Paphos People

Hello there,

After another wonderful holiday in Paphos my wife and I have decided to seriously look at moving over in the next year to 18 months. We are both in our early to mid 30's and have had careers in Investment Banking and Retail Management. I am also experienced in Scuba Diving (PADI Divemaster) and am a qualified Barber. We have absolutely no worries selling up and moving across and looking for work related to our previous experience. If this doesn't work we would consider starting a business.

My major concern is schooling, I would prefer my children (Izzy 4 1/2 and James 3) to attend a Greek school. Firstly for cost reasons and secondly for aiding integration for both them and us. Has anyone with a young family done the same? If so, would you mind offering any advice on location of school, level of education, whether you were happy with their development? Also, what would they leave school with at 18?

I have started researching this on the net but would obviously prefer info from people with direct experience.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Scott Mitchell

we dont have kids , so cant help , but other members have
and will be able to give you advice

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REACH 1000`s of PAPHOS CUSTOMERS EVERY DAY FOR A FRACTION OF WHAT THE OTHERS CHARGE
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Whilst the optimist and the pessimist argued that the whisky glass was either half full
or half empty ? .
I drank it .....
The opportunist..

Hi Scott,hope you had a fab wedding and honeymoon over here.You obviously did to be thinking of coming over to live.
My kids are grown up and married etc so I am not speaking first hand about schooling,but from what I have heard it is certainly not as good as the UK and the local schools don't seem to be where the expats send their kids.
Unless you have no work in the UK and you have no prospect of any then sell up and come over,but if you have a home and well paid jobs then my honest advice would be to stay put.
There are very few jobs in Cyprus for anyone but those people that are fluent in Greek may stand a better chance than others.
I have lost count of the people who have packed up and gone back to the UK due to lack of work and income and definately schooling for their children.
If you could afford to rent out your home and take a years sabbatical from work and have 20K to spare then come over for a year and experience living here first before burning all your bridges.
I hate to be stomping on your dreams but when you have children you need to know the facts and these days Cyprus is just as much in a slump as anywhere else and getting worse.
Renting over here is quite cheap.an old banger would do for a year and food is not expensive if you shop around or live in a village and get given fruit and veg for nothing like we do. When it is hot it is unbearable and when it is cold it is freezing and both cost money to cope with the extremes but there are 4 months of the year when it is lovely.
Not really answered your main question but just hope what I have said has helped in some way.
Others on here will know about schooling and several members have returned to the UK so know what it is really like.

I have no personal experience with kids of our own but as I understand it children start at about 6 years old in Cyprus.

I have heard they will need to know basic Greek letters and numbers before they start school and some knowledge of Greek. Generally greek parents who want their kids to get on pay for a lot of extra after school tuition. Up at Polemi School it is the normal. Children of English parents often struggle to keep up. So it is a very big move for the children. Also you can't just wander into Cyprus and take your children to school, there is much residency permits and the like.

I do know a fair bit about work and self employment. It does not matter how experienced or qualified you are, there is virtually no work unless you speak Greek, Russian & English and then you can expect to earn about 1/3 of the norm in UK if that. There are always eastern Europeans as well qualified prepared to work 6 days a week, 10 hours a day for less than half what you would expect. Unfortunately the same applies in setting up your own business, firstly Cypriots always use family friends or connections first in business. This is partly because of family loyalty and partly because money rarely changes hands. Cypriots only use British businesses if there is no alternative and even then they try and steal your ideas and set up in competition. Honestly I love the Cypriots, that's why I live here, but getting money out of them is almost impossible.

My advice is in your Mid 30's is stay in UK till your kids are out of school and save enough so you don't have to work out here. It is no fun working when every day the heat is over 35C and the power for the A/C is off, even if you can afford the A/C. In winter it is cold and very wet, in these houses I mean really cold. Even if you have central heating it is hyper expensive.

So its all milk and honey so rush over as soon as you can

I think you are getting the message that, unfortunately, you may need a reality check. A holiday is one thing, living here is something else.
As with PD, I like the cypriots too, and wouldn't live anywhere else. However, I don't need to work and have no kids here.
I hate to do this to you but.......
The clear fact of the matter is that you don't have any unique work skills, and it appears you don't have the language skills either. The locals (and eastern Europeans) have your skills and the language. If you were an employer, which would you recruit? Even if you got a job, you could loose it overnight with no compensation or comeback for the employer. There isn't the employment protection here that people take for granted in the UK.
As to setting up a business, for it to be a success it has to be something nobody else is doing. particularly as many business are going to the wall here.
Now to school, you have a choice of private school where schooling is in English or Greek school. Private school costs a lot, Greek school is free. However, if you put your kids in Greek school, be prepared for all the problems that might arise. Think about it, and it does depend on the school, but your kids will be the immigrant kids. Some schools try their best to deal with that constructively as is done in the UK. Some don't bother and leave them to their own devices. Also be prepared for all the issues that arise at the time of the year when the schools celebrate the armed struggle against the British colonial power.

