I am a Caymanian government scholarship recipient and am expected to return to the Cayman Islands after I graduate to pay off my debt via working here. However, I plan on getting married to someone from another country and want to reside there. Is there any other way to repay this debt?
Auntie’s answer: While I am admittedly assuming, I still would guess that repaying the scholarship would not have been your first choice, and that if you could have worked off the amount, you would have. That being said, I want to applaud your effort at finding the honourable way out of your predicament.
I brought your question to the Scholarship Secretariat and they want you to contact their office (you can email or call 244-2482). The eventual course of action would be to send a request to the Education Council, which would make the final decision on your case.
The secretariat representative added, “Ultimately, some form of monetary repayment will have to be considered and agreed upon if the individual has no intention of fulfilling their end of the bond by not returning home to the Islands.”
There are no jobs available for Caymanians, unless you take an unqualified, low-paying job OR (fraudulently) apply for work permit status. Besides, the Secretariat isn’t concerned about the quality of job you are offered (after pursuing a tertiary degree), as long as you have returned. That is, to take whatever you can get as long as you have returned to the Islands to work. It best to stay abroad where you will have better opportunities. If you are Caymanian, you will return when the time is right. Majority of Caymanians eventually return home to pay their dues and DIE! Just look around. “Home is where your heart is at”. In the meantime, go and experience the unbeaten path, and proudly return home when ready.
In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to watch them through their weight around and waste your time (finding a job locally).
I know of someone who received a scholarship and remained overseas for over 15years before returning to ‘work’ and complete the bond, after the marraige ended in divorce. This person could then return and get a job much easier than some who received a scholarship and they have been unemployed waiting fro job placement.
It seems they need clear policy of options and time frames in order to not be unfairly treating the recipients.
My scholarship included a bond, and the amount was stated on that bond which was an estimate of what the government was going to spend over the four year period.
Did you receive one of those scholarships that did not go through the Education Council?
I hope this person does not have the experience a friend had some years ago when they tried to return the Government Scholarship as he was no longer seeking employment with them.When he tried to get this going he was told ” stop bothering me, can’t you see I am busy: we will be in touch when we are ready. The next communication he received, about six months later, was a demand to repay the funds immediately, or face legal action in court. Good luck to your correspondent!
Yeah, right, give them a call.
There should be a clearly cut law regulating repayment of government scholarships. Not a policy that could be opaque, uncertain and prone to arbitrariness.
Maybe they should find the answer in the contract they signed before getting the funds.
@3:45 pm
If there is one.
It doesn’t state it anywhere on the contract and when looking online, one can’t find anything.