The tale of a frustrated trailing spouse
When I arrived on island a few years ago for a teaching position with the government, I was told by HR finding a job for my husband would be easy, especially since he had sales, bar and banking experience. Three months after arriving he got his dream job in sales — work permit rejected. He then got a temporary job through a recruitment company which ended up in him being employed for over a year and managing a team of Caymanians. He was the only expat.
So imagine our horror to discover immigration won't even consider him for his role because of his status. The company have no choice but to try and find someone else. All the Caymanians were devastated to lose my husband and none of them wanted to step up to management, so the position remains unfilled.
Now, months down the line he is still searching for work. He gets offered positions then offers are retracted due to not being able to process permits. I understand fully that Caymanians should get priority if they have the experience but my husband is here, so he may as well be working too.
When he was employed, we ate out 2/3 times a week, happy hour most days and bought from local companies our new items, etc. Now, we stay in and barely survive — the bar staff have lost their tips, the waitresses have lost 15% on our meals and local companies no longer get our trade as we cannot afford to buy anything. Since my husband will be here regardless, surely there should be some allowance for trailing spouses of government employees/work permit holders!
I am a very well respected educator on this Island with excellent results. My proven success with difficult students was the main reason I was hired in the first place. When students ask about why my husband can't get a job, they struggle to understand it too. I am now seriously considering my future since our salary is too low to stay, especially with pay freezes and no increments, so every year the situation will get worse. I will one day leave, leaving innocent students without a very good teacher because her husband was suicidal at the thought of not being able to provide for his family.
Please, somebody look out for the trailing spouses. Our situation is not alone; I know of many people having the same issue and who will also leave. Yes, give Caymanians priority — but please give trailing spouses a chance afterwards.
Category: Viewpoint
For everyone who believes that Cayman and Caymanians are so bad and don't like or want expats here please take a look at this video and them make you comments as to how bad it is here. I just hope our MLA will take notice also.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5s3bBZEtCw
Have a nice day
Hi Jane, I wish more people were like you & put their names to their comments. I admire you for not being afraid to make it publicly known who you are, Thanks for showing courage, love you, John Doe
Not sure why your husband was turned down got the job. That's not the norm. It is usually quite easy to get a permit once an employer applies. Try again or try another employer. He will find something soon.
I know of a situation where a qualified Caymanian was removed from his job (mandatory age related retirement), only to be replaced by an older expat in order for the employed spouse to remain on island and in their job. This stinks.
I know! It is terrible the things that happen in the made up work place.
Do you seriously think that people have nothing better to do than sit around making up stories of woe? You're are an idiot.
Yes, they have nothing better to do.
Then complain to Immigration. What good is whinging about it on this website. SMH.
Immigration know. They just do nothing. The BSP Board is a joke.
Need to name and shame!
Well, my cousin heard it from someone in Fosters. So I don't have any specific names or anything, but it must be true.
Its not necessarily true. Why are these tyoe of stories almost always third hand?
I really wonder how it must be to live life without any concept of sarcasm. Tragic.
Unna can lie bobo.
Can't see what the problem was.
And that shows the real extent of the problem.
I dont quite follow how it is that the position that your husband had remains unfilled and no Caymanians want to step up to the post or have applied to fill the post. Thats not how the Immigration system is intended to work. If there are Caymanians available then they should be given an opportunity for the post. If there are none, its inconceivable that the position would remain unfilled whilst your husband, as a dependent of a work permit holder, remains in Cayman unemployed. I see an earlier comment about hiring only the best for the job. If you are given an opportunity to hire chosing from the rest of the world as your pool to fish from, then clearly the odds are you will find a worker better than a native to the Islands. But thats not how its intended to work either. If the post can be filled by a suitable Caymanian then so be it (assuming they are in need of a job and not just floating from job to job either). If you chose to hire outside of Cayman for only the best in spite of a suitable Caymanian being willing and able, then perhaps we should have a premium attached to those permits, but thats what causes social disharmony in every country struggling with immigration issues. To the spouse whose husband is still looking for a job, my best wishes to you and your family in getting this resolved as I am sure you make a valuable contribution to these Islands. From a Caymanian.
The sense of entitlement dripping from this letter beggars belief.
There are MANY people on this island who are unable to find a job. Caymanians and expats alike. Why do you think your husband is more deserving of a job than the native Caymanians?
I am an expat, and was well aware that should a local be found for my job, I would no longer have it. I cannot in good conscience expect to have a job in a country where I am a guest worker while there is such high employment amongst the locals.
I imagine if the situations were reversed, there would be near riots. I doubt the Brits/Americans/Canadians would be overly sympathetic to legal immigrant workers whose spouses were unable to work and had to live in reduced circumstances…
Check your privilege……
Native Caymanians? The iguanas?
14:37, No, I think they mean the Caymanians who are all derived from their foreign ancestors, you know the ones from Wales (Ebanks), Scotland (McLaughlin), England (Bodden) and a host of other expatriates that settled in the Cayman islands 100 years ago.
Oh Don't forget the original Caymanian surname McField, this is the native Caymanian name anywhere in the world you see that name it came from the Cayman Islands and its roots can be traced right back to Cayman where it started.
Funny how the "immigrants', to the US and Canada are now doing their level best to keep other "immigrants" out… yet they expect to be able ti emigrate to other countries, without facing the same issues from those countries' recent "immigrantes".
What's good for the goose….
Some nationalities make a habit of trying to forcefully settle other peoples lands and telling them how to manage their affiars… Its a bad habit…
Oh you mean like the early settlors (your forefathers) did in Jamaica to the Tiano people before moving on to Cayman. Yes some nationalities have made a habit of this, Caymannains included.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Again, they want to take credit, we know our history McField (Caymanian), just like they entire world want to take the credit for Mud Slide concocted at Ole Jud's at Rum Point, North Side, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
That can be filed under "made up crap that you might have got away with 50 years ago but can't now".
