# All Advice & epxeriences very welcome!



## TheCresswells (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi All

My family and I are seriously considering a move to Cyprus. We are in our early 40's and have two daughters aged 16 & 13. At the moment I am working as a mortgage adviser in the UK and have been involved with selling investment properties in Cyprus. I travel over to Cyprus every couple of months and know the island relatively well. As things in the UK continue to get worse and worse I wonder if now is the time to relocate and hopefully give my family a better way of life. My main worries I guess are things like the schooling for my youngest daughter and the healthcare facilities. I wondered if anyone with children the same ages had any experiences they could maybe share. I am having a trip over in the next couple of weeks to speak with some of the contacts I already have about job prospects. So much to research and plan!

Thank you for your help

Gill Cresswell


----------



## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

Please see my other posts in other threads to similar requests about information on schooling and the disruption a move to Cyprus can have on teenagers (for some, however, it is a positive change). You have to consider long term plans for your daughter's education. Bear in mind that (unless your daughter is particularly gifted at languages) the state system will be alienating and is not aligned to Advanced level study needed for UK Higher Education. Many local parents who use the state schools tutor their children in the afternoons for private A levels to send their children to Uni as the Apolyterion (school leaving certificate issued by State Schools) is only accepted as equivalence for A level study by desperate institutions which limits choice and quality of degree courses open to students. Private schooling is much cheaper than the UK, but many find the fees difficult because of the poor wages paid in Cyprus and the continuing rise in the general cost of living. Weighted against this, of course are the benefits of living in Cyprus - better climate, healthier, less stressful lifestyle, low crime rate, less bullying and safer school environments etc.


----------



## TheCresswells (Oct 4, 2008)

Thanks very much. I will take your advice. I know the wages are lower in Cyprus but can anyone give me an idea of average pay for office work? The other thing I would like to ask is about the temperature. Did you find it easy to get used to the heat?

Thanks
Gill






kimonas said:


> Please see my other posts in other threads to similar requests about information on schooling and the disruption a move to Cyprus can have on teenagers (for some, however, it is a positive change). You have to consider long term plans for your daughter's education. Bear in mind that (unless your daughter is particularly gifted at languages) the state system will be alienating and is not aligned to Advanced level study needed for UK Higher Education. Many local parents who use the state schools tutor their children in the afternoons for private A levels to send their children to Uni as the Apolyterion (school leaving certificate issued by State Schools) is only accepted as equivalence for A level study by desperate institutions which limits choice and quality of degree courses open to students. Private schooling is much cheaper than the UK, but many find the fees difficult because of the poor wages paid in Cyprus and the continuing rise in the general cost of living. Weighted against this, of course are the benefits of living in Cyprus - better climate, healthier, less stressful lifestyle, low crime rate, less bullying and safer school environments etc.


----------



## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

A good salary in Cyprus is considered to be anything over 1000Euro a month. A few people of course earn well over this (and many well under). The salary index (an international salary comparison of average pay) sets Cyprus at an average salary of 854Euro a month. I know office secretaries and administrative assistants who earn 650Euro a month in a full-time position. Bear in mind that there are more public holidays in Cyprus and most employers pay an extra (13th) salary at Christmas (and some a 14th at Easter) which boosts the pay packet at socially crucial times of the year. The jobs market is full of migrant workers who will accept very low wages which has driven down salaries, and at the same time the cost of living is increasing. Many expats are self employed, or draw from pensions, redundancy pay or rents to make ends meet. I found the differential in salary very hard to understand when I first arrived ( I am earning about 1/5th of my salary in the UK) but I can honestly say that you soon get used to it, and I haven't really noticed the difference (most of my UK salary would disappear in taxes real or stealth, the mortgage and the rest would be frittered away on things that I thought I needed, but didn't).

