Job ad causes local stir
(CNS) Updated: A vacancy advertised in the local press is causing a stir on social media as it provides a stark illustration of what some people believe is common practice to exclude Caymanians from the job market. The post for a widely experienced and very well qualified personal assistant for a well-known company looks on the surface like a great opportunity for many Caymanians qualified enough to apply, but given the list of skills required, a look at the salary makes it clear that the permit holder in post is being truly exploited. Despite wanting a degree and significant workplace skills, the job pays less than $300 per week. However, the employer has contacted CNS and said that in addition to the salary, the successful applicant gets a free one-bed apartment, travel benefits and bonuses.
Frank Flowers told CNS that those details were inadvertently left off the advertisement but a new one would be placed shortly.
The ad was posted on Facebook by local activist Sandra Catron on Thursday and it attracted more than 100 comments from local people shocked by the blatant abuse of the system.
Despite the additional benefits that Flowers has now confirmed, the job pays just $1200 per month despite the extensive skills, experience and qualifications applicants need to have. Catron described the ad as absurd and one of many she has encountered where the salaries and qualifications requested simply do not coincide with anything remotely reasonable.
“People are outraged by many of the requirements listed by this company for a salary that most people could not live on in such an expensive jurisdiction,” Catron said, explaining why she had posted the ad on Facebook and generated the debate by asking Caymanians if they would work for the wages on offer.
She said it demonstrated the need for a minimum wage and to recruit the much needed immigration and labour compliance officers to carry out more stringent audits of companies.
“This only breeds poverty, which we already have enough of and should not be permitted. The outrage online illustrates that people are truly fed-up with these tactics often aimed at discouraging Caymanians from applying. How can someone survive here on $1200.00?" she asked.
However, government has only just named the minimum wage committee and the premier has signalled his desire to encourage rather than compel employers, so this kind of exploitation will continue.
Alva Suckoo, the PPM’s back bench councillor and Bodden Town representative who raised concerns about this very practice in the Legislative Assembly last week, said that this was the type of thing he wants government to tackle. While Suckoo said he had not had the chance to verify the details of this particular advertisement, the MLA said it is common practice.
“I fully understand that there may be jobs where suitable Caymanians are not available and these cases may merit a work permit application, but in the case of jobs where the ads have clearly been written to either discourage Caymanians from applying or tailored for someone who is trying to renew a permit, there is no excuse and the immigration department needs to take action,”he said. “It is very discouraging to see this practice become so common-place here in Cayman, and it seems that certain employers are going out of their way to avoid hiring qualified Caymanians.”
The MLA, who was on the task force at the NWDA and ran his own recent job drive in his constituency, said he had encountered this problem on several occasion and it was fuelling the cheap labour market, which was causing real issues for young Caymanians attempting to gain entry-level jobs.
“Unless steps are taken to ensure that our people are given opportunities on a level-playing field we are never going to resolve the unemployment issues faced by Caymanians.
“While we may want to introduce a Carrot vs Stick approach as an ideal, I also believe that employers need to understand that they are expected to act responsibly and reasonably as well,” he said, as he pointed to the recent signal by his party leader that compelling employers to take on locals hasn’t worked. “It’s a shame not a triumph when we have to offer incentives in order to get employers to hire qualified Caymanians,” the Progressives back-bencher added.
“I will never condone forcing the hiring of people who cannot do the job, but this is not about that, this is about employers playing games, lying to immigration, and designing job ads to get a permit renewed or approved in clear violation of the law. I know I will be accused of encouraging 'entitlement' but one only needs to look at the daily job ads to find blatant examples of the almost daily occurrences,” Suckoo told CNS. “The introduction of a minimum wage will help to some extent but more enforcement of the Immigration Laws needs to happen as well. We have introduced a $20,000 fine for the offence of lying to immigration in order to get a work permit and it’s time we start using it.”
The chief immigration officer told the LA during the Finance Committee proceedings on Thursday that so far no one has been prosecuted under that new law but two cases were being investigated.
Suckoo said that countries the world over are taking steps to protect their labour pools and Caymanians had to stop feeling guilty for taking similar steps.
“I’m not encouraging 'entitlement'; I am encouraging the education, training, development and hiring of all Caymanians, whether indigenous or by status, as a priority, and I will make no excuses or apologies for doing that. I encourage the development of an integrated, mixed and balanced labour pool but not at the expense or to the detriment of my Caymanians,” he said.
The ad also drew the attention of Suckoo’s district colleague and health minister, Osbourne Bodden, who commented on the Facebook posting, writing that the salary must be incorrect and suggest someone call to check as he said it didn’t “appear logical".
CNS contacted Employment Minister Tara Rivers and the councillor in that ministry, Winston Connolly, about the job ad and is awaiting a response.
The vacancy for a personal assistant requires a bachelor’s degree, secretarial and management communication qualifications, 60 wpm typing, extensive computer skills, writing, event organising, stress tolerance and even physical fitness and the ability to swim.
See the ad below.
Category: Local News
I'll be boycotting drinking water & beach swims for the year!!
Being I am a self made man the 1200 a month plus the apartment may just suit me fine. I just need something to do with my free time.
The interesting thing about this situation is that we all know that this job was written for an expat due to the low wages and high qualificaion required
The locals are now arguing about a minimum wage which will turn help these expats who should not have the job in the first place.
No, we're arguing about a minimum wage because we realise that treating people badly, even expats, is wrong. We – the human race – would just rather do good if it didn't cost us anything (time, money, embarrassement, etc.).
I am not quite sure if the amount being paid here is the problem. A lot of people in Cayman get $1200.00 per month and some even less plus this job has accommodation and other benefits provided. What is a problem is that it appears to be an entry level job demanding a Bachelors Degree. This standard of education is not required to do this job and the salary being offered does not reflect the level,of education that is being demanded. Caymanians Americans or Brits with this type of degree would not work for this pittance. Only Filipinos will and so,that my friends is the problem the job is tailored for the Filipinos.
I want to know how employees of Flowers and Sons get free airline tickets on Cayman Airways? Not even the staff that work at the CIAA get this so someone please explain
Flowers are getting bashed alot but almost all the Caymanian owned companies of this sort on the island are doing this! Time to look into the AI Group and all the local supermarkets, even the local homeware stores owned by our "founding father Caymanians"! Businessmen start businesses to make profit, and if profit is increased by exploiting your own country, then they will do it. Not much different than the African politicians and their suffering countrymen. I would swear no one here has been reading the employment section of the Compass before this article ran, this is not the first time I've seen this job (and others like it) advertised alot with the same crazy salary ranges and requirements.
You are not the greatest if you have to say that. Most comments here express anger, fear and cynicism, topped by the inability to see people as they are, without assigning some sort of sinister intention towards them.
CNS platform is a great portal for debate but why dosnt anyone stand up for what they believe in and put there name to it. It's so easy to slate people under the protection of anaminity.
say what you mean and put your name to it.
Yea… It looks like you and me are the only two people brave enough to use our real names…
If you are related to the family, then that leaves me as the only non related poster with the strength of character to use my real name…
Do you have status? I don't.
XXXX There are far too many vindictive people in Cayman who are willing to use whatever influence they have to victimize anyone who holds an opinion contrary to their own. We thank CNS for providing the opportunity for people to voice their opinions in anonymity, and we should all be respectful (even though it is hard sometimes) and avoid derogatory or libelous statements that someone from CNS probably spends countless hours weeding out.
Because its so easy for those that disagree with you to retaliate in other ways, perhaps?
I don't sign my name, or even always a nom-de-plume, because we should be judged on the quality of our comment not the pedigree of our name. There are some 'regular local commentators' (not in this media) that I ignore because of who they are. Even though they sometimes say something worth thinking about. (And then usually go overboard in the next breath and sound silly again. Which is why I don't read what they have to say as a general rule.)
Johny-Come-Lately Ebanks
Well said Chris. More people should put their names to articles. At the moment it is probably 1 or 2 per cent that are doing that. Many comments are from asinine retentives and thus do not want their name published for fear of ridicule. The argument of fear of retribution is stale dated and does not stand up. Perhaps the actual effort of logging in is too much for many readers. The Compass policy on letters has been the same for many years and they want a name. This is also the policy for most media outlets. If CNS introduced such a policy comments would dry up almost completely.
Chris,
Have you become so naive in your old age as to say the fear of retribution is stale dated? Do you really not see what still goes on around here? Maybe guys of your means and with Caymanian Status don't have anything to fear, but those who don't should be very afraid.
Stale and dated for you and some inlaws maybe…. But basically on this one you are wrong wrong and wrong
Chris, being married into the family, it is OK for you to use your real name on the posts, and I guess you have to say good things about the family.
Do you think the family could pay higher wages and possibly attract more Caymanians to work for them?
Offer protection to those who put their names and then more will do so. The truth is too many people in Cayman are beign intimidated!
Anyone else notified the revised job advert which now includes a wider salary range!!? Shame on you Mr. Flowers!
Obviously, the new Minimum Wage Committee should be paying attention to the public sentiment here.
Just plain shameful.
If people like the Flowers group were so caring and concerned ,why don't they start charity to their workers? People who believe these kind of people are the ones whose children don't have enough money to buy groceries. People don't need charity. People need fairness. How can you people go to church or sleep atnight?
The people who claim blocks are going to go up in price because a couple of workers are paid another $1-2 per hour are full of baloney. If a worker doesn't have enough money then he goes to gov't to get it. The gov't pays out the most amount of charity on this island. Because large business owners can't go to Miami 10 more times to watch football or spend it on some other frivilous crap. PAY YOUR WORKERS PROPERLY and stop the abuse.
Why does this matter?
22:04.You are the one intruding into Caymanian business ,you go abroad.
Caymanians are the biggest hypocrits in the world, get a grip you all are no better than anyone else….stop whining and using the same old excuse "Im Caymanian" do what everyone expat has done, move abroad and make a life for yourself. Maybe then youwill see that making 1200 a month isnt a bad thing.
In our "Consumer Based Taxation" financing of government system someone earning $1,200.00 does now earn enough to spend on taxable consumable goods to pay their way in our economy.
Every cheap labour person imported into the Cayman Island causes an increase in TAXES COLLECTED BY GOVERNMENT TO FUND THEIR EXISTANCE ON ISLAND.
EVERY IMPORED LOW WAGEEARNER RESULTS IN IMPORTED POVERTY – AVERAGECAYMANIANS ARE REGRESSING ECONOMICALLY WHILE THE SUPER RICH CAYMANIANS AND EXPATS GET RICHER.
Presumably the expats that are imported cheap labour are not getting richer – bit of a generalisation there. And what about all those residents – expat and Caymanian alike – that hire cheap domestic helpers? That extends well beyond the super rich and business owning classes.
The reason Caymanians are not being hired for these PA jobs are because the expat Managing Directors only want expat PA'S! The immigration boards can stop this undermining that is going on.
The Immigration is not going to stop it, they cant go against the politicians directives.
These are the people you vote for every 4 years.
As far as I am aware the Flowers group is Caymanian owned. So why are people attacking expat business owners??? Am I the only one recognizing this pattern??? Same thing with slavery…blame the white people, when it was OUR OWN BLACKS that took us from the mountains to the ocean!! Man Up!!
Let's be realistic here. After pension and medical portions are deducted, the take home pay is going to be even smaller. How can a person have any hopes of decent living, much less a future with that income? Flowers should have a heart and pay their employees a little better, don't you think?
well if you consider that is a rent/utilities free job, is actually 2000 CI salary, besides 1200 ci is a 6.60 CI an hour. ask all sales clerk on this island and you will be surprised how many of the actually make more than that,
These moaners need to get a life.
Why does this ad surprise anyone? The Flowers group has been known for many years for their very low wages. And as for housing benefits does anyone remember the white house which used to be near the stoplights on Shedden road? It has been knocked down to accomodate the extension of Cricket square but it used to be part of the housing benefits. It was in poor condition. However their generosity after Ivan was laudable and their contributions to the islands should not be overlooked. They need to do better re the employment conditions but this public flogging is beyond the pale.
