Cyprus-Forum.com

[christmasjunkies]

We are gathering information with a view to moving to Cyprus when our daughter finishes school.
We want info. on best areas to rent and work(construction industry and sports/lifeguard) please.
What qualifications should our daughter gain before leaving Uk inorder to work in sports/leisure industry.
Ideas on living costs would be helpful. We would beable to move with a lump sum in the bank to start with and some security,but would need to work for week/week living expenses. We dont smoke, do like to have a drink and enjoy fresh local grown simple food. Whats average outgoings like eg. 2bed house for rent,council tax, water rates, gas/electric, phone, car tax/insurance, petrol etc. We would like a simple village lifestyle with facilites for our daughter within easy driving distance.
Legitimate email addresses for rental companies, employment agencies would be gratefully recieved.

[twinkle]

If you try the search button (4th in on tool bar) you'll find loads of answers.

Lifeguards/sports industry is pretty low paid and she may need to speak Greek if working on the beaches etc. Jobs tend to be found in the Cyprus Weekly, Phileleftheros on a Wednesday or by word of mouth. Be prepared that most of you savings will disappear on expenses as life isn't as cheap as most people make out. It is difficult to find a well paid job as most are in Limassol or Nicosia. Most of the ex pat community are in Paphos with a smaller amount in Larnaca. Leisure industry jobs would include hotels which are very low paid and shift work. Plus some will be summer contracts only.

Most of your expenses will go on rent, electricity (air con summer, heating (oil) winter), car and petrol expenses. There is no public transport infrastructure.

You really need to research this fully before making the commitment. It's not as rosey are people think.

[christmasjunkies]

Thanks for that, the plan is to move in 4 years or so when our daughter finishes school/college so we have plenty of time to research.
The construction industry in which my husband works in means he leaves house at 6 and returns at 7 too tired to do anything else. We were hoping he wouldn't have to work such a long day and we would have more time to relax and have some quality time together. We are only 40 and 46 years old but we know of so many men in consrtuction who slog it out only to die when its time to retire.

[twinkle]

In 4 years Cyprus will be sinking under concrete. The airport workers are from the Philippines so the pay isn't that fantastic as otherwise the Cyps or other EU citizens would be doing it. There is and has been a boom for the past 5 years in the buidling sector. The pay is low and hard. Especially during the hot months. They start early, around 7 and finish around 3-4 in the afternoon.

Your hubby will be seen as fairly old in the job market. Check out other options to cover yourselves.

[Tim Drayton]

The good news is that EU nationals are now free to settle in Cyprus, to work for any employer who cares to hire them, or set up their own business.
The bad news is that while most prices are similar to those in the UK, wages in general are much lower.
The rent for a family flat in Limassol is about 400 pounds per month. I don't know if much rented accomodation is available in villages. You don't need much heating in the winter which is a plus. Air conditioning? I don't have it and survive. I paid 57 pounds in rates to my local authority of Agios Athanasios for 2007 (yes - for the whole year), and there are three rubbish collections per week. So some things are a lot better than in the UK. My last electricity bill was just under 30 pounds for two months. Unemployment is low in Cyprus, and there seems to be a steady demand from local restaurants/bars for English-speaking staff to work at low rates of pay. There are also jobs for English speakers in call centres - and they are particularly inerested in people who can offer another languages. Look in the Cyprus Weekly. Quite frankly, if you don't speak Greek you are severely limited as to the kind of work you can do. (All figures are CYPRUS pounds)
I would imagine jobs as lifeguards are mainly seasonal. Since I expect such staff are employed by the municipality, these jobs are probably distributed under the local system of patronage, which means they go to a friend or relative of the person doing the hiring. Yes, family values are strong in Cyprus. This has its good sides, for instance there is little juvenile delinquency. But it also means that a lot of jobs and business opportunities go to people with the best connections. I am flourishing in Cyprus, but I market my services over the Internet and do not work for the local market very much. If you are thinking of going into business, I would do something which targets the large and expanding British expat population. I hear various pieces of anecdotal evidence which suggests the locals will go to great lenghts to keep foreigners off what they consider to be their own turf, especially in rural areas.
I hope this information and these thoughts are of some assistance.

[Eliko]

christmasjunkies, welcome to the forum and Best Wishes with your future aspirations.

You have posed many questions and you will no doubt receive a variety of answers (based on the experiences of those who respond to you).

My own advice to you would be that you should take a 'reconnaissance' trip to the island and assess the feasibility of your intentions personally.

Many families have made a success of their new lives here, others have not.

The small initial outlay of such a trip will serve you well and furnish you with a great deal more information than can be gained from the input of members here.

I do hope everything turns out well for you, 'reconnaissance' may sound a little military, old habits die hard. Good Luck.

[The Microphone]

Much of the info here makes good sense. This is not a rosy and easy place to settle and make a living. You can by persevering hopefully make it work for you.

As Eliko says, and I agree, rent here for a period of time to see if the Cyprus you think is Cyprus is the REAL Cyprus. Your eyes will be opened.

Many come here with no way out and go back broke. Many also make a success of it. Give yourself a break and try it first for at least 12 months by renting. Good luck.

[Tim Drayton]

I have a nodding acquiantance with a couple of workers on a building site near where Ilive, so I thought I would find out from the horse's mouth how much they earn. It seems that unskilled workers earn 30 pounds per day, or 750 pounds per month. Skilled workers can earn 50 pounds per day. (Figures in Cyprus pounds). You should realise that there is no income tax here on the first 10,000 pounds of annual income, and a 20% tax on the next 10,000 pounds. In other words, there will be little or no income tax to pay on these earnings.
As far as I know, Cypriot construction workers are organised into fairly strong unions, but there are also a lot of assylum seekers and illegal immigrants (especially from Syria) working on building sites. You hear reports of deaths on building sites from time to time,usually involving foreign workers, so I am not sure how safe the non-unionised sites are. Also remember that Cyprus is a very hot place - you will be working under a fierce sun all day in the summer.

[christmasjunkies]

Thats useful thanks! I know we won't beable to afford to retire if we sellup in uk but hot summers outside working have greater appeal over cold winters here at moment and taxman could move to Barbados on what we give him!
We could come over with £100,000 sterling in bank which i hope the interest on that could cover rental on a 2bed property and then work to cover week to week living expenses. I have the option of working too and our daughter also so thats 3 wages coming in.
Im trying to find out what normal outgoings are in cyprus for example weekly shop for 3 persons, rates/water bill, council tax i understand is low and whether we could afford to run a car.
Which areas have most work available? We prefer a quiet area. We know moving won't be like a holiday we just hope for a different pace of life and not get bogged down craving for the weekend to get here.

[mountainman]

Welcome to the forum.
I dont wish to be glum but 100k isn't enough unless you have some really good friends to help you.

i think that you would do best by renting over here for a year and see how it goes.

My rule of thumb is that if you NEED to work over here to survive then dont come; many of us here don't need to work but we are too young to not work so the work oppertunities for you are severely limited because we do it.

Working for an employer amounts to slave labour, minimum wage in the UK may be £5.50 an hour but here people can be hired for £10 for a ten hour day.

It is a lovely island but every silver lining has a dark cloud behind it.

MM