I swapped a traditional career path to work on a tiny island in Belize
Tell me a bit about yourself
I'm 28 and have been with my now husband for over 9 years. He's a marine biologist and I've worked in the not for profit sector. We got the opportunity to move to the tiny country of Belize in Central America about 4 years ago. We run a study abroad centre which educates students about the marine environment 🌊
What were you doing prior to the job in Belize?
We were both working in the charity sector in the UK before coming to Belize. We were actually saving for a house deposit but had wanted to work abroad at some point and the opportunity came along! Now I run the whole marine station's business side- bookings, itineraries, marketing, finance etc., and my husband does the teaching and research.
What made you decide to do things differently?
We had been in Australia working and traveling a few years prior and knew that if the opportunity came along then we would work abroad before settling down in the UK. Belize is a very different culture to the UK with a lot of poverty but the people are so welcoming and friendly. The island we live on is only 4 acres in size so you need to be able to get on with everyone!
What is your philosophy around work/ how do you feel about ambition?
Our Managing Director lives on the mainland so we have a lot of autonomy in the role. We have been able to do so much in our time here including surviving covid when running a study abroad business! We believe that we have been given a huge opportunity and have had so much experience as it's only myself and my husband who run the station. We are both ambitious and have brought the station to the best place that it's ever been in terms of finances, educational offering and research projects.
What’s next for you?
We have started to think about settling down and starting a family which we would do in the UK. These past 4 years have been incredible but we are planning to leave the post in the summer. We've done as much as we can for the station and it's time for the next challenge. We are interested in travelling and volunteering for conservation causes before heading home and settling down.
Could you tell me about your average day? What does the work actually entail?
Our average day is a real mix. When students are here we take them out snorkelling, dissect the invasive lionfish, see ocean plastic pollution first hand by doing beach cleans, do lectures, do night snorkels and assist with any research they are doing. On days without groups we could be responding to emails to plan future groups which usually book nearly a year in advance, we've just launched internship dates for this year, social media posting and working on the stations research projects including our new one of aerial surveying for manatees!
How does it work from a financial perspective? Is accommodation included/are you able to save?
From a financial perspective, we are on a very low weekly wage compared to UK wages and the cost of living in Belize is super high for a country in Central America. Our accommodation is included in the role- it's a small studio flat. We don't have any bills as we run off of solar energy and collect rainwater. We only pay for food and boat transport to the mainland when we aren't hosting groups which is probably 50% of the time. Our American clients tend to tip so we can make more money that way and tend to be able to save a good amount to support us through the 10 weeks we have unpaid in the year (September- November). We do get hit by the USD-GBP exchange rate which has varied over our 4 years here
What are the downsides to the job?
The main downside of a general day is that we are always 'on.' We can't go to the local bar in the evening without tourists asking to go night snorkelling or asking why we cull the lionfish. A Sunday can't be spent in pjs as likely someone will want to speak to us! We do suffer from burnout as we live and work in the same place and island fever is definitely a thing so there are times where we just need to leave and have a few days on the mainland!
What about friends back home? And do you sometimes feel behind not doing the traditional thing of climbing the corporate ladder?
Friends and family back home don't really know what we do day to day even though we've tried to explain it, so I'm worried that if we go back to the UK to look for a more traditional job when we settle down then employers won't get what we've been doing either and how autonomous we've been. I am also starting to feel left behind as friends have been promoted or have moved to other jobs for a better maternity package.