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[ploughandstars]

And....I'm going back again, sixth year running now, December 26  - January 19 with yet another dozen students in tow. Each year we shoot the footage for two documentaries; a social issues documentary in Cape Town (including substantive time on the ground in the Townships) and a wildlife documentary in Kruger. I think we are the only American university (maybe any university) that trains documentary students on the ground annually in South Africa. I've been in country now well over a dozen times over 20 years and as porcupine notes it is vibrant: indeed it has IMHO some of the best visuals and story lines to train students in film making anywhere in the world.

I encourage all readers to consider sending their students for a term to study in country. I've helped send students to UCT, Stellenbosh and Rhodes and almost universally they are changed for the better (as have the now over 60 students I've taken there for J-Term) in often surprising and substantive ways.   

[kmr1971]

Hi - this thread is very interesting, even if it isn't currently highly subscribed. Opinions on my circumstances would be greatly appreciated.

Towards the end of August, I had a Skype interview for a position at U Stellenbosch, which would start in January 2010. There were apparently two other candidates, neither of which had much prior experience in university-level teaching. The justification for the start date was the need for someone to cover lectures. The committee was a little slow in drawing up their short list, but afterwards stated during skyping that in early October, they would make a 'decision'.

Here are some questions that bear on the preceeding:
(a) Decision in Oct. 2009 + starting in Jan. 2010: does this leave any time for negotiations and a site visit? Several thread participants appear to have conflicting opinions on site visits from N. America to S. Africa.
(b) As a research scientist, the most important asset is "pairs of hands", i.e. salary lines for PhD students. How easy is it to negotiate this?
(c) One participant in this thread praises Stellenbosch/Matieland for its beauty and relatively low crime rate. Another mentions the high price of real estate in West Cape Province and Cape Town. What can one expect to pay for a 1-BR rental flat in Matieland? What about buying one?
(d) What is an adequate salary for, e.g. senior lecturer and dependents (child support payments)?
(e) Moving expenses - what is negotiable? Transport of furniture? A car from North America? (maybe a silly question, but if cars etc are expensive, it might make sense)
(f) Temporary accommodations for faculty new to SA: will the university provide it?


Thanks

JP
[/quote]

Guess I should keep up on this threads more often :)

My replies on the above:
[/quote]

(a) Decision in Oct. 2009 + starting in Jan. 2010: does this leave any time for negotiations and a site visit? Several thread participants appear to have conflicting opinions on site visits from N. America to S. Africa.

Not sure; I would actually be more concerned with work visas, which can take some time (follow the links here http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/temp_residence.asp)

(b) As a research scientist, the most important asset is "pairs of hands", i.e. salary lines for PhD students. How easy is it to negotiate this?

Don't know, but Ph.D. salary rates aren't too high, possibly 200k Rand/p.a.?

(c) One participant in this thread praises Stellenbosch/Matieland for its beauty and relatively low crime rate. Another mentions the high price of real estate in West Cape Province and Cape Town. What can one expect to pay for a 1-BR rental flat in Matieland? What about buying one?

Rentals aren't too bad, but I don't know about Stellenbosch.  I was looking at property in Cape Town last year and 1BRs in the CBD was supposedly going for around 4,000-5,000 R/mo or so.  Buying is more pricey: at least 1mill R in CT and Stellenbosch is mainly going to be houses instead of apartments.  Plus, if you are a non-South African, you can only get 50% of home value loaded to you in a mortgage; you will have to put 50% down! I think its different if you are a permanent resident, though, but that takes at least a year to process.

(d) What is an adequate salary for, e.g. senior lecturer and dependents (child support payments)?

At Stellenbosch, I bet salary will be about 350-400K.  You'd do OK on that, but if you have a lot of expenses, it might be tight.  Note the top marginal tax rate is 42% and taxes in general are high.  Costs of living are lower overall, but not as low as you'd think.  Cars, electronics, etc. are expensive.  Meat and wine are cheap.

