papabri
9/25/2013 16:31 EST
In case some future expat finds this helpful, here's my list of pros and cons about life in Bermuda coming from a 29 year old Canadian CPA(CA):
Pros: -Salaries are pretty good. As an audit senior you'll start at $70k+ (I believe $72k for the 2013 hiring season) -The island is picturesque and beautiful (turquoise water, white sand beaches, nice rock/coral formations) -Lots of young people in the 25-35 age group (the women on this island actually put in effort to keep their bodies active/healthy) -Lots of outdoor activities like running, tennis, rugby, roller/ball hockey, etc -Watersports are easily accessible here (boat rentals, scuba, snorkeling, wakeboarding, etc) -The partying here is excellent (our group seems to end up on a big boat rental every weekend during the summer) -Everything is a short drive away -You can drink on the beaches or in public parks here (bbq's are also ok) -If you want to order cable tv, you can get canadian channels like TSN, CBC and even SportsNet depending on your provider and the package you choose (Yes I love hockey)
Cons: -The tax rate is 5.75% from each paycheque -My portion of health/dental insurance is about $306/mo and the coverage is terrible (you'll still have to co-pay $80 for teeth cleaning from a dental hygeniest for example) -The speed limit is 35k/h (comparable to a grocery store parking lot - realistically you can drive 50k/h and the cops won't pull you over) -Bermudians have no concept of customer service (not a lot of competition on the island so there isn't much incentive for them to care about earning your money) -When you eat out at a restaurant, 99% of the time gratuity of 17-20% is included in the bill "for your convenience" (more like for the restaurant's convenience so they don't have to work for it!) -Rent is expensive although it's gotten a bit better (I pay $1,250 for a 1br, 8 min drive to town) -EVERYTHING else is also expensive (food/beer prices aren't bad compared to canada, but clothes, shoes, groceries, internet/cell/tv, all expensive) -Island is very protectionist (high duties for imports, lots of restrictions on business ownership) which results in high prices and low quality of services -The economy is shrinking here and the gov't runs deficits annually, so the likelihood of improvement in the next 5 years is low, meaning fewer and fewer jobs -Gambling is illegal except for cup match weekend (crown and anchor is the only gambling you can do) -Strip clubs are illegal -Marijuana is illegal -You can't buy alcohol on sundays (although I can go to my tennis club on sunday and buy booze from them so there are ways around this archaic law) -Take out food options are extremely limited and very expensive (although a chain of Buzz restaurants opened up in all the Esso gas stations on the island. They're open late and have better prices than other places in bermuda for things like wraps $10, sandwiches $10 and pizza $9-$16, among other things)
I would definitely recommend trying the island for yourself for 1 work contract and see what you think.
Hope this helps someone.
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