# want to come to cyprus asap



## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

Hi all new to this, this is the only forum I've ever joined. I'll try to keep it brief with all the relivant info. My wife and I are serious about relocating on a permanent basis to Cyprus. We have a nine year old son and both in our early 40s. I am a registered nurse with a degree in nursing but also have a strong retail background and sales experience. My wife has a Phd in medical research and is currently working as a senior lab technician. She also has a strong health and safety background. We will both be looking for work in the Paphos or Limassol areas and would consider anything. We would like to rent a property. We have to sell our home in the UK first. Can anybody give us advice on anything relivant jobs, state schools, renting cost of living. We are that keen to leave the UK and we are willing to sell our home via one of those companies that buy at a percentage of its value, has anybody used one of these companies? We have read some horror stories, we're not after a lavish lifestyle, just one where we can live and be happy in the sun.
Thanks for your time any useful contacts are appreciated.


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## positive pam (Aug 24, 2011)

Hi DandG, we are also planning a move to Cyprus and i just wanted to say that someone i am sure will be able to help with info you may need. I have found everyone very helpful and also, i have found extremely useful and helpful looking at other posts from people who have already done this or people who have asked the same questions. Have a look around the forum, you will find, i am sure, a lot of relevant subjects. I am sorry i cannot help you myself, my husband is a community psychiatric nurse but retiring at the end of the year, i was also a nurse but unfortunately back probs stopped me, so we wont be working, Anyway, good luck with your search.
Best wishes Pam.


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

*thanks*



positive pam said:


> Hi DandG, we are also planning a move to Cyprus and i just wanted to say that someone i am sure will be able to help with info you may need. I have found everyone very helpful and also, i have found extremely useful and helpful looking at other posts from people who have already done this or people who have asked the same questions. Have a look around the forum, you will find, i am sure, a lot of relevant subjects. I am sorry i cannot help you myself, my husband is a community psychiatric nurse but retiring at the end of the year, i was also a nurse but unfortunately back probs stopped me, so we wont be working, Anyway, good luck with your search.
> Best wishes Pam.


thanks pam ive only been qualified for two years and am disillusioned with it i like nursing but nothing that goes with it im sure you know what i mean so looking for a change in career. hope to keep in touch sounds like we have things in common doing lots of reaserch at the moment.
speak soon
darren


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

From what other people have posted here, you need to know greek to get into nursing in Cyprus and even then it's difficult as it's a who you know culture. You'd have better luck with your sales background.

Your wife will likely only be able to find work in Nicosia in her field. I know a couple of people with the same background as her and if memory serves they found some work in Nicosia, although where and whether it was a large international company they worked for I don't recall.

You will need to find a job in Cyprus before moving out, the economy is bad right now and unemployment at its highest (over 7%)


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

*thanks zin*



zin said:


> From what other people have posted here, you need to know greek to get into nursing in Cyprus and even then it's difficult as it's a who you know culture. You'd have better luck with your sales background.
> 
> Your wife will likely only be able to find work in Nicosia in her field. I know a couple of people with the same background as her and if memory serves they found some work in Nicosia, although where and whether it was a large international company they worked for I don't recall.
> 
> You will need to find a job in Cyprus before moving out, the economy is bad right now and unemployment at its highest (over 7%)


Thanks 
we are both seaking work before we come over i am willing to do anything to earn money my wife also is thinking out of the box and is willing to use her skills in different areas we have estimated a take home pay of roughly 1700 euros between us to be able to live out there is this realistic ?


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

You should be aiming for 3000 euros jointly. Yes Cyprus is cheap in some aspects but not all. Check out CYPRUSBILL


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

thanks zin very usefull link. i have been looking for somthing like that for days


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## Jacq17 (Jan 1, 2011)

DandG said:


> Hi all new to this, this is the only forum I've ever joined. I'll try to keep it brief with all the relivant info. My wife and I are serious about relocating on a permanent basis to Cyprus. We have a nine year old son and both in our early 40s. I am a registered nurse with a degree in nursing but also have a strong retail background and sales experience. My wife has a Phd in medical research and is currently working as a senior lab technician. She also has a strong health and safety background. We will both be looking for work in the Paphos or Limassol areas and would consider anything. We would like to rent a property. We have to sell our home in the UK first. Can anybody give us advice on anything relivant jobs, state schools, renting cost of living. We are that keen to leave the UK and we are willing to sell our home via one of those companies that buy at a percentage of its value, has anybody used one of these companies? We have read some horror stories, we're not after a lavish lifestyle, just one where we can live and be happy in the sun.
> Thanks for your time any useful contacts are appreciated.


