To name just a few of the skills on this list are actuaries, nurses, engineers, scientists and software developers.
There is a huge shortage of almost all engineering skills in the country from civil and mechanical all the way to aeronautical. As South Africa is a developing country engineers is a skill which is urgently needed. People who have these skills can even apply for special visas and apply for engineering jobs here.
Why You Should Consider Living in South Africa
What makes the opportunity of living in South Africa interesting is that professionals on this list get paid the same amounts that they would be earning in a first world country such as the USA or the UK however the cost of living in South Africa is substantially less so one could end up having a very high standard of living. The cost of the average property in Sandton is R2.8 million while Sandton is one of the most exclusive suburbs to live in Johannesburg. The average CA(SA) in South Africa would earn about R650K per year and assuming a tax rate of 45% they would be left with R357K. Assuming no other expenses they would pay this house off in about 7 years while a similar calculation performed in the UK would take someone over 30 years to pay off a property.
Obviously before comparing living in South Africa to other countries one would also need to look at the crime rate, education system and overall work life balance.
The Pearl of South Africa: Cape Town
One could also choose to live in Cape Town which has been voted the best city to live in for many years in a row. The reason for this is that it has the most beautiful seascapes, beaches and mountain ranges for outside activities. One does not even need to get into a car as most areas are so beautiful when you step out of your accommodation you are stepping into heaven. Also from almost any place one could visit a wine farm within 15 minutes and spend an afternoon relaxing, having lunch, and tasting a various selection of the best wines South Africa has to offer.
If you are a software developer Cape Town would be the perfect place to locate yourself. It has a technology start-up scene and the University of Cape Town (UCT) which is one of the leading universities and has a reputation for producing some of the top IT talents in the Country. The Amazon Cloud services known as AWS was developed in Cape Town and this is one of the most profitable divisions of the Amazon business. Amazon is presently developing a huge warehouse in CT to compete against Takealot which presently offers a similar service. What is more interesting though is that many companies based in Silicon Valley are now opening an office in Cape Town turning Cape Town into a thriving place for developers.
Charles Edelstein
