# Should I move to Cyprus for work???



## hello_kitty (Dec 9, 2014)

Hello expats in Cyprus! I really need your advice for my decision-making on wheather I should move to Cyprus (Limassol) for work. I am a Hong Kong Chinese girl and beening living in Germany for 4 years now, got my master degree here and been looking for work. It is very difficult to find a job in Germany that suits my qualifications and skills, as I have been looking for 7 months already. As I was browsing through the job portal for Chinese graduates in Germany, I found one financial company in Cyprus looking for gradautes with Chinese knowledge like me. I talked to the company employee also at the career day fair and the job seems very interesting. 2 weeks ago I had a Skype interview with them, and in 2 days I am going to have a second Skype interview. I am quite excited about the idea of moving to Cyprus and experiening a different culture. Here are the pros and cons I have summarized:

Pros:

-interesting job at an international company in the finance field
-want to gather more international experience in a different country
-attractive weather and scenary

Cons:

-the salary is not as high as in Germany, it is just barely enough to survice there on my own I guess (1500-1800 euro gross)
-a big risk to move to a new country not knowing anyone there?!
-communication problem without Greek knowledge? Not sure if only English is enough


I just talked to my mum on phone, she is totally against it and prefer me to work in Germany, or go back to Hong Kong...my German boyfriend also thinks it is a bad idea to move to Cyprus.


Could you guys give me some good opinions/advice for my situation? I will be really tempted to accept the job offer if they do give me one soon.

Cheers,

Jenny


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

If your language/cultural skills are in demand I would pressure for more money - the salary you quoted is average for qualified workers in Cyprus, salaries here are depressed compared to western Europe. There is now massive interest in Cyprus from Chinese businesses and investors and half the advertisements and billboards along the highways are in Chinese, so it will be familiar to you. If it is an international company, english will be the dominant language, so I wouldn't worry if you have good english - you will get by and may be use this as an opportunity to learn a new language. English is also widely spoken in shops, bars, clubs etc. There is also a good mix of eastern Europe, Russian and middle-eastern/arabic culture here and Limassol is definitely the melting pot location.


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## Your Europe (Apr 10, 2013)

Hello Jenny, 

here is some more information on taxation in Cyprus: Your Europe: Income taxes abroad – Cyprus. This should allow you to calculate what you'll be left with after taxes. 

Good luck!


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## hello_kitty (Dec 9, 2014)

Thank you for the replies. I have decided not to move there after serious consideration and discussion with my family and friends...everyone I know is against. I will go back to Hong Kong for work if it does not work out in Germany soon.


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## Cleo Shahateet (Feb 23, 2009)

hello_kitty said:


> Thank you for the replies. I have decided not to move there after serious consideration and discussion with my family and friends...everyone I know is against. I will go back to Hong Kong for work if it does not work out in Germany soon.[/QUOTI
> 
> I know you have made your decision but have you ever visited Limassol before? I think it would be an ideal place for a single, younger person and a great experience. I am not sure what your work experience is but, I know I never made top dollar starting out and it was more about experiencing life, learning and exploring while I could and before settling down with kids etc. of course thinking and working on my career path too. Just curious other than your families input and salary being a bit lower than you wanted why did you decide against it?


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## hello_kitty (Dec 9, 2014)

Cleo Shahateet said:


> hello_kitty said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you for the replies. I have decided not to move there after serious consideration and discussion with my family and friends...everyone I know is against. I will go back to Hong Kong for work if it does not work out in Germany soon.[/QUOTI
> ...


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## Cleo Shahateet (Feb 23, 2009)

Thanks for sharing. It is always interesting to hear what people know or think about Cyprus before visiting. If you are already homesick and don't particularly like the beach and sun you are right it may not be the best fit. Good luck with your interviews.


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## lora04 (Nov 3, 2014)

I moved from the UK and i certainly dont regret it! everyone told us not to go and make sure we took enough money to potentially move back, but this could not have been further from the truth! both myself and my boyfriend are doing better, higher skilled jobs in the uk and my boyfriend is earning more than he did in the uk. I am not (generally the wages are lower) but this work experience is invaluable for me when i do eventually move back.. good luck!


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## Talagirl (Feb 24, 2013)

*Coming to Work in Cyprus*

I can appreciate that many people find it a huge decision to go overseas and find work - even going to live overseas has its ups and downs, but looking back I really enjoyed the various challenges of working in different countries and salary wasn't one of the major issues just so long as I could support myself. I knew my family was there if I ever needed to go 'home' but luckily never found that necessary. 

I came to work in Cyprus knowing that I would be working for longer hours for 1/6 of my UK salary - but we lived on my wages for 3 years. I gained far more experience in different branches of my profession here than in the UK and I got more job satisfaction here than in any other country I have worked.

I would say to anyone, to do lots of research and give it a go - money isn't everything and family will always be there to support you should you find it isn't right for you after all.


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## wizard4 (Feb 3, 2013)

I respect your decision but sometimes life throws us a curve ball, and its possible that despite the negatives and what family and friends advise, you take the plunge, many years ago I took the decision to immigrate to South Africa with my 4 and 3yr old, it was tough we stayed there 9yrs, but I have no regrets. And Cyprus is slowly getting back on its feet, it has a diverse culture.
Cheers Good luck


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