Hi.......just a few words of advise. We moved here five weeks ago (with two children (11 and 16). We have a large Cypriot family here already so we are very lucky in a lot of aspects as we are not completly blind in the way things work here. First bit of advise is please do not sell your house through any of those companies. Unless you have an enormous amount of equity in your property, you will basically be giving them your house. They will buy it off you at such a low price and believe me you will need all the money you can get! It is not cheap here...it is pretty much the same as the UK for everyday living. Your child would need to go to one of the private schools (you are looking at anything from 5 thousand euros plus per year) if they do not speak fluent Greek as they will find it very hard to settle in. There are little bits of retail work (which we have noticed whilst wondering the shopping areas) but their first question is whether you can speak Greek. I don't have any idea what the rate of pay is but I don't believe it would be high! Clothing and shoes etc are very expensive as well! I'm very glad I did a HUGE bulk buy before I left the UK!
All of the above is just my opinion of course but I can not stress to you that you will need to bring as much money as you can!


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

Hi thanks for that would only consider using one of those companies as last resort we are lucky that we have roughly 50% equity in the propertie so it wouldnt be two painfull to sell at say 70% of value only as last resort as we would need that money to start our new life debt free only after both finding work we intend to rent on arrival we dont speak greak my wife is going to apply for jobs in private schools so hopfully that will help with fees i will do any type of work as nursing is not an option due to lack of speaking greek we will be doing the same regarding bulk shop also when vistors come over their bags will have stuff in for us i understand how expensive cyprus can be and how difficult finding work can be so we will not come over untill jointly we have acheaved a livable salary i thank you for your support and wish you and your familey the best of luck with your new life oh by ther way its raining here at the moment and we are sat in the house wearing jumpers


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## Jacq17 (Jan 1, 2011)

wish you and your familey the best of luck with your new life oh by ther way its raining here at the moment and we are sat in the house wearing jumpers[/QUOTE]

Thank you and yes I've heard the weather in the UK is pretty poor - family and friends have said that they have put their heating on already!!! Crazy! It's VERY warm here!!


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## steveg63 (Sep 5, 2010)

DandG, cant help with the work situation but can put some light onto the cost of living etc, we are a family of 5, 3 kids - 3, 8 and 11, my wife and myself, we moved over in March this year, cost of living is not cheap - however its no more so than the UK, petrol.diesel cheaper, fresh fruit and veg cheaper, and it tastes of what it is.........unusual concept I know especially after eating the supermarket stored fruit and veg in the UK!
We rent a large 4 bed house for 900euros a month, you could get a 3bed for anywhere between 500-700euros (Paphos area), I believe your child would need to go to private school due to not knowing Greek, expect to pay approx 450euros for this, you could probably get your weekly shop to 100euros a week and eat nice fresh home cooked food, its not cheap to eat out.
Hope this helps some, I think your 1700euros a month would leave you a little short, you would need at least 2000 euros to have any sort of lifestyle here.

Steve


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

thanks for that steve after doing more research thats roughly the figure that i came up with in the past when we visited on hoilday we have been self catering eating fresh fruit and cooked meats and cheese for breakfast and eating out at night we buy the fruit from the old market amazing i dont even eat fruit over here im a keen cook so in august when we were over i decided one night to cook dont do that on hoilday i got some goat yes goat from the supermarket fresh peppers and spuds and toms from market other bits from super market and picked some wild herbs sage rossermy and made a goat tomatoe stew type thing it cost roughly 7 euros for the 3 of us. i feel that the same dish over here would cost roughly the same using the cheapest cut of lamb (breast)
and with our average cost of a weekly shop at asda being £80 buying tasteless veg roughly the same thanks again hows it going for you if you would like to share your experances that would be great


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

I would advise renting rather than buying - if at all possible keep your UK property as a bolt hole. It is very difficult for families to make a go of things here, especially if they have no contacts or family network. If you could rent out your property in the UK you may be able to service the mortgage and contribution towards rent. If my experience is anything to go by, finding employment will be a big challenge (I too am educated to PhD with many years of experience in my field). I ended up doing part-time and working in completely different fields, and working in two cities before settling into a career (which is reasonably well paid by Cypriot standards, but only a fraction of what I would be earning in the UK). The whole process of settling into finding and settling into a new career took four years and would not have been possible if I had been tied to a property. You have to be very flexible and tolerant to get on. It was a huge culture shock for me. The biggest surprise for me is that I don't particularly enjoy the sunshine (which is as annoying as endless days of miserable grey in the UK) when you have to work in this heat, it can be a real grind.

