New members of the Vanuatu forum, introduce yourself here

1.  My son and I are U.S. citizens, but my wife is Vietnamese (she does have an American green card, though).  Will this be a problem with resident permits?

There seem to be no issues with nationality when getting residency in Vanuatu.  There are criteria you need to meet financially though.

2.  Given my background teaching and writing and my wife's business experience, will we have a hard time finding work?

There is a website called Wokikik, it lists most of the available jobs in Vanuatu.  Browse through these and put in some apps before you move to gauge interest in your particular skills?

3.  I know that fruits and vegetables grow easily there, but that it hardly matters because these items are inexpensive in the local markets.  But what about meat and dairy?  We don't eat out a lot, but we do cook.

One of the things I struggled with in Vanuatu was the lack of variety with fresh produce.  The fruit and veg at the markets is quite cheap when it is in season but after a while the same old bananas, coconuts, sweet potato and beans pall a little :p
Growing is seasonal and the seasons can be quite short over there for most fruits.  It depends where you are on the island to what you will be able to grow in your own garden.
Imported fruit and veg are very expensive, even frozen varieties.

Beef is very cheap compared to Australia (most cuts around the 1200vt per kilo) but I don't know how it will compare to the US. 
Lamb, pork and chicken are quite expensive.
Dairy is one of the most expensive things to buy there as it is imported and subject to import taxes.  No fresh milk (uht only at about 250vt per litre), specialty cheese like brie, blue or feta average 5000vt a kilo.  Even a basic cheddar will be about 2000vt per kilo.  Sour cream 1000vt for a large tub.  Whipping cream (uht) 1000vt a litre.  Yoghurt 300vt for a small tub.

I have not used the schools though I have many friends with children that are happy with the schools (there are both French and English schools and fees are similar to Australian private school education).  The general consensus is that the schools are great for younger children but many expats send their children to Australia or New Zealand for boarding school in the later years.

Someone else might like to answer regarding the hospital.  I did not need medical care in my years there but when I first asked about doctors and hospitals I was told "feel the pain, get the plane"

Thanks for the reply.  That's about what I was expecting, though I would have thought there was more variety of fruit / vegetables and it would be easier to grow them all season.  A little disappointed about schools, but our son is very young still, so don't have to worry about it quite yet.  I'm still pretty pumped about checking out the island.  Can't wait!

Hi everyone,

I'm a Filipino that is currently living in Vanuatu. I look forward to chatting with people here.

How do you like Vanuatu?  Which island are you on?  My wife and I are considering moving there.

Hi, I am Miriama and i teach in a secondary school.In the last two years I taught in Tuvalu and am Interested if there are teaching vacancies available there in my field, I have taught for more then 15 years ...looking forward

My name is karen - I am 56, my dad has just passed away and I am wanting to expand my life.

I have been to Vanuatu quite a few times and just love the people and the island.

I would like to live and work there. 

Skills - Great sales person.

Very fast and efficient audio or copy typist.  (once worked for Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra)

Just wanting to know if there is every positions for someone like me, where I can be a typist, secretary or PA, so that I can live and work over in Vanuatu.  (Definitely my dream come true - the only thing on my bucket list.

Can anyone help with this, or am I just dreaming.  Karen

Hi everyone.

My name is Keetah and I am a South African. We have been living in Vanuatu for five months now.

I am very keen on making a better life for my daughter here as it is so much safer than home.
I hope to use this forum to meet new friends, find a good job and settle into the life of Vanuatu.
Thank you for excepting me.

Hello.  I also plan to move to Vanuatu with my family.  How do you like it so far?  How is the job search going?  What field are you in, and what did you do back in South Africa?

Best of luck with your move!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to expat.com 

@ vanuatucurious, to whom are your questions intended to ?

The member might not be knowing that you are asking him in particular as there are so many members on this thread.

Best of luck,
Bhavna

Hello Eagle,

I also plan to move to Vanuatu with my family.  How do you like it so far?  How is the job search going?  What field are you in, and what did you do back in South Africa?

Best of luck with your move!

Bhavna,

Thank you for the advice.  I will address my posts to someone in specific from now on.  How do you like Vanuatu?  How long have you lived there?  What do you do?

@vanuatucurious

Bhavna is an administrator on this forum and is not in Vanuatu.

Hello
I've been to Vanuatu before and it was awesome the people they're so nice,so I'm looking forward to being offered a job of any kind thank you😍
❤

Hi I'm Sharon
Born and bred in the land of Oz. Partner of 20 years passed away from cancer in January he had been ill for a year and I cared for him until the last 12 hours of his life. I took myself to Hideaway Island for a couple of weeks to try to figure out what I was going to do. I am a RN currently employed in a leading cancer hospital so not sure if returning there will be the best choice I can make. While I was in Vanuatu I purchased two blocks of land in north Efate. Two of my adult daughters are already deciding what to pack for the move. The other three kids want to come for holidays. I just need to build etc. No pressure. Need to find out so much it is quite daunting. But one day at a time will get it done.