Please think again. I have lost count of those who have returned to the Uk with their dreams shattered and a lot poorer.
Sorry.

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein

Well, I must say.... What a depressing and crushing bunch you lot are. Definitely a ray of sunshine this forum.....

Seriously, many thanks for the cruel but kind words of wisdom. Always a must to hear from those at the sharp end (good or bad)!

I am aware that Cyprus (and Europe and UK) are in a crisis state at the moment - I have been in Investment Banking for 12 years hence the motivation for moving. I am not interested in making a million in Cyprus, due to the frantic pace of our lives here we are looking for a quieter, more relaxed, less intense existence. As before, my concern will always be the kid's education.

Ok, does anyone on here have kids in a private school? Can they tell me the cost please and whether they are happy with the return on their fees?

As always - many thanks for all of the advice.

Scott

Scott, do a search on past threads to see how many young families move back to the UK, not because they don't like the great weather and lifestyle but mostly due to the education of their children and the lack of employment opportunities Cyprus offers.

It's a lovely place to live if you are retired or have no financial problems.

Good luck with whatever you decide

Maggi

Hi Scott,

I have 4 sons age 17 1/2, 16 1/2 10 and 5 - All my boys have been through the Greek system. Even though I am Cypriot myself I was born and raised in England until I was 11 and have been married for 20 years this year to an English girl.

All my children started in private Greek nursery at 2 and 1/2 and moved on to the Greek system when they were 4- We would call it pre-school it is called prodimotiki. I'm not sure when your children's birthday is but they will start year one in the September of the year they turn 6. 2 of my kids were nearly 7 when they started as they were born in January, one had not turned 6. The improvement in the school system since my eldest started school as been startling, especially the Junior School.

We have had issues at different times with my children in school, but not caused by the system some picking on and bullying - but I believe no different to what we would have experienced in England. When we approached the school they were amazing and it was dealt with on the spot and it stopped immediately.

Most Junior schools (showing my age now) have an afternoon school where the children can stay and do their homework and get help from the teacher. Once they go to middle school they are expected to be more independant and not be chased for homework. Basically if you want your children to have a good schooling you are expected to be an active parent.

My oldest son has just left school, infact he goes into the army tomorrow, he has achieved a school leaving certificate of 16 2/10 - he is bi lingual in Greek and English - he is a black belt in Karate, member of the Rugby team, has worked for 2 years in Macdonalds and a throughly lovely boy and we are very proud of him. His mark would allow him to go to college or a lower university but he's not decided yet but he doesn't want to go to uni.

My second takes after his me and is into drama and art, he has taught himself to play the guitar from the internet and is now very much in demand as a DJ with all the kids - him and his older brother have represented the school in the National debating competition helping their school to get to the finals which is a first for a Cypriot School. He could try harder at school but he is exceptionally bright ( he got hos o level in English - not as a foreign language at just turned 14). We have had to find extra curricular activities for the boys to do as the school tends to be for learning - sport within school is quite poor, but is available in the afternoons

My third son is still in junior school and he is flying - he speaks reads and writes greek and english the maths he is doing is advanced to England

My fourth son is in pre-school and all he is interested in is Ben 10 and Spiderman, but he is learning Greek and doing fine.

All I would say is learn how the school system works - it is very different to UK and you will be fine. You do need to get your children in to a Greek enviroment as soon as you can as learning the language at the moment is the most important.

Good luck in your decision and if you need any advice, please do pm

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djrock

Scott

I'm working with a lady who has been here in Cyprus the same length of time as me which is around 8 and a half years - in Limassol.

She is also British and has lived in USA and Greece before coming to Cyprus. Her daughter left school last summer before the final week of term from St Mary's in Limassol. It's a private school but the cheapest in Limassol with a big waiting list.

The girls receive lessons in Greek, Italian and French so she is multilingual. When she left Mother Superior demanded to see her mother and inform her because she left before she got her final certificates she would never get a job in Cyprus - to which my colleague calmly replied "she has and she started work last week".

That's 12 months ago and her daughter has just been made up to a Deputy team leader in the Customer Support department.

Note: you do not have to have a Catholic religion to go to St Mary's school but there is a long waiting list!

At the ages your children are and as it's unlikely they will have had any great school experience, the Government schools should suffice but you should be aware that many Cypriot families pay for extra curricular lessons but mainly because English isn't really taught until later. Your children shouldn't have a problem coming from English parentage and upbringing.

