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Moving as a nurse

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Pheasantplucker

10/5/2021 17:52 EST

Hi I have a conditional job offer for MWI salary around 90-95k. My wife and kids will be remaining in Ireland for the foreseeable. Plan is to be able to send some money home each month and live a reasonable life - nothing extravagant. I have previously lived and worked in the Caribbean so aware of island life and high costs associated with same but never been to Bermuda. Any advice re whether it is financially doable and specifics re living and working in Bermuda eg things to do before arriving and in first few months of arriving; best places to live, eat, socialise as an older married man who likes sports and is reasonably friendly and house trained!

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rahmank

2/18/2022 12:42 EST

Rent - far too high. I lived in Warwick Parish in a one bed basement flat. Rent was $2200 per month plus another $200+ for electricity (I was frugal with aircon, but my landlord kept nagging at me to turn it on as the houses get really damp - to the extent that the tiled floor is actually wet from the dampness)
And $150 for basic TV/ Broadband. So that's $30k out of your salary.

Food - literally astronomical. Basic Pizza is £25, not much cheaper if you make your own. I took to making my own sourdough bread - tastier and cheaper than the overly sweet American bread. I did a lot of fishing to supplement my food costs, but you gotta buy the gear, take as much fishing gear as you can with you.

Transport - buses are there, but has not been reliable lately. Cars are expensive, as is fuel - on par with UK prices - but the island is not big , so you don't do too many miles.

Big thing however is you will need to sit their driving test before you are allowed anywhere near a car. And it is really difficult, or rather, they fail you on a whim. It involves reverse parking your car in a very tight spot. The spot is adjusted depending on your car. I had to take three driving lessons (if only to get access to a car for the test). Cost me more than $500, including the fees etc.

Luckily I was very humble and passed the first time. My pal was not so lucky and he failed 5 or 6 times. Each time, you have to have a longer and longer gap before being allowed to re sit.

Also I had a car from work, but they kept moaning about my personal use.

On the plus side, scooters are very well uses (The old vespa type). Test for this is a test to see you can handle the scooters and they are not as expensive. Id guess more than 40-50% of the traffic is the scooters. Me? I fell off once whilst trying to ride one and decided that my life is worth the $500 driving test cost.

Boredom - it is very boring, lovely place though

Taxes - you will be taxed on your income - they call it payroll tax. Plus you will have to pay Union dues (compulsory), Health Insurance (compulsory - $500 per month ish) and National insurance type thingy and pension (you get back your pension contributions when you leave)

I had a job paying $130k and was sending money home, but decided it wasn't worth it, and took a job paying about half that in UK.

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XBDA

2/18/2022 08:58 EST

I would say that Bermuda is quite a bit more expensive than even the relatively expensive Caribbean islands (the ones I am familiar with are Grand Cayman and Curacao). But if you are living by yourself, then that salary range should allow you to send money home.

It depends what kind of sports you like: if it's running, cycling or swimming then you are set in Bermuda (running on the east side of the island is particularly nice as the old railway is now a walking trail). If you prefer training at a gym, golf tennis, scuba, etc. then expect at to pay around double anything you have paid anywhere else to do those things. Soccer and cricket are very popular among the locals.

Drinking and going out to eat are a central part of expat life but unfortunately also very expensive. My wife and I would often get a takeaway pizza and hang out at the Drama Society bar, which has the cheapest drinks on the island.

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Actuary

11/17/2021 23:03 EST

Sent you a PM

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