Anyone lived in the Bahamas?

[PA-44Typed]

Anyone lived in the Bahamas, specifically Nassau? I have an opportunity to go do some CFI’ing down there with some possible charter on the side. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
~PA-44Yeped

 

[English]

I interviewed for a flying job on Andros Island a couple weeks after 9/11 (right after being furloughed). There are some benefits...no U.S. income tax, for example, but you'll have to get a work permit which costs I think around $5000.

Personally, for me, it was too isolated, so I didn't take the gig.

 

[Sc00ter]

What's the pay for a CFI in Nassau? I'm assuming this is the job on climbto350?

scoot

 

[PA-44Typed]

Starting pay is $20/hour , with the promise of 100 hours a month. Still waiting to hear for sure if I got the job.

 

[Sc00ter]

How about cost of living? I've done some flying in the Bahamas and would love to make a living out of it, but in Nassau the living expenses would kill you.

When they say "promise of 100 hours a month", does that mean they think you will have that many hours per month, or they guarantee they will susidise your pay if you fly less than that?

Sounds a little too good to be true. I couldn't find anything on the web about them either.

Good luck,

scoot

 

[wmudriver]

I hear ya...

I've been trying to call those guys down in Nassau but their phone lines have are under repair or something. It almost sounds too good to be true type of thing but yet it sounds like it would be a gas.

I would sell my left kidney on ebay for fun flying job like that.

 

[PA-44Typed]

I had to fax my resume; got called later that same night. They are checking my reference right now. I’m waiting now with fingers crossed.
~PA-44Typed

 

[BTDII]

PA-44,

I lived in the Bahamas for 6 months and flew charter there and I can tell you from experiance that most of the people that are from the islands would never live in Nassau. If the job was in one of the out islands, I'd say go for it, but Nassau would not be the best place to live.

Make sure before you take the job that you go there and spend a few days and nights, maybe even a week, to make sure you see "everything" on the island and how the "locals" are before you get s#cked into something that you might regret.

If you take the job your employer will have to get you a work permit, so make sure the details of who would be responsible for the permit are laid out on the table before you do anything. And also ask what would be expedited of you in regards to the permit if you leave. The Bahamas law requires the employer to cover and be repsonsible for the costs of the permit. You can not be held "legaly lible" (sp) for it.

Good Luck

 

[BTDII]

One other thing, unless you'll be "guaranteed" $2000.00 a month don't bother.

 

[PA-44Typed]

Thanks for all the good advice, as of yet I still don’t know if I even have the job. If I do get it I am going to go down there and check things out before I sign anything. I have been looking for work now for 10 months so I guess things would have to be real bad for me to turn something down. At this point anything would be better than substitute teaching and waiting tables at Chilies.