Since the emergence of Globalisation, the world at large has changed. Unfortunately this has given rise to humanitarian crises because in many instances, the economic factors are stronger. Many third-world countries lose their skilled human resources to better opportunities or greener pastures – it's inevitable! Having said that, it is clear that Caymanians need to also change their mentality and work ethics to be ahead of the competition. Sure, the laws should protect its people but ask yourselves, what are we doing wrong as a people? Employing expatriates may not always mean cheap labour but also efficiency and reliability. Ironically, many Caymanians also recruit domestic help from foreign countries, particularly third world. Why not employ your own fellow Caymanians to care for your kids and perform your domestic duties? But this would be futile since many are prideful to take up menial jobs. There are many hardworking Caymanians who understand the dynamics of the labour and set aside pride to ensure that bills are paid and basic needs are met. I am by no means supporting companies (note I said companies as there are so many other perpetrators) who blatantly exploit their workers who come from less privileged circumstances and appear desperate. This is not a new phenomenon but it is time that our politicians take action and ensure that more stringent regulations are in place to protect ALL workers.
MINIMUM WAGE OF AT LEAST $7.00 PH / $280.00 WK MUST BE A START.
Well that means that this job is within the wage limitations then…
If I was there PR advisor I would tell them to just increase the salary by $600 per month and say that it was a mistake by the person who made the ad…
Wait…
But then they would have increase all their other employees salary by $600 per month too…
They could work it out in the coming months like Mac did for the CS. First you take it away, then you give it back, then you take it away again…
I tend to look for new hires with a special skill or proficiency in a non-common language. That really helps in the future come renewals, especially with the riskier job types. Avoids problems like this.
why doesnt flowers just give the charity the 30k…..be a heck of alot easier….
all this talk about the flowers sea swim? really………
I have a great idea.
Lets Have the flowers group hire only caymanians. If this happens The price of building products will go up considerably, The cost of building house's and commercial buildings will also go up considerably, the cost of buying a house will go our considerably and your morgages will go up considerably and you wont be able to afford to live in your house.
On the bright side you can work for the flowers group earning a great wage as people seem to be suggesting on through this forum and living in one of the apartments he will provide for you as part of your employment contract.
Due to a rise in overheads the flowers group will no longer be able to afford to provide reasources to the flowers sea swim and have to cancel all future events. The $30,000 that will be raised for the charity feed our future ( you know the one, it feeds underprivaliged children in cayman who's famalies cant afford to feed them) They wont be able to donate building products to people like the national housing development trust so they can build affordable housing for caymanians. Dont worry though the NHDT can buy the building materials like everyone else at the now overly inflated prices due to the rising cost of running a company that employrs caymanians only………..This is starting to sound like a Goverment run company.
Or
The flowers group can keep their overheads to a minimum, employ good quality cheep labour to supply building products to the local community at cheap prices so they can build there nice dream house at around $200 per sqft. Importad labour are happy to work for the wages that are supplied. They get a place to live for free so the $1200 per month that they are actually getting paid is just spending money to do with what you will. They can also keep donating to local charitys and donating to people who need it most.
If anyone has ever been to the Flowers block factory you will see a sign on the door saying "Charities can make an appointment at the front desk: How many other local companies have a sign on there front door saying this?? I presume they have to have this sign because they get so many people asking forfree donations.
Sandra should be commended for starting this debate in Cayman. Even the leaders at the recent world economic forum were forced to discuss the real problem of wage inequality.
The rich here just like in other countries have captured the political system and milked it to their advantage. The 60/40 rule on local company ownership only benefits the very small group of the usual ultra wealthy families. It is important for Caymanians to realise that its their own that craft the laws, perpetuate the immigration law abuses and formulate policy not foreign bogey men. The reality is that low-income workers are putting in more hours on the job than they did in the past – and the financial rewards for doing so just haven’t increased. If our leaders continue to ignore these difficult issues Cayman will face peril. And for those that cite charitable donations –Too many have dispensed with generosity in order to practice charity.
omg that is nuts
i cant even last one day on 300 bucks
gas alone takes 300 bucks a week
then insurance and food and rent and and and
shame on you flower !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
300 bucks a week for gas? I know gas is expensive here but thats over 50 gallons a week. What are you doing, driving to and from Kaibo 4 times a day?
No, probably like most people driving a 5litre behmouth to their office job, wondering why they spend so much on gas. I pay only 40 dollars a month, thanks to my Alta. Dr Freud would have a field day here with everyone having to have massive cars
http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2014/03/18/Marathon-rings-up-more-than-$8,000-for-two-worthy-causes/
http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/07/08/Sea-swim-proceeds-go-to-Feed-our-Future/
You do the math. Then tell me just how horrible these people really are.
Hold your head up high Frankie, none of these people can hold a candle to you.
8,000 dollars?…..he makes that in an afternoon….
thats neither here nor there….
its all a show
Not that bright, are you?
The Marathon made the $8000 dollar donation, with more participants and a much higher entrance fee. The Flowers Sea Swim made a donation of $49,000. Read, but not only read. Read and then think next time.
The flowers family do more for cayman and its people than anyone i know. The make cash donations, Block donations and water donations when asked upon. Does anyone remember after Hurricane Ivan when no one had water? Didnt the flowers group give bottled water to everyone and anyone?? They do so much for the community but you never hear of this because they do not do it for marketing purposes or self promotion, they do it for the benefir of the people and country. The flowers sea swim is one of the great charitable events of the year raising so much money for charity. Does Mr Frank do this because he likes commiting company reasources to the planning of this event for 6 months out of the year???
As i understand it this advert was a miss print and details of the benefits had been missed off. Is this a great paying job? No its not. Is this a taxing job that requires a genious to do? No its not. If you dont like the job then dont apply.
As a graduate first year accountant in cayman you may start on $30,000 per year. You will also work 80 hour weeks which equaites to $7.80 per hour. How many caymanians would want to work in this job? I think the answer is very few.
Caymanians need to look at their work ethic and realize that everything will not be handed to you without you working for it. I am a caymanian small business owner my self and my first prefrence is allways to hire caymanians as its (or should be) a win win. You dont have to pay for permits, flights relocation fees etc and you are helping a caymanian family feed his family, spend his hard earnt dollars on island which then in turn stimulates the economy. The fact is that a lot of caymanians (not all as i have employed some great great caymanians) want the easiest job with the most pay. They feel entitled and above doing some menial tasks, they work slower and give you attitude when asked to do somthing they dont want to. Take one look at our bloated goverment and you will see what i am talking about.
Before personally attacking Mr Flowers or his family you need to look at what this family has done for this island. He is someone that Cayman should be pround of.
So all the "good" he does gives him the right to ignore the law?
What law has been broken? A job has been advertised. Just because you don't like the wage offered does not mean it's against the law.
Doing something good does not give you the right to do something wrong.
As a graduate first year accountant you should be taking home more than $30000.00'per year if you are working 80 hours per week. I. This position you are entitled to overtime at time and a half for work in excess of 40 or 45 hours per week. If you are not getting paid this overtime pay then your employer is no better than thenFlowers company and are breaking the labour law. So much damn corruption in this place.
By " this family" do you mean you?
One really useful tip, if your business is part of an international group, is that employees can earn salary for their work off island promoting the international brand separate from their Cayman salary. This can be part of an entirely separate service contract with an offshore vehicle (not Cayman!) and paid into an offshore account (not Cayman!).
Your useful tip regrettably involves encouraging not only breaches of the immigration law, but also the criminal law.
Not if you do it correctly it doesn't.
There is no legal way to "do it correctly".
400 lawyers in the country who only exist because of the ability to "do it correctly" with the laws of much more sophisticated places and you don't think they can come up 50 schemes to get around the Immigration Law?
I think the burden is on you to show why it would be illegal.
Boycott Flowers! Oh, wait a second… they are Caymanians, so we can't do that. OK then – Boycott Dart! Just because. I'm sure we can blame them somehow for this.
PS – I've never seen a bigger bunch of whiners in my life.
Guess you do not own a mirror or ever look in one.
All PA Jobs can be filled by Caymanians! Shame on the BSP board for approving work permits for these positions. Wake up and help your fellow Caymanians. Caymanians if you all apply for PA positions send a copy of your application to the immigration boards PLEASE especially if you are applying through an agency.
No, sorry, but not 'ALL PA JOBS' can be filled by Camanians because those jobs tend to require that the person turns up ON TIME, EVERY working day, starts work as soon as they get there, (sorry I know turning up an hour late because it's raining and then having breakfast for an hour is Camanian tradition), stays ALL day, ignores their FB page and leave the crackberry at home.
OK so I'm going to get ' thumbs down' galore and no doubt many hate filled comments but if your Camanian you need to ask yourself why the above is a common thread through every single article that covers Camanian employment, wonder how you got that reputation ?
the phrase 'no smoke without fire' springs to mind as does 'your reputation precedes you'
Oh and one more thing: don't bother, yes the tickets are booked, the days are counting down and no I wont let the plane door hit my ass on the way out !
Buh-bye! Enjoy your flight home. And don't come back.
13:40. All we are asking is for Caymanians to be treated fairly.As for the emloyment of Camanians or their reputation ,I can't comment as I have not heard of them before,but since they are foreign to Cayman I would not expect them to fill all the PA jobs,just would not be fair to Caymanians.
Dude, Camanians, they're the ones from Camana Bay.
You are correct. This was even highlighted in the budget speech that two Caymaian applicants failed to turn up for interviews and the jobs went to expats. A bit embarrassing for the Mla who set it up for his people and was monitoring it.
Recorded for posterity in Hansard, it's official.
Yup typical Expat – generalizing and spreading a myth. So are all of those sucessfull business people like Mr Flowers on their Blackberry and Facebook and turning up late ? What about the expats who arrive on island and immediately join the expat network and start creating jobs for their friends overseas ? or those who get to work early so that they can "inform" the boss wht their Caymanian competition is up to!
No need for the door to hit you, just keep it moving, Im sure there will be someone here within a week to take over your job.
Good riddance, you cannot even spell Cayman. You are WRONG about local lazy myth. It is a myth. I worked with 90% Caymanians and found them reliable and responsible. However, this was a management job so I cannot speak of blue collar work.
please take your bad attitude with you and goodbye.
As for the Flowers family being generous good citizens, please do not think they are saints. They make a tidy profit and give a little back (as you should). But by the same token should know better about exploiting the LAW and trying to bend it to suit themselves. You can't fake ethics.
Boy I would like to be the door.
So why do you suppose they aren't filled by Caymanians then?
14:37.If you are commenting on this article and still asking this question I have just one thing to say" It is obvious that reading comprehension (reading and understaning what you read) is not likely going to get you a lot of work.Let me spell it out for you :You are commenting on this article without having read it or, you read it but you do not understand what you read.Either way looks bad on your part.
Wha chu say ain't true
God help us if that was the position.
POSTING 10:32
It is very clear that you are not a Caymanian with all the expenses that comes with it. Please allow me to explain WHY it is so hard for a Caymanian to make ends meet with a $1200 per month salary
Expense. Cost per month
Mortgage payment. $900
Electrical bill. $400
Water bill. $100
Food bill. $600
Car/gas/licence/insurance. $400
Life/health insurances. $500
Misc. $200
Total. $3100
Please understand I have been very conservative with my numbers as I am sure therecare those of us who pay substantially more that is stated above.
So this should tell you why it is difficult to work for $1200 per month.
You are assuming only one salary in the house hold. The problem here is not how much a person makes but rather how much they spend. As Caymanians we believe that we have to have the biggest and best of everything therefore creating unnecessary expenses. Now I'm not saying that this is a wrong for someone to want but we also have to live within our means.
