I think there a jobs to be found but getting well paid and on time can be hit and miss ...

Well paid? No chance! All those jobs have already gone!
There are no minimum wage laws in Cyprus (well, there are but only for certain occupations) so pay is typically very low for bar/restaurant staff. £5.93 minimum UK wage would be considered brilliant by a lot of them To some of the East Europeans, the paltry sum of often around half of this figure, is more than they can earn at home. To the Brits it's slave labour. Oh and it's often a six day week too!

That said, an experience it certainly would be. If she just goes into it with her eyes open then there will be no nasty surprises

Another HT member will probably be along soon with his experience I can also recommend the Cyprus Eastern forum which consists of mostly people who either live, or own property in that area of Cyprus.

hth

Thank you for the replies and advice.

My daughter has worked for Greek Cypriots for several years and knows its slave labour, its the experience she wants and meeting new people.

At present she is emailing bars/restaurants etc, some want staff. She is also emailing hotels direct and going through her mountain of a long list in Pernera, Protaras and Ayia Napa, even applying at Mcdonalds

Of course she is keeping all the list of places that she has written to - and accompanying the email sent an CV.

Rachel is extremely lucky we know people in these areas, and the fact all these areas she knows well having gone on so many holidays there.

If Rach does get a job, we will see her in action in June as we have 2 weeks in Pernera, so that is a bonus.

Rachel is very street wise for her age and copes well under pressure, so i wish her luck, a bit jealous really

Michelle x

If your daughter has friends in Cyprus they should be able to explain what she needs to do if she is looking for temporary work and in relation to being legally employed. All employers should deduct Social Insurance contributions and your daughter should be registered to work in Cyprus - particularly if she may be here for more than 90 days.

This link may be a good start: http://ec.europa.eu/eures/main.jsp?catId=8957&acro=living&lang=en&parentId=7838&countryId=CY&living=

Shell
Limassol, Cyprus

Well my baby is off tomorrow to work in Ayia Napa, sharing a hotel that has very good reviews, got euros and pre-payment card and off she is trotting, when will i see her again as its a one way ticket. Wish i had the courage when i was 22, mind you i was married and having babys lol

she will be fine ! hope she has a great time out there

Rachels gone, now in transit to Birmingham airport:) The house is very quiet

She will have a ball, my daughter goes off to Napa at the end of the month for over 3 months. She worked the season last year also and make some friends for life. They have Napa reunions all over the country throughout the year so they all keep in touch. Where will your daughter be working?

She hasn't got a job yet as far as i know, but has a trail this sunday i think she said near the harbour.

Rachel is promoting a bar tonight as a trial, at least it is something for the time being, she has done this before:)

Hope it goes well for her. My daughter done PR work for a while out there last year but was really messed around with wages and the manager was very agressive with all the staff. She then got a job as a jelly shot seller and was paid and treated a lot better.
I answered one of your posts before re: Jamaica, did you book anywhere?

Hi no we haven't booked Jamaica yet because its for our wedding anniversary and the brochures are not out yet.

So far not good on the job front.

Last night Rachel was rung up to do the vodka jelly shots and walked out as the manager told her to lower her bra and stick her credentials out so she could sell more. She is not a prude by any means, but does have standards, and certainly was not going to be walking around in a bikini having people touch her up between the hours of 1am and 6 am.

There is a lot PR work, but its illigal, so if she gets caught, it would end in arrest.

Rachel has been around a fair few hotels, but only to be told unless she speaks Russian she has no chance

So its back to the drawing board.

** forgot to add you are right about being paid, a lot of people have warned her about this. A girl walked out of a job as she worked 2 weeks and never got paid.

Oh no what bar was that? My daughter will be doing the PR thing to start with, I think if they do it outside the bars they are OK, but illegal if it's further away. It is a worry but they are at an age when they have to live and learn.

Shame about Jamaica. Have a look at Carribean Warehouse works out a lot cheaper than Thomsons and Virgin. We have booked with them for Next February. Can't wait, Protaras September then Jamaica.

We haven't ruled out Jamaica, but our 25th w/a isnt for a while yet, i am just getting prices.

Rachel has a trial today at a bar/restaurant at 4pm (uk 2pm) they rang her up. It is a place where she wanted to work, so fingers crossed that this works out.

Wish her all the best from us all here Michelle

Thank you Glynis x

Hi, well before i go on, i will say i do not want to start scare-mongering but to give you an update and some facts of my daughters account in cyprus.

Rachel only stayed a maximum of 10 nights all in all it went very bad for her and her friends whom she met and some are still out there. What we don't see as holiday makers is the violence in ayia napa especially for those whom try and seek work.

My daughter went for several bar/restaurant work all over and also in places she wanted to work, they rang her. All the jobs these kids get are all trials and you don't get paid ! She worked several days in a good bar or so she thought to be told that no wage would be given until the end of the month, still on trail as well. At no point do they say you got the job because the girls/boys cannot afford to live in cyprus that long without money they they have to leave. So basically this is what is happening all the time, trial = no pay= free labour.

Apparently Rachel was sharing with a girl that was doing promotion work, she basically had to sleep with people to get paid, or worse still stick these vodka jellies down her top and get the men to go down her top to sell more ! My daughter walked out as she was not being used and showing her anatomy for nobody.

Worse still, one tourist was shot by the mafia (the Russians that run everything in Napa) he ended up in intensive care, not sure if he lived or not, two girls went missing by the Mafia crowd, and Rachels friend was stalked by a man as she left the bar in the early hours, they had to hide her behind one of the dustbins until they passed.

Rachel and her friends whilst in Napa rang us up and said it is a very scary place to go for work, if you upset the Russians they were told they have an hour to get out of Cyprus or else. My daughter was very frightened, her friends from face book are all shifting to Malia to look for work, all getting flights as i write because it is so unsafe.

The night Rach rang me from her hotel room, she was in tears and i told her to come home for her safety, having seen some of their 'action' via face time link i may not have believed it, it is very dangerous.

At least some of them came home together, and as i say some are getting out to go to Malia and try there for work.

I remember last year talking to a guy in Pernera and he said unless you got stashes of money do not come to work as they will get ripped off. Russians rule everything.

As for tourists going on holiday you may not notice any changes, but for young adults wanting that experience is very seedy and shady.

Rachel is fine, but understandably upset by all this and her friends she made, and the two girls as yet have no idea if they were found or not.

What is Cyprus coming to, such a shame.

You did right to tell her to get out Michelle. I'd be having her on the first available flight even if it was out of your area. Am sad things didn't work out for her but it's always a risk going to holiday resorts looking for work. Maybe tell her to try and apply to one of the TO's x

Just read your post and can unfortunately believe it. My daughter went out on Tuesday for three and a half months, she is not planning on working for another couple of weeks and hopefully her knowledge and contacts that she made last year has made her realise who the best bars and clubs to work for are. I know she seen some horrific things that the Russian doormen did to tourists(mainly male) last year and I really didn't want her going back again this year but at her age I can't stop her. Just got to hope that she stays safe and is sensible enough to be on her guard. Hope your daughter finds some work in Mallia. We go to Protaras every summer and it is hard to believe that this sort of thing is happening a few miles up the road, and is also appears that the Police turn a blind eye.