I would suggest you set your sights on a different area and steer away from Paphos as you're obviously from a younger generation. Get into one of the other cities where ages and nationalities are more varied and there are better chances of employment.

Unfortunately, it's probably the worst time you could make these plans as the economy is bad no matter which country you're heading for....

I've only had 3 weeks out of work since I came to live here but I'm not doing the work I used to do back in UK and would recommend this is the time to look at other opportunities rather than sticking with what you're familiar with. There's a good chance you won't get work in the same field so you have to be flexible. I work for an offshore company and these are known for paying better salaries.

So, take a couple of weeks holiday - longer if you get the chance and explore the island. Seek out other places, talk to expats who are actually employed and see what they have to say.

Best solution is to rent a property for 12 months and see how it goes. But, you have to make sure you have at least 2 years funding behind you (without relying on any income) and be prepared to purchase 2 second hand vehicles. Most companies work split-shifts so you may be expected to go home at lunch for 2 - 3 hours then go back to work later (usually in the summer May to October). If you have children at school, they tend to start anywhere between 07:30 to 08:30 so if one is working the other will need transport too as schools close at lunchtime - from 13:30 to 14:30.

Local transport isn't brilliant and you may have to be prepared to travel to work unless you base yourself in the seafront locations where the bus service is more regular.

It's very different seeing the island from a holiday point of view and on a permanent basis. Nobody wants to drive more than 20 minutes to work and back especially when it's 40+ degrees and the a/c doesn't cool you down enough as the sun beats down on you through the windscreen when you're stuck in rush hour (3 times a day) traffic.

It's worked for us but we know others that it hasn't so you have to be prepared to tough it out.

Hope that gives you another perspective? From 2 of us who are 53 years and 50 years of age....

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Regards
Shell

Hi Scott,

I think Shell has given you some sound advice regarding renting and 2 years funding, I wouldn't limit yourself to Paphos,

I have always worked strange hours so my wife and I have always shared the child care. She has been the one who has worked "normal hours" and has always worked straight through with no shifts, companies are much more flexible than 20 years ago. She works at the moment for a chain of hotels in their contracting department, and has been there for 2 years, her direct boss is a Cypriot gentleman and I use that word correctly. He is a wonderful boss and is always sending her on training and is very flexible when she's had to take a day off if the kids are sick, her social is paid, she's paid on time, when the staff do a good job they are told well done, they have employee of the month, a birthday lunch ( for everyone in the company whose birthday it is that month) with the directors. Maybe you could say she's been lucky, but she has only ever had one bad experience over here and that was with an English boss who was awful and would have been sacked in the UK - If you are flexible then you will have a wonderful life, we do, it's not perfect, but nowhere is and we love Cyprus - Warts and all.

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djrock

Huge thanks to all for the advice, I am overwhelmed by the help offered on this board. It has given me plenty to go on and highlighted some extra areas I will certainly give attention.

I am over again in September and will be looking at other locations as well as Paphos. I will be giving the schools and extra curricular activities some scrutiny also.

Thanks again and be prepared for further queries and hopefully updates on our progress!

just wanted to applaud Djrock and Cyprus with Babies for such great indepth and knowledgeable responces

life is what you make of it
these inteligent people and their families have made the most of what Cyprus has had to offer
sounds like effort has to go into it with after school curriculums etc etc
be aware that some families have found the change over too hard to contemplate and have gone back to the uk after a few years of the "dream"
but there are families here who have successfully lived here with extremely happy bilingual children
keep your house if you can in the uk.....maybe rented as your safety net
we where actually advised.....never to come off the uk housing market..and we haven't..even if you down size to rent out.....keep a property back in uk
fore warned is fore armed
all the best with your looking at a new life for you and your family
our children are grown up so have not been through the system
but having spoken to other uk families who have moved here and have raised their families here
not all feel bad about it at all
they love the fact.that their teenagers are not at all interested in alcohol!!!the blight of the uk!!!!
in fact it is quite common here to see teenagers in coffee shops happily drinking coffee and playing back gamon
we have repeatedly witnessed that old fashioned curtesy and manners are still the "norm" here amongst the young people
jobs......I know nothing about.....I do know that Cypriot families tend to send their children to UK Universities
but not all is doom and gloom
yes it is absolutely baking here in the summer months.....and yes it is absolutely freezing here in winter....but again forewarned is fore armed.......like us they are issues that can be dealt with successfully
take a deeper look is what I would advise.......and talk more to people like Djrock and Cyprus with babies as they know what they are talking about ..through experience
go in with your eyes wide open!!!
all the best
maggie x