Please don't get mewrong I support home ownership and believe that everyone should own a home but the reality is that Cayman is no different then anywhere else in the world and not everyone is able to own a house. A key problem in Cayman is that the minute a new phone comes out we upgrade, our kids are all given cellphones, we jump on the plane to Miami every time we turn around, how is it that anyone can afford to get ahead if this is the philosophy we have.
We need to stop trying to keeping up with the Jones and crabs in barrel mentality that we have.
@15:59, let me tell you something, I make a pretty decent salary, actually around CI$7,000 per month and I have not been off Island in two years (I have had staycations) simply because I cannot afford it!! No I do not drive an expensive vehicle, I live in a low income home and I work my ass off, turn up 5-10 minutes early every single day I am expected to work and I rarely call in sick! I consider myself a hard working, dedicated and loyal Caymanian employee but unfortunately, there is always something to sort out, have repaired etc. so instead of running to Miami every other month (I have been wearing the same "ole glad rags and shoes" for years, I have to ensure that my bills are paid, my house is kept in good order, including, hurricane preparedness, have my shutters checked etc, and my vehicle is kept road worthy and I still cannot save any money!!!!. ITS NOT EASY LIVING, WORKING AND SURVIVING IN MY OWN HOMELAND AND THAT IS RIDICULOUS!!
You make more than twice as much as myself and I'm managing to save money while dealing with all the issues you are. I have a truck and pay all my bills and rent on time. Maybe you need to make a budget. (I'm not being funny.. I'm just saying).
With CI$7,000 a month, how many people are you supporting that you cannot seem to save any money? Not to be sarcastic, but that is a very decent wage to say the least and most people would be able to save quite a bit on that kind of salary.
Then you are living above your means in some areas, you should work out which…
Perfect example of not living within your means. Why your electrical bill has to be $400 on a mortgage that is only CI$900; pure B.S. Truth is many of you (not all) are lazy, dont want to hard, dont have the qualificaton either but want the most pay to entertain the above lifestyle you obviouly cannot afford.
It has been added that you get free housing. Besides not everyone has a mortgage. Some have roommates. The cuc and water then becomes cheaper or not at all because it is include in the housing benefit. Life and insurance may or may not come in the package. Car/ lic/ insurance- is it mandatory to have a car? Bicycle, moped or motorbike. Lots of other countries and people here use them. A car is a luxury not a staple.
You are right. An expat friend with a family making 80K in USD has "online"side job to make ends meet. Just do not apply for this position.It is not for a breadmaker.
Comes with room, and board, so minus your $900, and $500 for utilites. Now your down to $1700 needed. $500 for Health insurance?? really you said you were being conservative. My insurance is $115 a month, thats conservative. minus that you are now down to $1350. misc, $200, lets take that out…. oh look your below the $1200 a month. Everyone has got to start somewhere, take the job, prove yourself, and then become so valuable they can not get rid of you. THATS how you get promotions
Your health insurance is $115 a MONTH?
Yes the poster above was GENEROUS in stating $500 a month because mine is $1000 a month that is right. And it is mandatory. Its in the private sector. Ridiculous isnt it. Why dont they change it you ask. Because the company owners are expats and make cushy salaries. $1000 a month is nothing to them.
Good headline: I'd say 235 comments is quite the local stir. Hope the policy makers are listening. Thanks CNS, this is a goof forum for many opinion.
It very clearly asks Caymanians to apply. So apply! Is it not good enough for you? When will Cayman wake up and realise it needs to compete in the international market, CI$1200 is a good salary in most of the world. Im sick of this entitlement nature.
10:32.So why are you here and not competing in your home country.Afterall you say it is good enough for Caymanians.Does it have something to do with your sense of entitlement to what is here in Cayman.
I like many expats are here because it is just so easy to take the prime jobs in an environment where there is no work ethic. So long live this whining and pointless rhetoric. So long-live your entitlement culture and please boycott as many jobs as you wish, because I assure you there are millions that will accept a fair wage for a fair job.
16:36.Folks like you need to realize that your stink attitude only hurts the good expats among you. I believe it is time for the longer established expats ,who respect Cayman and Caymanians ,to rein you in before you mess things up for all of us (Caymanians and expats).So how about you better established expats ,form a committee or association or something and suggest that these people toe the line or move on.At the same time Caymanian parents ,lets get it across to our children that they all need to strive for excellence in whatever they do;aim for the moon and we might hit the ceiling.Remember that we cannot all work in a bank ,nor do we all have the same skillset to do so. However we must strive to give our best effort ,no matter the task,whether it is in a math class or home economics class,whether it is defending a client in a lawsuit ,or washing pots in a restaurant, whether it is flying a plane or pushing a lawnmower, whether it is crunching numbers in an accounting firm or mixing a drink at a bar, STRIVE TO BE THE BEST AT WHAT YOU DO.Some of us have strayed away from this ,lets get back.Come on Caymanians we can do it. One more thing Caymanians ,we have to have unity ,as there is strength in unity .We must also realize that we are only as strong as the weakest among us,so we must lend a helping hand to those in need of it.Perhaps it is someone whose child needs a little help with homework,or maybe someone is need of some home repairs;whwtever it is we have to unite and get it done .You see ,when one of looks bad ,it looks bad on all of us .So let s come together as one and be strong for good.
Please go home and don't let the door slap in your face on the way out. Opportunist
It's your imiigration policy's that have brought in a lrge proportion of opportunist, as their is no longer any point in bringing a family here they have no future.
But it is not a good salary in Cayman where the job is actually being offered. It is intended to exclude Caymanians.
Hahahaha. These are ONLY basic admin skills for a PA or secretary. Clearly no one on here knows what a PA does if you think this job requires more than $1200 a month. This is for a new college grad looking forpost grad experience. A young college grad could live off of this and in a year or two negotiate a raise. Event planning and swimming are the only specialized skills listed. If you planned a swim birthday party at least once you have the skill.
If you've seen the flowers swim you'd know it was no birthday party!
I see a lot of advertisements with these ridiculously low salaries and high requirements. I am a Caymanian with a Bachelors degree in Business from a large university in the UK. I have two decades of accounting work experience plus several years of financial work experience in varied local industries. My husband has a good job and I am lucky enough to be able to choose to stay home, look after my family, be my own helper and be rigid with my spending, rather than apply for a job that offers me $12 – $15 an hour and wants me to already have a C.A. qualification or be working towards one! More than once, I have been told "we'll call you when we are interviewing" and never heard back. Some adverts are obviously tailored for the incumbent or someone they are bringing in to do the job. Perhaps that's why the accommodation was left out of the advert, most Caymanians wouldn't need a one bedroom apartment.
I agree with everything that you have said. But Government should be setting an example with their employing. There are so many in high positions from foriegn that do not even like Caymanians and they make sure that they show it to us. Infact there is one from Trinidad that hates the locals and he makes no bones with the Caynanian.
So I am a qualified Caymanian who can apply for this job but now I know there is an apartment, may I ask if I can have the equivalent in dollars since I have a house with a mortgage, or do I need to move out of my house and into the Flowers apartment? Are they paying utilities?
It is obvious that by offering an apartment that the person they have in mind will need one. Most locals already have a place to live and would not necessarily want to give up their own.
In addition, the low salary advertised is probably not even the salary being paid, it might be more but that low salary in the ad was a deterrent so that persons who would otherwise apply would not do so when they calculate their mortgage and other bills which come up to 1800 a month! After all that work they would still need a part time job to make ends meet.
We are creating poverty in this country and soon we will see more slums, unsanitary accommodations with large numbers of people in one room and so on. It does not matter if you want to hire an expat – Government does it all the time and ignore qualified Caymanians when they apply = not even a response to acknowledge receipt of your application so the private sector can do it too!!!!
The furore about this is derived from a heady mix of mediocrity and entitlement.
You can' blame the business people for maximizing their profits, but you can blame te politicians for not protecting the rights of the workers.
But then, the politicians are business men themselves and they take care of their business friends.
Can't understand why people are getting so agitated.
The Company owns an apt complex in the George Town area called Swamp, the one bedroom is all they will get because the employee will also have to share common area bathroom and kitchen. I thought better of this company to be really honest. But hey the son of this company also portrayed Cayman in a very bad light, he should have done a documentary on his family business instead maybe it would have been a block buster (lmfao)
Disgusting!
Why all the fuss? The Flowers family are decent and God fearing people. The advert is well structured to attract a qualified 'good fit' like myself. Now, we look at the salary that is being offered and have all assumed that it is monthly. Personally,I do not see where it specify how this $1200.00 would be paid. Therefore, with mybackground check on the Flowers famiy and the glowing reputation that this family has, I have to conclude that they meant, $1200.00 per week and I will be applying for the job.
It was settled long ago its $1200 per month!
Ms. Carton I forgot to thank you. It appears you are doing a far better job than the Ministers of employment and education. Clearly we see and are taking note. Elections are not so far on the horizon.
I am disappointed and sadden by this news as I always held the flowers family in high regard. This action is blatantly discrimination and it encourages exploitation.
IT IS SO SAD TO KNOW THAT THiS COMPANY
Has managed to get above 90% of their employeesfrom overseas and failed to hire Caymanians when in fact they don’t export their products. We the local populice support their monopoly when in fact we could go to other means of building. It is a shame and disgrace that the Immigration Board continues to issue them work permit, due to the fact that they are unwilling to Caymanians all due to greed. There is one thing that can be said, we cannot take it with us.
If it was that lucrative do you really think they would be the only ones doing it?
Why do Caymanians think they are entitled to a home / mortgage? People of all nations rent. Why, because they cannot afford a home. There is no shame in this. Sometimes renting smart and home ownership certainly is not a birthright. Also interesting that we have finally focussed on who doesn't hire Caymanians – Caymanians. Its the expat businesses that Immigration typically goes after because that's where they can abuse their power. Closely related, who has gone to jail for not paying pensions.
I am 60 years old and I don't have a sense of entitlement. I own my very small business in tourism. I gross US$ 50,000 a year . I lost my house during the recession. I live in an apt. I went to live in treasure island but didn't stay because of the incidents of police being called. I thought because of what was offered that it was a good deal. I paid CI$ 1250 per month that included elect.,water TV and internet. OK lets add the rest $400 for medical insurance, $10 per day for bus rides $400 for groceries per month, no kids, I stay home and go nowhere. Thats CI$ 2350 per month. Tell me how anyone with kids could feed or clothe children . We are talking that two parents and two kids are trying to live on these salaries??????
We need a minimum wage, if you can't afford to pay cost of living wages its better to close down . You're business should close down and allow someone with a proper education to open a properly run business. End of story.
Clearly the person who holds this position had a hand in writing this ad. All that is missing is a requirement that the applicant be able to play the tuba with their feet. That said, employers should be able to retain their competent and trusted employees without having to resort to such tactics. Maybe we could give businesses a certain number of gimme expat permits based on business size. That way we all know where we stand. Say 10% expat permits without immigration giving businesses a bureaurocratic colonoscopy.
What about all those temping jobs held by expats? Why are companies allowed to use temps for full time jobs being taken from Caymanians? The useless government and immigration officials overlook this knowingly. Even things like translation services on the Island I found out today that there are some firms doing these through people off Island so I couldn't get a local person to do this. So now we are even employing people overseas without permits! This needs to be looked into and if it's true then heads need to roll!
Aha! The temp TRUTH comes out. Here is HOW companies skirt the law: Recruiters recruit from overseas, give. 3 month or 6 month temp and when the already filed position is finally advertised the expat has already relocated and been here for 90 days so the white collar firms.do WHATEVER it takes to keep the expat.
Qualified Caymanians (paper status too!) need not apply. WHO (Alden!?) is going to stop this madness. We need to get back to fair play. Sorry, too many good people going to lose their homes for the sake of cronyism and recruiters.
Aha! The temp TRUTH comes out. Here is HOW companies skirt the law: Recruiters recruit from overseas, give. 3 month or 6 month temp and when the already filed position is finally advertised the expat has already relocated and been here for 90 days so the white collar firms.do WHATEVER it takes to keep the expat.
