U.S. Military Veteran seeking Employment in DR (Santiago)

lasalsa

Member
Apr 9, 2008
55
6
8
Hello Friends,

Where does a U.S. Military veteran look for opportunities within the Cibao Region? 

We are thinking of changing our footprint we have here in the U.S. and taking the plunge and trying to live the minimalistic life in the D.R. I have 2 kids (15 and 4) that will be traveling with us. I have a small pension, but would like to start something that can give us a little more lee-way for expenses, but at the same time remove the overhead we have in the U.S. 

My parents live in Tenares/Salcedo and they have been asking me to come over and see. Still not ready..

Any ideas? Hotels, teaching, Government, etc... Business needing run, etc.. 

Thanks in advance,

Richie

Please email me and I'll forward you my Resume' richie dot lasalsa@gmail dot com
 

ROLLOUT

Silver
Jan 30, 2012
2,198
35
48
Hate to break the news to you my fellow vet, but other than respect, I don't think your veteran status holds any water here. If you have a pension and perhaps disability, you may be able to squeak by, but with a family of four, I would not personally recommend it.
 

Ducadista

Member
Nov 7, 2011
175
0
16
Valeu Cara!
I would suggest trying Linkedin, I see jobs offers from different international companies here in DR that show how many military vets they have hired. 

The U.S. Embassy has hiring preferences for Vets, with different positions through out the country. 

I am a U.S. military vet as well, who took the plunge to D.R. two years ago after retiring, but live off my pension (Chasing beaches and rivers are my jobs for now)

My 2 cents.......
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
I could go on for pages about making a decision on where to live if staying at home is proving too expensive. I'll spare you the pages to wade through and take this one step at a time.

Family of four moving to the DR where husband needs to work and 2 kids need to go to school. Going to cost you in the range of $6000 USD plus misc expenses to get residency. Can't go to school or work here without residency.

You are probably not going to be satisfied putting your kids in public school here where they could conceivably know more than their teacher already. Lots of good private schools but I can't comment specifically about costs because I don't have any kids and schools are not a concern of mine.

Most people do not generally move from a place with a social safety net to a place that doesn't have one if they can avoid it unless they are financially secure (as in can afford medical evacuation home for life saving surgery secure). You will need medical insurance here for 4 people and that's going to cost money. Like the public schools, I think seeing your family in a public medical clinic will probably make you sick too.

I get that you expect to live a "minimalist" existence but what does that mean? Do you expect to have electricity, running water, air conditioning, food that your kids can identify? A can of Campbell's soup is more expensive here than it is where you are. I haven't seen any Dominican brand soup sold in cans yet.

Vehicles are insanely expensive here. A couple of years ago I looked at a 2002 Suzuki Sidekick. The seller was asking $5000 to start. I couldn't stop laughing long enough to even consider a counter offer.

Can anyone in your family speak Spanish? You can't effectively work here without being able to and your kids can't do well in public school without language skills. Everyone can learn, but life here is hard if you can't communicate. Most but not all native English speakers are retired or at least semi retired foreigners who choose to live in communities where they share some sort of connection with their neighbors. Not everyone mind you but the majority. There are not many newly arrived families making a go of it on their own out in the countryside without lots of money and a good command of the language. Money can pay for helpers to do the communicating for you but if on a tight budget, the amount of help you can afford to pay for will be limited. Simple English conversation with Dominicans can be found in the tourist areas, but as soon as you stray from hello, where is and how much is, things get progressively more difficult very quickly.

How much money do you need to live here? Good question. I can tell you what it costs me to live comfortably here and although that amount is less than at home, I'm not saving a bundle. I want familiar foods, a nice house with AC, a pool, a couple of dogs that eat $55 worth of dog food every 3 weeks. Minimalist to me would mean having to give up the dogs or the wife. Lots of debate regarding how much it really costs to live here. The answer depends on the lifestyle you need to maintain. Your idea of a good life might not exactly mesh with your wife's ideas and there is no hope that your kids will ever agree with either of you. For a family of 4 at $3000 per month would be really minimalist to me and you already know from above what I consider to be my voluntary bare bones requirements. This amount would not include incidentals, entertainment, and other non-essential expenses.

I'll stop here and conclude by saying, that your original post is devoid of any sort of factual reference points anyone can use to tailor advice to your specific circumstances. The fact that you even asked such a vague set of questions suggests to me that you have not given this enough thought or conducted enough on the ground research to even know if you can possibly make a go of it here - except that you believe you can do it cheaper here than there. I am sure you can make all sorts of changes where you are to save money without having to spend a pile of money to get you, your family and some stuff here only to find out that it's not going to be anything like you envisioned and you in fact gave up far more leaving where you are than could ever expect to reacquire here.

