Tell us briefly about your expat life and where you're originally from.
I live and work in Bermuda, and I really enjoy the life here. I am a keen sailor and living here lets me make the most of that. Bermuda has a great climate around 19C during Winter and 29 C in the summer. I sail most weekends, spending as much of my free time outdoors as possible, which is wonderful when you were previously used to the British climate.
I am from the UK originally, from a town near to Birmingham in the West Midlands, I worked for a year in Australia after university which gave me my first taste of expat life. On returning to the UK, I trained as an accountant in Manchester, then moved for a job here in 2010. I worked in London before moving to Bermuda. My wife and kids moved here also, me following a few months after I had settled in.
What brought you to where you are now?
I applied for a job I saw advertised by chance, at a job fair in London, it was with an international audit firm that I had dealt with as a client in many previous roles. It wasn't initially my plan to move over here long term, but the island has grown on me, it's a friendly place, and now it feels more like home than the UK. I didn't know very much about the island before I arrived, so it was very much in at the deep end for me!
In 2014 an opportunity arose for me to start a fintech business with a colleague, which is what I now do. It was a real challenge to build the business up sufficiently to cover the living costs here which are very high and organising the necessary work permits for the team was also a significant issue. One of the challenges for expats is just how expensive the island is, most things are imported, and the small population limits choice and competition. Employing people is really costly for a small business, so we outsource a lot of activities to Eastern Europe and India, mainly back office functions. Everything here seems to cost just about double what it would in the UK. Only a limited number of properties are available for non-Bermudians to purchase and those are the most expensive. Therefore, most expats rent, and you expect to pay around $4,000 - $5,000 monthly for a three-bedroom house in a reasonable area a lot more for a property in a prime location.
What made you want to start a blog?
I have always been interested in the internet since its early days, but never got around to having a blog of my own before, and I started this one to share some of the great things about Bermuda. The country suffered like everywhere following the credit crunch, but is now picking up again. As I find some time, I am writing about anything and everything. I like the thought that I am contributing to something that visitors or potential expats read, my blog needs a lot more attention, but I am pleased with my progress, so far so good.
Tell us what your blog is about and how our readers can make the most of it.
At the moment the blog is a guide to Bermuda, but I plan to add more about my personal experiences here in 2019. I want to build a blog that informs newbie expats to the island about what they can expect from the life here. At the moment I have focussed on covering the main tourist attractions, next year I will add more information about finding accommodation and the cost of living here and a “how to” section.
What are your next projects regarding your expat life?
My kids are at school here at the moment, so we plan to stay for several more years. My wife would like to us to move to Switzerland next, as she speaks German very well, it is a bit of an obstacle for me as my level is much lower, but I am working on that! We plan to build up the business then exit via a trade sale. I am pretty much settled but always open to new challenges.
