# To Cyprus from Australia



## aussiejourno (Aug 28, 2008)

Hi, I'm considering a job offer in Cyprus. I'm an Australian citizen, and just have a couple of questions. 

Working Visa - I don't have an EU passport - what do I need to do to work in Cyprus? Will my employer sponsor me - how long does this take?

Salary - does anyone have a general figure I can use to give myself an idea of salary expectations? I know salaries are much lower than elsewhere. I will be living with my partner in Nicosia, renting. I've looked on Cyprus Bills, but can't find housing prices, etc. What is a general wage (media industry, expat, with degree, etc)?

How does Nicosia compare to the rest of Cyprus? I've visited Cyprus several times and love it, but haven't spent much time in Nicosia.

Any other advice? Thank you so much.


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

aussiejourno said:


> Hi, I'm considering a job offer in Cyprus. I'm an Australian citizen, and just have a couple of questions.
> 
> Working Visa - I don't have an EU passport - what do I need to do to work in Cyprus? Will my employer sponsor me - how long does this take?
> 
> ...



I can't answer visa questions, but have a look at the EURES portal to get an idea of salaries in Cyprus. Of the 1400 jobs currently advertised, only 15 require a degree (in various fields). Of these the average salary is 1470 Euros a month with the maximum in the range being 3100 a month and the least being 800 Euros a month - the commonest salary for holders of degrees is about 1300 Euros a month. There were only 2 media related jobs advertised (both as lecturers at college in media related studies salary 2100 a month). What job have you got lined up? It might be possible to get a better idea of salary - is it journalism, tv, radio?

Nicosia is pleasant enough - lots of trendy eateries and night spots and oozing heritage and atmosphere if you know the right places. It gets uncomfortably hot in the summer and can suffer extreme weather (we've just had a major tornado rip through our district which caused millions of euros of damage - thankfully no one was killed but hundreds of trees were ripped up and tossed around into cars, lorries and buses overturned, roofs and watertanks collapsed and solar panels shattered etc). 

Traffic can also be a problem, so make sure you investigate an apartment somewhere close to work. Rents are reasonable, but they will put a big dent in the average salary. I expect your partner will have to work to to make ends meet...unless you settle for a studio apartment in a run-down district...


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

aussiejourno said:


> Hi, I'm considering a job offer in Cyprus. I'm an Australian citizen, and just have a couple of questions.
> 
> Working Visa - I don't have an EU passport - what do I need to do to work in Cyprus? Will my employer sponsor me - how long does this take?
> 
> ...


Check out In Business magazine. A few months ago it had published a study done by KPMG regarding salaries.

As for housing it depends what your requirements are. Apartment, house, house with pool, as well as the neighborhood.

Nicosia is ok. I would have rather be on the coast but remember distances here are short and you can be on the coast in less than an hour. Or you can be up on the mountains in less than an hour. Actually we have been going up the mountains for afternoon coffee and walk quite frequently.


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## aussiejourno (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks for the advice. My salary offer is around 1600 euros monthly to start, with a scheduled increase to come. I've been looking at rentals, and there seems to be a few options around 550 or so per month. Is this realistic?

How much would a young couple need monthly to live on in Nicosia (happy to live on a pretty tight budget)? No kids, etc. Just looking for a new experience, some beach time and a drive into the mountains every now and then.


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

aussiejourno said:


> Thanks for the advice. My salary offer is around 1600 euros monthly to start, with a scheduled increase to come. I've been looking at rentals, and there seems to be a few options around 550 or so per month. Is this realistic?
> 
> How much would a young couple need monthly to live on in Nicosia (happy to live on a pretty tight budget)? No kids, etc. Just looking for a new experience, some beach time and a drive into the mountains every now and then.


That's a good offer for Cyprus (my first job was considerably less) - Nicosia can be very expensive for the trendies - a coffee session at somewhere in the Business District will easily eat up 20Euros or so. A meal out for two in a good place will set you back a hundred Euros or so - but there are always alternatives. In the old city there are some quite lively markets and eateries set up specifically for the huge army of migrant workers and parts of the city now appear very multi-cultural with a huge variety of places catering for the low waged immigrant workers (ethnic food a plenty and very cheap). The average city worker wouldn't be seen dead in such places, but it would be a great environment for an adventurous young couple. It is also now possible to walk over the Green Line (cease fire line) through the ramshackled buffer zone and into the occupied zone of Nicosia where a night out is considerably cheaper. There are also buses there taking people to the beaches of the north which are only 20 minutes away. Getting to the beaches in the south is a bit more problematic as the bus services are a bit erratic as most people rely on cars to escape to the beaches (the best ones are very crowded in season and can be over an hour away). 

Have a look at the various threads on prices and do a few sums. I'd say its always going to be tight for a young couple who're looking for entertainment, but there's plenty of variety here even for those on a shoestring.