It is up there with the fable of a Caymanian being the first pilot of a ship to navigate the Panama Canal.
And I thought the only thing exported from here was the rum cake. I am now glad to be able to add Bulls##t to the list.
Stopping pointing all those fingers at me. Your webbed hands freak me out.
Mmmm…I think you will find that the earliest settlers were here 350 years ago, not 100. Just like the UK and the Americas there were no indigenous people here but the first to arrive claim the right to be called natives. In the Americas the natives are reckoned to be Amerindians who migrated from East Asia across the Bering Strait into the Americas, and in the UK they are Celts followed by the Angles, Saxons, Vikings, Normans etc. who migrated from central and northern continental Europe. Their descendants certainly consider themselves natives by contrast to Caribbean and Pakistani immigrants.
Don't be a hypocrite.
Do you use the same with the US?
It did not work out too well for the Indians.
When are we being ushered off to the reservation like the Indians?
The reality of this country will run over yuo and leave tire marks and you will stll not see or acknowledge it.
Ahh the native american similaly. Look at the history of Cayman, first settled by those coming from Jamaica, which was intially inhabited by local people (the Tiano) until these settlors exterminated them. So ironically it is your forefathers you committed genocide on the local people of the Caribbean.
You missed the point entirely. Keeping this totally capable person out of work does nothing GOOD for the Cayman Islands.
I cannot in good conscience hire someone who is not at the top of their game. Just being "suitably qualified" is not enough.
Translation: "I am determined to hire expats over Caymanians because I have the prejudiced belief that Caymanians are inferior employees".
You need to use another translation website. "We read prejudice into everything we translate to appease the chip on your shoulder . com" is not working out.
Actually, it is spot on. You might think we're stupid but most of us are not. The phrase "suitably qualified" is a reference to the requirement in the Immigration Law that suitably qualified Caymanians be given preference and the poster is obviously using suitably qualified to mean less than well qualified, and as a reference to Caymanians. Pretty transparent really.
And I would have got away with it too, if it were not for those pesky kids.
09:12.Of course your most important requirement is "Must be a foreigner"
09:12. If anyone needed proof of the existence of the so-called glass ceiling,here it is.I say so-called glass ceiling because it it used to be very hard to see (like looking through clear glass) but has become a lot more visible in recent times . The poster says "Just being 'suitably qualified' is not enough." This is code for " being a suitably qualified Caymanian is not enough ,there are additional hurdles to jump over".Maybe what is not stated, but should have been, is that the applicant "must be an expat" ,perhaps of a particular nationality.
The poster was obviously not saying what you state they were saying.
How terrible! A "glass ceiling" based on the quality of the worker. It is a shameful meritocracy.
Glass ceiling? You would still pay someone from overseas a low wage to remove it gradually for you.
He should just tell employers is willing to work on most days when there is heavy rain.
Or at least only use crack at the weekends.
I always question personal responsibility of the frustrated people in these scenarios.
To uproot yourselves and move to the Cayman Islands with only you having a secured job is taking quite a leap of faith. It sounds like you have Fantasy Island remorse and are looking for someone to blame.
Jane, would you have moved across your home country with one secured job and the verbal suggestion that your spouse could find work no problem, when you need two incomes?
It is your right to be frustrated, but I find it hard to be empathatic for your situation. You desrcibe a first world problem. Do you know how many expats work in other countries, including Cayman, and have to leave their spouse and children behind, seeing them once per year if they are lucky? Be thankful you are employed and your spouse is able to live there too- that is luxury for many in this world.
Here's a challenge to you, how can you create value from this situation?
chill ! i know 100's and 100's of caymanians ( also qualified ) looking for a jobs
so chill ! and believe me …sometimes there is not even ONE person working in these households !
you can only blame yourself !! shame on you for bitching and ranting and going on
POOOOR you no more Happy hour eh ??? well guess what …i have not had happy hour in YEARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do sympathize with Jane Doe and more so for her husband and his torment as well. As a father of two girls who hasn't been able to provide for my family in the past year, I too as a man feel insufficient. It is a horrible feeling but I'm not suicidal as I have daughters who need me!
I agree the work permit system does not work! Employers require far to high a standards for simple jobs which alienates excellent candidates whom could take their businesses to the next level, which is in fact unbeknowst to the employer, perhaps counterproductive, attempting to retain one employee I mean rather than seriously entertaining an ecellent candidate.
Jane Doe's husband apparently has bartended, I see many bartending jobs available, perhaps these employers are also just "going through the paces" to renew a work permit as you will notice there are few Caymanian bartenders. I'm Caymanian, unemployed, been an extremely successful business owner and sales manager in the past, for well over 25 years! If nobody wants your husbands job, perhaps I could be considered for the position? Then perhaps I could afford to pay my mortgage and CUC bills! Dinner out on the town (?), not a priority for my family! Would be nice, but saving our family home is our priority while ex-pat workers fill positions I could easily perform, and I dare say, am over-qualified for but times are tough.
I am a Caymanian. Managed a very important government department. Went overseas because of my husband's job. I was the expat then and could not get a work permit. So we adjusted our lifestyle to suit our pocket bearing in mind we have a mortgage! Why did I not stay home in cayman and work? We made a decision and a choice not to be apart. So move on to now. We have been back two years now and with my degrees, number of years of experience in a management position I cannot find a job. I do not even get a response. I am not angry just disappointed but again we adjusted our pocket! My point is lots of the jobs advertised even in Gov't are permit renewals so Caymanians don't stand a chance! I know that not everyone has the ability to adjust their pockets and if they are not working there is nothing to adjust! For Jane Doe you are complaining that you cannot eat out three times a week now. You cannot do the things that you used to. A lot of Caymanians never get to eat out even on two salaries. While your contribution to cayman is appreciated you and your husband made a choice so you have to live with it. I don't mean this nastily but it's a fact of life. You should go back to the person who gave you bad advice and let them know your situation. What happenswhen qualified Caymanians return home? They will be competing with other expats who may not even have a lot of experience but who their fellow countryman wants to help and so they are the ones to have to adjust. Another thing much as you love your students you have a choice in that if you and your husband would now be better off at home then you should consider returning. I would not remain in a place and suffer if I knew I could do better elsewhere. Just a thought. I have a good friend who has been deputy to his boss for six years. He is capable and competent but the chief officer in the Premier's office is waiting for his expat friend to get status so will not promote a competent Caymanian. So it happens everywhere with Gov't being the biggest culprit.