(e) Moving expenses - what is negotiable? Transport of furniture? A car from North America? (maybe a silly question, but if cars etc are expensive, it might make sense)

South Africa is RHD, so a U.S. car has the steering wheel on the wrong side.  Plus import duties are about 100% of the value of the car.  So, probably a bad idea.  You can get a decent hatchback for 100k new. 

As far as moving expenses, when I had my offer at UKZN, those were quite generous.  I think it worked out to something like 13K USD.  The amount was fixed in HR policy as a multiple of salary, but maybe its negotiable?

(f) Temporary accommodations for faculty new to SA: will the university provide it?

Some places do, UCT definitely does, UKZN depended on availability.  Good to check.

Stellenbosch is great: quality of life off the charts, crime not as bad as the rest of the W. Cape, but nothing to be complacent about either. 

[joesephpeabody]

(a) Decision in Oct. 2009 + starting in Jan. 2010: does this leave any time for negotiations and a site visit? Several thread participants appear to have conflicting opinions on site visits from N. America to S. Africa.

Not sure; I would actually be more concerned with work visas, which can take some time (follow the links here http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/temp_residence.asp)

(b) As a research scientist, the most important asset is "pairs of hands", i.e. salary lines for PhD students. How easy is it to negotiate this?

Don't know, but Ph.D. salary rates aren't too high, possibly 200k Rand/p.a.?

(c) One participant in this thread praises Stellenbosch/Matieland for its beauty and relatively low crime rate. Another mentions the high price of real estate in West Cape Province and Cape Town. What can one expect to pay for a 1-BR rental flat in Matieland? What about buying one?

Rentals aren't too bad, but I don't know about Stellenbosch.  I was looking at property in Cape Town last year and 1BRs in the CBD was supposedly going for around 4,000-5,000 R/mo or so.  Buying is more pricey: at least 1mill R in CT and Stellenbosch is mainly going to be houses instead of apartments.  Plus, if you are a non-South African, you can only get 50% of home value loaded to you in a mortgage; you will have to put 50% down! I think its different if you are a permanent resident, though, but that takes at least a year to process.

(d) What is an adequate salary for, e.g. senior lecturer and dependents (child support payments)?

At Stellenbosch, I bet salary will be about 350-400K.  You'd do OK on that, but if you have a lot of expenses, it might be tight.  Note the top marginal tax rate is 42% and taxes in general are high.  Costs of living are lower overall, but not as low as you'd think.  Cars, electronics, etc. are expensive.  Meat and wine are cheap.

(e) Moving expenses - what is negotiable? Transport of furniture? A car from North America? (maybe a silly question, but if cars etc are expensive, it might make sense)

South Africa is RHD, so a U.S. car has the steering wheel on the wrong side.  Plus import duties are about 100% of the value of the car.  So, probably a bad idea.  You can get a decent hatchback for 100k new. 

As far as moving expenses, when I had my offer at UKZN, those were quite generous.  I think it worked out to something like 13K USD.  The amount was fixed in HR policy as a multiple of salary, but maybe its negotiable?

(f) Temporary accommodations for faculty new to SA: will the university provide it?

Some places do, UCT definitely does, UKZN depended on availability.  Good to check.

Stellenbosch is great: quality of life off the charts, crime not as bad as the rest of the W. Cape, but nothing to be complacent about either. 

My replies on the above:
Hey kmr1971, thanks for the tips, on visas, salaries, cost of living and motor vehicles (especially on visas).

You and porcupine give a salary range of 200K to 400K R...?!

The obsession with "bekkies" is fascinating. Nevertheless, it's not clear what I would use all of that space for, and gas/petrol costs are probably an issue. Or are they popular because the cab is higher up, and easier to defend from street criminals? Wouldn't it make more sense to rent one (or a truck) when needing it to move?

Now all that's needed is the offer...deadline for applications was 1. June, the skype interview was 11 weeks later, decisions on offers should be (maybe) next week.

Any other tips or comments are very welcome.

