# have you got the answers



## lynnc (Sep 2, 2009)

Hi my name is Lynn and i am new to this forum. What i want to know is quite lenghty but hopefully i will get some answers.I am looking to move to cyprus with my child eight and partner. We are looking at renting for 12months first to see how things go then if all well hopefully sell my home in england and buy in cyprus. i have been to cyprus and know the area around protarus so could look that area. I am also intrested in Phafos but no nothing about it .
Now the questions .
Were is the best are to buy in potarus area 
were do the expats live 
what are the chances of getting a job My partner works as a manerger in social services with vunerable adults and as 18yrs exp does cyprus have a social services can not seem to find any links to this. however we will do any type of job
we have to in order to live .
also schools in this area what are the ratings.
wages how much monthly min - max what to expect 
rental long term monthly and best area to rent in

phafos same as all the above but with info on areas such as how far from main resort were is the main resort 
We are coming to cyprus in feb to look around areas so any info would really really help also how much would you say we need for the twelve months 
also is there many after school kids club /childminders .
thank you


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

Hello Lynn and welcome to the forum,

I'll try to answer as many of your questions as possible - but first a general warning that Cyprus is tough for families with young children. I would strongly suggest that you keep your house in England and rent if at all financially viable - if your mortgage is low/non existant, the rent recieved on your property in the UK would probably cover long term rent here as long as you don't set your sights too high - i.e. apartment or small town house rather than a rampant villa with pool etc. Buying a house is all well and good if you are settled have a good job and can see a long term future here, but i have seen many families who have lost both their properties in the UK and Cyprus when they realsie that they can't survive here and have to take a loss on the resale and end up lodging with parents back in the UK (back to sqaure 1!)

Can't help with location (I live in Nicosia) but Protaras and Paralimni is oriented to tourism and is largely dead in winter (and very few jobs) and active in the summer - although the recession has hit... Location and jobs need to be considered. there are probably more job opportunities in Limassol and Paphos or Larnaca and Nicosia than in Paralimni/Protaras.

Jobs are very few and far between and what little there are do not pay particularly well. I calculated the average wage from the first 50 jobs advertised on EuRES and it was 1100Euros a month, with maids and childcarers earning as little as 250Euros a month (but with accomodation and food thrown in) and skilled workers approaching 2000Euros a month (but I know very few people who earn anywhere near that and such salaries demand postgraduate qualifications normally) - most jobs were arounf the 850-900Euro mark. Bear in mind taht employers also will normally go for a bilingual applicant, so knowledge of Greek can be a benefit - having said that i have heard many people complain that experience and qualifications don't seem to count for much, and nepotism reigns supremem here and it is often the case that its who you know rather than what you know that counts for most in landing a job.

There are major obstacles when it comes to education. Schools are inspected, but there is no rating system - state school can be tough for older expat kids and there is a media story at the moment about racism and truancy and behavioural problems for expat kids in state schools. the government are trying to do something about it by introducing more Greek lessons - the qualifications obtained (school leaving certificate) is increasingly being rejected by external admissions bodies as there is currently no Quality Assurance Agency in Cyprus and the avlue of awards cannot be guaranteed. private schools are a mixed bag, but do undertake recognised extyernal qualifications - the cost is anything from 5000-7000Euros a year which for some is the best part of a salary.

I'm sure others will help out with other questions...

Good Luck. I hope I've not painted to dim a picture - with careful planning and lots of homework, it is possible to make a go of Cyprus and be very successful in tranforming your life - but you do need to do lots of careful preparations - for all the families that have headed back to the UK, there are those that are perfectly happy and are thriving - but it does take a lot of research and effort to get it right.


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## lynnc (Sep 2, 2009)

Hi Kimonas
Wow thank you for you reply and for taking the time to respond, We are coming over to cyprus to look around different areas in feb. and think it is best to rent at the beginning. I am looking at different areas then hopefully come out for 12 months to see how we get on if at all we do. Hopefully in 12 months i will have an insight into how things work and if they dont well then nothing is lost i tried and return back to england . Really dont want to do that so need to do my homework like you said. can i ask you somemore questions
Does cyprus have a social services for care work
will child benefit be stopped for 12 month while in cyprus
do i need to get medical insurance or will my E11 be suffice
do i have to notify tax that im not in england for 12 months
will i need a permit to work in cyprus
thanx again lynn


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