Category: Blog

There is no doubt that moving abroad is an emotional and life-changing process…. and you’d have to be super calm and level-headed to relocate overseas without any wobbly moments. I was in a strange nervous state for most of the last month before we relocated to Cayman! I had some sleepless nights and I think my husband got a little worried about my tearful moments…

When you get a call from a recruiter in that exotic location overseas asking if you’ve ever considered relocating for your dream job, you will most likely be a little overwhelmed! Excitement will come first – what could be better than living on a sunny island sipping cocktails and lounging on the beach with beautiful new friends? But then the nerves and ‘reality’ will set in. What about my partner getting a job, what about my house, and my dog, cat, elderly relatives, existing employer?

As someone who made this move with my husband (and without a job of my own!!!), I must say that I don’t regret the decision. Island life has a different pace, the commutes are so much shorter, it feels like we have a lot of extra time to spend doing nice things and the constant sunshine helps me through any down days. I’ve picked my violin up again and have time to read! And I don’t miss out on my aerobics classes due to traffic delays anymore. Grand Cayman is BIG on the running and triathlon side of things – You’d think it’d be too hot to exercise here, but with the amount of food and drink consumed in those first few months on island, most people take up jogging to make up for the ‘Cayman 10 pounds’ they put on without realising it, just be enjoying island life!

I’ve been living in Cayman for just under 3 years now, and my husband Paul and I have had loads of visitors from back home. It’s always great fun showing friends our little slice of paradise and doing all the ‘touristy’ things again. When they’re about to fly back home, visitors invariably tell us that they wish they could live here and that we’re “so lucky”.

Well, we are lucky because things have fallen into place for us, and we have good jobs in paradise, which are not always easy to come across. But, we also took the leap and made it happen. We packed up the home we’d only recently bought, said emotional farewells to our families and quit our jobs… When I handed my resignation in to my lovely previous employer back in Bristol, it was with a heavy heart and a hell of lot of doubt.

Sometimes a Skype interview and promise of a job across the globe from someone you have never met in person just seems unreal and like some sort of elaborate joke!

Living overseas isn’t something everyone wants to do and I’m not saying your life is incomplete without doing it. But, if you’ve got a bit of wanderlust and you wish you could live abroad, it won’t come to you unless you make it happen. Apply for that job, speak to that recruiter, say yes to those interviews.

Most employers will initially offer an overseas employee a contract of 6 months to 2 years, so it can be a temporary experience. If you don’t like it, it doesn’t have to be forever. But in my experience, most people love it and want to extend beyond the 2 years!

What are you waiting for? 🙂

In the spirit of ‘New Year, New You’, you might be considering a career move. With the winter in full swing, you may also have thought about emigrating!?

What if you could live in the beautiful Caribbean at the same time as advancing your CV and career prospects?

Having worked in the Cayman Islands for two and a half years now, I have learnt a lot about the growth benefits from a personal and professional point of view. The personal benefits seem fairly obvious (sun,sea,sand, shorter commutes and more free time, the fun ex-pat lifestyle… :

So, what about the benefits from a professional growth point of view?

The Cayman Islands is a world-class financial services hub! Having spoken with candidates I’ve placed within FS over here in Cayman, and having watched their careers play out, I can honestly say offshore experience can do wonders for your CV! Multi-national companies often expect applicants to have undertaken at least one expatriate assignment.

Here are some of the benefits of gaining offshore experience:

• Specialist knowledge – The offshore industry is a very specialist sector. As an Audit Senior in the Cayman Islands, for example, you would most likely be responsible for managing a varied portfolio of financial services clients (funds, trusts, SPVs, insurance, banking…) You would gain invaluable exposure to US GAAP and IFRS as well as a strong knowledge of international fund structures. Honing your specialist skillset and knowledge can greatly improve your employability internationally.
• Scope for progression – In light of the specialist knowledge required when working offshore, full training is invariably offered. Professional training will provide you with the ability to widen your expertise and give you a competitive edge over other applicants who have stayed closer to home. This will allow you to progress more quickly and is a route to ‘fast-tracking’ your career.
• International contacts – Working offshore means working in a diverse workplace. You will have the opportunity to meet and network with professionals from all over the world. This will broaden your horizons and may get you headhunted to other jurisdictions later down the line!
• Financial benefits – As a tax-free environment, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda (and other offshore jurisdictions) offer the chance to build on your savings. A lot of companies offer a tax-free bonus on top of your annual salary! Many companies will also offer a generous relocation allowance.