JP

[porcupine]

The point of a bakkie is not defense from street criminals, and they are not only useful when moving. You can live in Stellenbosch without a large car, but I recommend the bakkie - generally for the same reasons that people in the US like trucks (reasons of utility). There are small bakkies as well as the larger sort I am recommending, too - you'll see when you're there.

I am a paid-up member of the bakkie fan club for these reasons:

1. I could load up the bin of the bakkie with large quantities of shopping/home & garden equipment, or garden waste/garbage to take to the municipal dump;
2. I never got braai charcoal/firewood/garbage/cat litter all over the interior of a car, and if something spilled I could simply brush/hose out the bin of the bakkie;
3. Bakkies are very good for driving off-road/on dirt roads (not all roads have good surfaces in SA, including in the Western Cape);
4. It's not especially legal, but you can give a ride to an awful lot of people in a bakkie;
5. I was in a car crash in SA - some idiot didn't slow down at a red light, couldn't stop their car in time, and drove right into the side of my bakkie at about 50kph. The sheer steel bulk of it saved me from injury. The small car that was also involved in the accident crumpled like a concertina, while I was able to drive my bakkie away from the accident;
6. You can tow another car or even a truck trailer no problem with a bakkie - ours towed e.g. a Toyota Land Cruiser, and I have seen them used in place of a regular truck cab;
7. They rarely break down;
8. They are less likely to be stopped by police (especially if you get a second-hand one with a few dents);
9. You can get your pets in the bin of the bakkie easily, especially on vet runs (goats also fit well);
10. You can run them on diesel as well as petrol; just driving around town/local areas doesn't burn too much. I had a salary of only R75,000 (though no rent to pay) and could manage to run a 2 liter engine bakkie no problem.

Regarding salary: the Western Cape is expensive. I am being deadly serious when I recommend you seek at least ZAR250-300,000 salary, and ideally ZAR400-500,000. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you can have a better standard of living in SA for the same or less salary in US$.

Regarding visas/residence permits: best of luck [cackles madly to self]!!!!!!!!!!!!

More seriously: I have a great affection for the entirety of SA, except for one thing: Home Affairs. You have probably yet to encounter the unique form of extreme bureaucracy according to which Home Affairs operates. The only way forward if you don't get what you need is sheer bloody-minded persistence of a sort that would make you ashamed of yourself if done in another country.

Here's my favorite example. A friend of mine waited two years to collect permanent residence paperwork for a permit that (they had been informed) had already been approved. Polite inquiries every month or two about whether the permit papers had arrived got them nowhere. In the end, they took a few days off work and called the relevant Home Affairs office every twenty minutes during business hours, all day, every day, asking whether the papers were ready yet - until after two and a half days, they were, as if by magic, ready to collect.

[joesephpeabody]

The point of a bakkie is not defense from street criminals, and they are not only useful when moving. You can live in Stellenbosch without a large car, but I recommend the bakkie - generally for the same reasons that people in the US like trucks (reasons of utility). There are small bakkies as well as the larger sort I am recommending, too - you'll see when you're there.

I am a paid-up member of the bakkie fan club for these reasons:

1. I could load up the bin of the bakkie with large quantities of shopping/home & garden equipment, or garden waste/garbage to take to the municipal dump;
2. I never got braai charcoal/firewood/garbage/cat litter all over the interior of a car, and if something spilled I could simply brush/hose out the bin of the bakkie;
3. Bakkies are very good for driving off-road/on dirt roads (not all roads have good surfaces in SA, including in the Western Cape);
4. It's not especially legal, but you can give a ride to an awful lot of people in a bakkie;
5. I was in a car crash in SA - some idiot didn't slow down at a red light, couldn't stop their car in time, and drove right into the side of my bakkie at about 50kph. The sheer steel bulk of it saved me from injury. The small car that was also involved in the accident crumpled like a concertina, while I was able to drive my bakkie away from the accident;
6. You can tow another car or even a truck trailer no problem with a bakkie - ours towed e.g. a Toyota Land Cruiser, and I have seen them used in place of a regular truck cab;
7. They rarely break down;
8. They are less likely to be stopped by police (especially if you get a second-hand one with a few dents);
9. You can get your pets in the bin of the bakkie easily, especially on vet runs (goats also fit well);
10. You can run them on diesel as well as petrol; just driving around town/local areas doesn't burn too much. I had a salary of only R75,000 (though no rent to pay) and could manage to run a 2 liter engine bakkie no problem.

