moving to Dominican what do we need

Victoria

New member
Apr 28, 2003
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Im new to this, hope I'm doing it right?

Was wondering what a person needs to be able to work in the Dominican? A residence premit? A work visa? And where does one obtain whatever is needed.

Also wondering about the education system there, as I have 4 small children.

Also wondering about the medical system? Can anyone enlighten me on any of these things?
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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There is a wealth of information in the archives that can help you.

For best assistance from people on the board, we need to know where you will be living. Impossible to give specific info without knowing that.

But, there are good schools (private) available; there are good doctors in the Dominican Republic, and you should plan to get residency.

But to tap the resources of the archives, click on the "search" button at top of this page, then do your search for residency, schools, doctors, etc.
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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A trifle leery on this

You are moving ( you know this?) and have no information at all yet? And with 4 kids, wow. Quite a change. Of course if you live in Havana right now maybe not much at all, since you didn't actually say from where.

How many times have you been and what are you doing going there? E.g. for $$$ and so on.

And I 2nd Tony C: Dominican is a person who lives there. For less typing say "to the DR".
 

BushBaby

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Jan 1, 2002
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Being very blunt, I think that to move here with 4 young children is either bery foolhardy or very selfish!! The Dominican schooling system is very basic (rote learning) whereas the private schools, although quite good, are very expensive. Think about the whole thing VERY carefully & check your real reasons for coming here.

Are you TRULY self sufficient to be able to school them privately? Would you be happy with them having a less than adequate schooling if you DON'T have the income to send them to private schools? What sort of work do you intend doing here & have any offers been made to you yet? (WORK offers I mean - the other type of offers always end up as broken promises &/or broken hearts!!!).

Come back with more information & I am sure the regulars will give you serious responses to your questions. Please, PLEASE, do not tell us you are coming for love, we just won't believe you!! - Grahame
 

mkohn

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Jan 1, 2002
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We were seven children aged 5 to 14

My dad was a social worker. My parents befriended a Dominican priest who invited us. My parents had no financial goals, as the pay was very low. And we couldn't afford the American school, but we found a way to attend private Dominican schools. We survived with the help of a Dominican lady who helped my mom cook and clean. Some of us learned Spanish. Made friends. Played with fire crackers, cacatas and geckos. Only 2 of us have returned. The rest want to...
It's doable. Check the archives. Several people have recently moved there. Their accounts are priceless.
mk
 

Victoria

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Apr 28, 2003
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Thank you all for your input. The "DR" it is! No We are not moving there for love. My husband is a college professor here in Canada and he has a private practice in community psychiatry. He is looking for a teaching position in the humanities and will open a clinic to provide support to the expatriate population. We are looking at moving to the Puerta Plata area. We need advice on contacts at the University or College, housing, and schooling. Thank you for your suggestion to look in the archives, we will do that. Any further information would be greatly appreciated.
 

bobnoxious

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Jan 2, 2002
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OK, this is crackin' me up...

But I have to ask...how many expats in the DR need help with psychiatric issues. Me thinks those were washed away when the plane landed.

In response to your question about what is needed to live and work there...money and patience. Money for the living part and patience for the working part.

Seriously, you really need to visit this country and experience "a day in the life". Your questions clearly indicate that you have no idea what you are getting into.

If you are looking to "escape", you have picked the right place. But as far as propelling your family and offspring into the future, you may want to click your heels three times and say, 'there's no place like home". No doot abooot it!
 

PJT

Silver
Jan 8, 2002
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Victoria, it has been said by others many times before in different ways and I'm saying it now. "You need to come to the island and spend some time here to test the water before you set up shop".

The D.R. does offer some unique opportunities for the entrepreneur. However, it can be quite a culture shock to go from the bounty of Canada to the Spartan life of the Dominican Republic. If you or any one of your family do not adjust, what do you do? Is your husband going practice on himself and his family?