The other advantage of renting is avoiding the other big cultural issue of few resales. Here people invest in their family homes and (although a generalisation) don't tend to move. If you bought a property in the wrong place for eventual career, you could be stuck with little chance of selling. I also know of many couples and families that have decided to go back to the UK but are stuck because the housing market is so glacial. 

Just a few thoughts, good luck on whatever you decide.


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

Hi
Thanks for that yea we will rent at first but we have no option but to sell here first to give us any chance over there thanks for the advice p.s were in cyprus are you currently living#
Thanks agian 
Dand G


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## positive pam (Aug 24, 2011)

Hi Kimonas, Just reading your reply to DandG and was wondering if you would say then that it's people with children who are having the toughest time re-locating to Cyprus, cos Im seeing many comments re schooling in Cyprus as well. Or is it just really important to make sure you have a job first. I am noticing many who seem to think that jobs will be readily available there(not you DandG) and so taking the plunge. How is it would you say for retirees, is it a case of just make sure you have the income and enough to return if it doesn't work out? And i agree, about renting, I have had advice not to consider buying there as the housing market sounds as bad as in England. But, after all that, if you can afford and choose to live there what a fantastic place it is-I just love it! :clap2:


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## steveg63 (Sep 5, 2010)

We have 3 kids and yes it is not cheap, but neither is the UK, we have no family over here but have made friends with a group of expats all with children, I know the 'expat areas' like Peyia seem to get a slating on forums like this but without the support of the expat community it would be very hard for families like ours to settle as quickly as we have, it would also have a negative impact on the local economy. The schooling situation is a real worry, however I believe there is a new minister of education who is keen to try and sort the situation out, we know the problems have been started by 1 school in particular, or should it be the wealthy business owner of that school, who's school is now full to bursting point.


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## positive pam (Aug 24, 2011)

Hi Steve63, please don't think i was commenting on any of you with families , i was just curious on peoples views and yes forums can give the wrong impression sometimes, but i think they are great and very helpful. I admire all of you who try it even if you don't stay. "It's better to regret the things you have done than regret the things you haven't" I have one daughter who has just emigrated to New Zealand with her family, a son who lives in Germany with his and a son who is teaching in Beijing so, i am all for it ha ha. I wish i had done it when i was a lot younger and i think good luck to all of you that do and i really hope it works out well for everyone. Ex-pat communities get a harsh press as such sometimes but as you have said they are an invaluable source of help and advice and have been for me as well. I would just say to all of you go for it and follow any dreams you may have! 
Best Wishes Pam.


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

positive pam said:


> Hi Kimonas, Just reading your reply to DandG and was wondering if you would say then that it's people with children who are having the toughest time re-locating to Cyprus, cos Im seeing many comments re schooling in Cyprus as well. Or is it just really important to make sure you have a job first. I am noticing many who seem to think that jobs will be readily available there(not you DandG) and so taking the plunge. How is it would you say for retirees, is it a case of just make sure you have the income and enough to return if it doesn't work out? And i agree, about renting, I have had advice not to consider buying there as the housing market sounds as bad as in England. But, after all that, if you can afford and choose to live there what a fantastic place it is-I just love it! :clap2:


I'm sure the challenges of relocating for retirees are completely different to those faced by those who need to work, with a different set of concerns. The need for securing work is of course related to schooling in that school fees need to be paid, so there is another level of challenge for those families that want to relocate. I've had quite a bit of experience dealing with families that move over with school age children - quite a few of these relocations end in disaster for all concerned when jobs change and fees can no longer be serviced. I think also that Cyprus is a challenging place to bring up children, with many teenagers especially stereotyping Cyprus as 'boring' and quickly tiring of the weather and the beach. 

