Information for all roles

Pre-employment checks:

Postholders will need to satisfactorily pass the pre-employment vetting process which includes securing DBS/police clearance, references, professional registrations and qualifications and ID checks.

Housing:

St Helena Government can assist in introducing the postholder to private landlords on the island, however, the postholder is responsible for securing accommodation before they come to the island and is responsible for the payment of utilities, fuel, telephone and the internet.

Tax:

St Helena is a separate jurisdiction to the UK for tax purposes, and income and bills will be subject to St Helena taxes. The current rates of income tax are; a £7,000 personal allowance per annum, thereafter 26% on the first £18,000 and 31% on the remainder.

Dependents:

Dependants under the terms of your contract mean your partner and/or your children (SHG will only fund a partner and up to three children for travel and relocation purposes). Your family can only join you overseas at SHG’s expense, i.e. accompany or visit you at post, if they remain with you for at least 6 months of each contract year and if they have been medically cleared by our Chief Medical Officer.

Relocation Allowance:

This is a single fixed rate payment to help with the additional expenses for moving abroad. The pattern of these expenses varies from person to person and family to family. This is a non-accountable allowance i.e. you don’t have to provide receipts. This allowance is intended to cover any of the following costs:

• Buying/replacing household equipment
• Purchasing luggage
• Deposit on rented accommodation
• Relocating back to your home country
• Insurance cost on shipping personal effects
• Travel insurance
• Packing services

Freight Allowance:

The inward transportation of personal effects will be met upto a limit of a standard 20ft container at the start of the contract. The outward transportation will also be met upon completion of the contract term and up to a limit of a standard 20ft container the end of the contract.  This allowance is accountable and payable only on production of an invoice.

Travel:

Fare-paid travel, at economy class, will be paid by the Public Service at the start and end of contract and for mid-term leave for the employee, plus dependants (spouse/partner plus up to 3 children if accompanying the post holder). Travel days from/to home country and to/from St Helena, via South Africa, are concessionary and do not count against annual leave days.

Annual Leave:

An entitlement to 30 days leave per annum plus St Helena public holidays (usually 10 days per annum), inclusive of overseas leave.

Medical:

The Postholder and accompanying partner/children will be required to pass a medical screening process which includes disclosing prior medical history. Any job offer will be conditional upon a successful outcome of this screening process. Once on the island the Postholder and dependents will need to register with the Medical Records Office.

There is General Hospital, Dental and Pharmacy services located in Jamestown and four outpatient clinic sites in other districts. Dentistry is provided, however there are no facilities for crowns, metal dentures or fixed band orthodontic work, any dentistry work should take place before coming to the island.

Private medical insurance is not necessary as a St Helena Government employee, but medical treatment undertaken is a personal cost. Some employees do take out insurance in their home country to help with the cost. On St Helena you will be subject to medical/dental fees at the rates applied to resident St Helenians.

If the postholder or dependents have been prescribed a specific drug, it is advisable to obtain sufficient for the foreseeable duration of your stay on the Island.

Schools:

There is one secondary school and two primary schools in St Helena. Placement of children into primary school depends on where the family is living but a free school bus service operates from most locations, but seat availability would need to be checked beforehand. A uniform is compulsory at the secondary school.

The academic year has three terms, at each half term there is a one-week, four-week break between December/January, a two-week break in April and a four-week break in August (at end of school year).

Bio-Security:

If you are shipping a car to St Helena, you must ensure that it has been cleaned to import/export standards. This involves special cleaning inside and outside of the car which requires specialist cleaners.

If you are wanting to relocate pets to St Helena you are required to get an import permit from the island authorities, and an export health certificate from APHA (Animal & Plant Health Agency) if travelling from UK. St Helena has a Veterinary Section on island, but dogs need to be licenced at the Post Office.

Technical Co-ordination Programme:

Under the ‘Technical Co-operation (TC) Programme’, postholders are expected to share their knowledge and skills beyond the workplace to ensure their time on St Helena has the broadest benefit.  It is important that you have the right values and attitude and that you are motivated by wanting to make a difference and contribute to our small island community.  You will need to be adaptable, be sensitive to the local context and challenges, and have the ability to take joy from the simple things in life.

Conduct:

As a Technical Cooperation Officer, the personal and professional conduct of the postholder and dependents should be above reproach. All TCs must follow all SHG policies and processes as well as following the Nolan Principles for public service.