Cayman; the tiny canoe expected to save the flooded and drowning world.
Said Noah to the animals
IS THIS A JOKE??? lol
I’m the last to laugh at anyone’s hardship, but the expectations and resulting tears of exhausted and hnfulfilled entitlements leave me gasping for breath! Like all who have been discriminated against, some with much better reasons to cry, I say “Get up and do your next best!”
I'd love to know what qualified public personnel advised Jane that it would be "easy" for her husband to find employment before she accepted the job? Was it her employer? An Immigration officer? Or an on-island acquaintance? It is important to know where this information came from, it is not "easy" to find a job anywhere is this world at the moment… and Jane's work permit would have been granted on the basis that her salary was above the reasonable threshold for supporting herself and dependent spouse. Obviously if her spouse is able to remain on island he has been listed as a "dependant" on her WP, which obviously would mean that she is to financially support him should that necessity arise, BUT if he is lucky enough to secure his own job and work permit, that "dependant spouse" status would change. When filling out the WP forms before posting them back to her employer, I am not certain what would make any individual confused when filling out the "dependant spouse" portion of the form. It did not ask "will your spouse be "trailing" you, and if so, will he/she require work?"… I am not saying that this is not a difficult situation, I could only imagine what Mrs. Jane and her husband are facing, especially so far away from home, but it is what it is nowadays.
The fact is that position in a company remains unfilled. A certain period of time sould be provided for a qualified Caymanian to apply and fill the role. Once that persiod is up, the employer should be allowed to fill the position however necissary. That being said, there needs to be proper monitoring to ensure that the employer doesnt just wait out the time period in order to get the expat they want into the position. If the caymanian is truly qualified, they should be placed in the job. In this particular case, it looks like caymanians from within the company were given the opportunity. The employer needs to run his/her company and at some point should be allowed to fil the position. I also dislike the term, "go home" we are all here because "someone" migrated to Cayman, be is in 1915, 50's, 60's, 80's or last week. We are all human beings and heaven forbit you ever chase an opportunity in another country and get badly treated because you were born there. We are all human.
I also dislike the the term "go home" we are all here became "someone" migrated to Cayman, be it in 1915, 50's, 60's, 80's or last week. You are absolutely right, but do you remember the story of the Vikings, Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims and the American Indians, enough said, at the end of the day we all came from the motherland, however someone paved the way settled it and made it a home for themselves and generations long before it was fit for human habitation thus earning the right to be called the first settlers hence Native Caymanians, do you get the point I am trying to make? Like it or not Caymanians know who are considered natives just as any American will tell you who a Native American is. I believe the same holds true for every Caribbean Islands and most of the Americas.
1915?! Some of ancestors were here at least 200 years before that.
Go home. There I said it. lol
"natives" have traced relative who lived in Cayman in at least 1775. English of origin, gfather born in UK. Son and grandson of same born in England All three llived here. Wonderful
Wow, three generations. Who were they anyway?
Cayman is a developing nation and needs foreign input to help it develop. Without high quality teachers, accountants, business managers, etc, the nation cannot develop in a way that will allow it to compete globally in the modern world.
Unfortunately, much as Cayman needs these things, Cayman does not want them.
Too many Caymanians look to cling onto the traditional ways of living and working, from the "soon come" attitude to work through to the idea of getting a job because they were born in the right place despite a lack of ability / training / experience.
For Jane Doe, she is one of the many that we have brought in to help develop the nation who thought that their contribution would be valued. I have seen too many hard working, talented, eager ex-pats work in both government and private employment become disillusioned with the attitude that is often put across to ex-pats.
We brought you here to do a job. That job is specific, and we will offer you no training, no promotion, and no thanks. At the end of the contract you have, we will send you home again, regardless of how good you are at your job.
That is not to say that you are not having a positive impact on our children. I'm sure you will be a very good teacher who will get good results from the students in your classes.
But too many of us don't care about that. We cannot see that development takes time. We see you as a foreigner who has a job when someone who was born in Cayman does not. It does not matter if you can do the job better than us. It does not even matter if losing people like you has a long term impact on the development of our children and subsequently our nation.
Do we really believe that those who must have the NWDA go to their homes and almost force them to apply for a job will do a better job than Jane Doe or her husband?
Sorry Cayman, but we must start to encourage high quality people in important jobs to stay here. The future of our country is at stake and we must do everything we can to develop into a global force.
Or maybe we should just keep ripping off tourists, using ex-pats, and go back to the good old days of making silver thatch rope while the world passes us by.
foreign inut ??
we had that for the last 50 years
no more !!!!!!!!!!!!!
i can take care of ourselves !
In reply to your post "Or maybe we should just keep ripping off tourists, using ex-pats, and go back to the good old days of making silver thatch rope while the world passes us by".
To the tourists who believe they are being ripped off my sincere apology and just to let you know majority of the businesses that rip people off on this island are not owned by Caymanians.
To those expats who feel used, abused or cheated you have a choice and several alternatives use them, no one on this island should be held in slavery and held against their will, it is a crime for anyone to hold unto your passport, if this is the case report it to the police.