Qualified Caymanians (paper status too!) need not apply. WHO (Alden!?) is going to stop this madness. We need to get back to fair play. Sorry, too many good people going to lose their homes for the sake of cronyism and recruiters.
While I have no poblem wih this, in reality the private sector is causing the problem as well. Maybe before we talk about any of this we talk first and foremost about their unprofessional practises. If this was Government you would have had a field day but the reality is that private sector is no better.The sad part about his advertsment is that there are many more and many of them are by cayanian families.
Well that na too bad. I can move into a free room. No more paying rent. Can even have paid travel vacations AND shopping money?!!! Wait. What’s the catch? Or am I reading this all wrong?
Well … There's your boss….
Camanians think they deserve $2,000.00 per week, 16 weeks vacation, time off to go camping at Easter, and a free apartment. ….. Oh, and I forgot the corner office…..and this is for school leavers with little to no experience or qualifications.
You know the bunch of you are really getting on my nerves, let me call Mr Cow cod haha
– 21:42. Good to see that you are not mocking "Caymanians " in your post.
SO As a Caymanian who qualifies but live in my house with a mortgage, are they going to give me the equivalent for my mortgage since I wont need the apartment? Can I travel to anywhere in the world I want? Why were these benefits not placed in the ad as incentives?
It shows however that the ad is for an expat who does not live here and who does not have an apartment of their own since that is the benefit. I am sure that the apartment is one of theirs so they reap the benefits twice. Will they be paying the utilities as well.
I went for an interview at a company. Qualified and experienced. The interview only came about because a fellow Caymanian pinched me and told me it was a permit renewal so I contacted Labour office and immigration. The permit was not approved pending interview of the local – me – who applied. I was interviewed and was told that one of my technical certificates was not from the same organisation as they require . That was code for "its not the same as the one the guy we want has". I reported it to Immigration and the permit was not granted. The company then decided they would not fill the position! It has since been bought out by another company!
Go Figure!
So to prove your point, you lost the job of other caymanians in the process. I hope you are proud of yourself.
12:26. No jobs were lost ,the company was sold and the jobs remained here.
No. You got it right. Go for it. It's a dream come trur for you
Ohh My. This is good. The Caymanians are looking out for the Expats. Its not the job, its the pay. Pay the Expat more. ha ha ha. What a bunch of hypocrites.
Companies are failing because there is a lack of common sense.
Lady caller was complian that she was making ci$1400.00 as a reception, and had to answer the phone and even photocopy a few times and run an errand or two, even that she does not do anything that make the income of the company increase. That was too much work. She said she prefer to stay home and do nothing. Get the point?
So again, what is the big deal of the add? It is a legal requirement for the application. This is what happens when a company has nothing to hide and puts the details based on who they have working. There is not a problem. The fact that adds are to be run is the problem.
Are we that lazy now that we have to wait to see what job vacancies appears in the papers before we apply for a job. What about the good old job hunting skills that we used to have. We get off our donkeys and check around and leave applications. Some companies are just waiting for a real caymanian to apply and ask for a job, not demand it.
Bad work ethics is the big problem that is being faced to Companies in the Cayman Islands. So much so that employers are willing to buy tickets, pay for permits and offer free accomodation to good employees. Do you really think they would do all this if they can find a good employee that would not need a permit?
Flowers, next time, go with the flow, put some false details, no need for the truth. Caymanians dont like the truth. They like kool aid effects. As you can see, they are concerned that the Expat cannot live with free accomodations and health benifits and all others legal extras. Plus take home a cool ci$1200.00 all for himself. No tax, no deductions.
17:46. After reading the article you say that Caymanians " are concerned that the Expat cannot live with free accomodations and health benifits and all others legal extras. Plus take home a cool ci$1200.00 all for himself. No tax, no deductions." Really? Is that what you understood? I guess you missed the point about truthful advertising.More importantly,you missed, or you are pretending not to see that this is about the awakening of Caymanians ,and that people who discriminate against Caymanians by exploiting foreigners will be exposed ,and could be prosecuted .So if you are guilty of this practice,wake up the end is nigh.
The fact is that it is a truthful advertising. Its what the comapny have to offer. If an Expat on a temp permit is already doing the job and has those qualifications and can live in the free apartment and feed his family, what is the big deal?
Did you even try to apply for the job? How did any Caymanian know that they were being discriminated against? There was a vacancy available. apply for it, then make noise.
The way the immigration laws are understood towards this type of requirement is that you advertise based on what you want. You know what you want by having a canidate. If someone can meet the similar requirments then could be possible job offer. Again, if you did not apply, stop making Sandra to be a hero. Its the same for persons that stay home and do not vote and turn around to blame the politicians.
The simple way to handle this would be to approve the permit and requiry them to hire a Caymanian as well as a condition. Problem solved.
Frank once said, there is Legal and there is Moral. And the fact is that there is nothing ilegal about the company making the add. It has all that the law requires for it to be published as such. Making it seem otherwise is just wrong.
Frankie did not have to force anyone or do anything hidden for him to be able to get his current workers, he has tried and continue to try to hire as many Caymanians as possible, and yes, working around him does require a high tolerance of stress, because he does not tolerate a lot of stupidness. His type of work does not allow for constant mistakes and late show and no show and so forth and so on. It is a company that expects its employees to show up and work when they suposed to.
Check how many locals are employed by FADS at the airport and that will give you an idea how many Caymanians they have hired in any business. Greed kills.
well said…
i so agree! 🙂
People like you are the socalled employers WHO need to take a lie detector test . Questions like : Are you on drugs?, How many times do you use them?
What do you do in your day to day operation? How much do you get paid? Don't you think its too much ?
Is it not a little racist to suggest that the conditions of employment are "discouraging Caymanians from applying"?
I'm not supporting the blatant manipulation of the 50% rule on wages at all, but do not think that the best way to take the moral high ground is to be racist!
Being a Caymanian is not a race. Poor you!
17:40.To answer your question:No it is not at all racist.It is just the truth and maybe you would like to make it about race.
We'll see you in the car park later.
What happens if the ex-pat worker has a family that don’t care to squeeze into a 1 bedroom or already has an apartment?
Like many have observed this is tailored! It’s more than obvious.
Then someone who is better suited will apply.
I have a young family. So if I see an advert in the paper that says extensive travel required. I wouldn't apply. Even if the salary was 300k a year. Why? It doesn't suit my lifestyle. I want to stay with my young children and see them grow and not raised by a nanny. That is my personalchoice. Others may have different views. This 1200 is quite good. It is take home salary and while for some this isn't a lot of money for others it is. Each employer should be entitled to choose who they want to hire and people should be realistic about whether they want to work or have the desire and ability to perform the duties.
You obviously haven't seen the one bedroom apartments with nine people sleeping in shifts and peeing outside.
Placing this ad the way it was written is just about the dumbest thing any company could possible do. I think the person who wrote it should be fired. Then… there might actually be a real opening in the company.
Thank you Sandra my district friend. This slave type nonsense must stop. While we are on jobs, will CNS find out who will be the General Manager of CAYS Foundation ? Could a list of the applicants and their qualifications and experience be made public since 'tax payers' have to pick up the tab. The chairperson should have all this information which is not secret.
THIS is not just in Cayman- this is going on everywhere. I just lost my $75,000 job and replaced by someone that they are paying $27,000 to do. I was what was considered "highly qualified, certified and licensed. The person who replaced me is studying to take the certification exam. I have been working at the job for 23 years. The person who replaced me is 24 yrs. old.
SHAMEFUL! Especially from a Caymanian family!! Makes me less proud to be Caymanian! Free rent doesn't pay my mortgage or stamp duty or travel or CUC or groceries. Obviously blantant tactics to keep locals out of a job and enslave an employee! What comes around goes around and my carousel works great! Thank God I don't need Flowers.
I am astonished to see that the Flowers Grouo would advertise for a position, for which they require someione to have a college degree, and offer a salary of CI$1,200.00.per month. I always thought of that family as beng such hardworking consicientious persons and worthy of highest admiration..The elder Flowers' life story was one I always thought worthy of emulaton, as he came from even more disadvantaged background than most other successful persons in Cayman of that same era.
Boycott the swim.
19:17.I believe the elder Mr Flowers came here from Jamaica.
I am aware that the elder Mr Flowers was originally from St Catherine parish in Jamaica but he arrived in Cayman at thirteen years of age to work for the Merren family. He therefore came from very humble beginnings.
So you wouldn't apply for the job. Someone else would. Lots of jobs are in the paper. Why was this singled out?
No it may not pay for your stamp duty or mortgage but this job provides free housing. The job is better suited for a younger person. You have shown your age.
It is possible that a younger person has all those requirements and skills and this would be a perfect opportunity for them to save and travel. What works for you doesn't work for everyone.
I'm shocked to see the comments on here. What are people really complaining about? A job they wouldn't apply for even if the job paid more? Complaining just to complain is a waste of time.
Right that's it! I'm not buying any more blocks from Flowers……….oh wait
If you're looking for ICF block then there is another distributor on island…I just talked to him the other day.
His name is Sam Small; knows his product and is willing to spend time with you to explain how it works.
The product is called Quad Lock.
Look it up on the internet.
This discussion is good. I think that if we continue to name and shame one or maybe two companies every Friday who tactfully discourages their own people from applying, change will being to happen. What do you think?
Name & Shame!!! Enforcement and Audits. Start slapping that $20,000 fine on the firms that blatantly hide qualified Caymanian applications. Shall I start with every large bank on island and their middle-management hiring practices??? Start fining HR Managers!!! Fine the Recruitment firms!!
I think people better be careful as this is a sensitive subject and as Cayman moves closer to having direct taxation all this smoke and mirrors of paradise will go away quickly.
This way of living will not be forever and us Caymanians are not trying to embrace the people who invest but are trying to shoo them away. This company has been good to Cayman. They make profits and to do that you do not increase expenses unnecessarily. It is obvious most posters here are not business owners. It is different once experienced.
Foreign companies will see the difficulties that occur in Cayman to so business and well what will happen? When the global economy no longer need the structured financing of the Cayman Islands because a) it is cheaper to do it somewhere else b) structuring has no financial benefit c) other countries are more welcoming, what will be left are no jobs and empty buildings.
What say ye Labour Office? Since your new inspections unit is misleadingly functioning, can an investigation be undertaken??
Asking this is like asking a maiden plum bush to produce tasty mangos. Not gonna happen!!!!!!
16:55. Who says? I heard of a cow itch plant that produced a first class sprinter,so don't say "Not gonna happen".
The labour department is a joke especially when it comes to dealing with this type of prominent Caymanian business. They are all preferred and can do what they want. The labour department looks good on paper but they do nothing and the law is worth nothing but the paper that it is written on
Not coming to their defense, but is this really an issue for the labour board to investigate or is this an issue for the Immigration Board to investigate. It seems rational to me that it should be the latter.
It is a long list but by no means are any of these excessive. An executive assistant needs to have strong communication, organizational, and computer skills. I would imagine any college grad would qualify for the position…
14:24 you are missing the point completely. That list in NO way quantifies for that menial salary. That is not a living wage for someone with those qualifications.
Are you implying that it would be a living wage for someone without them?
zero is also not a liveable wage but a lot of people seem to prefer that to working.
Shark hunting skills a plus
That's not the issue – the salary is!
SHUT UP!!
Anon 1424 while you might be right about that in reality this advertisement says you have to have it but the huge probem is that you are going to pay someone with a bachelors 1200 per month. For those requirements the salary should be higher
Not at that salary.
SHUT UP!!
5am to midday – stack blocks.
Midday to 5pm – screen bags.
6pm to midnight – deliver water.
Question. When do I get to swim?
When you put the race markers in the water (and tak them back out) and act as lifeguard to all the racers.
