3) pay for trips home, give them $10,000 for travel a year and let them book their own flights.
Also it helps if this position is a set term, ie 2 years. I find having a definitive end date makes most things bearable as it gives people certainty about when their expat trip will be over. This is especially critical if there is a spouse or family that will be coming along with the employee.
Let people know that after their 2 year stint is up they are welcome to move to your head office if there is one somewhere else.
EDIT the salary and bonus I mention, only to make the point of paying well. The type of person we typically hire is very in demand, hence the pay.
As an american Project Manager, I originally was recruited to working in the South Pacific with a very similar situation.
Set terms is critical! Usually it does NOT end up being that important in the end, but at the beginning it can be very difficult to say "YES" to moving when you have six figure options that you always know that you can quit and walk across the street and get another well paying job. That's not the case on the Island I lived on.
Well, first off, giving more than a single line subject would help! I enjoy the Cayman Islands. I am a developer. A lot of other developers who enjoy islands frequent Hacker News. Why don't you start by giving us an idea about what you are doing and what specific problems with recruitment you are having.
I'm just trying to keep the conversation broad right now. Not sure if we will go the Cayman Islands route, or open an office onshore and hire local talent there.
In the first place, ask yourself - why do you need devs to sit next to you in the office? A lot of people just don't think about this and assume 1800s style offices are the norm...
On one hand, there are plenty of programming shops nowadays that are perfectly productive with all-remote or mostly-remote approaches.
On the other hand, I personally can't stay focused on work unless I'm in some sort of office, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. A company office is the easiest way to go about that, though office rentals and coworking spaces are a viable alternative.
Basically, there are arguments for either extreme (and all the increments in between those two extremes). It just depends on the team's preference.
Well, one can easily adopt a mixed style - everyone would work where they prefer - onsite/cafe/home/etc..
I personally work from home, but time to time I do 1-2 week onsite visits. I find it really frustrating how people live like that - they just plan all their life around weekends.
Normally I'd have to pay a few grand to to go the Caymans and then leave in a week or two....and you're going to pay me to stay there....and it's tax free? Seriously, programming jobs in the tropics are pretty rare, well at lest ones paying anything even remotely approaching first world salaries. Maybe I just don't know where to look, but I've looked in the past and found hardly anything. Sure, a lot of people might be too settled to relocate(true wherever you are), but I'm sure there are plenty like myself who would absolutely jump at the chance to move to the Caymans.
You could just let try to offer up comp packages to developers that already live there. But a lot of developers that are already interested in relocating outside the typical tech centers (myself included) look primarily for remote work because you're unlikely to find a gig worth a damn in Bristol, VA or whatnot and you could advertise as remote jobs for the "right" candidates when you really just want them onsite. That should open you up to a lot more folks.
Is this a problem you're trying to solve for yourself? Because if so, I'd be happy to solve it by taking up such an offer (assuming other factors - like salary, paid leave, benefits, etc. are satisfactory, of course).
I generally prefer snowy landscapes to tropical islands, but it's hard to argue with "tax free".
Well, we are currently exploring the idea and i'm doing a bit of research right now. But, if you were really interested in moving out here I would be happy to point you in the right direction. my email is on my profile page.
Comments
We have an office in the Barbados, which is obviously a different place, but for the purpose of recruiting I'd imagine its pretty similar.
We do a couple of things:
1) Throw money at them, starting salary of $250,000 plus a bonus multiplier of 0.5x to 2x gets you some very good candidates.
2) Emphasize these two things: http://www.cayman.com.ky/caymans-tax-free-status and http://www.weather.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=4421,1&_dad=po...
3) pay for trips home, give them $10,000 for travel a year and let them book their own flights.
Also it helps if this position is a set term, ie 2 years. I find having a definitive end date makes most things bearable as it gives people certainty about when their expat trip will be over. This is especially critical if there is a spouse or family that will be coming along with the employee.
Let people know that after their 2 year stint is up they are welcome to move to your head office if there is one somewhere else.