Forget about changing your footprint, get down here, look at real estate prices, rental opportunities, walk through grocery stores, check out the cost of furniture, appliances and the general retail environment in various places. Talk to foreigners asking how much they pay for electricity and if they often have more than one light bulb on at a time. You need to put both of your boots firmly on the ground here after figuring out how much you can afford to spend to see if that is even possible.

Good luck.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
5,808
948
113
$1,385 a week, $6,000 a month, $72,000 a year?

That should scare the crap out of them, even though it's not rational.
 
Last edited:

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
5,808
948
113
Family of four moving to the DR where husband needs to work and 2 kids need to go to school. Going to cost you in the range of $6000 USD plus misc expenses to get residency. Can't go to school or work here without residency.

The way it's worded it made it sound like it would cost $6,000 a month to live here AND misc. expenses in addition to that to get residency.

Misleading wording, if that is what you meant, it could have been worded much better by saying "Residency would cost you $6,000 plus some misc expenses".
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
I keep this type of response short. If you have to work after you come here to survive, I cannot recommend you do so.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
SDR,

Definitely not he point I was trying to make. The $6K figure was just for residency with the aid of a local lawyer.

Must have had one too many cervezas this afternoon.
 

Juan Bosch

Active member
Dec 8, 2015
441
119
43
The OP indicated parents live here...most likely Dominicans....what better source of info does he need....:eek:
 

Russell

Well-known member
Jun 17, 2017
1,056
337
83
I live in Luperon zone.
WE live well there , Big house 2500 sq ft, cottage at 500 sq ft and a 22 acre farm.
All is paid for , car was 10K for A 2007 Hyundai... far too much! The repairs have been constant...
4 of us.
I can live cheaper in Nova Scotia Canada than RD.
Which is my/our future plan.
Each one of us have to access the pros and cons of being here in RD.
Since I am not a resident there are added expenses to travel to and fro.
But, I have to do that regardless of where I live due to some business commitments in Caribbean.

SO Sir, thank you for your Service! I too am a Veteran of Canadian Service.

Russell
 

lasalsa

Member
Apr 9, 2008
55
6
8
I would suggest trying Linkedin, I see jobs offers from different international companies here in DR that show how many military vets they have hired. 

The U.S. Embassy has hiring preferences for Vets, with different positions through out the country. 

I am a U.S. military vet as well, who took the plunge to D.R. two years ago after retiring, but live off my pension (Chasing beaches and rivers are my jobs for now)

My 2 cents.......



Great Plan! I may PM you to discuss more in detail. Thanks!
 

lasalsa

Member
Apr 9, 2008
55
6
8
Hello all, I'm a U.S. Citizen and my parents are Locals. I've asked them what is needed to "live" there and they can do it with $1300 USD per month. that is without Kids and School. Mine may be a little higher.

I appreciate all your responses. A lot to think about, but keep them coming. 

If anyone would be happy to WhatsApp or Speak, please call me at 404-200-SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN 4.

Thanks,
Richie
 

lasalsa

Member
Apr 9, 2008
55
6
8
I could go on for pages about making a decision on where to live if staying at home is proving too expensive. I'll spare you the pages to wade through and take this one step at a time.

Family of four moving to the DR where husband needs to work and 2 kids need to go to school. Going to cost you in the range of $6000 USD plus misc expenses to get residency. Can't go to school or work here without residency.

You are probably not going to be satisfied putting your kids in public school here where they could conceivably know more than their teacher already. Lots of good private schools but I can't comment specifically about costs because I don't have any kids and schools are not a concern of mine.

Most people do not generally move from a place with a social safety net to a place that doesn't have one if they can avoid it unless they are financially secure (as in can afford medical evacuation home for life saving surgery secure). You will need medical insurance here for 4 people and that's going to cost money. Like the public schools, I think seeing your family in a public medical clinic will probably make you sick too.

I get that you expect to live a "minimalist" existence but what does that mean? Do you expect to have electricity, running water, air conditioning, food that your kids can identify? A can of Campbell's soup is more expensive here than it is where you are. I haven't seen any Dominican brand soup sold in cans yet.

Vehicles are insanely expensive here. A couple of years ago I looked at a 2002 Suzuki Sidekick. The seller was asking $5000 to start. I couldn't stop laughing long enough to even consider a counter offer.

Can anyone in your family speak Spanish? You can't effectively work here without being able to and your kids can't do well in public school without language skills. Everyone can learn, but life here is hard if you can't communicate. Most but not all native English speakers are retired or at least semi retired foreigners who choose to live in communities where they share some sort of connection with their neighbors. Not everyone mind you but the majority. There are not many newly arrived families making a go of it on their own out in the countryside without lots of money and a good command of the language. Money can pay for helpers to do the communicating for you but if on a tight budget, the amount of help you can afford to pay for will be limited. Simple English conversation with Dominicans can be found in the tourist areas, but as soon as you stray from hello, where is and how much is, things get progressively more difficult very quickly.