So, even if it’s a temporary option for you, taking the leap offshore could truly enhance and develop your career!

So, when I say ‘sun’ I mean the Cayman Islands… but you might be able to apply some of this to moving elsewhere!

It’s easy to dream about living on a sun-soaked island, with a balcony overlooking the clear turquoise sea, sipping a cocktail after a fulfilling day’s work… But could you really make that dream a reality?

I did. And I assist a lot of job seekers who are looking to do the same.

As a recruiter in the Cayman Islands, I answer a lot of questions daily about how to make this move, so here is a short list of my top tips:

1. Before you start applying for jobs, chat with your family! Make sure it’s the right time to make this life-changing move.I’ve known several people who have been offered interviews (and even jobs!) here, before they’ve checked that their husband/wife/partner/children/dog wants to move too! Although social media makes Cayman feel close to home, it is a pretty long flight to most places…so a long-distance relationship would be tough I’d imagine.

   Cayman’s rules on bringing a partner/family across with you mean that you can bring your wife/husband (but not girlfriend/boyfriend) and child (usually up to 2 kids) across as a ‘dependent’ on your work permit. The company has to agree to this, as every dependent costs between $250 and $500/year to your employer!

2. Do a lot of research into the industry here. Are your skills aligned with the vacancies you see advertised? Would this be a good career move for you?The Cayman Islands is one of the top 10 international financial centres in the world. Gaining offshore experience can lead to excellent opportunities for career progression, and can be a spring-board to work in other jurisdictions (Singapore, Hong Kong, Bermuda etc.). Overseas work experience (often with a global company) will also make you stand out from the crowd when (if) you look to return home.
3. When you’ve decided to start applying for jobs here, make sure you understand the immigration laws.In the Cayman Islands, local candidates have first refusal on all vacancies. This means that you will only be offered employment here as an expat if your career experience and qualifications tick ALL of the boxes for the vacancy you are applying for. Therefore, assistant/junior level vacancies (accounts assistant, administrator, HR admin etc.) will tend to be solely available to Caymanians/Status holders/Permanent Residents. For example, (as a rule) Accountants who are fully qualified with at least 3 years’ PQE and Legal Secretarial who have a commonwealth law background and have worked with magic circle firms,are preferred.

   You need to work on your CV before you send it out, and make sure it’s totally relevant to the vacancies you’re applying for. If you’re not sure how to write a great CV or cover letter,get a recruiter to help you.

4. Which brings me to my fourth tip! Choose a recruitment agency and stick with them. Although there is a fantastic selection of top firms in Grand Cayman, it is still a small island!Practically all companies on the island use agencies to assist with their recruitment. There are five agencies based in Cayman (and more overseas who recruit here), so be selective! Work with one agency, so that you don’t end up with your CV on every HR Manager’s desk more than once. Build a good honest relationship with a (friendly) recruiter and put a plan of action together. Duplication of candidates’ CVs needs to be avoided, and even the greatest applicant is in danger of being black-listed if their application comes through the door 5 times via 5 different avenues.

   Working with one agency can help you to ensure you can keep track of your job search, to ensure a streamlined process and land your dream job at the end of it!

5. Booking a trip to the island during your job search is an excellent way of scoping the place out, but this also allows you the opportunity to meet a recruiter in person and attend face-to-face interviews (which is always preferable to phone/skype interviewing).

If you’d like to know more about living and working in the Cayman Islands, I’d love to hear from you on (345) 943-2020. If you prefer email, send me a note to [email protected] or PM me on LinkedIn. I’m always happy to help.

Affinity is a boutique recruitment agency located in the heart of the business district of George Town, Grand Cayman. Dedicated to providing quality recruitment solutions to our clients, we seek to offer tailored solutions for job seekers and employers. We offer a personalized and responsive service, making sure our clients are managed with efficiency and professionalism at all times.

Check out our website for our job listings and additional information. We’re also active on social media, so please follow up on LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter where we share details of our services, vacancies, top tips for job seekers and updates on our team’s activities!

