WAY too many question but ANY help would be greatly appreciated

Hi and welcome to Expat.com 3kids!

We hope that the members in Papua New Guinea can advise you on these specific questions.

Regards,
Armand

Hi... i am hoping to start a new 3 year contract to Port Moresby in the next few weeks...i am coming on my own BUT i would also like to know the answers to your really good questions.!!
I can only help that my contract will be paid in A$ not Kina and that Super in not compulsory for non PNG citizens.Salary sacrificing might be worth looking at as well.

Good luck with your move....

Hi, I live in port moresby but am currently living overseas for work, but like you might be doing frequently fly back and forth during the year. I can try to answer your questions;

1 Is it normal to get paid a $AUD salary but paid in Kina ?
ANS: some employers do that, as long as you are getting the PGK equivalent, i guess they will allow for currency fluctuations but it should be pretty much the equivalent, i.e - AUD is double PGK - very good if you get paid in AUD in terms of living expenses in port moresby city.

2 Is Super a normal part of an expat contract (what %) ?
ANS:Super is not part of an expat contract, you will have to arrange your own super if you are contributing to the australian provider..super is only compulsory for png residents/nationals.

3 I want him to remain as an Aust resident, it's all a bit confusing but what have others done (it will be a 3 year contract, we are keeping our house in Bris).
ANS:It does not affect your aust residency...if you are on a working contract your work permit should clearly state this, you can travel in and out of png on a work permit issued for contract workers.

Living Question
4 We live in Brisbane, how would you compare living costs PM to Bris ?
ANS: as stated above PGK is half AUD at the moment has been this way for past 7 years or so, does not look like changing anytime soon. Prices are inflated in port moresby, due to most stuff being imported and limited local economy, cost of goods is quite high for the average person, this seems to be compensated for with expat workers to afford relatively same lifestyle as say brisbane, so you can get anything here in the shops for about the same AUD price as there is a good number of imported goods, e.g: fresh fruit, dairy (milk,cheese), alcohol, etc. A can of coke is about K2.50 which is about $1.30 so you can get an idea of the price of things.

5 Is it fairly normal to have a cleaner (we will also want a part time nanny)...I plan to continue to work for my Brisbane via remote access) Would these 2 roles be the same person, or 2 different roles ? and what would be an approximate cost ?

ANS: this is common to have a nanny or cleaner, you could probably have both to do separate roles depends if you are comfortable with the level of service - i.e can clean and look after children at same time... Most young women in this type of work are very good and can usually do both, most nannys are very affectionate with looking after children, almost as their own. However, to my knowledge there may not be a service running that recruits these workers, you may have to ask around, there is usually someone already helping another expat that can help get you a nanny - usually a relative, sometimes you can get a reference, most times not.

6 My husband will have a car provided, I am guessing I will need a car too (is this normal both people having cars) as I will need to drop the kids at school etc, is hard/expensive to buy a car, rego, insurance, services expensive ?

this is totally fine to have 2 cars as public transport is not scheduled so it will be hard to find your way around port moresby. it's not hard to buy a car, might be expensive as again all imported, rego & insurance are compulsory, you pay for 3rd party insurance inclusive with your rego fee, services are not that expensive comparative to aust...

7 Husband will be based at Boroko, Kids (5,7) at Boroko (Ela Murray) and youngest (2) at ELC Ela Murray (Ela Beach) (how far between the 2 schools if driving)?? Also can you recommend me a few good "areas" around that vicinity to look at accommodation (we get a living allowance).

If you go to google maps you can see the distance from boroko to ela beach - this is about a 30-40 minute commute between schools, not ok in the morning with traffic on boroko side (lots of schools around this area and quite busy in the morning).there are not a lot of daycares for pre-school children, that's the popular one for expats at ela beach (that was my old school!) you may think of having a babysitter for your 2yo if you find that school run tiring...

School and Kids
Ela Murray International School is where the kids will go. Little one to Ela Murray ELC eventually. Any comments/reviews/experiences ?
Mostly expat kids go to ela murray - i can't give a review on this as my kids didn't go to school there but i can tell you there are other international schools that follow a similar curriculum (Aus/nz) - Koroboro Int'll school, my kids went there and they take 2-3yrs 8yrs same site, they have a webpage you can check. There were a few expat kids in his class as well, but like i said most expat kids are at ela murray school. They have their own pool so assume they have swimming lessons as does koroboro school.

8 My boys do swimming lessons, tennis and soccer - will it be possible for them to continue with at least some sports ?
Yes there is a swimming club which most expat kids get involved with - boroko swimming club - think they also have a website, there is a tennis club that runs some competitions (based in boroko) and soccer is run in all schools in port moresby with a great kids soccer comp every saturday morning between the schools.

9 My middle child sees a paed physio....I am prepared to just do 6 monthly flights to Bris, but any chance of finding someone like that ?
I'm not sure about a pead physio specialist, you still might be able to find one..

Dumb Questions
10 What about general check ups, what are the Dr's like ? Also Dentsits ?? Or are we better off doing all health/dental care in Bris ?
You should register with a doc as soon as you get there, png has a lot of tropical illness you might not adjust to on first arriving. Other expats may be able to point to you one, there a private doctors that you can register with -GP's, level of care is quite good with these family doctors. Dental also there are a few private practices but cost will be high for these ask about price before you sign up if you are budget weary.

11 Do people not wear jewelery etc for fear of getting robbed....what about dressing down for the same reason?
You will become familiar with the "dress" of port moresby once you get there, it's fairly casual as whether is very hot, and you will probably dress down compared to bris..jewelry is ok but i think be modest..you just have to be aware of your surroundings, e.g: beware of crowded places and places without too many people at the same time (does that make sense?)

12 What is the best club to meet poeople (especially with young kids) in PM. The kids and I have quite a bust social life in Bris, I want to meet people etc.
For expats this would be the PNG Yatch club, located at the harbour, alot of aus/nz expats community frequent this club with their families, good start for getting to know other expats and their experiences..

hope this helps...

Hi and welcome on board pngean

Thank you very much for your message which I'm sure will be helpful to other members. Don't hesitate to share your experiences on the forum.

Regards
Armand

Hi..thanks for copying me in on the reply you got..a lot of very useful info..thanks..i had heard that joining the yacht club is a great way to make new friends and meet other expats.
When are you planning on moving to PNG..??I am still waiting for my work permit and visa to be granted.It takes about 2 months to arrange...so i am hoping to move in May sometime..!!
Good luck with your move and maybe will see you at the Yacht Club

Regards

Guy

Just wanted to toss in my short comment that the information posted by pngean seems to nicely cover the questions as well as being on target.

My only additional comment is about your #5, "I plan to continue to work for my Brisbane via remote access". I currently attend school online 2 days per week over the Internet. If it were not for the fact that I have an excellent (by PNG standards!) Internet connection at work that I can use for this, I would not be able to do it. I have a telikom device for connecting from home, and live in the heart of downtown (across from the Crowne Plaza) but can only get a connection, and only a slow one at that, about 60-70% of the time. Poor Internet access here really inhibits the online work that I can accomplish, so you might want to be prepared to examine a number of options in order to find something that works well for you if you depend on this for "remote access". Also, because I come from the States where I pay $19.95 per month for HIGH speed, and virtually unlimited, access, I find the costs for Internet access here QUITE expensive!

Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experiences living in PNG.  I too am seriously considering moving to PNG for a two year contract, and will be traveling with a young child.  Grateful for the comments!