As for going back to the good old days of making silver thatch rope while the world passed us by those were idyllic times that I am sure every Native Cayman would return to if given the option, if at all possible. Funny that you should mention that a few week ago I heard a group of senior citizens commenting on the very same thing and wishing that they had never opened up the country and allowed development of these island beyond 1970.
WELL SAID! THANK YOU!
This is the risk you take when you move somewhere else. You can't expect that things will work out the way it suits you. Many people are in the same position but yet they decide to stick around to keep on trying. Why? My guess would be that for many the life/work balance is still better in Cayman compared to their home country despite being on one salary and being frustrated by endless job searches. Unfortunately in Cayman too many employers abused the system for too long and took out permit after permit for friends and family despite qualified and good working Caymanians being available. It comes now back to bite people like you and your husband….
21:33, there are a select few in Cayman with the same mentality as you, unfortunately the rest of us have to put up with your complete stupidity in public forums all the time.
The point you are missing here is that the person in question moved here as an educator on the pretense that her husband would be employed, had that not been promised they would not have moved here and we would not have this issue. Its called duping someone, breaking a contract, luring them under false pretence etc.
And in case you didn't understand it is the Government that has XXX everything up in Cayman, not the employers you dimwit. Its people like you who cry foul and then vote for the moronic MLA's to lead this country. You fall for the BS every 4 years. Its called preying on the weak.
And finally the most glaringly obvious thing is that Cayman will always need an expatriate workforce, there are not enough Caymanians to fill all the roles, andemployers won't hire assholes like you because they have done it before. They would ratrher pay for a work permit, for a person who will actually work. You see they WP holders have the fear of being sent home, that means they cannot provide for their families, the very reason they came to Cayman in the first place. Unlike you, who just because they are Caymanian, thinks they can do what want they want when it comes to their job, and if they get fired they just bounce to the next one.
Those days are gone Bobo, if you pulled your head out your arse you might hear whats going on in the real world.
A Fed Up Caymanian.
One, I am not a Caymanian and can't even work. Two, everyone knows that you can't rely on something someone at any Government Office anywhere in the world tells you because if you call back the next day, you get a completely different story. Three, her work permit would have only been issued if the salary is sufficient to support her and her spouse. Four, I have two colleagues who came to the Island also thinking that their spouses would find work easily. They still havn't found jobs, yet they admit that they are better off in Cayman on one salary than back home where they have to pay tax and spend hours commuting to work etc. So what, does this mean that everyone who comes here on a work permit should expect their spouse to be employed as well? As I said, it is the risk that you take when you relocate. Things don't always work out how you had planned. I relocated several times and things never go exactly how you had hoped. I don't say and never said that permit holders are not needed in Cayman. That said, as a Caymanian, perhaps you should be equally concerned with those cases were parents spent almost 100,000 dollars to send their children to university overseas, just to find out that when they come back home, they can't get any opportunity to get their foot in the door in any company. Why? Because they always are competing with someone (perhaps a work permit holders spouse) who has more experience then a college leaver has and who is happy to work a job they are overeducated and overexperienced just so they can stay on this Island…………
I don't see the problem with the school leavers having competition. An over educated over qualified person is more than likely better suited for the position than a school leaver in any event. If the problem is school leavers are unable to get a job. Then for the next set they better have some forward planning. Align yourself with a company by doing summer jobs. Volunteer at a company and work for free as a shadow or intern. Lobby yourself to get the job. Most people/companies will hire a oh getter. The remaining school leavers who do not get jobs. Well it is unfortunate, but maybe they aren't that good. Find something else. I returned as a school leaver just after Ivan. I couldn't get a job so I took what I could get. The job did not require a university degree. However, it gave me what I lacked. Work experience. The job was not even in the field I went to school for. I gave it my all and asked to be trained in whatever they were willing to train me in. It was a small company and I was so happy to work in each dept. Each providing value in it's own right. It made me well rounded enough that when the opportunity arose, I saw an advert. A year later which was in accounting. I did not have a degree in accounting at the time. But I now had experince in the accounting department. I got hired and pursued further education in accounting. It doesn't always work out how you want. I never wanted to be an accountant. Life gives you opportunities. See them as that and develop it.
This also happens to Caymanians with expatriate spouses. Immigration and Permanent residency are the biggest joke. They stop your spouse from working because, they are "now supposed to have" PR, however Permanent Residency hasn't gone through, due to submitted documents that ALWAYS end up missing.
Then the employer has no choice but to replace your spouse at the job … ironically, with a temp permit holder, with no family ties (through marriage) to Cayman. So the Caymanian children of your "mixed" family end up suffering. Sad state of affairs.
How does one join the lodge? I have two brothers and twin aunts that would like to move here.
You need to have some mediocre friends in the lodge and they invite you to take some initiation tests to prove you have attained a state of true mediocrity.
The bitterly mis-informed strikes again! You making it up as you go along, eh!?
Oh yes, I forgot. You have to be mediocre and have the inability to think past the literal.
alrighty then, mediocre champion, you win. see you Friday? ooh that's right, no soup for you.
I was once approached to join. I did not realise to the outside world I appeared such a failure.
andthat's how I know you are lying. The Freemason Lodge does not solicit, approach nor invite.
He must be talking about that 'other' Lodge.
Then you are lying. Individuals are invited. It is just called something else.
Yeah and look over there. It is a flying pig.
Nonsense. I was once invited by the Grandmaster of the local lodge.
oops. There are no "Grandmasters" of any local Lodge.
Yes, the correct term is "Grandwizard Goatsurfer".
Dude, I'm not up on your quaint terms. It was the head guy at the lodge that meets in Prospect whatever you want to call him. He was a Govt. Minister.
You met Gandalf?
I apologize that we don't know the techinal terms of your silly little club. We all grew up.