Regarding salary: the Western Cape is expensive. I am being deadly serious when I recommend you seek at least ZAR250-300,000 salary, and ideally ZAR400-500,000. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you can have a better standard of living in SA for the same or less salary in US$.

Regarding visas/residence permits: best of luck [cackles madly to self]!!!!!!!!!!!!

More seriously: I have a great affection for the entirety of SA, except for one thing: Home Affairs. You have probably yet to encounter the unique form of extreme bureaucracy according to which Home Affairs operates. The only way forward if you don't get what you need is sheer bloody-minded persistence of a sort that would make you ashamed of yourself if done in another country.

Here's my favorite example. A friend of mine waited two years to collect permanent residence paperwork for a permit that (they had been informed) had already been approved. Polite inquiries every month or two about whether the permit papers had arrived got them nowhere. In the end, they took a few days off work and called the relevant Home Affairs office every twenty minutes during business hours, all day, every day, asking whether the papers were ready yet - until after two and a half days, they were, as if by magic, ready to collect.

Hi again,

Thanks I get the hint on the salary negotiation!!

Your story on obtaining permanent residency was also informative.

Another question that you folks might have some insight on regards vaccinations. How many? Malaria? Yellow fever? etc. etc. I understand that some vaccinations need to be done in series over two to three months. Maybe better to get them when over there?

If Stellenbosch really does make an offer within the next few weeks, then the "to do" list needs to be ready to go.

Bakkies sound very useful, but the goats seem like a lot of work. I could see them being useful to transport bicycles, btw., how bike-friendly are places like Stellenbosch?

Cheers

JP

[ploughandstars]

The point of a bakkie is not defense from street criminals, and they are not only useful when moving. You can live in Stellenbosch without a large car, but I recommend the bakkie - generally for the same reasons that people in the US like trucks (reasons of utility). There are small bakkies as well as the larger sort I am recommending, too - you'll see when you're there.

I am a paid-up member of the bakkie fan club for these reasons:

1. I could load up the bin of the bakkie with large quantities of shopping/home & garden equipment, or garden waste/garbage to take to the municipal dump;
2. I never got braai charcoal/firewood/garbage/cat litter all over the interior of a car, and if something spilled I could simply brush/hose out the bin of the bakkie;
3. Bakkies are very good for driving off-road/on dirt roads (not all roads have good surfaces in SA, including in the Western Cape);
4. It's not especially legal, but you can give a ride to an awful lot of people in a bakkie;
5. I was in a car crash in SA - some idiot didn't slow down at a red light, couldn't stop their car in time, and drove right into the side of my bakkie at about 50kph. The sheer steel bulk of it saved me from injury. The small car that was also involved in the accident crumpled like a concertina, while I was able to drive my bakkie away from the accident;
6. You can tow another car or even a truck trailer no problem with a bakkie - ours towed e.g. a Toyota Land Cruiser, and I have seen them used in place of a regular truck cab;
7. They rarely break down;
8. They are less likely to be stopped by police (especially if you get a second-hand one with a few dents);
9. You can get your pets in the bin of the bakkie easily, especially on vet runs (goats also fit well);
10. You can run them on diesel as well as petrol; just driving around town/local areas doesn't burn too much. I had a salary of only R75,000 (though no rent to pay) and could manage to run a 2 liter engine bakkie no problem.

Regarding salary: the Western Cape is expensive. I am being deadly serious when I recommend you seek at least ZAR250-300,000 salary, and ideally ZAR400-500,000. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you can have a better standard of living in SA for the same or less salary in US$.

