Cyprus-Forum.com

[Pete_D]

I DONT BELIEVE WAGES ARE LOWER HERE MY DAUGGHTER HAS BEEN IN CYPRUS FOR 4 YEARS AND WORKS IN AN INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING FIRM AND EARNS $20000 A YEAR MORE WITH THE TAX THRESHOLD BEEN LOWER SHE IS BETTER OFF HERE COMING FROM AUSTRALIA EMPLOYERS FIND THIS AN ADVANTAGES . GO FOR IT JUST FIND OUT EVERYTHING FOR YOURSELF AND LOOK AT IT ALL WITH THE AUSTRALIAN WAY OF THINKING GOOD LUCK

See that button just below the tab, above the shift... it's marked "caps lock"? Press it, then type, and all your posts sound sooooo much quieter....

[anastasiaC]

awww leave her alone
not everyone knows internet protocol.......

[LENA]

awww leave her alone
not everyone knows internet protocol.......

you are right but what about the use of the capital letters???

[Johnson&Johnson]

Yiannakis

Do not listen to the naysayers. You can make a very good salary here if you are sharp, flexible and willing to work hard. At the end of the day, you make your own luck, and there is always someone convenient to blame for our own failures.

I am not too much clued up on your profession, but a friend of mine imports and sells medical equipment to doctors, clinics, private hospitals etc. His business started off rather slow, but he has built it up over the last few years and manages to support three children, a large house and pool and a rather spoilt spendaholic Cypriot wife. I myself make far more here and have a much cushier lifestyle than I would have had back in the UK. So it IS possible to propser here.

One other tip: put your kids in greek schools, do not make the classic mistake of enrolling them in private schools. The fees will kill you, and they will not get any better educated. Put them in a greek school with local kids while they are small, so they can be accepted and adapt to the local culture and way of life. If you have the money then later on you can always enroll them in private schools for their secondary education.

So, do your research very thoroughly and know what you are getting into. If, after that, you are still charged, then give it a go and come over.

[LENA]

One other tip: put your kids in greek schools, do not make the classic mistake of enrolling them in private schools. The fees will kill you, and they will not get any better educated. Put them in a greek school with local kids while they are small, so they can be accepted and adapt to the local culture and way of life. If you have the money then later on you can always enroll them in private schools for their secondary education.

Thats very good advice Johnson&Johnson...and you are so right about assimilation of his kids...but he have to be sure that they are going to keep their mother language as well

[anastasiaC]

Yiannakis

Do not listen to the naysayers. You can make a very good salary here if you are sharp, flexible and willing to work hard. At the end of the day, you make your own luck, and there is always someone convenient to blame for our own failures.

I am not too much clued up on your profession, but a friend of mine imports and sells medical equipment to doctors, clinics, private hospitals etc. His business started off rather slow, but he has built it up over the last few years and manages to support three children, a large house and pool and a rather spoilt spendaholic Cypriot wife. I myself make far more here and have a much cushier lifestyle than I would have had back in the UK. So it IS possible to propser here.

One other tip: put your kids in greek schools, do not make the classic mistake of enrolling them in private schools. The fees will kill you, and they will not get any better educated. Put them in a greek school with local kids while they are small, so they can be accepted and adapt to the local culture and way of life. If you have the money then later on you can always enroll them in private schools for their secondary education.

So, do your research very thoroughly and know what you are getting into. If, after that, you are still charged, then give it a go and come over.

great advice on the school issue
if they intend to live in Cyprus then its to their benefit that they learn Greek and can speak and read, write it well
I also think the private school kids have attitutudes of 'us' and 'them' ...save on the fees thats for sure!

[Niki]

Yiannakis

Do not listen to the naysayers. You can make a very good salary here if you are sharp, flexible and willing to work hard. At the end of the day, you make your own luck, and there is always someone convenient to blame for our own failures.

I am not too much clued up on your profession, but a friend of mine imports and sells medical equipment to doctors, clinics, private hospitals etc. His business started off rather slow, but he has built it up over the last few years and manages to support three children, a large house and pool and a rather spoilt spendaholic Cypriot wife. I myself make far more here and have a much cushier lifestyle than I would have had back in the UK. So it IS possible to propser here.

One other tip: put your kids in greek schools, do not make the classic mistake of enrolling them in private schools. The fees will kill you, and they will not get any better educated. Put them in a greek school with local kids while they are small, so they can be accepted and adapt to the local culture and way of life. If you have the money then later on you can always enroll them in private schools for their secondary education.

So, do your research very thoroughly and know what you are getting into. If, after that, you are still charged, then give it a go and come over.

great advice on the school issue
if they intend to live in Cyprus then its to their benefit that they learn Greek and can speak and read, write it well
I also think the private school kids have attitutudes of 'us' and 'them' ...save on the fees thats for sure!

For very young children definitely yes but older children who would be held back from learning the curriculum while they learn Greek - no.

My daughter is just about to choose GCSE's and there is no way I would put her in a local Cypriot school at this crucial time. There are cases I know of where older children are teased, fall behind in their studies and end up very unhappy as they don't 'fit in' straight away. Kids can be cruel.

[Yiannakis]

Thank you all for your advice, you have all been wonderful. Johnson & Johnson I have taken the initiative today after reading your post and emailed an enquiry about the criteria to become a medical representitive in Cyprus. Apparently you require a licence for such a position, so I will be gathering the appropriate documents in the next few days and sending them to the appropriate places. Its good that large multinationals such as J&J have hit the cyprus market, this provides people such as myself great opportunities in finding a good job.

I have been speaking to my aunty Elli (of Elli Andreou Professional Real Estate in Nicosia, lol a quick plug for anyone looking to buy a house, Tell her Yiannakis tou Panikou from Australia sent you ) and she has already organised some paper work.

I actually enquired about the army when I was there last year, and you are right I must do 6 months service, which is no problem, I figured as soon as we get there, I tell them to put me in, I will have 4 months of holidays being paid fortnightly here in Australia, and both myself and my wife can work to cover living expenses. After the service is complete then we can look at starting our new life with our children in the greatest country in the world.

Marinos, I totally agree with everything you say. I work my butt off here in the so called "land of opportunity" and at the end of every fortnight after I get paid I do not even have $5 in my wallet to show. After the morgage is paid, the shopping is done, the bills are paid. Somebody mentioned petrol being more expensive in cyprus, that may be true, however the distances travelled here in Australia are probably 3 or 4 times longer.

Once again, thank you to you all, especially those who mentioned the schooling issue, that has helped me alot as I was a little concerned regarding that matter. I will take all your opinions into consideration, and hopefully if all goes to plan we should be on our way over by mid to late 2008

[queenslander]

Yiannakis

I have been reading this thread since it started and i think a lot of things you should consider has never been mentioned here.

Whilst i think you should consider coming to cyprus, as an ozzie expat living here for a year i can tell most of the things you need to know you should do more research on

I have had a holiday here every year for the last 5 years and loved everyone of them but living here is very different

[souroul]

i'm pretty sure that the private medical sector is booming right now.. plus its a good thing that your kids are so young, they wont even know it, plus they'll learn greek like its nothing.