Hi All,

At the moment we (my (pregnant) girlfriend, my son and myself) live in the Netherlands. I recently applied for a job on Bonaire. If I get the job (I'm on a short-list) we have to make a final decision on moving to Bonaire (for at least 3 years). Although we think it would be great to live on Bonaire (we did quite some research on the internet) we haven't actually been on the Island. That's why we still have a lot of questions. We hope you will have some answers. Questions are:

- The payment which is offered (NAf 4.500 before tax) is (much) lower than our salaries here. This is partly because of the fact that my girlfriend of course has to quit her job in the Netherlands. We know few about the cost of living on Bonaire. Can 4 people (2 adults + 2 children) easy live off 4500 NAf (before tax)?

- How is Bonaire for little children? Our son is 2 years old.

- Do you need a car on the Island?

- Are there any (dutch?) people who had the same questions before moving to Bonaire?

Thanks al lot!!
Rob

Hi Rob... you'd probably be better off posting this under the "Moving to Bonaire" topic.

If you need someone to carry your luggage, I would be happy to help.

I've moved this thread to "Moving to Bonaire" where as Kelly noted, is where belongs

Good luck Rob!

Cynde Lee
Co-Moderator

Rob,

The average salary on Bonaire is in the NAF 1000-1400 range per month, brutto (gross). For NAF 4500, I'd think you could manage reasonably well. No life of luxury, but certainly middle class existence would be possible.

As Dutch citizens you also would not have serious work permit issues like us real foreigners have. That means if your wife found a job here she could legally work in that position, and supplement your income.

Jake

Yes, you need a car/pick-up truck, etc. There is a wide variety for sale here, used/new, in all price ranges.

Hi there,
My name is johan seekles i'v been offered a job in bonaire,ofcourse i'll would like to go only i have one problem and that's to find a good school for my 'two boy's one 0f 5 and one 13.
I hope that somebody can give some advice.

thank's johan

The 13 year old only has one choice for level 7 and higher which is the SGB. Classes are in Dutch so he should have no problem there.

The 5 year old has more options. We have one non religious school - Reina Beatrix. All the others are Catholic - Papa Cornes, Saint Bernardo, Kristu Bon Wardador. Inscription for the schools is usually around April 15th. I don't know when it will be this year since the schools are closed for vacation that week.

Hello Linda,

First of all i would like to thank you for your reaktion,i have got a few questions more, how is the quality of the schools and sgb lev 7 where can i find out what kind of level is that thank's again johan seekles

Ours is the Dutch system. The kids are tested in 6th and start MAVO, HAVO, MBO, VBO, etc. in 7th. My kids are only 6 and 8 years old so I don't know all the details about the older children's school. As an American, I find the different "high school" levels to be confusing. Other parents have told me that the HAVO and higher are fairly good but are not happy with the lower levels.
Scholengemeenschap Bonaire (SGB)
tel. (599) 717-8120
fax (599) 717-4428 or 717-8771

Hello Linda'
I would like to thank you for your information.

Thank's johan

Rob the question is if you are willing to adjust to the local situation. I posted another message for someone who had the same question and said that if you stick to Dutch rookworst, you will pay 9 guilders. Chickenmeat is much cheaper here and by the way much healthier than probably Dutch meat. So adjustment is the big issue. A gross salary of 4500 would be in the 3600 nett range. I guess renting a house would be the biggest expense. And again the question arrises what would you like, a waterfront house for 2500 guilders a month or a house in a local area for 800 guilders.
I would suggest if you have doubts, come visit Bonaire and see for yourself.
A car. Yes and driving a car on Bonaire is much cheaper than in Holland. NO APK.
For children this is a perfect country I would say perfect at least for children 0 to 16 years.
Any specific questions, let me know

Rob, as your son is still young, Bonaire is an excellent place to grow up. I should know. I was born and raised on Bonaire myself. At least, till I was eight years old. My oldest sister lived there till she was thirteen, another till eleven, and so on. Although that was several years ago and things have changed since then, I still look back on Bonaire as a sort of paradise for children. We lived right on the ocean front (in Belnem), had our friend, my sisters attended Dutch school for five years (they had Juffrow Bea as a teacher), and had a wonderful life there all around.

I am an American considering attending the medical school on Bonair. If I moved there, I have an eight year old daughter in third grade. Are the school comparable to US schools? What language do they teach in? Are english teachers available? Thanks.

Kim

Hi Kim,

How exciting for you to move to Bonaire. For your child it will be a great experience in many areas but my opinion is educationally she may suffer.

The schools teach Dutch and Papiamento. My child entered grade 6 and had previous Dutch tutoring (all summer before we moved to BON)so had the basics. She had a very hard time. While the kids (her friends) all loved to speak English, all lessons were in Dutch or Papiamento. Her teacher was very nice and met with my child's private tutor (very pricey for her tutoring) often but it was still a challenge. I think if Maggie entered in the younger years things would be vastly different. There are no English schools in Bonaire. Email me if you want to talk privately.

Kim, Have you considered home schooling thru the USA programs. I know several people who live on their boats and sail a lot (for months at a time) who do this. That way the kids don't fall behind the kids their age in the US. This might be an option for you.
Andy

I heard there is a new school in Bonaire that teaches it's classes in English (not Papiamento).
Can anyone give me information on this school or a website I can look at?
I have 2 boys 12 & 14.
Thanks very much!
Marcela

There is a new secondary school starting with 7th grade. It is a VWO Dutch school (high level). There is a story in this week's Bonaire Reporter. My child's friend attends.

Hi,
When we were in Bonaire and had a fantastic time, my wife and I
decided to look for a home to stay and looking for work. At the moment
I can't find a proper site or link to look for a job on Bonaire. Can
someone help or provide us with the necessary information how to
search for a job and a home. ( my wife has a medical assistant
certificate and I'm a General Manager of a company in Europe).
tx
Patrick

I do not know of any job search web site for jobs on Bonaire.
Several of the realtors have links on infobonaire.com
What are your nationalities and what languages do you speak?
I suggest that you skim through all the threads on Moving to Bonaire, including archived threads. You will learn a great deal which will assist you. There is even a thread which deals specifically with the medical field.
Good luck in making your dream come true!

Hey Patrick,

Since you are a EU resident, it is possible that moving/working in Bonaire will be easier in 2007 when Bonaire becomes part of the Netherlands.

Peter

Peter, so if I hold an EU passport, which I do, 2007 I may not need work permits and what not..?? Yipppeee..never thought of that..

Hi Ann,

(-: I wrote "it is possible". We'll see.

Peter

Thank you very much for your responses Tish and Peter.
This is a great help already.
Patrick