Cyprus-Forum.com

[jayt]

yes we have been to cyprus many times but only on holiday, never looking at it as a future home but now we feel the time is right to move and we would love it to be cyprus and we will try are hardest to make it work , we dont want to make a fortune just want enough to get by and have a better quality of life which is just not available in the uk even though we both earn a decent wage. i appreciate all your comments and take everything on board, every little bit of info helps , thanks
jay

[Niki]

We have been through the same decision and the main deciding factor for us was that Limassol has many more English Curriculum schools than Paphos.

We researched all schools - visited a few and made our choice. Limassol is good for children - lots of things for them to do and the whole of Cyprus is a lot safer than the UK.

If however you prefer Paphos there are 2 schools that would suit you so that's fine.

Look at http://cyprus.angloinfo.com/af/250/cypr ... oling.html

and visit a few - very important to get a feel for what is right for your children!

Best wishes

Niki

[carolh]

Hi Jay
If you intend to live here, why not send your children to the local school. They would get help and young kids learn the Greek language very quickly. It would also give them some local friends. You could always think about private schools later.
I live in Limassol but am retired so am not looking for work. You can rent a nice apartment here for around £300 a month. Why not come over yourself as has been suggested and see what there is available. It is a great place to live and bring up children. I wish you luck!
Carol

[Niki]

Hi Jay
If you intend to live here, why not send your children to the local school. They would get help and young kids learn the Greek language very quickly. It would also give them some local friends. You could always think about private schools later.
I live in Limassol but am retired so am not looking for work. You can rent a nice apartment here for around £300 a month. Why not come over yourself as has been suggested and see what there is available. It is a great place to live and bring up children. I wish you luck!
Carol

Nice sentiments and the 3 year old would be fine - however the 13 year old it would not!

This or next year they select their GCSE's and to expect them to learn a whole new language as well as carry on with their curriculum is too much in my opinion. If you make the move which is hugely dispruptive to children don't place the 13 year old at this disadvantage.

[NOVELTY VEND]

Hi Jay & Family

My first thought for you - 'The Grass Is Never Greener On The Other Side'

£50K GB will NOT last you long, esp' when you whilst you are going through holiday mood!

Then you have to sort out ALL your work papers, house, furniture, schools, pay the bills! etc etc etc...

Paphos is great - a bit dead in the winter months, but still plently to do. I.E Quad Biking, Snow Boarding, Sky Diving & for the family --- Shopping...

If you need any other help just email us on [email protected]

All the best.

[cameron_roxburgh]

originally posted by Lena.

Paphos is quite "dead" during winter.

compared to Limassol, ayia Napa etc. etc. ???

no comparison

[LENA]

originally posted by Lena.

Paphos is quite "dead" during winter.

compared to Limassol, ayia Napa etc. etc. ???

no comparison

yes compared with the rest of the cities...Larnaca, Nicosia, Limassol, Famagusta

[Sotos]

Paphos will be boring for your 14 year old. Paphos is not dead in winter in the way that Ayia Napa is but Paphos is mostly for tourists and quite old ex-pats. Paphos could be an option only if you will work in the tourism or property industries or work exclusively with ex-pats. Otherwise go to Limassol. Limassol is bigger, it has more job opportunities, it is centrally located so you can go anywhere in Cyprus within an hour, it has more and better schools, more big stores and in general Limassol is more of a city.

[Johnson&Johnson]

Definetly Limassol

Paphos is nice but too small and there is a lack of work there

If you were a repatriated Cypriot with fluent Greek and a good handle on how things work out here then I would say go for it. But since you are English then I would advise caution. Many English people come here with dreams to escape but very few last. Unless you are retired or living off your investments then the key to success is to learn the language, mix with the locals and assimilate as much as you can into the cypriot culture. Then your eyes will be open to the REAL Cyprus and you will become much better at spotting opportunites. Also the local people will respect you more and respond to you better.

If you are too lazy to do this then you will fail. After all, how succesful would you expect a Frenchman to be in England if he didn’t bother to learn English ? You will end up mixing only with other expats, many of whom will be in the same position as you i.e scratching a living doing various trades with only each other as customers. Cyprus can be a tough place with no money in your pocket, it's not the UK where every recent immigrant gets a full benefits package and dole money dished out to them.

Also I agree with NoveltyVend - 50 grand won't get you far. Not at Cyprus prices. Especially if you are renting, paying private schools (a real killer !) and running two cars (a necessity here as no real public transport system on the island). In particular, the private school fees for two children will kill you, it is far better to send the little one to a greek school where they will learn the language, culture, and mix with local people.

Get out here for at least a few months before you uproot the family chasing a dream which doesn't exist. Get a job, learn Greek and see how it goes. Then if you start to make some progress and you think it is the place for you, by all means give it a whirl.

Sorry to be harsh, just telling it like it is.

[Radio]

jayt,

Whilst you are to be respected for wanting to improve your family's quality of life, based on what you have told us, Cyprus is not the answer; certainly not under your present circumstances.

I'm recently back from a week's property research in the Paphos district. In my hotel the bar and dining room staff (all cheerful and very efficient) were mainly from Slovakia and all were at least tri-lingual, if not more. I asked one, who had an honours degree, what they were doing in Cyprus on low wages, sharing cramped accomodation, working up to 14 hours a day, 6 days a week. Her smiling reply was, "I'm young, I'm single, it's an adventure, it's a way of travelling". Fair enough, but you are not in this situation; you are monolingual, you have a family, you have no special skill or qualifications.

As has been said, your 3 year old will thrive in a Greek school, but not your 14 year old. At a very difficult time in their life, emotionally, physically and educationally, you want to take them away from everything they know ?. They will hate you !.

You have £50k. THat will quickly be decimated by rent, transport, living costs etc. At some stage if everything worked out you would, I asume want to buy a house. A mortgage would be based on your salary, and you'd need a track record of employment to get one, by which time your lump sum could be considerably reduced, severely limiting your ability to buy. Also, what about earning enough to plan for your future retirement ?.

You've been to Cyprus many times on holiday; that is a world away from living here.

Your wife's marketability is limited by the need to look after your youngest, as childcare would probably not be cost effective.

Your job prospects are limited by language and lack of niche skills.

Outside of the military and seasonal workers the vast majority of ex-pats living on the island are retirees, with no need to work.

I know this is not what you want to hear, but the reality is likely to be that uproot your family, struggle for several months, alienating your teenager and end up going back to UK penniless and disillusioned.

My suggestion ?. Go to nightschool to get a useful qualification and then apply to emigrate to Australia - far more opportunities for you and the children.