The way we interact via the Internet has changed significantly over the past 10 years. For professionals, managing the balance between having a private life, being seen to be media savvy and actively promoting yourself on social media is a tightrope. In order to manage this balancing act, we have put together some top tips and advice to help you to become a professional social media user:

1. Do you need to have a profile?

Depending on your role, the importance of having a public social media profile can vary. Certain roles demand that you have a squeaky clean media profile, such as teacher, police officer, lawyer etc. If you want to be seen as a key player in your industry, then you may need to have a presence on business sites such as LinkedIn. If you have reached a certain professional stage in your career, then showing that you ‘get’ social media is crucial. So be brave, take the first step! However, if you have open images of you having rather too much of a good time, regardless of when, take them down (or ensure your security settings are tight!). You must manage your profile, one way or another. Very few people can hide from it these days, which brings us on to the next rule:

2. Be genuine but behave as though your mother is proof reading your updates and posts.

It doesn’t matter whether you are using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn as your media network of choice. Whatever you are writing, don’t try to be someone else, be genuine. Keep it as clean as possible and ensure that when you express your views via social media, you think about how these come across to those who don’t know you. Googling is a standard background check for potential employers and what they find can be used for you or against you. Being seen to have fun is OK, as is having a personal life. But coming across as too opinionated, close to the wrong people, unreliable or biased can get you fired before your resume touches the desk.

3. If in doubt, don’t do it.

For professionals, LinkedIn is probably the most useful media. You can just have a professional presence or choose to blog, support causes, companies, networks and trends you think are important. If your company or profession is better represented in images, join Instagram. If you or your company wants to join more detailed discussions, this is when Facebook and/or Twitter come into play. But beware. Understand the difference between personal and professional and draw a very definite line in your own mind, and your actions. Social media grows connections that were never possible 10 years ago. It has made the world a smaller, more connected place. Social media can be an excellent tool for career development and networking. Misuse of social media on the other hand could affect your career in a negative way, so be an honest social media butterfly and always double check what you put out there!

Well my year so far has been ever so busy! This island has so much to offer.

Here’s a recap of what I’ve been up to in the Cayman Islands in 2016. Most of the events I’ve listed are annual, so this might give you some pointers for 2017!

New Year’s Eve was spent with friends on Seven Mile beach. Luckily our friends have an apartment right next to Royal Palms (the main beach bar/club on island)…so rather than paying a lot of go into their “arena” we sat on the sand next door for free with beers and listened to the blaring music. We couldn’t sit for long though, as we had to dodge many horizontal fireworks!!! It was madness how many people felt it was a good idea to set fireworks off in their bare hands. We ran into the (warm) sea for the countdown to New Year. What a way to start the 2016!

Taste of Cayman (January) – www.tasteofcayman.org It is well known that I love food and wine. All restaurants on island showcase their best dishes at this festival. There were some incredible fish dishes this year and I can still remember the taste of the salted caramel ice cream with a hard melted chocolate covering from the Marriott, which came close to winning the best desert category! Also Rod Stewart, Elton John and Tina Turner were there (in spirit and song if nothing else!).

Legends Tennis Championships at Camana Bay (February) – www.legendscayman.com What a great event this was. It wasn’t widely advertised (like a lot of events in Cayman!) so we weren’t expecting such an impressive turn-out and a surprise celeb appearance from Sir Richard Branson, who is no tennis player and a good sport! It was quite surreal to see Courier, Roddick, Kournikova, Philippoussis and Bahrami enjoying friendly (and often comic) games together.

Red Sky at Night (February) – www.artscayman.org/cayfest A lovely arts, crafts, theatre, film, dance and music event – This is a great place to soak up some local culture and I always enjoy some amazing food here (jerk chicken, rice & beans and all things Caribbean)!

Kitefest Kaibo (March) – www.explorecayman.com/kaibo-kitefest-grand-cayman Very family friendly day out, based at one of my favourite places on island, Kaibo (around the corner from Starfish Point and just past Rum Point). We saw some weird, wonderful, colourful and animal shapes kites! This year was a particularly windy afternoon, so there were kite strings everywhere!

