Moving to Cape Town in 2013

Hi P Beccie Grav, Cape Town is a great city and I'm sure you'll really enjoy it! It has a little bit of something for everyone!

There are quite a number of schools in Cape Town that specialise in teaching English as a foreign language, so you should do some research into this - most of them are located in the city bowl area or Sea Point. Alliance Francais is also based in Cape Town and specialises in teaching French. See our page on English Language Schools in Cape Town for more details, including a list of such schools in the city.

Cape Town is an IT hub, and the town of Stellenbosch, about a 40 minute drive from the city is also know as a centre of IT (particularly the aptly named Techno Park area) which is a business hub in the town for IT and tech companies. So depending on your husbands qualifications and provided you both have the relevant visas and work permits, you should be able to find work. For more on the working environment in the city and how to find a job, see our page on Working in Cape Town.

Driving in Cape Town is perfectly fine, and there will be no need to hire a driver. The city is trying to improve it's public transport network, including a rapd bus system, and trains run on a regular basis from the city centre to the outer suburbs. But driving is definitely better and you have the flexibility to come and go as you please. Just watch out for th mini bus taxis which drive eratically and really fast. Capetonians are also not that fond of the rules of the road - so you should drive defensively and always plan your route ahead of time so that you know where you are going - but the mountain is always a great navigation point - you always know if you're heading in the right direction depending on what side of the mountain you're on! Before you buy a car, check out our page on Buying a Car in South Africa for tips on choosing a car, finance and insurance. etc..

I hope this has been helpful! For more on Cape Town and what it has to offer expats, check out our full Cape Town Expat Guide.

Thank you very much for your answer! You gave me some excellent tips! Will continue my researches. Anybody wanting to share views of to give me more tips is most welcomed! How about accomodation? I found out Parklands area could be less expensive for more space. Anybody living in this area? Safe area? Shops, malls or restaurants nearby?

Hi Beccie,

I moved to Cape Town about three years ago from the UK. 

I am currently staying in Sea Point but have a few friends that stay in the Parklands area. Property in the suburbs will definatley be cheaper and you'll find more spacious accommodation. However, as an expat I think areas like Sea Point, Tamboerskloof and Gardens are more cosmopolition and you will meet more people. 

Parklands is be a short drive away from Century City which is a huge shopping complex full of restaurants and entertainment facillities. You'll also find that there are local shops and supermarkets close by as well.

Having been through the relocation process myself, I would advise you to try and secure a job and apply for your work permit as soon as possible.

My initial work permit took almost 8 months to be approved and it was a long, tedious process and involved lots of trips to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Although there are reports that processing times are improving, it is still best to get everything as soon as possible.

Let me know if you have any more questions as I am happy to help.

Good luck.

Thanks a lot I appreciate! I do understand your point about living in sea point, Gardens etc... Will give it a try! I happened to like what I read about table view or blouberg. Any comments on these areas? You are also very right about the job. Actually I have been sending loads of CVs to all kinds of schools. I am currently working in a Primary International School. I'd love to find an international school in CT. They are not that many. French school, German school and that's all then you have to go in Constantia that is very far. So I am now targeting the private schools which are also not many in the areas you mentioned but mostly in southern suburbs. When it comes to the work permit, does it mean that I cannot start working until I got a proper work permit? 8 months?? OMG! Where I am now the work permit process was also slow but the immigration agreed to let me work even though it was not ready because the school was backing me and all the papers were in their office. Other questions that might sound stupid. Do people start applying for the work permit without a promise of employment? Do some companies accept to handle their future employee's work permit? So let's say that I want to start working in August. I would have to start the process, like now...hummm Many thanks in advance for your answers!

Hi there,
I agree with Shantalie, can't start the work permit/visa process too early. Yes, it takes really long to wade through South Africa's bureaucracy, and the earlier you start the better.
I think you ARE allowed to start working on a temporary permit, at least that's how it was for my husband when we first moved there. The actualy 2-year permit wasn't ready yet, so he entered the country on a regular tourist visa and was allowed to work while the work permit was still being issued. Same with the school, our kids were allowed to start on the tourist visa, as long as we provided the spouse/dependant visas as soon as we got those stamps.
Good luck!

Hi again Beccie, 

When I was going through the visa process I was told by the immigration consultant who was dealing with my application that if Home Affairs had not given a verdict on the application within a month then I was legally allowed to start work.

However, the company that I was to be employed by were insistent that I have all the paperwork in order before I started work. But there are plenty of other people I know that were able to start work after the one month period. I suggest you speak to your employer about this to see where they stand on this.

There are various types of work permit for South Africa. In some cases the employer will need to provide documentation to prove that they could not employ a South African citizen for the job in order for you to obtain the work permti. There are other work permits for those with sought-after skills that you can apply for before you have a job in place - these will give you flexibility when it comes to moving jobs.

Read our Work Permits in South Africa page for more information. 

There are companies that will handle the processing of your visa or pay an immigration consultant to deal with it, but it depends on the each employer. Paying a consultant can often be quite pricey.

Again, Blouberg and Table View are fairly nice areas in the Northern suburbs. Property will be cheaper than in the CBD or surrounding areas. You will be close to some nice beaches too. 

The Expat Arrivals page on Areas and Suburbs in Cape Town might be of interest to you as well. 

Good luck.

Thanks to both of you! I ll keep posting if I need help and I ll keep reading the page's articles.

Hi, I was also intending to move over to Cape Town from the Uk however I started to doubt my eligibility for a working visa due to the point you made Shantalie. I am a professional dancer and singer by trade however I am also a qualified fitness and dance teacher. I feel that its unlikely that my visa would be granted as an employer would need to prove that they could not employ a South African citizen neither is it a sought after skill. Would anybody have any advice for me? I have spent many long stays in Cape Town visiting friends and could absolutely see me making a life there. Id be grateful of any advice. Thank you, Kat x