Asking for detailed advice on relocation

2POSTS

12 years ago

Hello, I am a 27 year old man currently living in Pennsylvania USA and have been thoroughly considering moving permanently to the Fijan Islands. I have a plan that I would like to share with others to give me a better understanding of what may or may not work. As of right now I am saving about $1,500 USD per month and have a planned ready to move date of two years from now. I am an IT administrator that also rebuilds laptops on the side for cash. My original plan was to have $50,000 USD saved before making the move although my new more realistic goal is now $25,000 USD. I have read a great deal about Fiji and the lifestyle and I feel that it would be a perfect match for the way I choose to live here in USA. I understand that poverty is a major issue and the primary concern is being targeted for stealing/break-ins, although I am a rather shut in person that is used to keeping everything under lock and key. I have even drawn out schematics of how my house would be constructed on freehold land, had I the money to do so and it could most likely pass for a bomb shelter. With all of that said I would like to have some DETAILED comments given to me about what to expect and how I can achieve this goal realistically. How do I establish an IT career in Fiji? What is the best type of location to find such a job (Hospital/Resort/School)? Are there other jobs that I could hold having an IT skillset that do not necessarily have to do with computers? Where is the best place to start looking for such a job?

I understand that this move is a huge project that will have great impact on myself as I go through it but the biggest worry for me is finding proper work that can keep me thriving in Fiji permanently for the rest of my life. I very much plan to become a Fijan citizen over time and possibly to even open my own business once I have been there for more than 4 years and am confident in my business plan. Any detailed information to answer my questions would be GREATLY appreciated! Again I understand the pros and cons and am very acceptable of the reasons not to move to Fiji.

Thank you.

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stumpy Laos Expert

18028POSTS

12 years ago

I would suggest that you first come over to Fiji on a tourist visa and spend some time looking around, evaluating whether your idea is feasible or not.

An online search for Fijian newspapers may give you some insight.

-0-Vanessa-0- New member

5POSTS

12 years ago

Hi InsightKnight... I have been living in Fiji for almost 2 years now doing volunteer work (as I was unable to find paid work)... I will try to give you some info/advice from my experiences without clogging your post

FIJI
- Many people come to Fiji with the image of white sand, crystal clear water, sunny weather all year round & pretty much the "postcard Fiji" image... You will get all this IF you live on an outter island, however working on these islands is almost impossible... Reality is you will probably end up in Nadi or Suva (more likely the business hub: Suva)... If this is the case, forget "postcard Fiji"... You will be surrounded by black sand, muddy water, lots of rain (more so in Suva) & some poverty... Not necessarily a bad thing (I love it!), but you should know this before you pack everything you own & relocate here... For this reason I totally agree with Stumpy, you really do need to visit first & see if "real Fiji" is really where you want to be... It's not too bad, the "postcard Fiji" is only a drive or boat ride away, so you can definitely enjoy the finer things Fiji has to offer on the weekends... You can also forget the luxuries you enjoy in USA eg/ good quality food, excellent roads, reliable transport, doing all your grocery shopping in 1 store, finding exactly what you need when you need it, good (or even ok) service etc... This is a developing country so quality of anything is hard to find (product & service)... I am a young Aussie female & I have never had an issue with safety, so I don't think Fiji is anymore unsafe than Australia or USA (which I have visited a few times)... To be honest I actually feel safer here than in either 1st world country... Break-ins are somewhat common, but not anymore common than in Oz... Most houses here are well set up in regards to security (tall electric front gates, thick grills on all windows/doors, some have alarms, some even have security guards)

WORK
- catch 22 here my friend... No visa = no job... No job = no visa... You will not be able to get a local job without a working visa (minimum wage is FJ$1.60, so doubt you want a local job anyway)... Your only option is getting yourself an expat job... Expat jobs are only available to people with specific skills that locals do not have... I would image IT field would be one that employs expats... However you will need to be qualified & have the paperwork to prove it... In Oz you can find expat jobs in Fiji online ( etc) or by going through an employment agency that caters for expat employment in your field of work... Not sure if this works the same in USA, might by worth googling to see if there are any IT employment agencies there that cater for working abroad... Interviews are generally done over the phone or sometimes by Skype (again, Fiji is a developing country so they are still somewhat old-school)
- you need a job in order to open a bank account in Fiji (you will need to provide the bank with your tax # and payslip)... So no job also equals no bank account

TOURIST VISA
- yes you can find work while on a tourist visa, but you legally can not work until you have a working visa... You could enter on a tourist visa, find a job, leave Fiji, re-enter Fiji on working visa... However I do not recommend doing this as a tourist visa is only 4 months & it may take you longer than that to find a job

PERMANENT RESIDENT VISA
- from what I understand, you need to be working in Fiji for 10 years or more to be eligible for a permanent resident visa... You may want to check with Fiji immigration to be sure... I also heard there are a lot of restrictions to opening a business if you are not a citizen

I hope this helped you a little, basically if you have qualifications then I think eventually you could find a job in Fiji (it may take a while though).... If you don't have any formal qualifications, then you pretty much have no chance I'm sorry

Good luck!!! Keep us posted!!!

Billmac Guest

0POSTS

12 years ago

Hi...It would be good if you come to Savusavu,Fiji and open up a computer repair shop as the indo-fijians here don't know how to do repairs on computers etc.,...Maybe I can be a local partner for you...let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,
Bill

1 member reacted to this post

GeoffCraig67 Member

1POSTS

10 years ago

Hey Bill - Did this ever happen ?

My wife, kids and I are looking to relocate to Fiji, from Melbourne AU.

I've been in IT for over 25 years. Would there be an IT job for a young fella like me ?

Having said that, I'm planning on moving to Taveuni or Koro, (what's left of it). Probably not much call for IT specialists on the remote islands I assume !

Any other work/business opportunities you can think of ? I'm into Hydro/AeroPonics as well - Any interest in those industries in Fiji ?

Happy to entertain most ideas...

Let me know you're thoughts.

Regards

Geoff Craig
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