Okay, we can’t pretend that – unlike for Richard Branson – your life in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) could involve spending all day by the beach in a comfy hammock, perhaps with a fortifying Painkiller cocktail close to hand, earning millions of dollars from your galactic investments.

But we can say that if you really want to enjoy your working week as much as your time off, there are few places as welcoming as Tortola.

Expat professionals find that they can enjoy a stimulating work environment in the BVI, as well as a relaxing recreational life. Let’s look at lifestyle first.

Recreational lifestyle in Tortola

From a quality of life aspect, the main island of Tortola very much caters for people who enjoy outdoor activities or water sports. It represents one of the most relaxed and stunningly beautiful and unspoilt destinations in the world with genuinely friendly people, arguably the best sailing waters in the Caribbean, horseback riding, mountain trails, lots of tennis courts, and outstanding wreck diving on pristine coral reefs all on hand.

There are also many beautiful beaches to explore – a particular favourite of mine is the spectacular Cane Garden Bay.

And the capital, Road Town, provides a scenic setting with a yacht-filled harbour and a laid-back lifestyle evolved over four centuries by European adventurers. The diverse community also offers a wide range of regional and excellent international cuisine in a choice of pastel-painted restaurants, former forts and sugar mills.

To be frank, it’d be hard not to enjoy yourself in such a location.

Growth in the Island’s legal sector

Work-wise, the last decade has seen huge growth in the BVI legal sector. Leading local player Harney has been joined by giants from other offshore jurisdictions such as Ogier, Walkers, Maples & Calder and Conyers Dill; more recent arrivals still are Carey Olsen and Bedell Cristin.

In fact, the BVI has possibly been the busiest of the offshore jurisdictions in recent years, with established players looking to strengthen their teams. Most firms offer BVI expertise out of their other offices (e.g. Hong Kong and London) so, whilst the teams in Tortola can be relatively small, the overall ‘BVI team’ fielded by any of these law firms can often be much larger. The potential for career development is significant.

As is often the case in other locations, the most common first move offshore is made with 3-5 years’ PQE. That said, maturing of the market has been accompanied by an increase in demand for more senior candidates (especially those with international experience).

There are also career opportunities in finance

Outside of the legal sector, finance jobs where you will find stimulating work and develop your career include roles with the leading audit and accountancy practices (including Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC) as well as Top10 firms, insurance management companies and banks. There is also a strong corporate recovery and forensic sector.

For those who want to go, you need to be aware that successful candidates will usually be ACA/CA qualified and often come from Canada or the UK. Fortunately, having financial services experience is often not a necessary pre-requisite since on-the-job and external training is included, together with visa sponsorship and free flights are part of the package.

So the opportunity is undoubtedly there to both work hard and play hard.

If you want to enjoy your 9-5: think about moving to the BVI.

See also: Safer Internal Transfers: Why Take a Risk?

If you are a lawyer or chartered accountant and interested in working in the Bermuda/Caribbean region, visit our jobs portal to see the latest vacancies. Our site also includes a downloadable All You Need to Know guide which will tell you all you need to know about living and working offshore.