How much money do you need to live here? Good question. I can tell you what it costs me to live comfortably here and although that amount is less than at home, I'm not saving a bundle. I want familiar foods, a nice house with AC, a pool, a couple of dogs that eat $55 worth of dog food every 3 weeks. Minimalist to me would mean having to give up the dogs or the wife. Lots of debate regarding how much it really costs to live here. The answer depends on the lifestyle you need to maintain. Your idea of a good life might not exactly mesh with your wife's ideas and there is no hope that your kids will ever agree with either of you. For a family of 4 at $3000 per month would be really minimalist to me and you already know from above what I consider to be my voluntary bare bones requirements. This amount would not include incidentals, entertainment, and other non-essential expenses.

I'll stop here and conclude by saying, that your original post is devoid of any sort of factual reference points anyone can use to tailor advice to your specific circumstances. The fact that you even asked such a vague set of questions suggests to me that you have not given this enough thought or conducted enough on the ground research to even know if you can possibly make a go of it here - except that you believe you can do it cheaper here than there. I am sure you can make all sorts of changes where you are to save money without having to spend a pile of money to get you, your family and some stuff here only to find out that it's not going to be anything like you envisioned and you in fact gave up far more leaving where you are than could ever expect to reacquire here.

Forget about changing your footprint, get down here, look at real estate prices, rental opportunities, walk through grocery stores, check out the cost of furniture, appliances and the general retail environment in various places. Talk to foreigners asking how much they pay for electricity and if they often have more than one light bulb on at a time. You need to put both of your boots firmly on the ground here after figuring out how much you can afford to spend to see if that is even possible.

Good luck.



Thanks Cdn!
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
Ask a lot of direct questions of your parents. What type of internet service do they have, cable tv? How much do they pay? Visit your parents and have a good look at their casa to see what they get for the rent they pay if they don't own their property etc.

I guess the take away here is that it is probably not possible to make a completely informed decision to move here full time without coming here and really taking a look at the services available in various places and the associated cost of living in each.

Your largest cash outlay will probably be in the first year as you get established and set up. After that costs are more controllable and can be more consistent month to month assuming you settle in a place you enjoy and that meets all of your wants and needs.

As you progress the the process, if you have more questions don't be shy.
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
8,215
37
48
www.
I would check to see if there are public polytechnical schools in Salcedo and Tenares. The government has invested big in many of these and they are providing good education, even better than private education. Find a place to live close to the school, so your children can go there walking.

It is usual for a full-time job in a formal business to provide you with health insurance for your entire family. Here the basic insurance plans offered by companies will be valid at Homs, a top-notch health facility in Santiago, not too far away from Salcedo and Tenares. As a veteran, you probably get to keep your insurance plan for issues that can't be taken care of here.

The big plus to coming is your children will get a bilingual education. They can always move back to the US after college here (also much cheaper).

A big plus for the family is that even with the US$3,000 budget for the family of four you may be able to afford house help, even if it is three times a week. That spells quality of life.

Look for a well ventilated house/apartment. Check for cross ventilation. Save yourself the AC.

Eat local produce. You don't want to eat Campbell's soup when you can make a good soup from scratch from fresh ingredients.

If your parents are here... they can help you locate a good place to live in the Cibao, even if it is not in Salcedo or Tenares. It is priceless for your children to spend quality time with their grandparents.
 

lasalsa

Member
Apr 9, 2008
55
6
8
Great info Dolores.

My Cousin works in the Immigration arena. I'm going to ask her how the process of getting DR Residency there is. My Wife is White and we have some questions on her eligibility also. This is a start. 

$3000 a month would be great, but my Military pension didn't get that high. We may need to explore avenues for revenue if possible. Not sure of any leads right at the moment. 

Team, sorry to be bouncing into too many areas during my posts, I just want to see things in very different angles before I commit to making a move. You guys are the experts, and I respect that. 

Thanks again!
 
Jan 7, 2016
827
2
0
SDR,

Definitely not he point I was trying to make. The $6K figure was just for residency with the aid of a local lawyer.

Must have had one too many cervezas this afternoon.

The $6,000 quote for Residency usually only covers the initial Residency for two people. This guy also has a couple of kids...don't know of the DGII would "grandfather" the kids under the parent's Residency. Then there are the initial renewal, the 2 year renewal, the 4 year renewal, ad nauseum. With regard to Military Vets getting anything special here, the only thing I ever got (and I'm a retired Navy Commander) was a free parking spot in the Colonial Zone from a DR Army guard because I showed him my ID card! lol