Leave everything behind to live in Mauritius: Adèle's testimony

Leaving everything behind in your home country and moving abroad takes a lot of courage. This is the case for moving to Mauritius. But those who have already lived it all agree that it is an experience in its own right.

Discover Adele's testimony who tells her story and her change of life in Mauritius!

And who knows, maybe this feedback will be YOUR trigger.

Your new life begins now!

Adèle's testimony

Who are you?

Tell us about yourself! 

I'm Adèle, I'm 29 years old and I'm currently Match Maker for a company founded by two French people, based in Mauritius. I am originally from Lyon, but I lived for 10 years in Aix-en-Provence before my expatriation to Mauritius 😊

How long have you been in Mauritius?

I arrived in October 2019.

The beginning of your expatriation

How did your expatriation project come about? Why did you want to change your life?
My partner and I found ourselves at a professional crossroads at the same time, which gave us the freedom to live an expatriation project more simply. He is a health professional and therefore had more opportunities than me. He applied for an offer in Mauritius and was accepted in three days. 15 days later he was on the plane 😊

Why did you choose Mauritius as your destination? 

A bit by chance, the first positive response we received. My companion had grown up in Tahiti and so was keen to return to an island life.

Did you have a job before coming to Mauritius?

Yes we were both very lucky, I received my promise of employment 24 hours before my flight.

Would you have come to Mauritius all the same if you had not had a professional opportunity?

Yes, but if I had stayed unemployed we would have gone home.

Do you have any recommendations for finding a job in Mauritius?

Make the most of Linkedin and Facebook networks, don't get discouraged and be proactive.

The installation in Mauritius

How did you settle in Mauritius from a general point of view? In your experience, what are the priorities when settling in Mauritius? 

On the whole it went very well, sometimes you have to get used to a slower and less certain way of life (quite a few delays in appointments for example).

We were lucky enough to quickly meet some great people, both Mauritians and expatriates, who allowed us to rebuild a social base. This seems to me to be the key to expatriation, when you are far from everything, it is good to be able to rely on trusted friends and family.

We were lucky enough to quickly find a nice place to stay, at a reasonable price, a serious and reasonable car rental company, fulfilling sports activities (important for us) and pleasant professional environments. I had the chance to join a company made up of a majority of Mauritians. They were all very helpful in my acculturation and acclimatization to Mauritius.

Did your company take the necessary steps to obtain a visa? How did it go? Did you get your Visa easily without too much stress?

Two visas: like clockwork.

I was accompanied during my two permits by trustworthy, organized and methodical people. It went very well. But I was very lucky, considering the feedback I got on obtaining the permits.

Do you have any recommendations for someone who has just landed a job in Mauritius?

Secure important points: pay attention to the 15% tax rate, take care of health insurance, take care of a plane ticket to France every year, take care of visa fees + medical exams. It is important to frame everything to avoid any possible frustration upon arrival.

If you had one word to describe your arrival in Mauritius, what would it be?

Adventure!

Your job change in Mauritius

After 1 year in Mauritius, you changed companies.

Was this change easy? Did you find a new opportunity easily?

Not easy at all. As expatriates, we are relatively ring-fenced by the company that allows us to obtain our first work visa. For any change, you have to ask for a letter from the company that sees you leave, to accept the cancellation of the current permit and the creation of a new one by the new company. Not easy.

Opportunities are also rare, but I think it's more related to my profile (communication / project management).

In which sector did you work?

I used to be a Communication Manager (call center).

At the beginning, did you plan to stay in Mauritius for a long time? Was it "natural" to extend your stay in Mauritius?

Originally we had come for a year (especially me, I like to have deadlines), but with this new professional opportunity, the current climate in France and the quality of life here, we can see ourselves staying for a while longer 😊

Your new host company has asked SmartTraveller to assist you in changing your Professional Visa.

How did the change of your Visa go with the help of SmartTraveller? 

Absolutely perfect. Anaïs is extremely organized and I am doing well on my side. Within a month, the transition between my two jobs was done, and my new license created. Nothing to say, it was perfect.

Did you find the process of changing your Visa simple or stressful?

With Anaïs, simple.

The stressful part was just getting the no objection letter.

Life in the sun... What is it like?

What do you think of life in general in Mauritius? (supermarkets, restaurants, entertainment, activities...)

Life is good here, once you understand the sometimes slightly different way of doing things, find the right addresses (restaurants, shops), the right sports activities. As soon as the weekend comes, you feel like you're on vacation. 😊

We often have weekends in other parts of the island and it is a real pleasure.

Were you able to meet people easily on site? 

A bit tricky at the start, by the time we got settled we were in confinement. It is especially when we came out of confinement, in June 2020, that we were able to start having a stable and nice social life. I was extremely lucky to work with golden Mauritian colleagues, who taught me a lot about the country, its ways of doing things, being, I even had Creole lessons. 😊 When you're curious, there's plenty to do here!

How is your daily life organised now? Have you managed to find a balance in your professional and personal life in Mauritius? 

Absolutely. I've resolved to learn to cut back, in the evenings after the work day, but even more so on weekends. When we are out of confinement, life oscillates between kite surfing, boxing, beach, snorkelling, good restaurants or even barbecue with friends. We have a quality of life that we would never have had in France: house, garden, pool, beach only a few meters away. Only the relatives are missing, but I hope they will come to visit me one day to discover this beautiful island 😊

How much longer do you want to stay in Mauritius?

As long as we're good, we stay. 😊

Mauritius in Covid period

Having spent the containment and the beginning of the pandemic in Mauritius, how did you live this rather unique period in the world? And especially the fact of being far from family and friends? 

It was pretty special, especially since all my relatives were planning to come and visit me in April-May 2020. So it was a bit difficult. But I made up my mind: we were in a big house with a swimming pool, we were far from the 40m² under the roofs of Aix-en-Provence. As for me, I worked a lot during this period, so it was difficult to learn to cut. And as for sport: I lasted a month and a half ... and then I had to lose the accumulated kilos 😉

In this period of COVID-19, are you still happy to be in Mauritius? 

Even if we are reconfined, happier than ever to be in Mauritius. For the same reasons mentioned above, i.e. in normal times an exceptional quality of life, no virus, possibility to go to restaurants, to meet friends. And even during the confinement, we are in a house with a swimming pool, space, a good internet connection and we have kept our two jobs. We are lucky!

 

The final word?! 😃 One word to sum up this wonderful adventure! Do you have any advice for people who are hesitating to take the plunge into expatriation right now?

To conclude: It's time to go for it, out of confinement life here is incredibly light!

Did Adele's testimony make you want to take the plunge?

👉 We talk about it here! Anaïs is with you 🙂

To learn more about Mauritius, download your Expatriate Guide. 🌍

So, how about it? 😎

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