Notwhithstanding that the ad may well be bogus and tailored for a specific individual (as are fully 75% of the ads in the Compass)
For everyone who is saying that a person can't live on $1,200 a month + free rent I would like you to comment on what you or your extended family are paying for domestic help I expect it will be less than $1,200 + free rent (no CUC or water as well). Oh but a Caymanian can't live on that! However we all expect those who clean our houses, look after our kids (they are all Helpers not Nannies who get benefits) and care for our sick & elderly (again Helpers not Nurses who get benefits) to live on very little.
Once we finish acknowledging our own hypocrisy in this area, would everyone who participates in the cottage industry of taking out permits for expats who pay the permit holder for the chance to work illegally for others tell me how that reconciles with our Christian values.
well said!!!
i was a bit insulted as well with the ad at first… now i kinda want to see if i qualify
1. Name one helper that has a Bachelor's degree. I haven't even met one that has graduated from high school.
2. I'll bet my last dollar that this was written for someone from the Philipines or Honduras. Why? Because they get college degrees but they're not worth the ppaer they are written on because there aren't enough jobs in their countries.
Bit like UCCI qualifications, or those certificates we like purchasing from Florida or Louisiana "universities"
Fred the piemake you need to shut up.
How is your comment even respectful to college students? You are tearing down the very place that we are trying to uphold.
YES, a lot of Caymanians EARN a degree from UCCI or head to Florida for their degree. Even some of the partners at audit firms on island went to school here or in Florida.
People like you disgust me. I happened to have worked hard for my UCCI degree and I happen tobe one of the most qualified Caymanians on this island under the age of 30. Oh, by the way, my UCCI degree probably got me a higher salary than what you make. Did I mention that because of that same UCCI degree I now have my CPA? There are many other qualified students who went to this same college. There are also very qualified professors there. Please do not turn your nose up at what you do not know.
If you have an issue with Flowers, take it up with them. But please leave my college out of this.
I DARE anyone to comment on my spelling.
“I DARE anyone to comment on my spelling.” – – –
Challenge excepted. – – –
“Fred the piemake” – – –
This should be: Fred the Piemaker (you missed the r. In addition, if addressing someone by name, please capitalize as needed/properly). – – – The last one, although not a misspelling, it matters overall. Your word used, “island”. When talking about these Islands (Cayman Islands), generally, but not an absolute these days, should be in caps. “qualified Caymanians on this island” – for example. – – – Have a great day.
01:23.Challenge accepted not challenge excepted.
Touché…however, he Expected a challenge and I sure do hope he Accepted it. 😛
18:22.Maybe you should stop purchasing them then and study for them .
18:22.It does not matter if they are obtained from a US University UK University,or UCCI;paid for in US Dollars, British pounds or CI Dollars ;they are all "purchased".If you obtain an academic scholarship then your sponsor purchases it,and if you obtain your scholarship as an athlete, you purchase it with the use of your athletic skills;but in the end someone always pays for/purchases that degree.
I suspect your degree in economics came from the University of Life with rapier insights like this.
05:21. I suspect that your BS degree came from BULL University and stands for Bull S…
Mine was a degreed professional engineer from the Phillippines.
And why aren't the uni degrees from the Philippines worth the paper they are written on? Better than gray dating from the local universities here. At least they are taught decorum. Plus the individuals from the Philippines and Honduras are better than the public high school graduates as these people are bilingual. It may not be perfect English but they can communicate. How many from the public high school can speak English properly, much less a second language. Unless the heritage is from a country where they do not speak English as the first language.
These people are unable to get jobs in the Philippines due to population. That means high standards required for obtaining a job. High standards required to finish university. They go where they can get a job and will work. I cannot say the same for my fellow Caymanians. If the job is menial, they will not apply. It is beneath them.
This is advert has a low salary so a Caymanian wouldn't apply. No different than the other positions that are considered a low salary eg dive master -requires extensive skills, hospitality- some positions require a bachelors etc. A PA isn't exactly a well paid position unless you are in a law firm, accounting firm etc.
My son isn't going to school to get an Electrical Engineering degree to come home and work for $1200 a month. The loan itself is like $900 a month. My biggest objection is why someone with a bachelor's degree would work for $1200? Last year I hear it was advertised as $1500 a month. I guess next year it'll be $1000 a month. A simple solution is that they have to have a job description for their positions just like government does and it can't be tailored to each expat.
Well your son better be the best of the best. A university degree is so common it has been downgraded as equivalent to a high school diploma. I'm not saying do not get one. I'm saying don't expect a high starting salary. Once graduated, without experience, the piece of paper is worth nothing more than toilet paper. You have to prove your worth. Students and recent grads get paid poorly because they have to gain the real world knowledge. Other countries experience the same. Lots of people with law degrees and no where to article. No one is entitled to get a job or to start at any salary. Apprenticeships is a low salary because you are learning the job. If you expect your son to start at even 2000 a month you are lucky. Unless he worked summers in his field and is an extremely bright boy, his first job will not incur a high salary.
Their English sucks. I asked one for a diet coke and it's a good thing I speak Spanish so I could tell her in Spanish because she didn't understand a word of English.
What if I wanted to buy and not rent? See where i'm going? Couldn't be any more tailored!
Buying a home is a privilage not a right. Get over it.
You are missing my point. The ad is obviously bogus and they are just doing it because it is a requirement. My point is with people who are obviously upset that no one can live on this island while making so little who happily pay similar or lower total wages to their helpers. In additin we have a large number of Caymanians who supplement their income by taking out permits for workers they do not need and charging their "employee" hundreds of dollars a month for the privilege of being able to sramble for work. That is more akin to slavery that what Flowers is doing.
yeah but guess how we are able to pay them 1200 per month? only when we are able to get paid over 1200 … no hypocrisy there 😉
What is wrong with a business wanting the best and brightest for the cheapest price in order to be successful? Why force me to pay a wage that it can’t afford or that will affect its bottom line and cause it to close down?
If you are highly qualified and think the wage is beneath you, then do not apply for the job. They want experienced people and do not have time to train as this will affect the business. That is why the qualifciation standards are so high.
The ad says that the only persons eligible to apply are Caymanians, Status Holders and PR. If you fall in this category, then apply if interested. If you do not have the qualifications required then go and acquire them and then the job is yours when you complete. The fact that an expat might take a job at that low wage is incidental and at the same time irrelevant because the expat will never be shortlisted. If after trying no Caymanian applies then by right the business should be allowed to employ an expat who is prepared to work for the wage provided the expat has all the qualifications and experience required. It is for immigration to verify this.
The issue is the wage and not the qualifications. In reality most expats come to the Island qualified and experienced. Employers see this as a benefit because they don't want to incur traning costs and lost time to train as that will affect bottom line. If the government knows there is a need for 10 personal assistants with degrees then train them so that when finished they can get the job.
At the same time fix the economy so employers can offer a higher salary without the need for a minimum wage law and in turn attract Caymanians who would have the qualifications.
If the expat HR Manager who wrote the ad represents the best and brightest for CHEAP – then Frankie clearly has a problem.
Not only that but why is he usin old techology? Aren't we on the iPad Air now which is like 4 or 5? All kidding aside when you read all that is required that post should be payin NO less han $3500 per month. In fact, I'm sure this advert doesn't speak to all that he expects including how t person MUST attend his board meetings etc.
The tickets he's giving away are FREE comp tickets he gets from CAL for providing secuity at the airport so the company only then pays the taxes. So that's costing the people even more $$.
Ex-pats can not be HR Managers……learn your laws before you comment.
Tell that to the Expat HR Manager at the CIAA!
Because you are importing slavery and poverty,that's why.the love of money and power is the problem.But like BIG "J" said in his song.NEVER SEE NO BRINKS down a Dovecot yet,nor down a Dixie.Never see it yet.
"WHAT IS WRTONG"_ What is wrong, is that most Caymanians with those skills already have a place of abode. This ad seems to have been placed specifically for someone who had already been contacted.
Or is already in the position.
Most but not all. They only need one person for the job. The person who is best suited. A person who would be the best person for the job. Including an upbeat personality. A can do attitude. A smile. A positive demeanor. Sometimes a job isn't about the salary for some. Sometimes people want to work because they want to. While this job isn't suited for you but could be for the stay at home mother that doesn't need to work and wants to feel useful again. It could be for the recent graduate that has experience from engaging in charity events while in university. It could be for the retiree that wants to keep busy. The job isn't written for you. It is written for someone else.
Well said. Not like of the comments made on this topic
– 13:43.What is wrong is your false and simplistic way of thinking.Wrong because in the real working environment here in Cayman things do not happen the way you claim;not sure if you are unsure or deliberately misleading.Simplistic ,again because it is a lot more complicated than you suggest. e.g. you say "If you do not have the qualifications required then go and acquire them and then the job is yours when you complete" Really? Is this a guarantee that your company gives to applicants who initially fail to qualify?.No? Didn't think so ,it just does not happen that way.Secondly you state " If the government knows there is a need for 10 personal assistants with degrees then train them so that when finished they can get the job." If this is true then please explain the many local law students who are unable to find employment.Finally ,if you know that you should be offering a better salary than you are ,just do it;do not wait for someone else.
Honestly there is no good end in sight because the leaders can't lead and the followers won't follow.
#1 Priorioty in the country SHOULD BE to lower the cost of living and doing business.
Government needs to set duties with a view to increasing business activity. This means incentives geared an encouraging businesses to increase sales volumes. Such as a scaled duty discount system.
Businesses need to start thinking volume over how much they can possibly sell one product for.
Until this sort of thing happens we will always remain in the pickle we are in now. We are pricing ourselves out of existence. I don't blame businesses and residents as much as I believe the government of the day needs to bemore proactive.
We as a country need to reinvent ourselves. We need to price our products so people will come back and buy again not like they will never return.
As for the jobs situation I have seen this countless times. This practice is several decades old now. The problem is only being highlighted because we have so many people out of work still. Before it use to be the glutinous businesses now its many small to medium businesses. Some of it is survival some still about just wanting more money.
Let's keep in mind that from a business perspective their aimsare to lower expenses while increasing sales. If you can hire someone at a lower salary and get teh same result this is godo for business. Is it good for the country? No. Probably not but the business is then able to grow or the pockets of the owners will grow.
None of its right but the underlying evil is the cost of living and doing business. Fix this and many issues we have today get better for all of us.
Even with the excuse of omitting an apartment, its still way of the mark of a decent salary.A poor excuse if you ask me.
after reading a few comments up it doesnt seem half bad when you think about it.
if youre making $2500 a month as is and paying rent or a mortgage as well as utilities thats all youre really left with anyway
Agree,rent and utilities come close to $1600-1800 CI. More than $2,000 in USD.
Yes but if you are paying mortgage ,you will atleast own that property after a time.But in this case they are keeping that money as a guaranteed rental income.cant you see that.
Many expats who are on a salary, work up to 100hr/week. Divide their salary by hours worked and suddenly 65-70K plus (if) 5K bonus, doesn't look like much ($/HR). Especially when salary is in USD.
So one need to compare apples to apples.
A minimum wage is a bit of a red herring, at $300 a week cash that's $8 an hour, and if you add in accomodation and the other bits that works out to nearly $12 an hour ($500month for accomodation and $1k for extras).
All the chat I've seen on a minimum wage has been starting at $5/hour.
Plenty of people live and work on this amount, it's not where I would want to be, but it's not living in a card board box either.
It's not a viable income level to stimulate the local economy as a vast majority of this remuneration is sent "HOME". Cayman is not welcoming and will never be "HOME".
The bosses that think they are saving money are bleeding their own country dry…….ha ha!
The people that are all working for $5.00 an hour are living with about 10 other people so lets be real here!
Betcha Frankie didnt see this one coming…
I am glad that someone like Sandra Catron is looking out for people.
XXXX
Good. More prizes for the rest of us. Shame on you by the way, unless of course you will be making a contribution instead to the benefitting charity.
Without having read all the comments, I believe they are shooting themselves in the foot by even offering the "one bedroom apartment". Why would someone already living here need to move out of their home into another? That alone clearlys says intentions are to bring someone here who will need housing…this is not a job post for a local (but we all know that already).