What a load of crock. So being asked by a lodge member whether I ever considered joining is not an invite?
It is not an invite, it is just a question. Next time, ask him if he's inviting you. Note the answer.
You are playing games. Do you go around asking everyone that question, or do you target those who think would be good candidates? Some people would be influenced by the mere fact that they have been asked "the question" by someone important. Flattered, I guess. Obviously that is an invitation, but the Lodge member is obliged to pretend that he is not inviting you if he is asked a direct question.
nope, no "targeting", and no invitations, sorry.
So you ask everyone that question? That is ludicrous and you know it. Of course you invite. I was invited. You just don't call it an invitation. I understand: it is a fiction invented to pretend that you are above that sort of thing.
So it does not say "no solicitation", just no "improper solicitation". I have been asked several times if I wanted to join. I consider that an invitation. I declined. We all know the true position.
To my mind "improper solicitation" carries other connotations rather merely suggesting to someone that it would be a good idea to join which would not of course impinge on anyone's freewill. There is no question that the latter is done as it was done to me.
You also have to be small enough to ride the goat around the lodge.
You don't have to be that small. I am quite large and I know that sheep and goats can take me. I am from New Zealand and it is all about the technique.
I understand what you're going through. As a degree educated, articulate and well-mannered local in a similar position as your husband, you start to wonder what else there is to live for after a year of being rejected by employers and you have expenses to pay. Wearing the same old clothes day after day, month after month because you can't afford anything new, and learning to adjust to two, sometimes one meal a day because you literally can't afford better.
I hope he'll find something soon, for the sake of his intergrity and manhood, but as a Caymanian in my own country, I would like to think that I can find something too.
There are many jobs available – it sounds like you think you are too good for them.
Not the case. I've applied for jobs paying more than $10K less than what Imade coming out of university. Furthermore, at some point during the interview, they'll usually stop and say 'did you see the salary for this post?' In other words, you're good, you're over-qualified. We need someone more suitable.
Why are you judging the present salary market by the old salary market? Surely you can only earn what you are worth in the economy.
10:24 are you even comprehending what the poster said. He or she said they are willing to take less salary so they are not quibbling about it. Why do people post just for the sake of it. For god sake read what you are responding to and not just pick on people for the hell of it. Grrrrrr
You need to brush up on your reading comprehension.
I do not understand your point. The post you were knocking was making a perfectly valid point and clearly understood what was being said.
You are either the same poster or there are now two dunces. It completely missed the point of the post to which it was responding which was not that the applicant was objecting to the salary beign offered.
There are lots of jobs. You just don't seem to have the humility to take the plenty on offer. And perhaps you could do with looking at your overly long sentence structure and the crass self-pitying melodrama.
Over-qualified they say.
True. My hope is that the nasty expats will find it harder to have theirs renewed, and that people like that nice expat lady teacher and her husband will take their place. Good teachers are necessary, but the nasty people need to go, and they shall. lol
This is probably because he is a top bloke. If he was some crawling lodge lackey, he'd be in a senior government position by now.
Jane this is clearly a case of your employer not knowing the right people to grease the wheels. My partner was in a very similar situation a few years ago but, after saying I'd have to leave if she didn't get her WP, my boss was able to make a couple of phone calls and straighten it all out. I total it took less than 30 minutes from her being threatened with deportation to being allowed to stay then about another week and a visit to the CIO to square the WP.
That (cronyism) is sad for Cayman.
15:36. I hope that all of you are caught and prosecuted under the Anti-Corruption Law.That includes the Immigration official involved ,as well as your boss,your partner and yourself (for failing to report a crime.)
I am a Caymanian and my spouse and son cannot find a job. Tough luck sister, this is what it is today. Our system is clogged up with too many foreigners taking the Caymanian jobs. Send your husband home to look work, we have an unemployment crisis here in Cayman and can no longer feed/employ the world.
There is a common belief that there is a fixed number of jobs in any society. But the truth is that when people are working they are creating employment for other people. The issue here is that jane came to this island in the belief that her husband would have no problem getting a job. Its clearly misselling. So there is no sisterly tone but one of resentment and an underlying resentment of "foreigners".
Maybe your spouse and son should cut down on their crack use. There is no such thing as local unemployment and certainly no "crisis".
You are an idiot.
I thumbed you down because of the last part of your comment. But thumbed up the person above you, another fellow Caymanian, who is also looking for work, because he presented 'brotherly' empathy, not rabid xenophobia, while pointing out that lack of employment affects people/families irrespective of nationality.
You clearly don't understand the labour market or general economics. If all the expats went home, many of the jobs would go with them. If the population decreases then so does GDP which means increased unemployment. Great plan you have.
A better solution would be increased immigration which would increase GDP and increase the demand for labour. There would be more jobs.
What you SHOULD be upset about is the state of education in the Cayman Islands which clearly doesn't prepare the school leavers for basic jobs.
Stop scapegoating expats. It's blaming the wrong thing and clearly unproductive for Caymanian society.
You are applying real economics. The poster was applying idiot economics, as taught by Ezzard.
You clearly don't understand the labour market or general economics. If all the expats went home, many of the jobs would go with them. If the population decreases then so does GDP which means increased unemployment
If this is the case most if not all expats would take their jobs back to their home country and leave these islands but you know this is just crap and without this country many would be what Connor was in Mobile. Reverse back to 1980 most of the population was native and there was no unemployment so what has happened now in 2014? please explain this, to that I will say to you take your job home with you,
Next!
What are the "Caymanian Jobs" we just need more jobs period Caymanian and Expats alike.
We do not need more jobs, what we need are Caymanians filling the jobs. Obviously, if there are 20K permits in issue job shortage is not the problem. You could create 5,000 more jobs and still have 2-3,000 Caymanians unemployed.
