do have seasons here, they just fluctuate less than the UK. The min temp you're likely to see in winter here is 55F. Normally it stays above 60F for a low. check out : http://www.weather.bm for today's weather.

Humidity - the scourge of women's hairdo's and leather !! It's pretty much constant all year round (Surrounded by sea, it's hard not too). It normally ranges from 65% on an exceptional day to 100% on a bad one. In winter it makes it feel colder than it should, and damp. In summer, it sucks the life out of you - everyone has Air-con in their homes/Cars/Offices. Not that bad once you get used to it, but in summer, this place rocks....

The sea temp will get up to about 87F in summer, in winter - forget about it !! (unless you regularly swim in the North Sea !!)

Flights to and from the Uk are expensive. Only BA have the route and it's their second most profitable ! In summer, when the kids are off school, you'll be lucky to get a return for under $1200 (economy). Same for Xmas.

I've been here for nearly 5 years now and I love it. You'll feel like you're on holiday for the first 3 months, for the next 3 you'll be home sick. But I would say, give it a try for at least a year and then make up your mind.

If you want any more info - mail me and I'll be happy to help.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Been there on holiday, beautiful unspoilt island. Lovely poeple
Only spoilt by American tourists

Maybe a little on the quiet side for some. And if your a speed freak....then this island is not for you Hamilton is the main hot spot. Good cheap public transport (pink buses )

Definetly an opertunity I wouldn't pass on myself

richiewong

Leave your car door unlocked, its stops the kids smashing the window when they want your loose change/have a rummage in your glovebox
You'll have to buy a set a Bermuda shorts and a wear them with a blazer

Jerome

Wow, thanks for that Justin.

I doubt I'll have a problem with homesickness - I'm already thousands of miles from home. As for cost of flights to the UK, I would imagine people would come and visit me, so it should be academic.