Because now you have two incomes. You can rent your home and make money that way. Plus live rent free. Plus get paid. How about that for a positive spin.
My goodness look at the opportunity. If you were entrepreneurial or could think a bit more this is a great opportunity. It is not perfect. But for whoever wants to make money off the rental income from their own property and live rent free could get their mortgage paid with tenants.
Lets have some persperctive here, calling this salary is an insult to those murdered and generations lost under the yoke of salary. Frankly it shows how many people here have lost touch with reality. In the UK an average starting salary for an accounting graduate in London is 21,000 pounds or CI$28,750, of that around a third is lost in taxes leaving $19,171, then pay rent of around $700 a month, leaves an comparable annual salary of $10,771 or $900 a month.
This is a stupid comparison. If you get sick in the UK, you can go to the NHS. Public transportation is widely available at an affordable price. Groceries are not even half as expensive as they are here. There is assistance in case you need housing and don't make enough. Is it perfect? Not at all, but come now.
I lived in London and still have a lot of mates who are recent graduates working there. Although they make nowhere near as much as I do now, when I tell them how much I have to pay to see the doctor for a minor checkup, their heads explode.
Sounds like its better you go back to London to live. Those minor check-ups can add up after a while. So that explains those unidentified exploding heads that seem to be happening since you left London?
Now the whole "Tempura" investigation makes sense now. It was supposed to be medical.
Would be very interesting to see how your position was advertised to hire you.
According to the Jordainian , its even better in Jordan than in UK.
Think you meant slavery not salary ROFL
No – think he got it right., at least if you had a boss like mine…
So THEN … after $1200.00 and there are deductions for insurance and pension what does she actually take home?
Shame on you Mr. Flowers; how can you claimed that details surround other peaks were left off, jsut incased you forgot, you placed this same identical advert last year around this same time – didnt you realised then that important details were missing – you are only doing damage control. Thanks Ms. Catron.
Yeah…..travel benifits is from allotted free Cayman Airways tickets this muli billion family is allowed to have free. This is a crying shame and a slap in the face of the Cayman People. We should avoid doing business with this family owned slave labour company to make a statement. The politicians that back this company also is a disgrace and we should name and shame them all……SMH…..
You'll have a hard time not doing biz with the only block company on the rock.
Well, that goes to show you what this employer actually think you're worth are you bust your chops to get a bachelor degree.
They should hang their head in shame or at best have it's business license cancelled because if they're looking for someone to work for $1200.00 most likely there are other working for them for less especially if there are expats.
Politicians please wake up because 2017 soon come.
Government needs to put in place a simple template that all submissions for Work Permits should follow, then make it an offence if it is not followed.
It is time that this is a totally prescriptive to minimise the flagrant abuses that is going on.
Why should there be so many requirements of the adverts to avoid hiring Caymanians.
These types of ads are pretty much common place in Cayman, because the political appointees along with the politicians continue to do a terrible job in managing the work permit process, they have great discretion when it comes to the law, but they just don't care.
Theyneed to stop being jelly fishes and grow some spines.
And so the rich get richer and everyone else gets ground down into a repeat of the feudal system. It's not just here, just look at what is happening in the USA and throughout the world. The rich Caymanian families know who they are, and no way are they interested in a minimum wage. That's why it hasn't ever been passed because most of the politicians are intricately connected to the same families who maintain feudal system.
Truly shameful. I will be cancelling my bottled water contract with Flowers in light of this.
Hahahahah!!!! I know of a particular health drink store that has hired work permit holders to mix a smoothie! Maybe a bachelors degree is required for that too. I dare not try that at home! The whole work permit thing just gets funnier and funnier the way they are approved for the easiest positions in the work force. Oh lawdy! The next time I need to hire someone to mow my lawn I want to see their High School Diploma first! Mouahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you think people go into business to makes others money or themselves? When I opened my business it was about the bottom line -profit. My employees chose to work for me. They applied and were interviewed. The salary was agreed and accepted. If you didn't like the job position or salary you didn't apply. Why all the fuss?
Cayman is so small, that if government REALLY wanted to, it could in-fact, streamline the workforce and related operations to ensure fairness, or at least give the preception of fairness, after all, we are SUCH a Christian community –load of crap.
The real problem is, the people who can fix these issues are too comfortable and getting paid too much, with no performance expectation cause their boses dont even know what to expect themselves –status quo has to be maintained.
Why would anyone pay more money and hire and train Caymanians if they can save that money for personal and selfish interests, its quite normal, and has now permeated these islands –the rich, MUST keep their money.
Persons who are being abused due to their economic circumstances by these type of employers, are also part of the problem, but what choice do they really have, everything is relative, and they are just passing thru and have a bigger plan, so why not earn some of that good CI$ and send it back home –circumstances dictate, Its only a job.
And when it comes to White Collar workers, it's the opposite, its really true, its really about "the old boys club," the rest can be learned on the job from the Caymanians who will naturally never get that top job …. its RESERVED. So yes, every single day adverts WILL be tailored and work permits approved to get people hired. –so who cares if my first degree is in "outback walk abouting, I'm now a corporate strategic key plaver," and I just purchased at Crystal Harbor! —ooops, got status too, Good to Go, now let's start a firm.
Travel benefits! If I get the job how much traveling would I be expected to do, why and where. Include in ad please.
that is what the interview is for
Look at their advert in todays Compass and they are doing same thing for two more positions. why would you offer travel home and accommodation if u really looking for a Caymanian.
Flowers Co – u need to hire a good public relations company cause you making it worse for yourselves. Or better yet, just start doiing the right thing by the country that made you multi-millionaires and continues to allow you to operate in a monopolistic environment.
I wonder if you were one of those well to do Caymanians that went around with "COUNTRY FIRST" slogans just befopre last elections?
Swiss moving towards $25.00 per hour minimum wage! I bet the CIG will not be using Switzerland as a comparable jusidictional albeit their economy is very similar to Cayman's. Instead, they will cave to business pressure and low ball and put in $5.00
Their a shame, no no their shameful for thinking their people are woth less or worthless…
The wealth distrubtion is a major global problem and leaders worldwide again need to tackle this ugly beast. More than idealogical is it dangerous and history proves that event the rich have much to fear when the poor have nothing. I know we will have some thumbs down and they will say "let them eat cake" only to be dragged from their Range Rovers and flogged in the road whilst the police and barricaded in the police station fearful of life and unwilling to serve for the measly pittance.
Is this the type of world in which we want to live..A greater middle class is still possible as it was in the 1950's inother countries and even here in the 1990's but it is not possible when luntics (horders of cash) stuff their bank accounts far past needs of their children and grand children and create dynastical wealth. If I stockpiled telephones until my great great great grandchildren each had 5 you would call me mad but if I did the same with cash would that make me…wise! And the effect is that it creates a shortage of telephones for people to connect with each other in the present.
Hey, go figure but as it goes….don't worry about the rich we will take care of ourselves. But the greedy and gluttens will cause us all to suffer if they keep up this stance.
I live in Switzerland. A McDonald's combo meal in Switzerland costs around $15. Is this really where you want to go. Be careful what you ask for. You can't trick the economics of it all.
That is because the cost of living in Switzerland is significantly higher than living in the Cayman Islands. It is a very high cost jurisdiction. That is not comparing apples to apples.
Wow, and this is for low wages…..Can you BELIEVE what the White Collar job adverts try to pull??? WHERE is enforcement? The Business Staffing Board should be renamed- "Business Expat Approval Board"
What is the point of this Board? Okay so banks promise to have 80% local bank tellers as long as their entire Middle Management & Executives can be expats? (Huh?) Law Firms will sponsor scholarships and only hire a handful of token locals (Huh?) Get your MBA in HR, but no way to get a job in a Camana Bay firm….tis true! Forget about IT certiifications offered by the Chamber of Commerce or online accredited certifications- pay $$ and get your difficult certs, but no way any local White collar Recruiting firm will place a LOCAL in ANY job above $50K- it is not profitable for their business model folks.
Does anyone else see this as complete discrimination and an impossible glass celieng for any locals applying for senior accounting, IT roles, HR, and ANY senior Admin???
And what about Conflict of Interest? Someone pleasetell me HOW Charlie Kirconnell sits on the Staffing Immigration Board as CHAIR yet is the CEO of Cayman Enterprise City which allows expats to move here without advertising for a permit and automatic grant of work permits when they form a CEC company? Go ahead and TRY to apply for a CEC job as a local, they so not even return your emails! A bigger farce and conflict I have never seen.
Something smells and Tara, Alva, and Alden- you need to actually audit some of these permit grants and auto WP renewals…. your people have college degrees, overseas business experience, and great references and still cannot get in the front door!!! Stop taling and sit in on the rubber stamp approvals. Stop the madness.
I feel your sentiments and they wonder why the country is a mess. Kirkconnell's own half of town, employ foreigners for jobs and they wonder why there is an issue. They are getting a cut and can't be trusted. Complete sell outs. Don't worry though the next generation are not like their parents and act like Uncle Toms they are now raising up arms and unfortunately it will affect this Country. Jamaica politics and behaviour is only a stone throw away. Disgraceful behaviour by these supposed leaders. How they sleep at night it is beyond me.
They don't sleep at night. They come out to play; you should see what they're really getting paid for.
Just wait till they get those expensive cruise peirs that will be paid for by revenues that should go to eduuucation etc
Cayman Enterprise City is a farce and Charlie is a sell-out.
Not only that, investors who take advantage of CEC can apply FOR THEIR OWN work permits hehehe…
It is quite an art form designing a renewal advert that minimises the chances of problem applications.
I tend to look for new hires with a special skill or proficiency in a non-common language. That really helps in the future come renewals, especially with the riskier job types.
No, I think its real They really don't want to pay any more.
ooops so sorry we forgot to add the free one bedroom apartment, the free travel and the bonus
I applied for a job like that once, but was told I did not qualify because I did not have a PhD in creative writing.
want to know what a Caymanian human resource managers worst nightmare is? a qualified caymanian applying a work permit renewal job advert!
nudda qestion for you – why do the biggest culprits hire local h r officers?
I will take a shot at your last question. Is it because having a Caymanian human resource manager is of great strategc benefit as they are probalbly friends with and will make more headway with the Caymanian immigration officials when they are getting that work permit you want!!!!!!!!!!!
Please everyone! Take a look at all the high profile Caymanian family owned businesses around the island. Everyone of them has employed more ex-pats than Caymanians! There may be 1 Caymanian amongst them but when you go into the supermarkets, the pet store, the wholesale shops, jewelry stores, etc. they are overrun with many nationalities who, of course, are the cheaper labour. I know of many businesses who hire the ex-pats, pay them bottom dollar and make the employee pay for their own work permit. Outrageous! It's ridiculous how many of these work permits are approved by the Immigration Department. The onus is on you, Cayman Islands Government!
Actually, the onus is also on the high profile Caymanian owned family businesses too. I wonder why they don't want to employ Caymanians?
I have3 been saying for a long time this has nothing with caymanians v expats. its about businesses v employees and in particular caymanian employees.
When a business has a good expat employee they will go to almost any length to keep them its thats simple.
Andwhy do you think that is?
No, it is on the police. The only way what you claim is true is if there is manifest, widespread and overt corruption in the operation of the immigration department.
So the post requires a bachelor degree but pays only 1200 a month. Lol another day in paradise
Stress tolerance. No Shit!
Firstly let me say that it is a shame to see such a successful business paying slave labour wages. In the article Mr. Flowers says that the position comes with a free one bedroom apartment. WE ALL KNOW that they are referring to that dorm style apartment complex in Swamp that the Flowers built. This complex is a private bedroom share bathroom, kitchen and living room with all the other tenants. Quite a pathetic attempt on his part to add a benefit to the scenario. Would a lady with 2 kids highly qualified accept that benefit? Doubtful very doubtful.
