Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want to move to the Caribbean

127 replies

Thisisnotataste · 07/08/2020 22:33

totally.
I dream of living in a wooden house by the beach, with DD playing on the beach after school, DH working from home, same job, me working from home PT. Is it possible? Obviously my work and his are totally doable remotely!
Doesn't have to be Caribbean just somewhere relaxed and warm. I miss the sea since we moved inland.
Talk me out of this dream please! Its probably lockdown fever...

OP posts:
babydisney · 08/08/2020 03:57

Maybe Spain instead of carribean? Or somewhere with OK schooling ect x

HappyDinosaur · 08/08/2020 04:04

I don't know about all Carribbean islands but a pp was talking about the Cayman Islands, where we've also lived. Yes very nice in many ways, not all schools are fee paying however the ones that aren't tend to be more used by locals than others. I think it's one of those places where the difference between privileged and poor is very clear, something I felt not entirely comfortable with. Crime rates can be high, it's worth doing research as to the safest place to settle (as with anywhere really!) Cay Prep is a popular fee paying primary and uses the UK curriculum, but results can be variable.

Not sure about other islands but on Cayman if your name is Ebanks you can pretty much do what you want! If you do move there, budget for brunch at 'Luca' every now and again, it's fantastic. Think the rules to move there permanently are quite strict but you can do a temporary stint more easily. Also, despite the sun, days are quite short for a lot of the year and you don't get the same long drawn out light evenings as here.

I'd say do plenty of research and go for it somewhere, you can always come back.

LongAndWhiningRoad · 08/08/2020 04:12

The crime rate is very high. It's not prejudice to say that. It's something you should consider when moving to a new country. If you look up lists of countries by violent crime rare or homicide rate, many of the Carribbean islands will be up there at the top alongside South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and much of central and South America. That's just a fact.

LongAndWhiningRoad · 08/08/2020 04:16

Personally, for a relaxed beachy lifestyle, I'd go to southern Europe over the Carribbean. Especially if you have kids. Nice weather and the slower pace of life (to some extent, depending where exactly you go) but you can still use public schools and hospitals and don't have to worry about getting robbed every time you go out.

AlternativePerspective · 08/08/2020 04:19

OP when people talk about living in a gated community you need to think about what that actually means. I.e. that it’s not safe to live without adequate security.

In the UK burglars generally burgle by day when the family are out. In countries like the Caribbean, they break in to burgle and then murder the family on the way out.

And then there is poverty. Not the kind of poverty we talk about in the UK, but abject poverty. It’s one of the reasons why, if you’ve grown up abroad, it’s hard to take talk of poverty in this country seriously, because it is poverty unlike anything you will ever have seen in the UK.

Jamaica does have the second highest murder rate in the world, but that is mainly down to the massive drug culture which exists in the Caribbean.

I love the idea of moving to the sea somewhere and I grew up in South Africa and on some level would love to go back, and the Caribbean sounds like a lovely dream. But that’s because you’re dreaming it, not living it. Iyswim.

Pluckedpencil · 08/08/2020 04:42

We live in Southern Europe. You could easily do the same here. A house by the beach would cost very little if you were flexible about place and you'd just rent a furnished place for the year. DD could learn a second language too!

SucculentCandle · 08/08/2020 04:44

Bermuda is offering the same thing as Barbados.

My best friend lived there and hated it. As an expat the couldn't work (although this may not affect you if you're wfh). The locals were openly racist against the whites, there were lots of protests and blockading of ports so certain things were in short supply. Landlords didn't take care of properties so they spent long periods without a/c and they had problems with mould (in more than one place).
The cost of living was ridiculously high.

MySweatyPie · 08/08/2020 04:58

Depending on how long you stay out of the uk you may not qualify for benefits immediately upon return.

katy1213 · 08/08/2020 05:44

And it's tax free!

Basicallytired · 08/08/2020 06:20

Prejudice is an incredible thing. Many cities in the US have a higher crime rate than Jamaica. There doesn’t seem to be the same panic and deep-seated fear about visiting the US. Furthermore, with these small islands you only need a handful of murders or crime to shoot up the ranking of crime rates.

As for education, I’ve always understood it to be very rigorous In the Caribbean. It’s the first time I’m hearing that it is considered poor.

Basicallytired · 08/08/2020 06:23

Succulent, everything you’ve said could be applied to the UK except you just need to change the word ‘white’ for black or Asian, etc.

Oysterbabe · 08/08/2020 06:26

I adore Barbados and went there on honeymoon. My company won't allow us to work remotely from outside of the UK for security reasons. You'd need to look into that.

NOTANUM · 08/08/2020 06:59

I'd be very surprised if your employer would allow you to work permanently from another country. It makes them liable to corporation tax in some jurisdictions. Check with them before you take a step further.
Then think what you would do if you lost your job. Is there a big market for remote working in your field?

Tellmetruth4 · 08/08/2020 07:30

The Caribbean islands are certainly NOT known for racism at all. In fact I’ve just spent ages on Google trying to find stories and articles on racism on the islands and all I could find were references to people who were were richer and whiter being treated with superiority, colourism, where some people think it’s better to be fairer skinned due to remaining colonial attitudes and an article on how some Caribbean islands were involving themselves in BLM in solidarity with Americans.

Of course you’re going to get jealous locals who are unhappy they are being paid peanuts whilst foreigners move into a gated community and earn gazillions compared to them but its not about the race of the gated community foreigner it’s about inequality between poor locals and people who appear to fly straight into big houses and high paying jobs. It’s the same hostility you get from poorer people in Northern mill towns towards the richer Londoners. It’s about inequality of opportunities and fairness. The motto for Jamaica is ‘out of many, one people’ meaning all races of Jamaicans are Jamaican. The Caribbean does not have this strange sickness and obsession with race like Europe and America all. They are very mixed and ok with that. Some people can’t fathom that not every country treats immigrants with open hospitality and violence with newspapers like the Daily Mail and Sun encouraging it all.