Dear caymanian joe
The issue is that before coming to cayman jane was not told of the difficulties her husband would face in getting a work permit. She was not aware of this until after she arrived. Having said thatnow that she does know, as you so rightly alluded to, she and husband do have somewhere else to go and perhaps need to take up that option.
Yes it sucks. The issue is one of misselling. People are not in a position to make informed decisions before they come to cayman when they are led to believe that their spouse will have no difficulty in getting a job. Having said that, it is what it is. You know the situation and have a choice to leave.
Sorry but sometimes in Cayman we are a bit unkind…
Thats why we have adopted the slogan 'Cayman Kind'…
22:02.You sir are a bigot.If you hate being here so much you should leave,your attitude only stirs up anger in Caymanians.
KSS is a Caymanian
What is sad is that when I quit hanging out in Cayman and go back to the states about 20 people will be out of work
It is for that very reason I have not left yet.
What makes me want to quit is the bad minded people in charge of this little rock
Dear jane have you ever thought about the caymanians that cannot afford to go out for a glass of wine? Or have to stay at home with family just to make ends meet? Qualified caymanians that cannot gain employment because they are too over qualified or lack the experience? I ask you, can I go to your country, gain employment and secure a job for my spouse, my sister, my uncle, my aunt, etc…? Think not. So why are your expectations of cayman to open up or relax our immigration policies for every, Harry, Dick and Paul?
I think you could and if it is that bad, give it a go. If you have a uk passport you then have the rest of Europe open to you. More opportunity than most I think.
If Jane is from the UK, then you could probably go there with your entire family, and if you could not get jobs you could live off Social Welfare benefits like the thousands of foreigners who have already moved there.
16:47. If Jane is from the UK, then she could go back there with her entire family, and if they could not get jobsthey could live off Social Welfare benefits like the thousands of foreigners who have already moved there.
Actually, yes…….. Your spouse could certainly get a job. You could also get free education for your kids in local schools and free healthcare. You could also get on the electoral roll and vote……. Until there are systems in place to enable qualified Caymanians to be trained and supported to actually be able to take on the responsibilities of jobs they can do on paper, the country will continue to need experienced expats, so wouldn't it be better all round to make them feel a bit more welcome? There may be expats who come to Cayman for an easy ride but I was there for a couple of years a while back and I never met one. On the contrary, many were working longer hours than they had ever done, had a lower standard of living and were going back to reduced benefits in their careers in their home countries because they had broken longstanding service in government jobs. In my experience, people come to Cayman to teach because they are passionate about working in the government sector and feel that they have something to contribute to its improvement. If they didn't feel this, they would be amongst the thousands who join international schools in places like Thailand, where they could earn more and certainly have more perks (often housing, always annual air fares and long holidays). The future of Cayman depends on the quality of education received by the next generation and without the ability to attract and retain the best quality educators from across the world, Caymanians kids will start to fall further behind again, as there are still not enough Caymanians teachers to fill jobs. It does not at all surprise me that recruitment to teaching posts is becoming more and more difficult each year, when the country is making it so difficult for people to come and to want to stay……..
As a Caymanian, with family living and working abroad (America – they did not have American citizenship when they moved), the partial answer from their experiecne is yes, Caymanians can get jobs in other places. (No family followed them, so its only half an answer.) As others have aluded to in the UK (and by extension the EU) the answer is also Yes. I think it will help if we pull back the anger and speak honestly. Caymanians have gone abroad for generations, many taking families with them. No one reasonably expects a 'relaxed' immigration system (the EU is learning the problems with that policy) but lets not pretend that its 'unfair' to allow families to immigrate/work as a unit.
What may be needed is a points system. 🙂 Zero for no connection, +5 for people with family already on work permit, +10 for married to / child of Caymanian. Rather than 'who you know' (the poster who aluded to a call to the CIO sorting things out).
Yes, I understand what you are saying and agree partially, however, when you spent your life savings on your children's college education and they can't even get a junior position anywhere in their own country, something is wrong. I have seen time after time again that companies will hire someone (like a spouse that came here with a partner who secured a work permit) through a temp agency who has potentially many years of working experience (despite perhaps not being relevant experience) rather than giving a university gradudate a chance. That is wrong. If we are importing families as a "unit" as you mention, this will then extend to everyone, so every Jamaican Helper, every Filipino construction worker and every Central American cashier can reasonably expect to bring their spouse along as they should also be able to secure a work permit. Really?
Your children don't want a junior position anywhere or they don't want the ones available? Does working up the ranks and paying dues come to mind? Unless something has changed significantly since I was a school leaver, jobs exist seems your children may not want to do them. I am about to open my own company. I do not and will not hire a school leaver. I want my company to flourish. I will hire the best and brightest possible. This is my livelihood. I am not opening a charity. I am opening a for profit company to support my family. Caymanians will be hired but restricted to family members only. If the government doesn't think that is suitable then Cayman is no longer a free society. My accountant will not live in Cayman and will never need a work permit – she/he is doing the work wherever they live in the world. The world is international. Adapt to it. Sink or swim. That is the reality.
20;32, you are a complete spanner, do you have a passport? I bet you do, and I bet its a UK Passport. Do you know what that means? It means you can work throughout Europe. Imagine that. If your family members all have the same, then guess what? They can work throughout the whole of Europe too!
Are you aware that there are over 20 different nationalities of people living in Cayman. How do you think they do that? Work permit! Guess what? With a UK Passport, you can go to any country in the world and get one too! Its called broadening your horizons. Lots of people do it when things aren't ging so smoothly in their own country, its called getting things done to make ends meet. They don't sit back and cry foul about foreigners, they get off their ass and make ends meet. Our forefathers did it back in the day by going to sea.
But I dont think that the passport is your problem. Its the small mind that you have due to years of handouts from the MLA's and your silver spoon mentality, you wouldn't survive anywhere else in the world but Cayman.