What this did highlight was the greed mentality of some of these businesses who have survived over the years by hiring cheap labour. Yes in 3rd World countries you can get someone to go to school, graduate by their standards and obtain a college degree but because of the fact they come from a 3rd world country they will work for $1200 a month. It's a shame but that is life. Unfortunately that is not here in Cayman where $1200 will not get you far at all. Shame on the Flowers Company… shame on them.
Maybe they were Looking to help the homeless face book (sic) users.
"slave labour wages", oxymoron? and you have a choice in taking the job, slaves did not, if they did not do the job they or their family was beaten to death. MASSIVE DIFFERENCE
If I needed an assistant they would get $100 per week and what I taught them would enable them to make millions later.
That said because they are my assistant they would get car food smokes nights out pocket $ etc
I would work for you just for your sense of humor
Since when can smokes pay the bills??
That's what most interns get and other people who want to learn a business. Training on the job. It is reasonable. It is not for everyone but not everyone excels either.
I have to be real honest right now I work in the water sports industry and make less. But being that the main cause is the slow season vs high season, the theme that gets my blood boiling is where the moral grounds for all these asinine income. How do they expect gain on one hand while killing the economy, all these so call experts in businesses makes me laugh. Cayman no more small talk we need to stand for a better life 1,700 to 2,000 a month.
Two words–free apartment…
Does the current occupant have to move out while his job is being advertised?
one word-Hovel
No, this position/add isn't geared for an expat. See, we provide a one bedroom apartment for all of thsoe Caymanians (or others) living here already who want to compete for it. The silliness gets better the more they talk.
But, while I agree that this add is ridiculous and that we need a minimum wage,the two don't equate. A minimum wage wouldn't apply to a job like this. What this speaks to is the 'abuse' of employees at all levels, but thats another issue from abuse of the bottom level (min wage). What needs to be applied here is some common sense by the Immigration Board – which is why we create boards in the first place, so they can use their discretion – to throw it back to the bussiness saying its not suitably competative. (Advertising the job honestly with all of the things they added over the phone to the reporter might meet that competative expectation.)
No matter what spin this company now tries to put on it, the fact is they have a high number of work permit employees. Don't take my word for it, just go into their offices.
Does Mr. Flowers still sit on the Airport Authoruty Board? And doesn't his company provide screening services at the airport?!!!!!!
Isn't this a CONFLICT OF INTEREST?!!!!! Oh, I forgot, DIS CAYMAN. Sorry.
Why is this a surprise? Caymanian owned businesses do not want Caymanian employees and adjust their pay scales to achieve this. These businesses want total control over their employees and complete restriction of job mobility.
An example of the work permit protectionist system actually working against the interests of the Caymanian worker.
And the reason these Caymanian owned businesses don't want Caymanian workers, 9:34, is because they know how troublesome, unreliable and unproductive so many of them are.
In other words they are prejudiced against Caymanians.
Well I guess the advertised position is actually yours! You don't know the Caymanians who work hard to maintain their household and families. You don't know shit about true Caymanians!
Actually the real reason is because they have their expat friends, ready and waiting for the position so they will go to the temping agencies, line up a suitable expat candidate, do their skype interviews, make a decision, the temping agency then contracts these individuals (who have friends here ready and waiting their arrival), get them on island, set up a contract between the local business who agreed to employ them, the agency then lease them for six months and after that six months, the employer will then pay the temping agency a huge (take on) fee, the employer applies for a one year work permit and its approved and no questions asked. After this is all done, candidate selected, then an ad for the job is placed in the local news paper just to comply with the requirements, a few short interviews of the Caymanian applicants conducted so that the employer can tell Immigration they in fact interviewed Caymanians but they were unqualified/over qualified. Its time these temping agencies are looked into, this is a big money making business which includes the blatant disrespect even to those Caymanians registered with the temping agencies. Any Caymainian applying for a job, I would advise them to always cc the Work Permit Board with your application.
Don't forget the lovely Filipino practice of paying your "cousin" who got you a job here a huge portion of your salary for the first six months you are here. Then you do the same to your "cousin" that you find a job for. I have seen it happen.
Maybe the ones you have met which I am sure are few. We are out here, with PHD's, Masters, Doctorates etc and have not been working for months and some for years. Some are working in jobs they really don't care for just to get but so you can take the comment and put it where the sun dont shine!!!
Making general statements about "so many" based off of a few is nothing short of ignorant. all though it reflects your true bias, it is still ignorant.
Let me tell you about an experience I had recently.
My employer was looking to hire someone into a certain positon which was advertised in the paper. We received several applications (expats and Caymanians) and I was on the panel of people who contacted interviews. Before the first interview was conducted, I was informed that there was actually a decision made to change the position somewhat which required a bit of a different skill set. Of course, the ad that was in the paper didn't specify those skill sets so none of those applicants had those relevant skills and experience unitl VOILA, magically one person appeared who for a strange reason had exactly those skill sets now required.
Obviously you could smell the rat a mile away. I fought hard to have the ad re-run in the paper with the necessary corrections, but at the end I had no say…..
I guess I don't need to point out that the person who on paper had all those "last minute adjusted skills" got the job………………and is a very dear friend of someone else who works in the firm……….
bachelor/diploma ? come on people if you dont have the minimum requirements set out on that ad then you might as well work at KFC. We are in 2014 if you dont have a diploma in something and dont know how to use a computer then you need help.The ad is clearly targeted toward young folks who are just starting to work and may not have any expenses.
Given the amount of experience and skills required this is NOT geared towards a school leaver. Ironically, Mr. Flower's additional comments about an apartment and tickets home only PROVE this is geared towards expats.
Not only that but Mr. Flowers is known to hire expats – Filipinos, Indians and some Jamaicans for most of his companies/vacancies. The person in this job now is on a 3 month temp WP and this advert is geared towards getting her full WP approved.
The HR manager who ran this avert is from India – so if he messed up this badly and actually didn't include all the benefits will he be fired for a Caymanian? He mustt have a Master's degree HUH?
Too convenient that ALL of the benefits were left out of the job.
This advert has ran before and ask Mr. Flowers who in the past 5 years held this position. Not even the expats wish to stay in it for long! Slave labour was outlawed a long time ago – or so I thought.
Can the people in this country please wake up? IMMIGRATION? LABOUR? MLAs? ANYONE??
Slavery? really? you have a choice to take the job and you get paid for it. Maybe you misunderstand what slavery actually is
All thanks to capitalism and globalization.
Bring on that wonderful pyramid society why dont'cha?! Always a great recipe for societal success, innit?
However, check out the UK and EU today. They are dealing with these very issues – so much so that their people are revolting against the long-standing powers that be and embracing very worrying populist entities.
Let's hope things do not regress to that state here in Cayman.
We need to use our size and economic potential to our advantage. It is a disgrace the way we are adopting every "1st world" tactic of exploitation in this tiny island-nation.
We can do so much better.
I think youre off on this one Who. The employer is born and bred carribbean man and does not operate out of character for one. You're a smart feller, take a step back and have a look at the world thats not out your same old window.
This position is currently either filled by a Filipino or an Indian as I go there all the time and see them working. The problem here is the government department/board who grants permits for this type of work for this amount of salary. No one from a decent country with a bachelors degree is going to work for this pittance. Having a minimum wage will not help this type of situation because thiis wage would probably be above what they would approve as a minimum wage anyhow. Furthermore as can be seen from some of the face book comments the Filipinos are defending working for is small amount as it is a huge amount where they come from
And that is why Caymanian seamen were employed all those years ago -they were cheaper than American ones. Now the Filipinos fill that role on ships. It's called "market forces".
They were employed because they were excellent seamen.
I got $1200 that says that is whatthe current position holder makes. Probably 10 times what they would in Manila. If Caymanians are interested, they should apply. Simple. You either want a job or you don't. Unemployment is a myth.
I gave you a thumbs up before reading the last sentence of your post. You are disingenuous. Those qualifications are not necessary for the position and no Caymanian (or anyone else other than a Filipino) with those qualifications would apply for it at that salary. Furthermore a degree in the Philippines is not the same as a degree in the U.S., U.K. or Canada.
This highlights the problems Caymanians meet in trying to get a job.
Clear your cache and give me a disigenuous thumbs down then, you know it's true.
When I started work in the UK, after my degree I earned US$1,000 a month, then I lost around 350 in taxes, leaving 750 a month, 500 went on rent, leaving 250 a month, that is lot less thn the slary offered here. The problem in Cayman is so many live beyond their means with big expensive cars,watches andjewelry just to impress their peers. Companies have to make a profit to stay in business, with all the fee increases this is harder and harder to manage, they can only pay staff so much, or they will go out of business and more people are unemployed.
I'm not sure what degree that you would have earned since you cannot do a simple subtraction sum: $1,000-$350 = $650. And no one earning the equivalent of 600 sterling per month would have been paying 35% taxes.
What a crock!
Are you kidding me? Those wages were lost back in the ice ages! What the hell were you doing for that kind of money? Emptying the buckets of bulls**t?
What type of degree (social work?) from what quality school (Moss Side University)? And what year was that? 1970? Without context your stats are pie in the sky.
Degree? 1000-350=750? I promise mst Caymanians are much more qualified than you!
live beyond their means? with the overbearing cost of living? you are an idiot.
Now we know why people leave Egnlad to come here then. If that is the salary for a educated person!
10:28. Was that a BS degree or was it a degree in BS.I believe it was the latter.
I got an idea…. you apply for it.
What "system" is being blatantly abused here? You mean the international labour market? Who can survive on this wage you ask? Well clearly the person holding the job currently. Need a minimum wage you say? That's great for those with work but for those who are unemployed it will make it harder to find work as the supply will shrink.
I really do think sometimes that everyone simply wants the job of their dreams, handed to them on a silver platter, at a wage rate of their choosing.
Would i do the job advertised at the wage offered? H*ll no! Would a minimum wage make that job better? No. It would make that job go away. Abuse of the system? No. Someone wants to offer a job at low pay. If someone else is willing to do that job at low pay then thats the labour market at work. Simple as that.
The Immigration Law, dimwit. Those qualifications are not really required for the job and are tailored to suit a particular individual. It automatically excludes Caymanians. We all know which nationality with those qualifications would apply for a job at that salary. You must think we're stupid.
Not that simple bobo.
The point is if you are truly that daft is that 1200 a month CANNOT last a month in Cayman with the cost of living. In case you do not realize the job is to keep the person that is currently there and I know the Indian lady that works there and in the position. In case you have not realized Caymanians SHOULD get preference but that advertisment screams no Caymanians wanted. Its not about wanting the job of your dreams its about surviving and I dont know anyone that can survive off of that salary not even with that AMAZING 1% off our CUC bills. People need to stop and realize that whilst someone will take 1200 a month it is because they are more than likely living with 10 other ppl in a 3 bedroom paying less than 200 a month on rent and utilites, car pooling with 5 friends and eat the cheapest stuff on the shelf. I am not trying to be mean or sterotypical but I observe my surroundings which seems to be more than what the rest are doing. These jobs are fine for filipinos, Indians and other countries where the currency is weaker than ours. Because like a filipino friend of mine told me just the other day, after one year working in Cayman as a security guard($5.50p/hr) he can build his very nice home back in the filipines. I am glad people can come here and get an oppurtunity but not when Caymanians are being blocked out in order for them to get preference. Someone please tell me which Caymanian can build a home after 1 year of work in an entry level job or even the position being advertisted in this topic? I know people working for 4yrs in a position a little better and cant even qualify for a loan. And you wonder if minimum wage would help? Yes it would because it would no longer be a case of bringing in a forgeiner to work for 4.50p/hr so that you don't have topay a Caymanian 6.00p/hr. I will agree with the world that there are a lot of Caymanians who simply ride on the fact of being Caymanian as there argument of rights. But I am a young Caymanian who endures these type of sterotypes everyday in the work force and we are all not like that. We are smarter and we are not going to adapt to the type of life style these foreigners come from due to there country being heavily over populated. Last time I checked Cayman is still under developed in a lot of areas I dont see why I as a young Caymanian I should have to endure those type of living conditions as they do back home in order to survive.
