Time and again I read posts from newbies seeking employments in DR. The recent debate on RD$9000/month part-time job also got me thinking. I thought I'd share what I've observed during the 5 years living here so far.
By and large, highly-paid foreigners in DR tend to fall into these categories:
1. Independent investors. These are business owners who have either accumulated significant capitals from their own countries before coming here or have been successful since setting up in DR, or both. In other words, resourceful entrepeneurs.
2. Intra-company transfers: middle to upper managers at Citibank, Shell, Scotiabank....and other multinational companies that land a job here through HR manuevers in their home countries. These jobs are almost always paid in US$, Euro or other hard currencies. Significant perks (housing stipend, country club membership, insurance, paid flights home one or twice a year..) are usually included.
3. Diplomats: embassadors, consuls and high-ranking diplomatic attach?s. They are deployed by decree of their home government, often by the president/prime minister him/herself. Same perks as No. 2 apply, but extend to include chauffeurs, diplomatic license plate and internationally recognized immunity privileges.
4. Contract professionals: consultants, technicians, skill-specific instructors....etc. They are here in DR working on time-specific or subject-specifc projects. From days to weeks to even months.
Notice that none of these jobs are "on-the-table", meaning you can just walk in the office, deposit a r?sum?, interview and land it. These are pre-arranged and pre-negotiated. It often requires that you are already at certain job level in the home country to be eligible.
I think the most critical aspects are PROPER CHANNELS and RIGHT CONNECTIONS instead of INTRINSIC QUALIFICATIONS. I can think of thousands more qualified than I am yet are only paid a fraction of my keep while thousands more get paid multiples of mine but have only a fraction of my credential. This is just the way of life in DR.
I do not know what the road to high-paid jobs are for Dominican nationals. Perhaps somebody else could follow-up ? I'd like to see the differences/similarities.
By and large, highly-paid foreigners in DR tend to fall into these categories:
1. Independent investors. These are business owners who have either accumulated significant capitals from their own countries before coming here or have been successful since setting up in DR, or both. In other words, resourceful entrepeneurs.
2. Intra-company transfers: middle to upper managers at Citibank, Shell, Scotiabank....and other multinational companies that land a job here through HR manuevers in their home countries. These jobs are almost always paid in US$, Euro or other hard currencies. Significant perks (housing stipend, country club membership, insurance, paid flights home one or twice a year..) are usually included.
3. Diplomats: embassadors, consuls and high-ranking diplomatic attach?s. They are deployed by decree of their home government, often by the president/prime minister him/herself. Same perks as No. 2 apply, but extend to include chauffeurs, diplomatic license plate and internationally recognized immunity privileges.
4. Contract professionals: consultants, technicians, skill-specific instructors....etc. They are here in DR working on time-specific or subject-specifc projects. From days to weeks to even months.
Notice that none of these jobs are "on-the-table", meaning you can just walk in the office, deposit a r?sum?, interview and land it. These are pre-arranged and pre-negotiated. It often requires that you are already at certain job level in the home country to be eligible.
I think the most critical aspects are PROPER CHANNELS and RIGHT CONNECTIONS instead of INTRINSIC QUALIFICATIONS. I can think of thousands more qualified than I am yet are only paid a fraction of my keep while thousands more get paid multiples of mine but have only a fraction of my credential. This is just the way of life in DR.
I do not know what the road to high-paid jobs are for Dominican nationals. Perhaps somebody else could follow-up ? I'd like to see the differences/similarities.
You can do exactly the same thing here ,as in other 10-times-more-expensive-countries.