I second Bobnoxious, saying "what is needed to live and work there...money and patience." If you are short of it in the D.R. you will go bust spiritually and economically. You will be closing up shop. Regards, PJT
 

mkohn

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Jan 1, 2002
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Let me clarify.
My dad taught Community Development in the University. That was the one thing we counted on. Everything else was like a crap shoot.
I remember once, our whole family went dancing at a nearby hall. During the dance, there was a power outtage. These are a daily occurrence in the DR. Everybody rushed to get out of the place. I can still hear the sounds of my mother's voice shouting: "Mis ni?os" over and over. Nobody in our family was hurt. There are hidden dangers just because things are SO different. You can't imagine.
It is HOT. The sun burns quickly. The mosquitoes will eat you alive.
I went horsebackriding in the mountains with my sister. I got a sore on my ankle. The flies kept going after it - yuck.
If you have daughters any where near pre-teens, especially if they are light skinned with fair hair, the boys will be every where hissing at them (trying to get their attention). My mom says someone serenaded one of us. You just won't know. The comforts of home in Canada will be far away. Anything you can buy will cost 3x as much due to import taxes.
We all got different versions of dengue fever. There wasn't enough medicine for our big family. We walked to school and there was a rainy season. I remember my sister and I with the nuns in the school's laundry room, drying and pressing our uniforms because we were so wet.
There was a cow in a field down the road. It was dying, but my brothers didn't know it. They tossed stones at it, and after it died, my dad had to pay for it.
Once again, it's doable with the kids. I'm glad you will do your homework. It will take a tremendous amount of work, and dad will be busy building the business. That's a whole other environment.
The searches are most important. Make sure you do searches on the business aspect too. If you don't know anybody, there is little hope. It's a relationship based culture. The archives cover a LOT.
mk
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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"Prozac" is available without a perscription!

as well as all the other "Mood Elevators/Anti-Depressants! We all "self-medicate"! Santo Domingo,"No Problem"!Cris Colon
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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mkohn said:

I remember once, our whole family went dancing at a nearby hall. During the dance, there was a power outtage. These are a daily occurrence in the DR. Everybody rushed to get out of the place. I can still hear the sounds of my mother's voice shouting: "Mis ni?os" over and over. Nobody in our family was hurt. There are hidden dangers just because things are SO different. You can't imagine.

Well, well...
My experience of having lived here all my life is that people just wait for the power to come back on (alternate power) or go about their activities as normal. Just yesterday I was at Plaza Central when the alternate power of the store where I was didn't kick back on right away -- some problem within the store because the Plaza power was back on as well as other stores -- and went about my shopping activity for my two sons (12 and 10 years) as usual -- even with little light. It is true that there are power outages, but because they are a normal occurence, my experience is that most people take them in stride and it is more common that most people will continue what they are doing and not rush out of a place.
May I also say that recently there have been less blackouts. (Cross our fingers!) Indeed, where our offices are located and where I live blackouts have been a rarity in the past three months.
 

JOHNNY HONDA

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Sep 25, 2002
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Husband speaks Spanish right?

Let me me frank(Im tired of being Johnny)I have a masters degree in social work I also am licenced in Canada to operate a private family therapy clinic,I also speak Spanish as well as English and French I work here as the manager of a time share sales room,if you dont spekie Spanish you will not find a teaching position in the universitys as the students are Dominicans ,If you PLAN ON LIVING OFF OF A PRIVATE PRACTICE HELPING LUNATIC GRINGOS BEST OF LUCK THE LUNATICS ARE APLENTY,BUT THEY GOT NO DOUGH.I would suggest you spare yourself and your children theagony of defeat come for a three to six month vacation and then decde if you feel the same.Trust ccccccccrisco he uses all the meds.:confused: :bandit: :confused: :cool:
J.H.
 