EDIT the salary and bonus I mention, only to make the point of paying well. The type of person we typically hire is very in demand, hence the pay.
As an american Project Manager, I originally was recruited to working in the South Pacific with a very similar situation.
Set terms is critical! Usually it does NOT end up being that important in the end, but at the beginning it can be very difficult to say "YES" to moving when you have six figure options that you always know that you can quit and walk across the street and get another well paying job. That's not the case on the Island I lived on.
WOW, your company sounds great! I agree with point 2, but not sure 1 & 3 are economically feasible at that scale.
Where do I apply? I spend too much time surrounded by snow and not enough time near a beach.
What kind of work do you guys look for usually?
Well, first off, giving more than a single line subject would help! I enjoy the Cayman Islands. I am a developer. A lot of other developers who enjoy islands frequent Hacker News. Why don't you start by giving us an idea about what you are doing and what specific problems with recruitment you are having.
I'm just trying to keep the conversation broad right now. Not sure if we will go the Cayman Islands route, or open an office onshore and hire local talent there.
In the first place, ask yourself - why do you need devs to sit next to you in the office? A lot of people just don't think about this and assume 1800s style offices are the norm...
This depends on the company culture.
On one hand, there are plenty of programming shops nowadays that are perfectly productive with all-remote or mostly-remote approaches.
On the other hand, I personally can't stay focused on work unless I'm in some sort of office, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. A company office is the easiest way to go about that, though office rentals and coworking spaces are a viable alternative.
Basically, there are arguments for either extreme (and all the increments in between those two extremes). It just depends on the team's preference.
Well, one can easily adopt a mixed style - everyone would work where they prefer - onsite/cafe/home/etc..
I personally work from home, but time to time I do 1-2 week onsite visits. I find it really frustrating how people live like that - they just plan all their life around weekends.
Normally I'd have to pay a few grand to to go the Caymans and then leave in a week or two....and you're going to pay me to stay there....and it's tax free? Seriously, programming jobs in the tropics are pretty rare, well at lest ones paying anything even remotely approaching first world salaries. Maybe I just don't know where to look, but I've looked in the past and found hardly anything. Sure, a lot of people might be too settled to relocate(true wherever you are), but I'm sure there are plenty like myself who would absolutely jump at the chance to move to the Caymans.
You could just let try to offer up comp packages to developers that already live there. But a lot of developers that are already interested in relocating outside the typical tech centers (myself included) look primarily for remote work because you're unlikely to find a gig worth a damn in Bristol, VA or whatnot and you could advertise as remote jobs for the "right" candidates when you really just want them onsite. That should open you up to a lot more folks.
Is this a problem you're trying to solve for yourself? Because if so, I'd be happy to solve it by taking up such an offer (assuming other factors - like salary, paid leave, benefits, etc. are satisfactory, of course).
I generally prefer snowy landscapes to tropical islands, but it's hard to argue with "tax free".
I don't think you need to recruit them to move to the Caymans.
Having your head-office there is a bonus for employees who want to come visit.
You can do recruitment globally through hiring remote.
Test it out, you may find you get the best talent through offering both:
1) Either come live with us in the Caymans
2) Stay on your own island and work remotely
Offer me a good salary, interesting work, and do your best to minimize the red-tape, as I hate it.
Moving package is a plus, too, and possibly offering assistance in finding a place to stay.
What about chicks?
Not important. While I know some exceptions, most developers don't want to raise their own poultry.
Best. Reply. Ever.
Just offer them a job on the Cayman Islands ;). I'm sold
Does "tax free" apply to U.S. Citizens? I thought the U.S. taxed you wherever you lived.
Only if you make $96k+ or you aren't paying any other significant taxes.
How would developers find you? I was interested in exactly this last year, but found only dead ends.
Well, we are currently exploring the idea and i'm doing a bit of research right now. But, if you were really interested in moving out here I would be happy to point you in the right direction. my email is on my profile page.
are these jobs finances related?
I'd be up for it if the pay is good and you can help me move from Europe.
I guess both money and an interesting project. For me both are requirements.
What are you building there?
Why would you want to?