Please!! who in Cayman gets paid by the week. No one. It is either Bi-weekly or monthly. I do not believe a word of what they way some people are trying to turn around the facts.
Mr Suckoo you have lots to look into. My suggestion would be to check your district and note the many persns who can only afford one meal for the day because they cannot afford more…
Actually alot of people get paid weekly down here, mostly domestic help and some construction workers.
Mr. Sukoo needs to give the public the result of his recent Job drive. I wonder how that went for him? Everyone in Bodden Town must be employed by now.
Or did anyone even bother to show up? Anyone not working in BT is simply un-employable. Mr. Sukoo faced a bit of reliaty when he tried to do that drive.
That comes out to 7.50 an hour, good look even finding an qualified expat to work for that
It's only $5.53/hour (at the most) considering the number of hours employees at this company must work.
The salary mentioned is obviously 1200 a week, they wouldn't even be able to get an expat from anywhere with those skills for 1200 a month.. People always jump to conclusions, I wonder if any of those so many qualified Caymanians with degrees actually inquired into this opportunity. But I'm sure 1200 a week is probably an insult to them as well.
CNS Note: As stated in the story, it has been confirmed as the monthly salary.
Cayman imports there cheap labour from around the world. Not unsimilar to UAE or HK. While this advantagous in some respects it seems to depress the wages of lower paying jobs. If you are not a "Professional" in your industry you tend to find stagnant wages.
One word: Slavery.
I'll second that. There are some Gods on this island that treat the non-gods as non-humans
except the are paid us$17,560 year plus accommodation , (which at current rents is probably around US$1,000 a month), totalling close to US$30,000 a year tax free. To earn that in the US, you would need to earn close to 50, 000, which is a reasonable wage. I'm an accountant and I live on less than 1200 a month, not including rent. The key is not to get a massive car loan on a big SUV you cannot afford the monthly payments or the fuel for and has no other purpose than impress your neighbours.
Not including rent I love that part. Cause that bill doesn't matter or anything right? Not even you Mr. Accountant can live off of 1200 a month.
well it is not including rent, they state a 1 bedroom apartment is included. Please tell me how being paid for a job and having the choice of taking it is slavery as claimed? Actually I do, just live within your means. do you need a brand new car paid for by a bank loan and going through gas at 8miles to the gallon? do you need your aircon set at 68 degrees? seriously there is no fiscal common sense in this country. My car cost me 2,000 and has lasted me 5years now. Frankly now I survive on around 100 dollars aweek and save the rest. Why would I invest in a country I am not welcome? You would not know real poverty is was jumping up and down in front of you. You do not find obesity a problem in countries where people cannot afford food. Try this, collect your receipts and note all your expenditure down over a month and you will clearly see where your money is going. If you are paying over 500 a month on a car loan and you think you are poor you are just crazy
I guess you missed the bit about the job including somewhere to live.
Yes, but the person in the ad is getting accomodation covered which is why Mr. Accountant is correct. Poor abused worker has $1,200/mth for food, transport (2 feet & a heartbeat I presume) and other spending. No cost for CUC/Water or rent.
Excluding rent because the job, it wasrevealed in the article, includes an apartment. So he removed his rent expense to make them comparable.
It's a bunkhouse. 350/month
10:38 .Sure and I own all those cruise ships that you see in and out of George Town harbour and because I like your story so much I will sell you one for under $1200.How about that.
09:43.You say rent is around $1000pm,of course that depends on location and quality of construction etc.If it is in a good location and of well built ,ok. But what if is in a bad location or shoddy construction,what is the rent likely to be.Maybe it is worth as little as $250pm.There is also the question of whether or not it has to be shared.Perhaps the apartment has to be shared with one or more other employees ,and family members who are not employees of the same group of companies ,are not allowed.
Instead of targeting one business, what the government can do is implement a living wage across the board OR Caymanians can unionize and stop waiting on government to do everything for us.
I read the article posted below this morning and it highlighted the need for an educated discussion about labor practices in Cayman. It is not about increasing the burden on businesses but in creating an economy that is equtiable and permits hard working people to live independently.
What Happens When Low Wage Workers Suddenly Get a Living Wage?: http://gothamist.com/2014/06/05/living_wage_casino_workers.php
Unionize! Take charge of your own affairs.
I really thought slavery ended long ago.
I would not work on this position for that money, if double that, i would.
i bet the expat on that position is making way more than that!
if you did that job for a year at any wage, you would be in tears!
ummm 99% sure it IS an expat.. Did you perhaps mean to say white person?
Ummmm, what does color of person's skin have ANYTHING to do whether being an expat or not? Jamaicans, Trinis, Canadians, Brits, Americans, Mexicans, Germans, Brazilians, Nigerians, Dominicans, Haitians … all expats and all different skin colors. So what was your point really?!?!
I'm not sure anymore. Just sayin stuff.
Slavery here (and other places i might add) didn't ever disappear (it's human nature).
In Cayman it just kind of morphedinto what you will see here today, if you look for it.
Sounds to me that this person will be doing most of the charity events that Flowers will be puting on. I seen the add and it did not cause me any cause for alarm.
Here you go flowers, your carrot on a stick.
No matter how a company abides by the law there will always be an issue. The only thing that benifits from the local job advertising is the Cayman Compass. and in this day and age we all know that its only for the legal requirement of submitting for permits. Companies are forced to make such un-necessary publications.
Most jobs are being answered by "married to caymanian" persons which have the worst mentality, even more so than the persons with real status.
If flowers already have a person that is working good. Has all that is required and is doing the job. Why waste tax payers money to force the company to hire one of the DER refferals which are a constant disaster?. Instead of rejecting the permit or making a cause for alarm, why not just put a condition on the permit that allow him to get the permit approved as long as he hires a caymanian. The company gets what they want, another imported "married to caymanain" person can get a job that they could never get where they came from, and possible the spouse of that person can decide to stay home and collect the money. pun intended. Of course if the salary is not good , they can do what is normal and the trend, leave and go force themselves on another company to suffer all over again. Either way everyone wins. Some companies will tollerate the abuse of a bad worker as long as they have a good backup employee that understand some things are beyond there control as to who should be hired. And most times the good employee will get enough and just leave, then the company would just close down and all job options would be gone. Ohh this is cayman, they dont care if you have to close down as long as they can run to social services and blame the expats.
Bottom line, like the old antiquated law of trying to get rich from bridal gowns,its time for the job publication laws to be updated. Then the compass can have a cause for alarm.
Even now I am giving spell checkers a job. Get working.
Under education/experience they could add "know when to capitalize words in written communication".
Where dose it say that this salary is per month, it is not stated, so how do weknow that this quoted amount is not per week. Problem with everyone, both local and foreign is that we don't get the facts right before we form opinions which are often end up being wrong or misinformed opinions. This only leads to more negativeity and is often not helpful in providing a solution to the problem.
has anyone first contacted the local press or the business to confirm what the actual salary is, is it per month or week. What happens if this is a misprint of some sort.
if the amount happens to be per month, what if that is all the company can afford to pay, makes no sense to me for any perfectly good company to pay someone more than than they can afford and go out of business or have to lay staff off or have to raise prices on the products sold. Point that I see here is that the company is providing employment opertunities here.
my opinion is that some people need to find something else to do with their time if they are not going to get the facts right, before stirring up trouble.
I agree that a solution needs to be found as it concerns wages but at the same time everyone needs to appreciate that small business are the key to any economy and if you mandate them to pay a minimum fee many of them will be forced to close doors and these small businesses in cayman are caymanian owed so what have we really accomplished in doing this. Higher unemployment, increase in social service payments which then leads to higher govt fees to cover these increase and what has really be accomplished. Maybe a higher wage level but without the companies to pay these employees are you really moving ahead.
they sell EVERY block that goes into EVERY house, apartment, or store on the island. I wouldn't worry about them going out of business.
The salary has been confirmed. If a company advertises a weekly salary they stipulate that it's weekly. Any ole excuse to ignore the wrong here HUH?
Although I totally agree with a minimum wage I do believe that what people expect to be paid here despite having NO qualifications is part of the problem. I have a degree and my first job paid less than $1,500 per month for working 60+ hours per week. The incentive to get paid more was to get further qualified.
The standard of education and expectations for qualifications and degrees has increased worldwide, Cayman is no exception.
I pay my helper CI$ 400/week and she works 5 days a week and can not drive. She gets paid any overtime, she gets 3 weeks paid vacation, I pay for her basic medical insurance and she gets a x-mas bonus. By no stretch of imagination am I wealthy, however, I am aware of the cost of living on the Island and I am trying to be a decent human being who treats others how I would like to be treated.
My first job in the US straight out of college paid me around USD 1,800/month, but that was 16 years ago and on the flip side, the apt I rented cost only USD 400, and my light bill was maybe USD 50/month – clearly not something that is possible here in Cayman.
Maybe that's why you dont have as much money as the guy running the ad : )
Yup, but I rather sleep well at night, knowing that I am not on this earth to exploid other human beings. If getting rich means being a jerk to others, I rather continue living from month to month and make due with what I've got!
I'm with you. I was taking a shot at the slave owner
You are overpaying your helper.
and you paid taxes in the US
So your helper gets $1,733 a month (400 x 52/12) but has to cover rent plus CUC & water somewhere with no pension and let's face it the health insurance is not worth what costs you to buy it. Are they better off than Mr. Flowers assistant? Would a Caymanian work as your helper who you treat far better than most?
How long ago was that, and in which country?
The point here is not just the salary, it is the custom tailored ads which keeps work permit holders in position as it is probabl next to impossible to find someone who has exactly the same qualifications, experiences and abilities.
I remember a number of years ago I spotted an add for a waiter in a restaurant who had to have all kind of wine knowledge, had to speak Italian and a bunch of other odd qualifications that just didn't make any sense, given that a) it wasn't a first class restaurant where extensive wine knowledge would be required and b) I hardly doubt that Cayman is overrun by Italians who are not able to communicate to some extend in English language……….
08:37.You conveniently left out the time frame of both your first job and the degree subject,also the country where you were employed e.g. My first job paid CI$ 113 per month as a bank teller here in Cayman .Sounds terrible right ,but that was in 1970.See what I mean about giving the full context of your degree and employment.If this all took place 30 years ago then you were probably pretty well off.
Bahahahahahahah! "Proficient in iPad2…." That ad is full of polarization. Where would I sign up to get my Bachelor of Secretarial work????
The Philippines
Actually the ad requires a diploma in secretarial work as an alternative to a degree. And the wage, whilst low, is something like US$9 an hour – higher than many of the positions you see advertised and for that matter the minimum wage levels being sugggested by the CIG. Exploitation and underpayment of expat employees for semi skilled and unskilled jobs is a legitimate concern, but I think Ms Catron could have found any quantity of examples that were more egregious than this. What has Frank Flowers done to tick her off, I wonder.
he's ticked off a whole lot of people, and your argument that there are worse cases is lacking.
BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU IT’S NOT A 40 HOUR PER WEEK JOB SO YOUR PER HOUR CALCULATIONS ARE WAY OFF.
SORRY BOBO!
Great morning commenters! The advert did not quote the term the salary of 1200 CI would be payed. We need not ASSume this was for the month. It is possible it was a weekly pay designed for the popular SEA SWIM event. In that case the pay and the importance of the qualifications match. Did anyone confirm? Tellmenah
CNS Note: As stated in the story it has been confirmed as the monthly salary.
Could there be a misprint?
Anyone who has ever worked (or volunteered) for this guy knows it's no misprint.
Miss print my ass.
My helper, who did not complete high school, gets paid more than that. That is a blatant abuse of the system tailoring the ad for a particular individual.
this won’t end pretty if govt don’t deal with it! bracka