Magazine
5 Reasons you should relocate to the Isle of Man
The Isle of Man offers amazing careers, entrepreneurial opportunities, and an incredible work-life balance.
Set in a stunning UNESCO Biosphere, the Island, which occupies a central position in the Irish Sea between the English and Irish coast, is home to a welcoming community, a vibrant food and drink scene awash with independent businesses, music and cultural venues, outdoor adventures, sporting events and more.
Finding the right opportunity is often easier than you think; the Island has an ever-growing economy and well-regarded business centre and is home to many of the world’s foremost organisations. With a wide range of diverse and new sectors represented, including finance, tech, medicinal cannabis, and
biomed, with chances to progress or kick-start a career in healthcare, education, hospitality, engineering and manufacturing, retail and more.
The Isle of Man is a place where entrepreneurs can find space and support to build or relocate a business with a world-class technical infrastructure and an
approachable and supportive local Government that offers a range of support schemes to relocating individuals and businesses which include relocation incentives and financial assistance.
Interested to find out more?
Locate Isle of Man has shortlisted five reasons why individuals and businesses should consider a relocation to the Isle of Man.
REDISCOVER WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Isle of Man residents can go from boardroom to beach in under 15 minutes. In fact, in the Isle of Man you are only ever a short distance from the coastline. With an average commute time of 20 minutes and 86% of local employers adopting flexible working practices, Island residents would argue that the worklife balance they benefit from in the Isle of Man is almost unparalleled, with 86% of them rating their quality of life as ‘excellent’.
“ My work-life balance has
drastically improved – my working days are far more structured, and I work far less overtime compared to my previous role.”
Daniel, IT and Projects Risk Specialist
Daniel, an IT and Projects Risk Specialist, who relocated to the Island from Kenya has discovered just this:
“Back in Kenya I would be commuting to work for up to an hour each way. Here in the Isle of Man I can be at work within 10 minutes! This has made a huge difference to my day; it means I have more time to do the things I love and can explore the Island more now the days are longer, and the evenings are lighter. I am a keen cyclist, and there is ample opportunity here to get out on the bike and explore the country lanes, coastal roads, and off-road tracks.
“My work-life balance has drastically improved – my working days are far more structured, and I work far less overtime compared to my previous role.”
FINANCIALLY REWARDING
As a financially stable and politically progressive jurisdiction, the Isle of Man appeals to both individuals and businesses thanks to its financially rewarding system and low taxation environment (the Island has some of the lowest tax rates in Europe). Residents also enjoy 0% capital gains tax, 0% inheritance tax and 0% stamp duty.
Calli and Kyle, who relocated from South Africa and work in the Island’s finance district, main motivation for moving to the Island was the financial stability it could afford them and their family:
“What really appealed to us, was how safe the Isle of Man sounded, not just in terms of physical safety, but the strength of the currency and the Island’s diverse and well-established economy. The average salary is certainly higher here too, and with
personal taxes being lower, allows us to live a very comfortable life.”
EXPERIENCE A NEW WAY OF LIVING
The Isle of Man is the only entire jurisdiction to be named a UNESCO Biosphere and with 40% of the Island inhabited, it is littered with rich green spaces including open countryside, plantations, glens, and a stunning coastline with
miles of beautiful beaches.
In the Isle of Man, work-life balance means you are only minutes away from enjoying that much needed downtime after a hard day’s work; with a vibrant café, bar, and restaurant scene, you can choose from a huge range of places to
eat.
“Everything is on your doorstep – we’ll take ourselves off for mini adventures all the time – whether that’s on the motorbikes, or out for a bite to eat – we love eating out and there is such a huge range of gorgeous fresh food to be sampled all over the Island”
Andy, Construction Worker
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Appreciating quality time is important to Isle of Man residents; visit the theatre or take part in an incredible range of sporting events or enjoy a paddleboarding
adventure, watch whales and dolphins from your sea kayak and join one of hundreds of clubs; everything from music, dancing and painting to martial arts and yoga.
Andy who works in construction relocated to the Island in 2021 to be with his partner Louise, and was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do in the Isle of Man:
“Everything is on your doorstep – we’ll take ourselves off for mini adventures all the time – whether that’s on the motorbikes, or out for a bite to eat – we love eating out and there is such a huge range of gorgeous fresh food to be sampled all over the Island. We love music and theatre, and there’s a fantastic entertainment scene here – we’ll go to a gig, concert, or play most weekends, and have made many new friends as a result.”
WELCOMING COMMUNITY
Ranked as one of the best places to live for expats in the British Isles, the Manx people are proud of their heritage, yet outward looking and progressive. The Island nation proudly celebrates its diversity and welcomes relocators from all backgrounds and cultures – its largest non-British populations are South African, Filipino, Polish, and Bulgarian.
Manx people are open, friendly, and often found conversing with total strangers. In fact, crime statistics in previous years have revealed the Isle
of Man is one of the safest places to live in the British Isles.
For many relocators, one of the biggest benefits of moving to the Isle of Man is the welcoming community.
Betty, an Urban Designer, who relocated from Sweden to the Island in 2020, agrees:
“I’ve lived in many countries and the first thing that really stood out to me here was how welcoming the community are, and how many opportunities there are to meet new people – from yoga classes and art and design courses to professional business networks – I’ve made many new friends and business connections. The Manx people are very open to ‘newcomers’ and I’ve been welcomed with open arms.”
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
Through a mixture of Government funding and support schemes, a low taxation regime and access to a secure infrastructure sufficient to house global organisations, the Isle of Man has been, and continues to be a hub for entrepreneurialism. In the last five years alone, the Isle of Man Government’s Department for Enterprise has supported 469 small businesses through its Micro Business Grant Scheme – designed to give start-ups and early-stage small businesses the necessary financial support, training, and business acumen to get theirbusiness off the ground.
Businessman Nick, benefited from Government support in the early stages of his relocation to the Island, supporting him in hiring and relocating several employees to the Island:
“I can build the company much, much faster in the Isle of Man due to the Government support and a more favourable economic climate, especially in the tech industry. Because of this, I can hire more software developers looking to relocate to the Island from all over the world who are absolutely thrilled at the idea of making the Isle of Man their home because it’s so idyllic.”
Find out more about relocating to the Isle of Man at: www.locate.im or contact a member of the Locate Isle of Man team at: locate.dfe@gov.im