mkohn

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Jan 1, 2002
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Dolores said:
Well, well...
My experience of having lived here all my life is that people just wait for the power to come back on (alternate power) or go about their activities as normal. Just yesterday I was at Plaza Central when the alternate power of the store where I was didn't kick back on right away -- some problem within the store because the Plaza power was back on as well as other stores -- and went about my shopping activity for my two sons (12 and 10 years) as usual -- even with little light. It is true that there are power outages, but because they are a normal occurence, my experience is that most people take them in stride and it is more common that most people will continue what they are doing and not rush out of a place.
May I also say that recently there have been less blackouts. (Cross our fingers!) Indeed, where our offices are located and where I live blackouts have been a rarity in the past three months.
I know. It was strange. Maybe over the years, people got used to blackouts and just wait now.
I can't help but agree with JH. My dad spoke Spanish, so it was a LOT easier than it could have been.
Living there for an extended period of time is the BEST advice you'll get!mk
 
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Victoria

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Apr 28, 2003
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Just to set the record straight. We will be making our dicisions very carefully. I guess I have said we are moving to the DR, which seems to cause everyone to be floored at this dicision. We are commiting to roughly 3 months in the DR, more as an extended holiday, if things go well we will be looking at making the DR more of a permanent residence for a while. We have plenty of money in reserve for this endeavour and would not have to work for quite some time to be able to be in the DR. In combination with private schooling, I will be also home schooling in areas that need more work. My husband will be looking at a private practice, that would include counseling with a sliding scale, workshops for businesses ect. We have a friend from Canada opening a night club in one of the touristy areas. This night club is attached to a resort and is being built at this time for an openning in July of this year. Researching an area is very important, however one could research for years and never make a move. We are being bold and researching some and then we will experience life in the DR and make our decision after awhile, because we can. We have money.
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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Victoria, you'll find all the information that you need in the archives if you search.

Regarding residency and being able to work, I would suggest that you think of visiting a good attorney when you are here to discuss the process of residency. A good attorney can make the process easy. It is not hard, it just takes a little time and is much easier if an attorney leads you by the hand and clears the way for you. I cannot imagine sitting and waiting in the long lines at the various departments sometimes for days, with four small children. Of course you can try doing this yourself as well. The information is in the archives.

I suggest also that you consider visiting some of the regulars on the board when you are here, to hear first hand experiences of living here. Most of the regulars will respond to an invitation for coffee or a Presidente and a short meeting. In addition to doing your research, this will give you good insight.

In short, medical and dental care is available and quite excellent if you go to the right places. Good schools are available and expensive in DR terms.

Regarding your husband's work, I quite frankly do not see this as a viable way of making a living in the DR, or even just keeping some money flowing in. I don't see sufficient numbers in the Canadian/American expat population to make this viable and I can not imagine the larger german population making use of counselling services. Folks here are generally happy to be what they are and are somehow self-reliant. Nevertheless a friend of mine would have used this service a while ago to assist his Dominican wife who had problems. I cannot comment on availability of teaching positions at a University but I do know that you need to be fluent in Spanish to consider this. Workshops for businesses also require fluency. I also don't see this as a viable income generator.

Having said all this, stranger things have happened in the DR and who knows, you may beat all the odds. It is a good thing that you come here for three months. In your position, it would be good to stretch this period before making commitments. Do your research beforehand, talk to a lot of people and go to a lot of places when you are here.
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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Symptoms Go Away

Chris said:

Regarding your husband's work, I quite frankly do not see this as a viable way of making a living in the DR, or even just keeping some money flowing in. I don't see sufficient numbers in the Canadian/American expat population to make this viable and I can not imagine the larger german population making use of counselling services.

I think there are people looney as mudhens in North America that become normal when they arrive in the DR to live or retire. Nothing to treat when they arrive, good treatment advice to people still in Canada though .
 

BushBaby

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Truth is Rick, in our own countries of origin we are extrovert, stand out in the crowd & considered MAD by our friends/colleagues!!! Here, we just mix in with the rest of the crowd & are considered normal!! - Grahame.