Regarding visas/residence permits: best of luck [cackles madly to self]!!!!!!!!!!!!

More seriously: I have a great affection for the entirety of SA, except for one thing: Home Affairs. You have probably yet to encounter the unique form of extreme bureaucracy according to which Home Affairs operates. The only way forward if you don't get what you need is sheer bloody-minded persistence of a sort that would make you ashamed of yourself if done in another country.

Here's my favorite example. A friend of mine waited two years to collect permanent residence paperwork for a permit that (they had been informed) had already been approved. Polite inquiries every month or two about whether the permit papers had arrived got them nowhere. In the end, they took a few days off work and called the relevant Home Affairs office every twenty minutes during business hours, all day, every day, asking whether the papers were ready yet - until after two and a half days, they were, as if by magic, ready to collect.

Spot on all of this!

And with a dented bakkie you are also entitled to say "Mo hey, lekker fat takkies mon...no, yah, howsit? Naw, man 2nd robot back go right, ya Donkey Verk... ya!

Home Affairs is fully dis-functional. At least in the bad old days they just looked you hard in the eye, stamped everything a zillion times and you walked out.

Home Affairs is disaster.

[joesephpeabody]

Spot on all of this!

And with a dented bakkie you are also entitled to say "Mo hey, lekker fat takkies mon...no, yah, howsit? Naw, man 2nd robot back go right, ya Donkey Verk... ya!

Home Affairs is fully dis-functional. At least in the bad old days they just looked you hard in the eye, stamped everything a zillion times and you walked out.

Home Affairs is disaster.

Lesson #1 in Afrikaans: "ya Donkey Verk... ya" ? What happened to the goats? :-)

[ploughandstars]

The goat/bakkie relationship needs time in country to fully appreciate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Vjn0a8sFU&feature=related

[ploughandstars]

Regarding:

"Another question that you folks might have some insight on regards vaccinations. How many? Malaria? Yellow fever? etc. etc. I understand that some vaccinations need to be done in series over two to three months. Maybe bet to get them when over there?"

No vaccinations are required. There is an outbreak of measels at present in Gautang. Might spread. If anyone going was born after 1957 and is not immune good to get the shot. I've had malaria three times, nature of my trade and I tell my students to take the pills as we travel annually to the Lower Veld. The Upper Veld is like Texas, the Lower (a thousand foot drop) is Tropical. Other than that and AIDS certain water born problems are easily avoided by not drinking from untested sources. See the link. 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterborne_diseases

[porcupine]

LOVE those joy-riding farm animals... And don't forget to drive your bakkie with the windows rolled down, wearing a vest, and with your right elbow sticking out of the window.

Yes, sorry if I sounded a bit strident about the salary issue, but many people have the wrong impression of the SA economy and poor negotiation based on incorrect information can reduce their retirement options later in life. A friend of mine negotiated poorly and as a result, their salary will never compete with what they would get overseas - so they can't afford to retire back to their home country, if e.g. they decided they wanted to be closer to their family.

The vaccination question constantly comes up. Basically you don't need any special ones. I would ensure you have had polio boosters, as well as vaccinations for measles, as recommended below. You only need anti-malarials if you go to the north east - certainly not in the Western Cape.

Stellenbosch is about as bike- and pedestrian-friendly as SA gets (by which I mean: it is bike-friendly, but keep in mind that SA drivers are usually not very kind to cyclists).

Hope the offer comes through!

 

[joesephpeabody]

Well thanks for all of the advice and banter, which I enjoyed and appreciated. However this morning the standard "we were surprised about the number and quality of candidates" e-mail arrived. Guess my connections were not strong enough. No strong connections = no job offer. The curse continues.

JP

[porcupine]

Bad luck JP... Have a consolatory Savannah (type of cider common in SA - "It's dry, but you can drink it!"). Or a Martini - whichever wets your whistle.