I think Cyprus does have a lot to offer, and yes it is a great place to live, but it can also be very frustrating and I think (again from experience) that culture shock can be something that few relocators are prepared for. I don't think there are many decent jobs around - certainly not for professionals who assume that they can relocate their careers too. Casual work is always going to be unstable and not suitable as a basis for raising a family.

The concerns of retirees probably focus around guilt of leaving family at home, and doubts about whether they will be able to have frequent visits (or be able to visit back home), the issue of 'fitting in' and finding friends and activities, and of course issues of health as they get older. With careful planning, most of these concerns can be dealt with and there are many very happy retirees here to prove it. 

I think what we're seeing more recently as the recession hits home everywhere, is people in the UK thinking that Cyprus might offer a cushioned bolt-hole which they are familiar with through holiday visits - and now being part of the EU, a relocation seems on paper to be easy. Unfortunately, without very careful planning, many such relocations may, I fear, end up in bitter disappointment.


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

kimonas said:


> I'm sure the challenges of relocating for retirees are completely different to those faced by those who need to work, with a different set of concerns. The need for securing work is of course related to schooling in that school fees need to be paid, so there is another level of challenge for those families that want to relocate. I've had quite a bit of experience dealing with families that move over with school age children - quite a few of these relocations end in disaster for all concerned when jobs change and fees can no longer be serviced. I think also that Cyprus is a challenging place to bring up children, with many teenagers especially stereotyping Cyprus as 'boring' and quickly tiring of the weather and the beach.
> 
> I think Cyprus does have a lot to offer, and yes it is a great place to live, but it can also be very frustrating and I think (again from experience) that culture shock can be something that few relocators are prepared for. I don't think there are many decent jobs around - certainly not for professionals who assume that they can relocate their careers too. Casual work is always going to be unstable and not suitable as a basis for raising a family.
> 
> ...


Hi everybody
Just a quickie to say that the title of this thread may be somewhat confusing we are under no illusion that finding work in cyprus is going to be easy and under no circum stances will me move untill at least one of us can secure a livable wage as ive stated before we do not want a lavish lifestyle just to be able to manage rather there than here carefull planing and research will provide the answers im sure as well as others experance. we have a range of skills we can transfer. 
we welcome all advice and support
DandG


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

DandG said:


> Hi everybody
> Just a quickie to say that the title of this thread may be somewhat confusing we are under no illusion that finding work in cyprus is going to be easy and under no circum stances will me move untill at least one of us can secure a livable wage as ive stated before we do not want a lavish lifestyle just to be able to manage rather there than here carefull planing and research will provide the answers im sure as well as others experance. we have a range of skills we can transfer.
> we welcome all advice and support
> DandG


I take your point about your own awareness of the likely challenges that you face in planning your relocation. I'm sure the forum members will offer their advice and support. In part, my last response to this thread expanded into a generalisation to compare the challenges of retiree versus younger families and I did not mean to suggest that you in particular were unaware of the challenges involved. 

Employment is of major concern -and part of the culture shock that I mentioned is the general disregard for experience and transferrable skills here. It is much more likely that you will find employment through a contact or a face to face encounter. Employers will also tend to reset the experience clock and start newcomers on entry level salaries irrespective of experience (and to an extent qualifications).


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## positive pam (Aug 24, 2011)

Hi everyone, I apologise because it was me who took this off on a tangent and was just curious about comparisons and what experienced people had found. You obviously know what you are doing DandG and have thought about how to go about your move. I also didn't mean you when i was asking for info. and what i said was not meant in anyway as a critiscism of anyone, just a general observation of what i have read, written by people who have far more knowledge than i have. One question for you DandG are you general trained or psychiatric? and yes i understand how you feel about how things are going in that direction.
Once again, apologies if i led the thread away from the topic you wanted answered DandG I really wish you all the luck in the world.
Best Wishes Pam.


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

positive pam said:


> Hi everyone, I apologise because it was me who took this off on a tangent and was just curious about comparisons and what experienced people had found. You obviously know what you are doing DandG and have thought about how to go about your move. I also didn't mean you when i was asking for info. and what i said was not meant in anyway as a critiscism of anyone, just a general observation of what i have read, written by people who have far more knowledge than i have. One question for you DandG are you general trained or psychiatric? and yes i understand how you feel about how things are going in that direction.
> Once again, apologies if i led the thread away from the topic you wanted answered DandG I really wish you all the luck in the world.
> Best Wishes Pam.


