U/W Photo/Videographer needed in Caymans

Thank you for your interest in VIP Productions. I have included job details and some information about living in Cayman Islands. Once you have read it, if you are still interested in the position AND have the necessary funds to move here and set yourself up, please e-mail back to vip2@candw.ky and we will consider you among the applicants. When you e-mail back include:
• Detailed CV
• References with e-mail addresses: these will be checked
• Your picture
• Your date of birth
• Your availability

JOB DETAILS
The position of videographer/photographer involves shooting either photos or videos of tourists on boat trips. The customers snorkel at the shallow reefs in the North Sound and play with the stingrays at the famous Stingray City Sandbar. You are then required to sell the photos/videos to the customers on the boat ride back to the dock. This job is as much a sales job as it is a photo/video dive job.

We stress that you will need the necessary funds to set yourself up once you get here.

The job does require a car to be able to get to the boats since we work with different operators within a 5-mile distance.

The job also requires a cell phone and SCUBA gear. We do provide SCUBA tanks, cameras and camera housings. It is a 6 day work-week. All staff meet at the office at 8 AM for boat assignments.

Here is a brief overview of a day and trip.
Photographers: set up gear and leave in time for boat trips. Photos are taken at the famous Stingray City Sandbar. This is a shallow sandbar where you can stand up, about 30 minutes boat ride out. Digital photos are taken of the customers in the water playing with the tame stingrays. On the boat ride back you show and sell the pictures. After your boat trip you will return to the office to burn photo CD’s, complete paperwork and do other related work.

Videographers: set up gear and leave in time for boat trips. The videographer SCUBA dives and films at 1 or 2 shallow reefs. Here the snorkeling customers are filmed along with fish and coral. Video is taken of the customers in the water playing with the tame stingrays at the Stingray City Sandbar. You show and sell your video on the way back to the dock. After 1 or 2 trips you return to the office, turn in your tapes to the editor and do related work. You finish the working day anywhere between 2 and 7 PM depending on the trip schedule. We train you on both still photography and videography. We also train you in video editing and duplication

For individuals who prove they are good employees, we do offer the opportunity to advance into other aspects of our business. The wedding segment of our business is very busy and we are always looking to train employees in this area. This is a great chance to earn more income and learn another new skill.

SALARY
Salary is $1300 CI/month ($1625 US/month). There is no income tax. Employee sales are tracked individually. You will receive a 5% commission of your sales between $2500 US and $4000 US/month and 15 % commission of your sales above $4000 US/month.
E.g. if you sell $7,000 US in a month:
You will get 5 % commission on $1,500 US ($4,000 US minus $2,500 US).
Plus you will get 15 % commission on $3,000 US ($7,000 US minus $4,000 US).

In busy times individuals have sales in the $6,000-10,000 US range.
In slow times $5,000 US should be a good average. These are the figures that we expect from employees once they are fully trained.

Health insurance is mandatory by law. The employer is responsible for half of the basic health plan. Currently as an employee you pay $56.50 US/month. Pension is also mandatory but does not start until you have completed 9 months of work. The employee’s contribution is at least 5% and the employer’s responsibility is 5%. When you leave the island you can claim it back from the pension plan.
Currency $1 CI =$1.25 US.
LIVING IN CAYMAN

Cost of living in Cayman is high but there is no income tax. If you keep your spending down it is OK.
To find more about Cayman and the cost of living (accommodation, cars, food…) you can also check:
http://www.gov.ky (the Cayman Islands Government’s official website)
http://www.caycompass.com
http://www.caymannetnews.com (has classifieds)
http://www.whatuwant.ky/
www.facebook.com (Cayman Network)
http://www.ecaytrade.com
www.gocayman.ky
Car is approx. $2400-3000 CI. You can get cheaper but you usually get what you pay for. If you bring a no claims letter from your insurer at home, should help you get a better insurance rate.
Rent is usually from $550CI / month to as high as you want. Deposit is usually a month's rent. Sharing is the way to go. If you can share with another couple or so it will help a lot bringing the costs down.
You will need money to get set up on the island. E.g. car, car insurance (about $500 CI, depending on your age), driving license (about $80CI), rent and rent deposit etc.


Hiring Process
Our hiring process has two steps.

Step 1

Once we have reviewed your CV and you seem like a likey candidate for the positIon we will arrange a telephone interview. We will then check your references and past employment. If all goes well we will offer you the position contingent on step 2.


Step 2.

You will be required to fill out the Govornment required forms. This must be done actuatly and in a very timely manner. How well you do this will ultimately decide you success at getting the job.

HIRING PROCESS

If you are interested in this position e-mail the necessary information:
• Detailed CV
• References with e-mail addresses: these will be checked
• Your picture
• Your date of birth
• Your availability

If you are suitable we will email you to arrange a phone interview. We will then check references and past employers. If all this goes well we will email you the necessary government forms for a work permit. Work permits are required for all non-Caymanians. You will then be required to complete the necessary paperwork and return it in a timely manner. It is vitally important that you complete the forms accurately and quickly. Once we receive the forms we will apply and pay for a work permit. Timeliness is key at this stage. Whether we ultimately hire you will depend on this phase of the hiring process. In the past we have had some candidates drag their feet during this process and we have had to tell them that we no longer needed them. If it takes too long to get your forms to us we may have to hire someone else. Generally we expect to receive the forms back within 3-4 weeks.

Depending on our hiring schedule you will start on a 6-month permit and then move on to a one-year permit. This would give you eighteen months. After that one-year permits can be renewed on a yearly basis.

This should answer most of your questions regarding the position.

Regards,

LaRene Wilkinson

tel. 1 (345) 945 1561
fax 1 (345) 945 1560
http://www.vipcayman.com
VIP Productions
P.O.Box 31179*
Grand Cayman KY1-1205
Cayman Islands