Cayman needs expats as long as there are morons like you in our midst.
A Caymanian fed up with a select few of fellow Caymanians who refuse to acknowledge the truth, make necessary changes, and open up their eyes anand thought process.
09:44.No way in the world that you are Caymanian;not in nationality ,not in spirit. So let me ask you ,if employment opportunities are so great in Europe why are you here and not there.Why are you jealous of Caymanians getting help from Government ,is it because you want it for you and yours.I believe you intended for your next to last sentence to read"because Cayman needs some expats they get stuck with some morons,like me."
13:14, I can assure you I am Caymanian, I was born here 34 years ago and have lived here my entire life. I have represented my country on an international level in sports for over 10 years. I have been active in my community for even longer. So you can swallow your crap on not having Caymanian spirit.
I just understand what goes on in my country and how the real world operates. Its called looking outside the box or broadening your horizons.
I don't need to go to Europe to find a job, I have a CAREER in Cayman, my home. But I always have the option to go elsewhere, just like the majority of Caymanians (well at least those with a passport, an education and no criminal record).
I have this career for a number of reasons, mainly through hard work and gettting an education. I nearly failed in my late teens / early twenties due to bad choices but instead of bitching an moaning about what I had done, I pulled my socks up and did what needed to be done, by ANY means necessary. I have held the shittiest jobsavailable in Cayman, I hated every last one of them, but guess what, I still still did them to get by and to go where I wanted to be.
All my friends who I grew up with here have careers too as do their family members (except those in Northward or who now are dead), and they all have those careers for mainy of the same reasons.
My parents taught me that life is hard and no one is going to give you anything, you have to earn it. They didn't teach me that things wil be given to me because I was born here, they didn't teach me that I am owed something because I am Caymanian. Nothing in life is promised. Thats where our past Leaders have failed, they promised you things they couldn't give you, fed you absolute BS and you fall for it time and time again, hook, line and sinker.
There's a term called being proactive, you should look into it.
Pull your head out of your ass and do something.
Calm down there fella, before you blow a gasket. "I pulled my socks up and did what needed to be done, by ANY means necessary." – So why don't you teach this to those that didn't have this taught to them by parents or guardians, mentors etc. Lend a helping hand to your fellow citizens. I don't know what kind of career you have, but from 2 of your comments, it doesn't same rewarding.
"…by ANY means necessary" – I hope that did not entail screwing over your fellow citizens or residents. You'll get more bees with honey and much less with bitters.
1972:
"ANY means neccessary" meant working 2 or 3 jobs to put myself through school for 5 years.
I do help out my fellow citizens, but only those that want help, those that want to better themselves, those that are not just looking for another handout becasue they are Caymanian (I have been there and done that).
My career is rewarding, I can assure you.
Not sure I would want to hire someone with such fizzing resentments. That kind of weak character shines through in a good interview process.
I say well done. You made it through school and assume got yourself into a good job. But guess what? Reality Check. Not everyone making it through school or college is able to get a decent job … even my son, if they busted their arse! *Don't be prideful, egotistical, and comparing yourself with others, look down on Caymanians your own kind … never do that. What goes around comes around.
You dat Charles?
13:14, you should look into the UK unemployemnt benefits, go live there, and fly home to Cayman 3 times a year. Far better than what our Government does.
Nobody said expacts aren't needed. Perhaps it is time for you to get the story straight. What everyone is saying that if ONE family member has gotten a work permit, they can't expect that spouses or partners will also be able to get a job. Yes, she "apparently" was told so by someone it would be no problem. Guess what, there are probably hundreds of those cases on Island. Just look at all those expat stay at home moms, many of them who thought that they would find some office or part time job when they accompanied their husband to the Island. What about all those Philipinos who flew thousands of miles on a one way ticket for a job just to discover that they don't even have full time work and are getting screwed out of their pension pension and medical benefits and they can't even get home. What makes this Lady's story so special???
20 different nationalities ????? lol u nuts ?
There are a lot more than 20 nationalities living here. More like 120.
Wow, very sad. Recently we had a work permit rejected by Immigration because they told us we had enough people employed in our business and we did not need anymore staff. Who the hell are they to tell me how to manage my business, and how many people I can hire?
If this is true you need to take this up with the Chamber of Commerce. This is appalling.
You can hire as many Caymanians as you want. The issue only arises because you are trying to employ more expats without a clear need. Demonstrate a need and an absence of available locals and the answer will change to yes.
This has got to be the most stupid policy I have ever heard. Government is damaging the chance for job growth and effecting everyones change to get work. I propse JOB GROWTH not job replacement.
Nothing stupid about it. It means we only import needed labour. Do you propose we allow businesses to import people for whom there is no work, or is it only OK with you if they are not Jamaicans and Hondurans sitting around with idle hands?
By everyone meaning the people in Cayman. Residents and Caymanians alike. With the protections for Caymanians first. I am not sure how you could mistake "everyone" for "everyone. Boggles the mind.
Since there is no effective protection for Caymanians over Permanent Residents seeking employment your impression ignores reality.
So you have to go home. Then what. The apartment you rent sits empty because there are so many on the market. The landlady now has no income, and is forced to re enter the job market as a recptionist. She registers at NWDA and is reluctantly hired by a company because she is willing to work and… The company loses a dedicated employee, never been sick or late, a member of a service club, who does a great job and goes to church, and now has to go home.
And her landlady loses a tenent, and has to re enter the job market. And so on, and so on…
Somebody please start thinking outside the box. Figure a way to encourage employers to make new jobs, dont keep forcing companies to replace their good employees.
Population will drive the econmy and a rising tide lifts all ships.
Except the ships with holes from the bottom up. Rust, worms, all poop.
That stupid C4C/PPM/UDP argument….increase the population and will be well.
What have we been doing if not inceasing the population?
