# Moving to Cyprus Step by Step



## Edwin&EmilyPlaskitt (Oct 5, 2012)

HI,

My Fiancee and I are looking to move to Cyprus after we get married, we will be married in november and have got a hotel apartment in the paphos area booked for 2 months starting at the end of January 2013 we are looking to find jobs and stay in Cyprus for the forseeable future, however hard we have researched and looked up the in's and out's of making this possible it has left us with more questions then answers, we are looking for someone who has done this and can give us some helpful advice! We are both university graduates and have plenty of job experience in a number of fields, we will be 23 and 24 when we move. If anyone can give us advice of what jobs are available at that time of year and what procedures and processes are involved.

Many thanks Edwin & Emily


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## MacManiac (Jan 25, 2012)

Welcome to our forum, the friendliest in Cyprus in my opinion. One of your best bets is to read through previous threads (I know there are hundreds and hundreds of them) but we learned so much from reading them that many of our questions were answered. 

Very senior members of this forum say that, with widespread and growing unemployment, it is very difficult to find work. Cypriots tend, I am told, to employ friends and families first, and there is also an understanding that Eastern Europeans are preferred as they will work for low wages. Unless you have a particular skill or profession that is in demand, you may find it extremely difficult to find work. For many jobs an ability to speak Greek is an absolute requirement. If you are fluent in the language you will be in a much stronger position.

Veronica, one of the forum moderators, always advises people to (a) not burn their bridges in the UK (i.e. don't sell up and have nothing to go back to), (b) have enough money to be able to live for x months, and also have enough money to return to the UK if things do not work out, and (c) treat your stay as an extended holiday whilst you look for work. If you find work, and I am told that wages are much lower in Cyprus than the UK, that's great.

Private health insurance at your age is mandatory (unless you are working and therefore able to use the government health service), and there is no safety net at all if you fall on hard times. As you probably know you have an absolute right to come and work in Cyprus as EU citizens and there are lots of threads on this forum which explain in detail which forms you need to fill out and what else you have to do to be legal.

No doubt others will comment on the advisability of moving here to work. There is a wealth of advice from those who know. Some comments may appear to be negative but almost all the regular posters on this forum try and tell newcomers how it is, so that a false picture is not painted.

You should know we arrive on Cyprus on Tuesday next week to live on the island and so what I have written is what we have discovered and been told. We are in a different position to you as we both have index-linked pensions and other income, and do not want and do not need to work. This is the same position that many others on this forum are in, so opinions as to the advisability of your move may well be coloured by that situation.

In any event, the very, very best of luck and I wish you well. Life is for living, and there are only so many adventures you can pack into your "three score years and ten". The very worst thing would be to not risk it and years later sit back and wonder what might have been.


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## PatandDave (Jul 15, 2012)

MacManiac said:


> Welcome to our forum, the friendliest in Cyprus in my opinion. One of your best bets is to read through previous threads (I know there are hundreds and hundreds of them) but we learned so much from reading them that many of our questions were answered.
> 
> Very senior members of this forum say that, with widespread and growing unemployment, it is very difficult to find work. Cypriots tend, I am told, to employ friends and families first, and there is also an understanding that Eastern Europeans are preferred as they will work for low wages. Unless you have a particular skill or profession that is in demand, you may find it extremely difficult to find work. For many jobs an ability to speak Greek is an absolute requirement. If you are fluent in the language you will be in a much stronger position.
> 
> ...


Very sensible advise from Mac, all that I would add to this is, if you have financial security for at least six months, go for it! And if things don't work out and you have to go back home, as graduates you will hopefully find work and do as we all have and save, save save to eventually live your dream! The youngsters of today are far braver than we were!
Good luck, Pat


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## sandancer (Jan 1, 2014)

Edwin&EmilyPlaskitt said:


> HI,
> 
> My Fiancee and I are looking to move to Cyprus after we get married, we will be married in november and have got a hotel apartment in the paphos area booked for 2 months starting at the end of January 2013 we are looking to find jobs and stay in Cyprus for the forseeable future, however hard we have researched and looked up the in's and out's of making this possible it has left us with more questions then answers, we are looking for someone who has done this and can give us some helpful advice! We are both university graduates and have plenty of job experience in a number of fields, we will be 23 and 24 when we move. If anyone can give us advice of what jobs are available at that time of year and what procedures and processes are involved.
> 
> Many thanks Edwin & Emily




hi there,

my partner and I are makin the move in Oct this year, did yous manage to get out to cyprus, if so how is it going?


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

Cyprus has always been a challenge regarding finding employment that would provide a reasonable income for those needing to work for a living. The challenge is now extreme as the economy here is in dire straits and unemployment is high and set to rise further in 2014. In short you couldn't have chosen a worse time to consider a move here. Many younger expat families, and others who have seen their pension income drop as the challenges of living here increase are moving, or planning moves in the other direction. 
The population here is well qualified so that a postgraduate education is the norm, being a graduate here is not an advantage, most in low level employment such that there is will almost certainly be graduates. To stand any chance of employment you must be prepared to accept poor working conditions and very low salaries. It might be easier to give more specific advise if you were to give more information,what are your degrees in, what experience do you have etc. Almost certainly the better employment options wil be in Nicosia, Limassol or Larnaca. I would also not waste money on a hotel suite, have a couple of weeks honeymoon and then try to find a cheap let. It took me a couple of years to find a half decent job when I first arrived here, and that was in. The good times. Sorry to be a bit of a doomsayer, but it's better to hear it how it is, rather than to have unrealistic expectations...


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## Kalimera (Oct 19, 2011)

kimonas said:


> Cyprus has always been a challenge regarding finding employment that would provide a reasonable income for those needing to work for a living. The challenge is now extreme as the economy here is in dire straits and unemployment is high and set to rise further in 2014. In short you couldn't have chosen a worse time to consider a move here. Many younger expat families, and others who have seen their pension income drop as the challenges of living here increase are moving, or planning moves in the other direction. The population here is well qualified so that a postgraduate education is the norm, being a graduate here is not an advantage, most in low level employment such that there is will almost certainly be graduates. To stand any chance of employment you must be prepared to accept poor working conditions and very low salaries. It might be easier to give more specific advise if you were to give more information,what are your degrees in, what experience do you have etc. Almost certainly the better employment options wil be in Nicosia, Limassol or Larnaca. I would also not waste money on a hotel suite, have a couple of weeks honeymoon and then try to find a cheap let. It took me a couple of years to find a half decent job when I first arrived here, and that was in. The good times. Sorry to be a bit of a doomsayer, but it's better to hear it how it is, rather than to have unrealistic expectations...



Another bit of sound advice


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