Looking for opinions on job offer!

ChrisandCan

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Apr 29, 2010
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Hello!

My sister and I have been offered jobs teaching at one of the private schools in SD. Our combined salary per month will be RD$ 76,000, or approx. $2000 CAD. Also included in the offer is: paid shared housing (what might this mean?? I will be talking to the employer soon, but I am curious) + utilities, local health insurance (what would this include? any ideas?) and transportation to and from work. Do you feel that this is a fair wage being that we are experienced and specialized teachers? If so, do you think living off RD$ 76,000 will allow for a comfortable lifestyle and the opportunity to travel around the island a bit, being that we are left to cover food, entertainment, transportation (outside of work), and cable/phone/internet costs?

Basically, we are just looking to hear from people who are knowledgeable about costs associated with living in SD.

Thanks in advance for the help!
 

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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Hello!

My sister and I have been offered jobs teaching at one of the private schools in SD. Our combined salary per month will be RD$ 76,000, or approx. $2000 CAD. Also included in the offer is: paid shared housing (what might this mean?? I will be talking to the employer soon, but I am curious) + utilities, local health insurance (what would this include? any ideas?) and transportation to and from work. Do you feel that this is a fair wage being that we are experienced and specialized teachers? If so, do you think living off RD$ 76,000 will allow for a comfortable lifestyle and the opportunity to travel around the island a bit, being that we are left to cover food, entertainment, transportation (outside of work), and cable/phone/internet costs?

Basically, we are just looking to hear from people who are knowledgeable about costs associated with living in SD.

Thanks in advance for the help!

If you don't have a vehicle, USD 2000.oo will allow you have an OK life style. Nothing fancy, but warm showers, cold drinks, NO A/C, very decent food, going out once a week...
If you are getting SHARED housing -well, what could that be? Probably there would be other people in the house, now wouldn't in?- That would leave more money for you. Should you feel the need for more privacy, you might be able to rent something with 2 bed rooms/1 bath, with a roof, reasonably safe, warm water, in a sector which would allow you to watch TV, keep your fridge cool and run some fans (again, NO A/C) for around USD 500.oo/month... NOT Downtown... but somewhere "decent". Still enough to live... as long you don't seed to own a car.

All the other details of your employment, you really need to ask your employer.

Short, it could be done, fairly reasonably, without giving up too much comfort. Enough to give it a try, kick the tires on the country and see if you like it. So, if you do, don't burn bridges back home yet.


... J-D.
 

Fiesta Mama

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Jan 28, 2004
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I can't speak to the wage a teacher of your experience should earn in the Dominican Republic but I can say that I have lived in the country and have survived... well lived and enjoyed a nice life, on a much lesser salary than you propose. You cannot compare what you think you are worth abroad or in your home country to the Dominican Republic. Take into consideration what other teachers are making in the Dominican Republic and I'm pretty sure what you are being offered is far better than most. Also, life experience has to count for something and I can guarantee you will be thankful for the rest of your life if you take the job!
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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I believe US 2000 between the two of you will be more than enough to have your own place and ac too. The secret will be to learn to like the local foods and not eat out expensively too often. Living here in the DR is cheap. I have a wife and two daughter and by all accounts we can live off of US20k a year, poverty level in the States, no problem at all here though.

Certainly we don't have a lot yet we still make American food at home like hamburgers, spaghetti and tacos and have enough for ice cream once a week and the coup de etat; flying kites!
 
Feb 7, 2007
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I don't know why you say no AC, J.D. I guess with 76000 pesos they can run some AC.

At my home my AC runs about 50-60 kW per month (winter) to less than 200 kW per month in the summer. My bill is 300 (winter) to 1000-something pesos per month (summer), on AC (I have a separate meter for AC). I have 18000 BTU in my bedroom.

At my office (small office, 2 pers.) my bill is 1500-1700 pesos per month and run AC (12.000 BTU) most of the time during working hours, plus 2 computers, printers, small fridge, and all VOIP/router/etc. equipment.

I am energy conservation freak though, so I turn everything off when not using it. If somebody wants to run AC 24/7, it will cost 15.000 per month. If you want to run AC just a few hours per day to cool down and dehumidify your bedroom at night, you can do that for 1000 pesos or less.

The trick is: to bear in mid the 700 kW threshold, and to have two meters.
 
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ChrisandCan

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Apr 29, 2010
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Thank you for all the info! Keep the replies coming.
Just to clarify - our housing and utilities are being covered by our employer, so we don't have to pay for that :)
I am mostly concerned because we both have a student loan to pay for back here in Canada. That will put us out $400 CAD a month. That really leaves us with $1800 CAD a month to live off of. I am wondering if that will leave me with the abilility to save for a ticket home in the summer.
It's a lot to think about - but I know that I don't want to leave the DR with more debt than I came with, if I decide to leave at all (who knows!)
Thanks again!
 