Just conisder the scenario above, these are two expats we claim to have needed and bringing more people in without having the jobs and money to pay them will do nothing to help.
I feel for you really I do. It benefits no-one when a government tries to tell businesses who to hire, or rather who not to hire and that whats happening in Cayman now. Government needs to butt out and let business's get on with running their business. Companies are looking at outsourcing rather than lose someone who is doing the job for someone who has bounced around from job to job and will probably move on again in another few months. Businesses need continuityand thats the issue that is not understood here. All I can do is shake my head as I watch the this lil island sink deeper and deeper. Its not too late to rescue. I hope your husband gets his job soon. All the best
Simple Question! and by the way i can feel your frustration with the situtation which is clearly understandable and i do sympathize with your plight. Why not justgo back home? Why not try to find another destination where both yourself and your husband can enjoy the benifit of being employed. Things aren't always necessarily right in Cayman as it is nowhere in the world.
If i was in your shoes, before asking any other countries government other than that of my native land for assistance i would go elsewhere. Please dont take this in the wrong way, its just that it always puzzles me why people would rather decide to stay and sometimes complain rather than leave. The world over people are getting more and more protective of their borders and Cayman is not any different. This does not mean protection against criminals to say, but rather for their young generations who also cannot find work and have aging parents who have to foot the bill for everything.
Competition for jobs was once a fair play in the Cayman Islands but the influx and fierceness of the competition was more rapid than anyone could expect. People of all nationalities are now desperate and frustrated and this causes people to lose rational thinking as politics will always be politics.
All I have to say Ms. Jane, you and your husband are the fortunate ones who have an education. Reading your post it seems to me that you are use to an upper class life. There are many expats in Cayman who can't even afford to go out and dine. Many who have never been given the prevelege of getting a formal education, never felt an upper class life, and yet they don't complain. They bite their lips and do what they have to do to survive even if it means living in an apartment where they have to share bathroom, kitchen, and at times a bedroom with someone who is completely a stranger. They have to work very low paid jobs to send their monies through Quick Cash to their ailing spouses and children. They have to leave them behind because they can't afford for them to come here. Did you ever talk to a security guard where his wife and his family are? Did you ever stop to ask a food and beverage server where is your child as she pours your glass of wine? Do you ever consider the family breakups and what alot of people have to go through in order to deal with an employer who care less about their health and welfare? Ms. Jane, I am not scare to say this publicly nor belittle your problems, but their are alot of people who are in worse condition than yourself.
Perhaps the Cayman Islands government should do more, but seeing our governments are just as bad and may treat Caymanians worse if they should go there, who am I to tell them that they should include us. Every government looks out for their own, at least I think that is how it should be. We come here to work, show respect to whom respect is due, and if things don't go our way, we can always shut up and comply, or humbly go somewhere else. Life everywhere is hard. I bet you if you should go anywhere else, you will find hardships. So… what am I saying? Attitude, Ms. Jane, Attitude, and a deep faith in your God and potential goes a long way.
All too familiar a story. Cayman's systems are predominantly set up in a manner which leads to waste of potential. Human capital and creativity rich, human resource management poor.
Jane doe in response to your query please note on your work permit contract it should have clearly stated any defendants/spouses should be self sufficient and not dependent on society to take care of. As you can appreciate we are a small community of maybe 20,000 indigenous caymanians and if you have the other 42,000 expats bringing their spouses into the mix of things, how would any caymanian obtain employment let alone survive here when work permit holders are paid much higher in white collar jobs?
i suggest you recheck your immigration contract so you can fully understand the brevity of your statements.
Caymanian joe who has to eat too and nowhere else to go.
You are imprisoned here?
How is person who has been offered work but refused work permits "dependent on society"?
If the permit had been approved he would be gainfully employed and contributing to society through his consumption.
As it stands, he is still contributing to society as expats are not entitled to government help.
Your argument holds no weight.
Did you know that this may be a problem before accepting the job in GC?
How long is your permit for?
Don't know much about this situation, but quite interested.
Can your husband work online for a company overseas?
Quite interested in this situation also – as a unemployed Caymanian, would be interested in the position you are offering and no work permit required. How to contact you?
Ah, sorry. Was not offering any jobs. (wish I had one to offer). Just see that people can work online for companies and wondered if he could somehow do that. I was just throwing that idea out there.
I always tried to think of things I could do (when I was out of work) and it always came down to things I could do to survive without a "company" such as : resume writing for people, tutoring,cleaning, babysitting, etc. I think that is where people have to "go" if they are unemployed- get creative.It may not pay the mortgage, but it helps with the small bills….and if you are really creative, you may be able to turn it into a business.
We waited 13 years before my husband was able to secure a job because the temp wp wasn't approved either!
Jane, I feel for you. The consideration your husband needs is set out in the law which demands that he be given full preference over any expat who does not already live here. The problem is immigration never seem to read the law, and if they do, do not understand it, and if they do, ignore it.
Dear Trailing Spouse,
Leave. I can't tell you enough. LEAVE. Why stay? Your quality of life has gone in the toilet and you are complaining on a news site. Everyone knows about your plight. Sadly. Unfortunately, in the Banana Republic known as the Cayman Islands, it means nothing. It is an age old predicament.
Pack up your belongings. Cut your losses. Go somewhere else and enjoy your life!
Life is too short.
Respectfully,
Feel Your Pain
My sympathy to your and your husband. I was in a similar situation when I first moved down here. It took months of unemployment, followed by years of working in a position well below my capabilities before something positive opened up. I understand your frustrations, truly. Perserverence (and I am not trying to sound trite) and hope got us through. I wish your husband the best of luck.
And yet you decided to stay here! Why? Was the quality of life here perhaps still better than what you had back home, perhaps with 9 months of crap weather, long commutes, paying taxes etc? Oh no I get it you stuck around to do everyone else a favor.