Ice on Ice (April) – www.cics.ky/index.php/Events/ice-on-ice-2016 Our company, Affinity Recruitment, actually sponsored this glitzy fundraiser at the Ritz Carlton, in support of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. It was a good excuse to get dressed up and put our high heels on. There were casino tables set up and the opportunity to win real diamonds!! Each welcome cocktail had a plastic diamond in the bottom of the glass, and four lucky people had a square-shaped one which they could exchange for an actual diamond! I didn’t win sadly, but other than that had a great team night out.

Batabano (May) – www.caymancarnival.com Cayman’s carnival… What an experience this was!! I went along last year to watch as I wasn’t entirely sure I fancied getting a glittery bikini on, but this year I went for it. It was such a fun day “on de road”! We were part of the Swanky group – there was soca….and whining!! Highly recommend anyone to take part!

Other things I’ve enjoyed this year and would highly recommend to any newbies to the island:

– Locked Inn www.lockedinncayman.com
– Crystal Caves www.caymancrystalcaves.com
– Rooftop yoga (a weekly relaxing form of exercise with an amazing view of seven-mile beach!) caymansports.net/html/yoga.html
– Flyboarding (not available on island during the summer months) – A must-try!! www.swscayman.com
– A wonderful holiday to Honduras, staying at the Lodge at Pico Bonito. Glorious relaxation in the rainforest. Only 1 hour’s flight from Cayman! www.picobonito.com

I have lots planned for the rest of this year so will let you know of my recommendations for the second half of the year!! Meanwhile, I would recommend taking a look at www.explorecayman.com and www.caymannewresident.com for calendars of events in Cayman.

Finding love in the Cayman Islands

For many who come to the Cayman Islands, they do so for a new job, a fresh start, a change of pace, a new lifestyle for their children.  But few do so expecting to find love.

That wasn’t the case for our own Barbara who moved to the island 2 years ago to be with Pete, the man she randomly met at Camana Bay and fell head over heels over.  Deciding to pack up her life in California and move to a rock in the Caribbean to be with a new love, was more than just risky.  But the risk paid off, and last Wednesday night, September 30^th, Pete popped the question and Barb said “yes”!

The event was later celebrated with all of Barb and Pete’s friends and family, who had been hiding nearby waiting to surprise the Bride to be.  Shocked by the surprise party awaiting her, Barb screeched in laughter and said: “See! You can find love in Cayman!”

And we can’t agree more; the Cayman Islands are filled with romance and so in the spirit of this happy news, we drill down the list of the most romantic hot spots in the Cayman Islands:

Dinner at Morgan’s – Cayman’s original Ocean to Table

Probably one of the best dinning ambience on the island.  From the bar to the multi-level dining room, anywhere you look, glittering lights, golden sunsets and shimmering waters abound.  The food includes local fresh catch, paired with a superb wine list.

Point of Sand Beach – Little Cayman

White sand, turquoise waters, snorkeling paradise, and not a soul to be found.

Horseback riding at Barkers Beach

Riding horseback, on a beautiful Caribbean beach. Enough said. Contact Coral Stone Stables 

Cocktails at the Marriott Grand Cayman

The Marriot’s “Beach House” is where time stands still. The cocktails are innovative, the service friendly and the ambience, one of a kind.
A perfect place to cozy up at the bar and have a romantic drink, or two.

Paddle boarding on Seven Mile Beach

Seven Mile beach is one the most spectacular beaches in the world. Why not enjoy it from the water with your loved one? Rent a paddle board and paddle along the crystal blues while enjoy the gorgeous beach and water views.  The most romantic morning exercise routine. Contact Red Sail Sports.

Sunsets – Smith Cove

Pack a picnic and a bottle of bubbly, don’t forget the mosquito repellant, and a blanket. Sit back relax and enjoy the most beautiful sunset in this quiet beach cove.  Reminiscent of a scene of “From here to Eternity”, this spot is sure to please even the most un-romantics!

Sunset sail over to Rum Point

Catch a catamaran with Red Sail Sports over to Rum Point.  Hangout in the nets, watch the sun go down as you float across the North Sound.  Enjoy a beautiful meal in Rum Point, an after dinner stroll on the beautiful white sandy beach and return on your catamaran gazing up at the beautiful constellations.  Romance, perfected.