As for crime, there are about 20 Caribbean countries, there are not all the same. Nobody would say, why would you go to Europe? What about the crime?! As if all of Europe was the same. There is as much variation between crime rates in the poorest area of Kingston Jamaica, and the wealthiest parts of Jamaica as there is between Barbados and the Dutch Antilles. Average middle class people, living average middle class lives are not being shot at every time they leave their houses at all and I’ve never heard of one death related to terrorism in any Caribbean island.

In addition, someone mentioned crime being linked to local drug use. Again this is false. Locals don’t tend to do hard drugs, they can’t afford them for one, cocaine is seen as being for celebrities and rich people. Some Caribbean islands are used as a gateway to the lucrative Europe market by South American cartels. Local gangs make a lot of money working with them and it causes many problems including violence in poor areas.

OP if you want to go, go, don’t listen to some of these people who literally can’t comprehend why a white person would want to live in a majority non-white country. It confuses and scares them as they’ve been taught everything in Europe is superior. The Caribbean islands are all different, have good and bad points like any other country. It’s a shame a positive post about someone wanting to move to somewhere other than Spain or France (as that’s as foreign as they can handle) turns into one where people are questioning why you would ever want to leave wonderful UK and move to a scary majority non-white country.

Phoenix21 · 08/08/2020 07:37

I find it amusing that quite a few of the naysayers (who have questionable opinions) are unable to spell Caribbean and seem to regard the region as a single entity.

Quite interesting, that.

WanderingMilly · 08/08/2020 07:39

Really sorry to say this but you must be mad....the place will be HOT (as in hot weather!) After yesterday's heatwave and similar today in southern UK, I'm yearning for somewhere snowy at least. Can't imagine why anyone would want to go somewhere that's hotter than here.....!

elstree2020 · 08/08/2020 07:40

You need to be prepared to not be able to visit loved ones in the UK for a long time, and flight options may reduce.

As for the weather, humidity is higher in the UK, so I would not compare the two directly.

Tellmetruth4 · 08/08/2020 07:41

Forgot to add that I’m half white English and half black Jamaican and there were no issues for my parents whenever they visited there. My DH is also white and we’ve been to various islands and he’s never had an issue although once he was stared at by some children in a very rural area but that’s about it.

GnomeDePlume · 08/08/2020 07:59

Only for a year with the option to return if it didnt work out?

I would go for it. You only get one life so make the best of it.

When we were moving abroad we talked to many people who said they would have done it except that it wasnt the right time for their career/the kids/the cat. Then there were the people who had the same career/kids/cat issues but did it anyway. In the end the conclusian we came to was that the difference between them was that the people who did it did it and the people who didnt didnt

iMatter · 08/08/2020 08:10

I lived in Bermuda for a while (work related) and loved it. It's a fabulous place imho.

I can honestly say everyone was welcoming and friendly. I met some of my dearest friends there.

I didn't encounter any racism at all.

If my kids were still young and I could go back for a year I'd do it like a shot.

HellSmith · 08/08/2020 08:10

Don’t we all, stick to watching Death in Paradise. Have you ever been to the Caribbean? There was someone on here a while back who wanted similar because they’d been on holiday there once.

BIWI · 08/08/2020 08:48

Education is very good in Barbados:

The Barbados government has invested heavily in education, resulting in a literacy rate of 98%, one of the highest in the world. Primary runs from 4 to 11, with secondary 11 to 18. The majority of schools at both levels are state-owned and run.

From Business Insider

Gemma2019 · 08/08/2020 09:09

I worked in Barbados for a while and it was amazing, but I was working in the office there, not working remotely to the UK.

Don't want to be the harbinger of doom but I'm not sure how well your idea would work. Would you be relying totally on WiFi to work? You'd have to make sure you moved somewhere with good WiFi, which wouldn't be as nice and beachy as you would like.

Would you have to fit in with standard UK office hours, as Barbados for example is 5 hours ahead of the UK. Would you have to start your day stupidly early? My firm wouldn't be able to allow anyone to work remotely from overseas due to various rules. Obviously it's different if you are self employed.

Thisisnotataste · 08/08/2020 10:00

Appreciating all the negatives too. It gives me lots to consider.

I am only thinking to see this as for one year. Not forever unless we totally fall in love and find local jobs.

I like the idea of living somewhere where we are minority. I think it would be good for the kids. I'm mixed race but appear white so I am very much up for my incredibly white children seeing more non white than white faces. I think it will do them good.

My DH, while handy, isn't looking to take a local job and nor am I. We would need to talk to our employers and clear it with them. Very good point.
Hours would be strange but as I do 6 hour days e.g. Barbados (just because of the visa thing I keep using as example) would be GMT -4. So 5am to 11. Or 6am to midday. Wfh I can handle that. I would need help to get DD to school and look after baby in the mornings.

Barbados (which while just one option is looking very promising!) does seemed to have considered the tax implications of offering these WFH visas for a year. I will look into what other countries are also offering.
DD is going into reception year. If schools are academically so-so but generally safe then I would be absolutely fine with that. I am pretty sure I can teach her to read and write in the next year so I'm not worrying about her getting behind. Other DD is still a baby.

Weather wise I am not worried. I like the sun Grin. We would get aircon...at least in one room for DH!

OP posts:
Thisisnotataste · 08/08/2020 10:08

@namechangeforthisone1212 and @NotNowPlzz thank you for your practical suggestions and advice!
@Strokethefurrywall that sounds amazing!

Good medical insurance and life insurance and assurance a given. Will factor into costs calculations.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread