Expat Forum For Expats, For Moving Overseas And For Jobs Abroad - South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa

Expat Forum For Expats, For Moving Overseas And For Jobs Abroad - South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ The South Africa Expats forum is a great place to meet other Expats now living in South Africa. Join our Expat community and discuss all issues including living, working, kids, transportation, socialising, eating and buying houses in South Africa. en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:49:44 GMT vBulletin 180 http://www.expatforum.com/expats/images/misc/rss.jpg Expat Forum For Expats, For Moving Overseas And For Jobs Abroad - South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ Physio Moving from USA to SA http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/33294-physio-moving-usa-sa.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:33:24 GMT Hi Everyone, I am a physical(physio) Therapist in Seattle WA. I am considering making a leap to SA for employment for 1 year. Does anyone in... Hi Everyone,

I am a physical(physio) Therapist in Seattle WA. I am considering making a leap to SA for employment for 1 year. Does anyone in this forum have any experinecence with this.

Information about me:
I am single, no dependents.
I am used to living a fairly spartan lifestyle.
I would move for 1 year and most likely move back to the USA.
I most likely utilize public transportation/bike i.e. no car.
I would like to live in or near Cape Town if possible (see question #1 below)

Here's what I understand. With questions listed below.

1.) I will have to work for the government and placement is determined by need. This may mean a rural province but I am not sure.

Does anyone have any experiment with this sort of placement?

How is security in rural areas/provinces?

Any other tips and concerns

2.) I have to take a test similar to the board exam I took in the states

How diffcult is this board exam?

Any tips on how to prepare?

3.) I will not get paid very much i.e. equivlent of 17,500 USD annual.

I have seen some info on cost of living, this annual salary does not seem like a lot. Is it possible to survive on this much money?

Given my current lifestyle how much can I expect to pay in different regions of SA?

Thanks in advance, this seems like an exciting adventure and I am looking for gaining some more information.

Eric ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa grizfb75 http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/33294-physio-moving-usa-sa.html <![CDATA[Where's Santon]]> http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32977-wheres-santon.html Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:18:51 GMT Hi, we've just been told by my husband's company that they have secured housing for us in a townhouse in Santon. They say it's a suburb between Joburg and Pretoria. I can't find anything regarding this name. I find a suburb called Sandton. Do any of you know if there is a Santon in the area?

Also, will local pharmacies take perscriptions from US doctors? I'm just wondering about getting our medications filled once we get there.
Thanks. ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa lmalin http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32977-wheres-santon.html First query! http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32918-first-query.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:47:08 GMT Hi all, great to find this forum, it's very helpful!

Just a few questions if you don't mind

I'm looking at a job over there and the salary is 450k-500k a year. How is this as a salary to live in and around Cape Town? It's so hard to know as it's less than I currently earn but with cost of living factored in it might be a good salary?

When I look on housing sites a lot of houses/apartments are let unfurnished. Is this a typical thing for South Africa? Any suggestions of the best letting sites?

Letting prices seem to be around the same as mortgage prices would be, I know this is a difficult question but do people recommend buying or letting if I move over. I plan to be there for a number of years.

Thanks for any help! ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa trasver http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32918-first-query.html Property query http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32812-property-query.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:05:31 GMT Hi all, I have two quick questions hopefully...
1. What is a 'simplex' please?
2. I notice that a number of new houses have staff quarters on them. Do most households still employ house maids, cooks etc?
Many thanks. ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa Tike http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32812-property-query.html Moving back to SA http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32725-moving-back-sa.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:40:21 GMT We have been living in the US for 4 years and have to go back to SA. I need advice from people who had a similar case as mine so any advice on my... We have been living in the US for 4 years and have to go back to SA. I need advice from people who had a similar case as mine so any advice on my questions will be apreciated. Only answer the questions you can help me with.

1. I have 2 sons 10&11 years old who are now American as apple pie. What will the adaption be like.

2. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. Has anyone relocated pets from the US before and what was the aproximate costs. I just want to get a ball park figure.

3. Emotional adaption. We love both SA and the USA. We are going back because of immigration and not sure how we will adapt.

4. My business and customers are all here, so I will continue to work using VOIP phones. I will not seek another job. What is the living costs. I find that the US is not that expensive. I find that after compraring a basket of products that I will need such as insurance, car payments, private school fees my budget will not change much ? I'm I correct ? What will it cost to live in SA now. Middle to upper class life style.

5. How will start building a credit record again. We have no bank account or anything. We a a lot of family support.

6. How will I rent a house without credit.

7. Will my US TV work with DSTV Co-Axe digital input ?

8. How will my kids adapt in school USA curriculum vs. SA curriculum.

These are the questions I can come up with now. We are very nervious and would like to feel it is not the end of the world...

Thanks you in advance.

L ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa Lincoln71 http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32725-moving-back-sa.html Teenagers http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32226-teenagers.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:30:28 GMT Since my son will be 16 by the time we transfer to SA, and I hear the internet is not as fast so it will limit his time on XBox live and gaming, can... Since my son will be 16 by the time we transfer to SA, and I hear the internet is not as fast so it will limit his time on XBox live and gaming, can anyone living there now with teenagers tell me what they seem to do with their spare time? My son is not into sports either. It's hard enough getting him to do anything here, I'm just trying to figure out how teenagers spend their time in SA. We're excited about exploring on the weekends but there will be a lot of evening time to find something to do.

Thanks ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa lmalin http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32226-teenagers.html Living in SA but contracting for UK company http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32206-living-sa-but-contracting-uk-company.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:09:02 GMT I've been living and working in the UK for the past 5 years and have recently and unexpectedly had to make plans to move back to SA for a period of 4 months.

The company I'm working for has a requirement for me to continue working for them via the interwebz and they'll continue to pay me whilst I'm in SA but obviously not as an employee.

They plan on paying me using my UK bank details, to which I have access pretty much from anywhere in the world, but I'm not entirely sure what TAX implications there will be or how legal that would be, particularly since I won't be in the UK nor will I be using an SA bank account.

I've looking into starting a limited company, but that looks pretty lengthy and overly complicated for the period I will be out of the UK.

Does anybody have any ideas on what needs to be done to legally contract from another country to the UK?

Thanks for any replies and help! ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa langfaan http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32206-living-sa-but-contracting-uk-company.html cost of living-relocating a dog http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32140-cost-living-relocating-dog.html Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:08:39 GMT Hello- We will be moving outside of Johannesburg next May 2010. I can not find out about costs for cell phones, internet costs monthly, car... Hello- We will be moving outside of Johannesburg next May 2010. I can not find out about costs for cell phones, internet costs monthly, car insurance, laptops or any other monthly expenses that I may have forgotten. We already have a place to live and that includes the utilities. Any help would be appreciated...

Also, we are trying to find out if there is anyway that we don't have to put our little girl dog in the airplane hold area. Any answers:D:) ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa cmelser http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32140-cost-living-relocating-dog.html Housing near Pretoria area http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32031-housing-near-pretoria-area.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:15:05 GMT Me again, can anyone give me an idea of the best possible areas for housing rentals near or around the Pretoria area? I believe we'll be working in Pretoria and don't know how far away we can be and still deal best with traffic. Any suggestions for good areas with good commute to Pretoria would be appreciated.
Thanks! ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa lmalin http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32031-housing-near-pretoria-area.html Bringing a car from USA http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32030-bringing-car-usa.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:10:17 GMT Hello, Just wondering if anyone can tell me how difficult it is to get a car licensed that is shipped in from the US? Can't decide if we are going to ship one car and buy one in SA or just buy two in SA. Any suggestions as to the ease of purchasing and registering autos in Johannesburg area? ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa lmalin http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/32030-bringing-car-usa.html info on a marriage in france http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31956-info-marriage-france.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:44:47 GMT hello, my fiancee ,who is british but living permantly in brittany france, and I,a white south african citizen, living and working in south africa... hello, my fiancee ,who is british but living permantly in brittany france, and I,a white south african citizen, living and working in south africa are planning on getting married in july or august 2010. he went to the mairie ,who has given him a booklet stating what is needed

one of the things required is that i must get a certificat of attestation, what is this. something to do with entittlement to marry
i have also been reading up that i have to get permission from the french embassy to get married, is this so

what is a Certificate de Coutume" or a "Certificate of No Impediment" or a "Certificate of Nulla Osta" or simply a "Certificate of Freedom to Marry law - where do i get it from

