Anyone worked in the islands (bermuda)?

[Towers]

I recently went through an interview process for a company in Bermuda not really expecting anything, but I've come to the end of the process and the company has presented me an offer, but now I am coming across a number of horror stories from expats working in the islands and I'm wondering if anyone has experience working there.

Offer is from a large national company in Bermuda so i'm confident I wont wake up in bathtub full of ice with no kidneys, position is business dev. mgr. which equates to an account rep position anywhere else. $75k base with an estimated $45-$70k in commission ~5.5% payroll taxes, no housing subsidy and I have to pick up the tab for healthcare.

Wondering if anyone has worked there, especially in sales, and what the experience was like.

 

[Grey]

Bermuda is NOT "the islands".

It is nothing whatsoever like anywhere in the Caribbean, and there is essentially no violent crime.


I've never lived or worked there, but I've gone there several times a year for two decades. It is a charming place and I can't say enough good things about it. I got married there, etc.

There is absolutely nothing third-world about it. It's Britain in shorts.



TAKE THE JOB.

 

[dwyhajlo]

Can I jump in here with another, similar question?

I'm about a year off from graduating, and was thinking of going to Barbados and working there for a year or two when I'm finished. I know that Barbados is generally considered a lot nicer and more developed than most of the rest of the Caribbean islands, and I have a friend who absolutely loves it there.
I'm wondering if it is considered safe for foreigners (who will probably stick out quite a bit) to live and work there for extended periods of time.

 

[BossTweed]

My father worked in Bermuda for over a decade and I lived there as a kid for a number of years. Unfortunately for you, no housing allowance might be a deal breaker. Rents are exorbitant. Additionally, many people get island fever after a couple years because its so small and secluded. You should view this as a temporary move because for so many people it is, whether they initially planned that or not. Also, if youre single, the dating scene is tiny; what you might expect from an island with only 60,000 odd inhabitants. I'm not trying to discourage you from going because it is a safe island with a very friendly culture, but its also very expensive and very small.

 

[TRINI]

Originally Posted by dwyhajlo

I'm wondering if it is considered safe for foreigners (who will probably stick out quite a bit) to live and work there for extended periods of time.

yes.

 

[NorCal]

Damn, I hoped that this thread would be about secret off-shore accounts.

 

[ClambakeSkate]

I hear stuff like this, people seriously considering moving to a tropical location where they already have a job lined up, and I think to myself "WHY THE **** WOULDN'T YOU?!?!?" Seriously, sounds like an awesome opportunity unless you want to ski 200 days out of the year. Or hate the beach.

Are they making you sign a multi-year contract? If not, try it out for a year or 2, if it isn't for you, back to the mainland.

 

[kasper007]

a good friend of mine from Uni works at one of the big-4 and was asked to transfer there for a 2-3 years a couple of year back. She was initially super excited and kept bugging us that she couldn't believe she was "chosen" to head there and that she'd be spending all her time on the beach, etc. It took her about 1 months and she wanted out. Being in her mid-20s and having no friend or family there, she found it hard to meet people and found the place just way too small and lacking in pretty much every aspects (shopping, food, cultural stuff, etc). She also hated that it was dark when she finished work every single day of the year (may or may not bother you). And she ended spending so much to travel out of the island that she didn't save that much. Most firms have problems finding long-term competent staff so co-workers were not always the greatest (or has she put it "would never ever get hired into a similar position in Canada&quot.

It's hard to compare your salary as the vast majority of expats have full package so savings generally comes from having almost no non-discretionary expense. My friend kept the same salary, but paid almost no taxes and lived essentially all expense paid (housing, health, transportation, food, etc). I understand that housing is ridiculously pricey, which is unsurprising.