The heat is impossible to get used to. In summer the temperature in Nicosia easily tops 45 day after day and gets stifling (the government always publishes a lower temperature). It is cooler in the mountains and on the coast. Adapt to the local way of life - work starts early (6 or 7) finishes early (by 1 or 2) and sleep in the afternoon. In the summer city life starts at about 9 at night when people begin to socialise (the shops are also on a late shift in the evening). People tend to eat their main meal at 10 or 11 ish at night when it is cooler (27 ish). The City closes down in the afternoon heat in the summer. I've had many visitors try to battle through the heat becasue they want to be Mad Dogs and 'do something' during their vacation, and most have wound up very sick with heat exhaustion. The best advice is to go loco and sleep during the worst of the heat. The heat also accounts for the short school year. Most schools start in September and start to wind down in May. Another downside to the heat of course are the energy bills for AC (just as those in the UK complain of heating bills). There are warm breezes on the coast that are sometimes refreshing, but if you are sensitive to the heat, Cyprus might not be the best place to hang out - from late may to October everyone is hot and sweaty. Some places too are insufferably humid - best to investigate which places offer the best all round climate.


----------



## TheCresswells (Oct 4, 2008)

Thanks for the information, it is very very helpful. I have stayed at both sides of the island with work. I have to be honest i have spent most time on the east side in the Famagusta area and for some reason am drawn to Paralimni area to live. From your experience is there much call for English mortgage advisers in Cyprus? I was hoping to find work in that kind of market or the property market? That is one of the main reasons for my visit in a couple of weeks, to do some research and speak to the solicitors and developers I already know to see if there are any opportunities with them. My husband is self employed and in the trades so hopefully he would be able to find work.

I cant wait to get over again and start looking round and asking more and more questions!!

Are you familiar with Alpha Panaretti in Paphos and Giovanni Developers in Protaras? They are the 2 companies i currently represent. They have a good reputation in the UK, I hope that is the same with local Cypriots

Thanks once again for your kind help 

Regards
Gill Cresswell





kimonas said:


> A good salary in Cyprus is considered to be anything over 1000Euro a month. A few people of course earn well over this (and many well under). The salary index (an international salary comparison of average pay) sets Cyprus at an average salary of 854Euro a month. I know office secretaries and administrative assistants who earn 650Euro a month in a full-time position. Bear in mind that there are more public holidays in Cyprus and most employers pay an extra (13th) salary at Christmas (and some a 14th at Easter) which boosts the pay packet at socially crucial times of the year. The jobs market is full of migrant workers who will accept very low wages which has driven down salaries, and at the same time the cost of living is increasing. Many expats are self employed, or draw from pensions, redundancy pay or rents to make ends meet. I found the differential in salary very hard to understand when I first arrived ( I am earning about 1/5th of my salary in the UK) but I can honestly say that you soon get used to it, and I haven't really noticed the difference (most of my UK salary would disappear in taxes real or stealth, the mortgage and the rest would be frittered away on things that I thought I needed, but didn't).
> 
> The heat is impossible to get used to. In summer the temperature in Nicosia easily tops 45 day after day and gets stifling (the government always publishes a lower temperature). It is cooler in the mountains and on the coast. Adapt to the local way of life - work starts early (6 or 7) finishes early (by 1 or 2) and sleep in the afternoon. In the summer city life starts at about 9 at night when people begin to socialise (the shops are also on a late shift in the evening). People tend to eat their main meal at 10 or 11 ish at night when it is cooler (27 ish). The City closes down in the afternoon heat in the summer. I've had many visitors try to battle through the heat becasue they want to be Mad Dogs and 'do something' during their vacation, and most have wound up very sick with heat exhaustion. The best advice is to go loco and sleep during the worst of the heat. The heat also accounts for the short school year. Most schools start in September and start to wind down in May. Another downside to the heat of course are the energy bills for AC (just as those in the UK complain of heating bills). There are warm breezes on the coast that are sometimes refreshing, but if you are sensitive to the heat, Cyprus might not be the best place to hang out - from late may to October everyone is hot and sweaty. Some places too are insufferably humid - best to investigate which places offer the best all round climate.


----------