does a south african have to fill in a certifcate of custom/law marriage

this is all so confusing.. thats why i need advise please

thanks : ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa adoptive cath http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31956-info-marriage-france.html urgent help visa refused http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31942-urgent-help-visa-refused.html Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:03:13 GMT hi i am currently living in the uk .... and am 31 weeks pregnant ... my fiance is still stuck in south africa... there is nothing i want more than... hi i am currently living in the uk .... and am 31 weeks pregnant ... my fiance is still stuck in south africa... there is nothing i want more than him to be here especially for the birth of our baby.... he applied for a visitors visa so that he would atlest be able to see the baby be born then apply for the more expensive more complicated visa at a later date .... they refused the visitor visa ... on grounds they think he will overstay. we dont currently have the financial backing to prove the money they want .... for financial standing ,,,, part of teh fiance visa application ... can anyone help or advice ... the baby is due in 9 weeks :(
thanks
katie ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa jak0076 http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31942-urgent-help-visa-refused.html Cost of living: food http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31936-cost-living-food.html Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:55:10 GMT A new thread from this new forum member: I saw in some threads talking about the cost of living in Joburg, mainly in the Sandton area, that the... A new thread from this new forum member:

I saw in some threads talking about the cost of living in Joburg, mainly in the Sandton area, that the montlhy cost for food purchased at supermarkets (or similar), for one person, is about R2000,00.

Is it right, or I misundertood something? I am asking that because, as soon as other itens seens to be pretty cheap, this one is incredibly expensive for me, that is living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and with a foreseen relocation to Sandton.

This would means a monthly cost of R4000,00 for a couple, which is about USD500,00. In Rio, me and my wife spend about USD 170 per month, with a lot of non essential itens, and sometimes some food still rest in the pantry!

So I thank in advance who can confirm this joburg cost to me.

rgds,
Davi ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa davisouzarj http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31936-cost-living-food.html Question regarding visa and return ticket http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31822-question-regarding-visa-return-ticket.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:11:02 GMT I hope someone can help me, I have a volunteer visa for South Africa for three years. I have returned to the UK to earn some more money and I'm looking to return to SA in Feb 2010.

However can I enter the country on a one-way ticket as I have left the required deposit when I was issued my visa. This is as I may stay longer than 12 months and most airtickets are only valid 12 months I dont really want to pay for a ticket I may not use.

Thanks

Sarah ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa Sarah Horspool http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31822-question-regarding-visa-return-ticket.html Moving to Sandton JHB: a racism question http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31803-moving-sandton-jhb-racism-question.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:39:25 GMT Dear folks, I am new member of this forum, but I am reading this for the last week. I have received an invitation from the company that I work... Dear folks,

I am new member of this forum, but I am reading this for the last week.

I have received an invitation from the company that I work to a new position in Sandton region, and I am reading very much about it, mainly about safety issues. As I can see, safety is really a problem in SA, but it is not so different from where I live today, Rio de Janeiro.

In Brazil, the diversity of skin colors is the rule, and it is very difficult to identify a Brazilian, or its social class, just looking for this color. You can see a white and tall woman, with beautiful blue eyes, who is very poor and lives in a "favela", as you can see a short and black guy, who lives in a luxury apartment just in front of the best Rio's beaches.

You can also see indian-like, asian-like, arabian-like, and all other kind of nationalities in the faces of our people. It is very common for us, and no one cares about it. We are a mixed people.

But in SA, I know the past of racial hate between black and white people, and that is very easy to recognize each one, because that is no much mixing.

That is my main concern: I am brown haired and with tanned skin, but with straight hair. Some people use to ask me if I have Indian or Arabian parents or grandparents, because of it. But my wife is very white, with thin straight hair, and can easily be confound with an american, for example.

Could it cause some problem for us in Johannesburg? Could people be "offended" because of a mid-black-mid-white guy who is married to a white woman?

Sorry if it is a fool doubt, but it would be very good to know your opinion about it.

Tks & Rgds,
Davi ]]> South Africa Expat Forum for Expats Living in South Africa davisouzarj http://www.expatforum.com/expats/south-africa-expat-forum-expats-living-south-africa/31803-moving-sandton-jhb-racism-question.html