No one has to apologise the title of this thread was meant to express my desire to leave the uk and all that goes with it thanks to everyone again
DandG;


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## livetoride (Dec 28, 2010)

*welcome*



DandG said:


> Hi all new to this, this is the only forum I've ever joined. I'll try to keep it brief with all the relivant info. My wife and I are serious about relocating on a permanent basis to Cyprus. We have a nine year old son and both in our early 40s. I am a registered nurse with a degree in nursing but also have a strong retail background and sales experience. My wife has a Phd in medical research and is currently working as a senior lab technician. She also has a strong health and safety background. We will both be looking for work in the Paphos or Limassol areas and would consider anything. We would like to rent a property. We have to sell our home in the UK first. Can anybody give us advice on anything relivant jobs, state schools, renting cost of living. We are that keen to leave the UK and we are willing to sell our home via one of those companies that buy at a percentage of its value, has anybody used one of these companies? We have read some horror stories, we're not after a lavish lifestyle, just one where we can live and be happy in the sun.
> Thanks for your time any useful contacts are appreciated.


have you thought about rent your house out here,if cyprus is not for you
then you have somewhere to come back too.
if all goes well then come back and sell,good lugk:clap2:


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## kevin and tracy (Oct 4, 2010)

DandG said:


> Thanks
> we are both seaking work before we come over i am willing to do anything to earn money my wife also is thinking out of the box and is willing to use her skills in different areas we have estimated a take home pay of roughly 1700 euros between us to be able to live out there is this realistic ?


hi there DandG, we have read all posts. very interesting reading, we too wanted to move from uk to cyprus but job offer over there fell through. so stuck here in uk trying to find work in cyprus. we are in the same boat, unable to move untill a job comes up. please could you help with finding work from uk ? who or where are you looking for work with. weve hit a wall and are getting no where fast... we thought about taking a holiday over and search for work face to face and try to pick up contacts that way. please any help would be great. thanks kev and tray xxx


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

kevin and tracy said:


> hi there DandG, we have read all posts. very interesting reading, we too wanted to move from uk to cyprus but job offer over there fell through. so stuck here in uk trying to find work in cyprus. we are in the same boat, unable to move untill a job comes up. please could you help with finding work from uk ? who or where are you looking for work with. weve hit a wall and are getting no where fast... we thought about taking a holiday over and search for work face to face and try to pick up contacts that way. please any help would be great. thanks kev and tray xxx


It would definitely be better to come for a visit and see if you can find any work as it helps to be face to face with potential employers.
You can also look at the links for job sites in the useful links thread to see what is available.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/cy...living-cyprus/37433-useful-website-links.html


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## DandG (Sep 3, 2011)

kevin and tracy said:


> hi there DandG, we have read all posts. very interesting reading, we too wanted to move from uk to cyprus but job offer over there fell through. so stuck here in uk trying to find work in cyprus. we are in the same boat, unable to move untill a job comes up. please could you help with finding work from uk ? who or where are you looking for work with. weve hit a wall and are getting no where fast... we thought about taking a holiday over and search for work face to face and try to pick up contacts that way. please any help would be great. thanks kev and tray xxx


hi sorry took time to really we are very proactive at the moment sending our cvs to all relevant companies and recruitment agencies also you are right you will like us need to take a visit to Cyprus because like here no body is going to employ without seeing the person but sending cvs is a good way of testing the water we are thinking out of the box using our skills as well as qualifications we have had to except that we may have to take a pay cut as well as a grade cut. if you would like to pm us please feel free what type of work are you looking for extra.


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## maggiej (Feb 17, 2011)

Some good advice. Best not to sell up in UK - rent if you need to. Someone here might be willing to do a 'house swap'. Spend an extended period here - say the UK school summer holidays. Return again for the winter holidays. Rent a modest property while you really get the 'feel' of Cyprus eg: Schools for the kids, employment opportunities, work permits, the climate, the cost of day to day supermarket shopping, transport, health care, property costs/charges, wifi access and so much more. There is much to learn about another country. Living and working here is very different from retiring here. Although most of the Greek population speak English - learning Greek is a huge advantage; from chatting in the local taverna to the purchase of property. I wish you well with your decision but do find out as much as possible and dont commit 100% until you are sure; especially your home. By joining this forum - you have made a positive first step. Try not to falter and take advice from those of us who live here (20 years in my case). Good luck.


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