Waitressing jobs in Cabarete, Sosua or Puerto Plata

I'd like to move to the Dominican Republic around December 2011. I want to volunteer, but I really would prefer to pay for my own living expenses rather than having to pay thousands of dollars up front to live and eat with all the other volunteers every day...not really what I'm looking for. So I'm wondering how feasible it would be for me to get a part-time bartending or waitressing job to pay some of my expenses while I'm living there. I plan to save up money while I'm here in the US, but I would like to have a source of income, no matter how small, while living in the DR.

Any ballpark estimates as to what waitresses make per night? I speak OK Spanish, not great, but I'm working on that. I speak more Spanish than most tourists, but living there is a different ballgame. Is that going to be a deal-breaker as far as a waitressing job?

For what it's worth, I do have a BA from the University of Colorado, so I have something to offer employers in terms of education. However, with moderate Spanish proficiency it seems my job prospects will be (understandably) limited. Once I've lived there for 6 months or so my Spanish should be good enough that I might be able to work as an admin assistant. That's my job here, but no one wants a secretary who can't speak the damn official language, in any country! Thanks for any advice you may have to offer.

Acira said:

What kind of volunteer work you are planning to do here?

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I'm not sure about that yet. I'm looking at different organizations and opportunities right now. I'd like to work with underprivileged children, whether Dominican or Haitian. I'd also like to do some volunteer work with the stray dogs, although I don't know if there are a lot of programs for that. I'm pretty open, but the organization has to be a good fit for me so I'm gonna be pretty picky. Any suggestions you have would be awesome.

Anastacio said:

There is a horse ranch in pop takes in volunteers in exchange for your keep. Check out helpX.com you might find them on there.
The girls in cabaret tend to have mum and dad grants and make good tips, I doubt thier wages are better than anywhere else.

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Yeah generally if you make any money as a waitress, it's all in tips, as the hourly wages are quite pitiful (that goes for the US as well). Any idea how much they make in tips? Thanks for the tip on the horse ranch, I will check it out.

CFA123 said:

Does this mean your boyfriend failed to say 'no' to the hookers?

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No, but I already answered that on another forum. It was a non-issue like many predicted, we were not even approached.

And for everyone who thought I was a controlling b*tch and that's why I posted that question about the hookers a while back: my boyfriend got robbed by a motoconcho for $20 (US) the first day we were in Cabarete, simply because he sucks at saying no to people. If it were me, I would have handed the driver the RD$50 he was owed and walked away, but he kept demanding more money and for some reason Adam kept giving it to him.

Then he asked me to handle all our financial transactions after that, because people could literally SENSE his weakness in saying no and wouldn't leave him alone (vendors, not hookers). I told him, "You know that everyone will think I'm super controlling and a ball buster, right? That's how it is here." And I was right, people teased us a lot about me being the one in charge of our finances, but I really don't care. Our relationship dynamic seems to work pretty well for us, and that's all that matters.

But thanks for your fake concern.

CFA123 said:

ps: check The DREAM Project and Asociacin De Amigos Por Los Animales De Sosa, Inc..
could fit your requirements

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Dominican Dream costs US $10,000 and pretty much requires Spanish fluency. It's a great program, but they seem very picky about who they'll take.

Anastacio said:

A guess would be around 700pesos a day on a good day. Enough for food and a few beers. If you are lucky you can find a boss who will chuck in accom instead of wage. You won't make enough to live on if you are living independently, so take you credit cards!
I knew a girl about 7 years ago who earned a room and 3000pesos a month, 7 years ago Dominican with fluent English.

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I was planning on saving up a couple thousand so I could pay a few months of rent upon arrival, so the waitressing would be more for food and spending money, that kind of thing.

CFA123 said:

If I'm not mistaken, you basically get the $10k back in the form of accommodations and a meal a day. I think they do it that way to insure that their volunteers don't end up without a place to stay or food to eat midway through their time with Dream Project.

Not sure they require Spanish fluency. I know a guy volunteered just this past year. His Spanish was essentially zero.

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Yeah, it is for food and accommodation, but still, $10 grand up front is $10 grand up front. I just don't have that kind of money.

Honestly it would depend on the type of accommodation. If the accommodation were a home-stay type of thing with a Dominican family, that would be great. I just don't want to live in a dorm situation, eating the same food with the same people every day. I'd like a bit more independence than that.

As far as the Spanish fluency requirement for the Dream project, the website is not encouraging. They say that an advanced level of Spanish is *kind of* a requirement. It says they conduct your interview in Spanish and based on your Spanish proficiency they will determine if there are any available placements for you. I really don't have the proficiency to be interviewed for something like that all in Spanish, although I can speak enough to communicate day-to-day.

I understand why volunteer programs have to charge to volunteer, but it's just difficult for someone like me. I'm 25 and poor, just graduated college, and it's hard to give someone a bunch of money up front and then work for free for a year. Don't get me wrong, you get a LOT more than money out of volunteering, but considering that I won't be able to earn any money during that year, it's hard for me to find a way to come up with thousands of dollars that I won't be able to recoup any time soon. That's why I wanted to get a job to support myself while I'm there. Maybe I'm being unrealistic but I don't understand how people can afford to do these volunteer programs. I really want to give my time, I just don't have a lot of money to give :-(

OK, so what do you guys think about the "teach English abroad" programs? And thank you for the info on US$3000 not being enough. That makes me have to rethink my plans a bit but I'm sure I will find a way to do it. I'm not going to make money, or "make it". I want to volunteer and work on my Spanish. I don't mind spending money at all, it's just having so much up front that is a concern.