A Job In The Sun

Jul 13 2008

FRAZER LINDSAY thought it would expand his experience to spend a couple of years in the Channel Islands.

But the move gave him a taste for travel and - 18 years on - he and his family are settled in the Caribbean paradise of the Cayman Islands.

ACCOUNTANT Frazer, 42, said: "I left a small firm in Glasgow and went to Jersey. The two years flew in and I decided to look at somewhere else abroad.

"I originally signed a two-year contract for the Caymans and I had no idea I was going to stay. But it's a complete change of lifestyle - there's a great social life."

The Caymans are made up of three islands and lie between Cuba and Jamaica.

The islands, which total around 100 square miles, have a population of 48,000. Residents enjoy one of the the highest incomes per head in the world - and pay no income tax.

They boast incredible beaches, including the world-famous Seven Mile Beach.

Frazer, originally from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, said: "Anyone who is interested in sport or the outdoors life will love the Caymans.

"It's true there's no income tax, but that's not really the main attraction for most people who come here. If you compare the cost of living to New York and London, it isn't high, but it is high compared to the rest of the UK."

But the Caymans isn't all play and no work. The islands are a major offshore financial centre and home to around 70,000 companies, including more than 500 banks, 800 insurers and 5000 mutual funds - giving firms like Frazer's global accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCooper plenty to do.

Frazer said: "More than 95 per cent of our work is to do with financial services, so you learn a lot. What I do as an audit partner is provide opinions on hedge funds, banks and insurance companies."

Frazer and wife Susan's two children, Abigail, 10, and Callum, six, were born in the Caymans.

Frazer said: "It's home to them and they love it here - to all intents and purposes, they see themselves as Caymanians."

Frazer said he had applied for Caymanian status, which allows an expat worker the same rights as a Caymanian. He said: "I can stay here as long as I want, buy a house, open a business, anything I want and the kids will get the same through me."

Frazer added: "It's highly unlikely we'll ever return home permanently. The Caymans will probably always be home, although we might buy a home in the States as well."

'The Caymans will always be home'