Working and living in bermuda islands???

lisa_eire

I am currently considering a move to bermuda islands for work.just wondering if anyone could tell me about the place ie culture,socially etc!!

parko202

hey,

I lived and continue to return to Bermuda for the past 6 years. It is a beautiful island to live on and working there can be a great experience. I presume you have a job sorted or interviewing for one as you will not be able to stay longer than 2 weeks if you are just going over to seek employment. Work visas cause a lot of problems and it is generally easier to have the company you are working for sort it out.

The salaries tend to be quite high in comparison to Ireland however this has been slightly reduced due to the fall in the dollar. Cost of living when I first was living there was quite high compared to Ireland but now a lot of the things will be similarly priced, you will still find food shopping expensive.

The island has a decent transport system so if you are not close to Hamilton (the centre) you should be relatively close to a bus / ferry route. Sadly there has been an increase in crime with gang violence becomming more prevalent however this is self contained and is quite easily avoided by avoiding certain areas which will be made quite obvious to you when you move there.

Socialising tends to revolve around drinking (nothing new to irish people then) and there are sufficient irish and english people living there for you to settle in easily. Bars such as the Beach, Robin Hood and Docksiders would be popular for sports and there are a number of friday night happy hours in hotels.

In terms of things to do, most activities are water based so jet skiing, diving, swimming etc. There are a few rugby clubs over there which may be a way of meeting people also.

Im sure i've missed out a few important things but PM me if you're wondering about anything else.

lisa_eire

Heya parko,
many thanks for your reply about bermuda.yes i have a job pre arranged just waiting to apply for my visa.Is it best to arrange accomadation before you go over or is it handy enough to get some when you are over there???also in relation to internet access do u think its worthwhile to bring over a laptop or is the access quite good??
thanks for your help!!

RH149

Hi Lisa,

I lived there for a few years and envy you going out to experience 'The Rock' for the first time. It's a beautiful place but be prepared, it's very very small -most new expats get what they call ' Rock fever' after a few months (a claustrophobic feeling due to the island, and it really is just one island, being 22 miles long and two miles wide!) but you get over that and you can fly to New York in just over an hour if you get a dose of Rock Fever. The beaches are all beautiful (do you watch Lost.....know it's filmed in Hawaii but it could be Warwick Long Bay in Bermuda!) the weather (apart from June to October which is really humid) is gorgeous and it's just an unbelievably pretty place. Great social life - especially with the good weather, lots of bbqs and beach parties.....can I come too!
The downside....there is quite an 'us and them' culture - you'll be an expat and Bermudians will be very polite and welcoming but I always felt a simmering resentment amongst the locals (as Bermudians like to refer to themselves) and expats. Expats get good salaries but pay outrageous rent (to Bermudians who still seem to resent them) and usually work longer hours......expats tend to socialise with other expats but thats probably the case wherever you have a lot of immigration. Its a very very expensive place to live - factor that in when considering whatever salary you've been offered. I already mentioned the crazy rents - when I left a loaf of bread in the supermarket was $4.50- $5.00, 2 litres of milk about $4 and don't even go there with the electricity bills!! (AC is necessary and expensive). It's still all worth it though!!
Regarding accomodation, we organised our own online before we moved out there which was a mistake as it wasn't a great location and we moved as soon as we could. Most relocation packages offer you a few weeks if not the first month's accomodation and then you go house/flat hunting when you get there. Can give you a few ideas -if you need any pm me before you go.
Internet access is fine - you could bring your laptop to save you buying one there (yes...expensive!) but you will pay tax on it when you arrive (don't exaggerate it's value!!). Very handy for making Skype calls home in those first few weeks.....avoid the expensive phone bills!

When are you going?

:):) You'll love it!

Happy Monday

lisa_eire wrote: »

Heya parko,
many thanks for your reply about bermuda.yes i have a job pre arranged just waiting to apply for my visa.Is it best to arrange accomadation before you go over or is it handy enough to get some when you are over there???also in relation to internet access do u think its worthwhile to bring over a laptop or is the access quite good??
thanks for your help!!

Lisa - Can I ask what type of job is on offer on the islands?
Are you a lawyer or accountant - are there many jobs out there for expats? - would love to go there for 18 month-2 year stint.