Hello
My deepest sympathy for your loss and all that proceeded.
If you want to talk to some beautiful people in Mele Area (10min outside Port Vila) I can provide details.
They are an ex AUST & ex  KIWI who run local clinics for the people and also the Vanuatu Amputee Society.
Julie is a RN and Michael is a Psychologist among many, many, other things.
They are both fantastic down to earth people who absolutely love Vanuatu and the Ni-Van people.

Vanuatu is a beautiful place and just the place to realign your life.

best wishes
Kevin

Thank you very much Kevin.

Hi All,

I've just moved here to Port Vila with work last month and wouldn't mind meeting/getting to know people and have a look around the place and also maybe join a club or something.

Cheers,

Gareth

Hi everyone, My name is Glenn I retired from Primary school teaching at the end of last year My brother and his family have moved here to start a new tourist attraction I have come over for a holiday for a month and have ended up buying 2 blocks close by his land  to provide accommodation for his attraction. I am about to head back to the Gold Coast and sell everything up and come back and live here permanently  A short stay in this beautiful place has lead to a complete change of direction in my life My next thing I need help with is finding a trusted company to build  bungalows and  accommodation . I would appreciate  your advice and guidence. Thanks Glenn.

Hi Glenn
Congratulations on the move.
While there are many expats running building companies you would be best advised to ask around about who built what.
Check out some of the recent builds,e.g. island Magic
A good tip is whatever timeline you are given add 1 or 2 months to actually have job completed.You could enquire at VanuaDesean(not sure of spelling but it means Vanuatu Design) We bought an existing property so Im not much help sorry.Exactly where are you intending to build?

I have bought 2 blocks out on Napow Point. Hoping to build bungalows there soon.
Thanks for your advice and have a great day.
Glenn

Hi All,

My wife and I are considering moving to Vanuatu for very specific reasons.
The fist one is that we want to live on a sunny island with beautiful landscape and Ocean. We love the Ocean and we were living on a yacht for 4 year here in California....
We want to live in a country where there is no pollution (no Fluoride tap water, no Chlorine in Tap Water, organic food, No crazy Wifi everywhere, no Chemtrail etc....) We have all of that in California and we are done with that.
We were wondering how you can find good groceries items, such as Olive Oil, Good Creme for Skin, Female Products etc.)
We also try to know if there is good appliance shops. After our research on the Internet, it seems to not be the case....How Expat get their appliances?
Also we are wondering if Internet is good there, with Cable if any....
I am a filmmaker and my wife is a screenwriter....We want a safe and calm place to continue our work of creation, meanwhile taking care of our health. We are in our 50s....
We will be coming to Port Vila Jan 2017, around the 15 for 2 week and we would like to make contact with nice people who can give us the insights....
Thank you so much!
Philippe

Hello All!

My name is Keith and I'm 30 years young. I will be moving to Vanuatu in May to work with a former military mate. I'm coming from Austin, Tx, and while the US has many perks, I'm ready to experience the island life. I'm looking forward to meeting more expats. I love water sports and a good beer. Let's get together in May! Cheers!

Hello!

I am wanting to move to Vanuata with my 13 year old daughter next year. I have done some online research but joined this forum to gain  insight into real life in Vanuata in hope of elevating some concerns to achieve this goal. Little bit scary moving to another country by myself,being soley responsible for my daughter. Also hopong to network to help find work as the move wont be happening with it. I currently work as a Quality and Administration Manager for a Registered Training Organisation in Brisbane, training people with disabilities.

Very much looking forward to learning and much as possible.

Cheers
Georgie

Hi everyone
I'm Dani. My husband Matt & I, & our two little kids (2 & 7 months) are moving to Port Vila in the near future. We have a block of land on Devils Pt Road just before Benjor Beach that we are currently building on. We fell in love with Vanuatu a few years ago, had our wedding at Erakor Island resort in 2014 & have been back & forth a few times since. We are back there  in a couple weeks for almost 3 months for my hubby who is a builder here in Australia to continue the build on our block. Hoping to make friends and meet up with other expat mums on here and to read other people's experiences making the big move over. 😊

Hi,

my name is Inga from Germany and I will travel to Vanuatu/ Port Vila with my children in July to work as a development worker for two years. I worked already as a development worker in Africa but now this region is really new for me and my children. First question I have is the school possibilities and situation for my children. I hope that the forum can help me.

Thanks and see you soon,
Inga

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=665623

Hi my name is Lynsey and we have spent lots of holidays in Vanuatu and always loved it, to the point one year we bought land! I'm now just now putting the feelers out in regards to the opertunities on offer, cost of living, schools (we have a 5 yr old) and just generally how we go about making this move happen.
Cheers Lynsey 🤗

Hi, my name is Romy and I'm looking to move to Vanuatu.  I am interested in meeting new people and getting some insights into life in Vanuatu. We currently live in South Africa but love the ocean, my husband and son are happiest running around on the beach. We have 2 kids so we would love any input into schools. Looking forward to connecting and making new friends.