ExtremeR

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Mar 22, 2006
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Still good enough to get a great style of living in the DR, specially with the housing covered.
 

calle13

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May 2, 2009
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I am a teacher here in the dominican republic and I would say combined that is low. Our school is not the top school but we are in the top 4. They pay 40,000 pesos +400 USD PLUS shared housing. (utilities not included). A decent apt walking distance of school usually shared with other teachers.

We do tutoring for kids around 1400 pesos per hour and that help. Negotiate as much now as possible, they are desperate for teachers and these school make alot of $$$

Round trip air fare too
 

Spec Ed Teacher

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Apr 21, 2009
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Still good enough to get a great style of living in the DR, specially with the housing covered.

I agree. Although we are not in SD we live on that. With a family of 5 and yes we do have a vehicle and we do use A/C although only at night when needed to sleep. Fans & computers are on ALL.THE.TIME. We still manage to have trips to the beach and have enjoyed our year here. AND we pay our rent and utilities out of that amount as well! Oh - and we still eat mostly "North American" style foods. Including trips to Bon, Yogen Fruz, Dominos and McDonald's monthly!
We could not buy our vehicle on that amount but now that we have it we are saving MUCH more than when we were relying on taxi's etc (of course - we avoided guagua's & conchos since there are 5 of us). Helps that it is a diesel too. We have taken it regularly to the north coast etc as we make wonderful memories to take back with us as we return to Canada. It is an amazing experience and one that would give you incredible memories!

We have 6 weeks left to enjoy! I personally say go for it! I don't think you would regret it. Oh - but as someone said - don't expect your salary here to reflect at all what it would in Canada! Not even close - but still worth it.
 

sangria

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May 16, 2006
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Buy your return ticket before you go.

With Westjet you can easily change your return date for $50 CAD. With the sales they have going on you can get this ticket for next to nothing and then don't have to worry
about buying a 1 way ticket home later.

I am pretty sure Air Canada works the same way.

If you are going long term you will likely need one of the major carriers to accomodate your luggage.
 

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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I don't know why you say no AC, J.D. I guess with 76000 pesos they can run some AC.

At my home my AC runs about 50-60 kW per month (winter) to less than 200 kW per month in the summer. My bill is 300 (winter) to 1000-something pesos per month (summer), on AC (I have a separate meter for AC). I have 18000 BTU in my bedroom.

At my office (small office, 2 pers.) my bill is 1500-1700 pesos per month and run AC (12.000 BTU) most of the time during working hours, plus 2 computers, printers, small fridge, and all VOIP/router/etc. equipment.

I am energy conservation freak though, so I turn everything off when not using it. If somebody wants to run AC 24/7, it will cost 15.000 per month. If you want to run AC just a few hours per day to cool down and dehumidify your bedroom at night, you can do that for 1000 pesos or less.

The trick is: to bear in mid the 700 kW threshold, and to have two meters.

The A/C thing:
It's not a must or must-not... but it's one of these items which can typically surprise newcomers from countries with central air ON 24/7.
If you expect that comfort from "back-home" you'll be over the 700KWh whack rate before you even know what the 700KWh whack rate is. Most RENTALS do NOT come with split meters.

On a 76T Pesos budget... 3000.oo or 7 or 9000.oo a month just for power has some leverage as to how it affects the other things.
As suggested, "some" A/C here and there, now and then, may fit in without putting other things too much in a squeeze.
Essentially, what I meant to say is, one CANNOT expect all the comforts from "back home" at that price in this country. Some things, we all know, are way more expensive here... energy (electricity and fuel for vehicles) would be one of the most typical items.

An "own" decent place, offering more than just shelter, in a safe neighborhood and amenities for two people (2B/2b) will typically run around 18T Pesos... a little more, a little less.
Foreigners want Internet... not just for posting on dr1, but to stay connected with family abroad... another 2T Pesos.
Cell phone anyone? a 500 minute/month plan runs around 1900.oo Pesos... Sure, one can go with the little pay as you go cards... but just sum it up... IF you ARE working here and you are 2 people...
No car, can limit RISK and exposure and many costs, but transportation is not free either. A couple of carros de concho a day, back and forth... can surprisingly quickly amount to 100 Pesos a day EACH... 25 working days... 5000.oo Pesos a month!! Whuepa!

Again, 76'000 Pesos, is a generous amount from a local's point of view for a family of 2 to live off, but most locals are not used to a certain comfort foreigners may think of as "basic".

... J-D.
 

ChrisandCan

New member
Apr 29, 2010
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Thanks agian for all of the helpful comments!

Here are another few questions we have come up with:

How much, on average, would two people spend on food per month?

It seems that it would be fairly easy to save enough money to travel home at least once during the year - are we right to make this assumption?

Is negotiating wages a common thing to do in DR, or not? We don't want to offend the employer by asking for a higher wage or return flights, but if it is customary, then we would definitely like to make a proposal.

ChrisandCan