Good Luck


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## aussiejourno (Aug 28, 2008)

kimonas said:


> That's a good offer for Cyprus (my first job was considerably less) - Nicosia can be very expensive for the trendies - a coffee session at somewhere in the Business District will easily eat up 20Euros or so. A meal out for two in a good place will set you back a hundred Euros or so - but there are always alternatives. In the old city there are some quite lively markets and eateries set up specifically for the huge army of migrant workers and parts of the city now appear very multi-cultural with a huge variety of places catering for the low waged immigrant workers (ethnic food a plenty and very cheap). The average city worker wouldn't be seen dead in such places, but it would be a great environment for an adventurous young couple. It is also now possible to walk over the Green Line (cease fire line) through the ramshackled buffer zone and into the occupied zone of Nicosia where a night out is considerably cheaper. There are also buses there taking people to the beaches of the north which are only 20 minutes away. Getting to the beaches in the south is a bit more problematic as the bus services are a bit erratic as most people rely on cars to escape to the beaches (the best ones are very crowded in season and can be over an hour away).
> 
> Have a look at the various threads on prices and do a few sums. I'd say its always going to be tight for a young couple who're looking for entertainment, but there's plenty of variety here even for those on a shoestring.
> 
> Good Luck



Thanks so much! My partner and I both have job offers now, and will start out on a combined salary of about 2600 per month - this seems like enough to live on from what I've seen - what do you think? There are also scheduled salary increases in the next six months. I'm definitely keen to check out the ethnic eateries - if you could give me some ideas of places/areas to go, I'd really appreciate it. My office will be based in Strovolos, behind Acropolis Park. I was thinking of living quite close to the office - can you tell me anything about Strovolos?

Thanks again for all your help - can't wait to get over there!!


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

aussiejourno said:


> Thanks so much! My partner and I both have job offers now, and will start out on a combined salary of about 2600 per month - this seems like enough to live on from what I've seen - what do you think? There are also scheduled salary increases in the next six months. I'm definitely keen to check out the ethnic eateries - if you could give me some ideas of places/areas to go, I'd really appreciate it. My office will be based in Strovolos, behind Acropolis Park. I was thinking of living quite close to the office - can you tell me anything about Strovolos?
> 
> Thanks again for all your help - can't wait to get over there!!


That combined salary should be plenty enough if you eat at the right places and shop in the markets and buy local produce. Strovolos accounts for about one third of the city and the accommodation in it ranges from run-down refugee estates to very swanky apartments. The Acropolis part of Strovolos is considered to be one of the finer districts and is home to the mint/bank HQs and several embassies. Acropolis park is very small but a nice oasis - we walk the babies there as do many couples in the area. There are very few restuarants and little to no night life in this area which is largely residential. The old medieval walled (and divided) city centre where the cheap and cheerful eateries are is a good hour and a half walk away. There are a few erratic buses into town, but at the wrong time of day it can be a nightmare traffic wise getting in and out of Strovolos, so I would recommend living fairly close by to work and definately on the city side of the bisecting freeway. Latsia is also a good place to find accommodation if you're prepared to cycle to work as you can avoid the freeway traffic by using the school footbridge into town.There are still many apartment complexes being developed in the area and you may find you can haggle a decent rent. I'd go for unfurnished as they are cheaper. Acropolis is also quite close by the US style Mall complex with its cinemas, entertainment complex and IKEA for cheap furniture.

Do give me a shout if you need any other info & Good luck!


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## aussiejourno (Aug 28, 2008)

kimonas said:


> That combined salary should be plenty enough if you eat at the right places and shop in the markets and buy local produce. Strovolos accounts for about one third of the city and the accommodation in it ranges from run-down refugee estates to very swanky apartments. The Acropolis part of Strovolos is considered to be one of the finer districts and is home to the mint/bank HQs and several embassies. Acropolis park is very small but a nice oasis - we walk the babies there as do many couples in the area. There are very few restuarants and little to no night life in this area which is largely residential. The old medieval walled (and divided) city centre where the cheap and cheerful eateries are is a good hour and a half walk away. There are a few erratic buses into town, but at the wrong time of day it can be a nightmare traffic wise getting in and out of Strovolos, so I would recommend living fairly close by to work and definately on the city side of the bisecting freeway. Latsia is also a good place to find accommodation if you're prepared to cycle to work as you can avoid the freeway traffic by using the school footbridge into town.There are still many apartment complexes being developed in the area and you may find you can haggle a decent rent. I'd go for unfurnished as they are cheaper. Acropolis is also quite close by the US style Mall complex with its cinemas, entertainment complex and IKEA for cheap furniture.
> 
> Do give me a shout if you need any other info & Good luck!


Thanks a lot - you've been really helpful!! Last question (for now, anyway) - we have an apartment to look at when we arrive, but want to stay somewhere for the first few days. Can you recommend any hotels, etc in the Strovolos area (near Acropolis Park)?


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

aussiejourno said:


> Thanks a lot - you've been really helpful!! Last question (for now, anyway) - we have an apartment to look at when we arrive, but want to stay somewhere for the first few days. Can you recommend any hotels, etc in the Strovolos area (near Acropolis Park)?


The Park area is a bit short on hotels - probably the nearest would be the Europa but I've never stayed there(its a three star). Details of hotels near Strovolos can be found at:

Booking.com: Hotels in Strovolos. Book your hotel now!

There are one or two a fraction closer to the park but you would have to walk a few kms through the urban jungle, whereas the Europa offers walks in parkland to get to the Acropolis area - have a look at Google earth to get your bearings on the sattelite map included on the page...

Strovolos in Cypriot dialect means 'tornado' and a few weeks ago we suffered quite a serious tornado which ripped through the Athalassa park and into Strovolos causing considerable damage - Many mature trees were ripped up by the storm and quite a few properties damaged - so its not looking as pretty as it once was. Some areas were untouched but quite large swathes of the district had their water tanks and solar panels destroyed, roofs ripped off portacabin buidlings etc. So before you rent, make sure that the roof top ameneties are not damaged (or have been repaired).


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