looking for a job...

This says it all. Another one is going to take the big leap. Young German girl - stays in a hotel on a resort - now wants to move to the DR. I am shaking my head as I type this.

Jobs in the DR do not pay the same as German companies. Why would you want to leave a good paying job in Germany to live in poverty in the DR and not be able to save for a pension for your senior years?

It must be love!

As you worked in Argentina are you FLUENT in Spanish Mountain5? I ask because that is the language you will have to use here. There are no hospitals or clinics where German or English are the major language of use.

In answer to your question - IF you spoke fluent Spanish & IF you got a job above a trained Dominican nurse (there are possibly 400 waiting for jobs at each hospital with little likelihood of ever getting selected) then the pay would be around RD $5,000 per month. If you were experienced (rather than just trained) then you might be able to earn RD $6,500 I suppose.

The cost of renting a single bedroom apartment outside of the barrios would be about RD $8,000 per month PLUS!! Food would be a minimum pf RD $5,000 per month, then there is insurance, transportation, meeting friends for a night out ................ say a monthly outgoing of RD $16 - 20,000 ~ Grahame. gre:

:surprised Grahame, how do Dominicans survive?? If these are the prospects, it sounds like the only people who can afford to live/survive are ex-pats who bring money in from outside the country. I respect your time and experience there - as I do for many members of the DR1 community. I simply don't understand how anyone is able to live there unless the money is earned and brought to the DR from elsewhere. Please help me understand (or am I misunderstanding you?), as I will be making the same move - without a retirement {at least not until I'm retirement age} or sizable nest egg - yes, without a job because so many in these forums have advised not to bother until one is actually in residence.

Thanks!

as an american expat,do you need to file a tax return every year in the US?if so,are there qualified accts to do a US return?

vegasdiva said:

:surprised Grahame, how do Dominicans survive??

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With GREAT difficulty. Many (not all) live in what we would call squalid areas - barrios, which are wooden shacks of about 30 or 40 Ft Square & house 2 generations (sometimes 3).

They do not pay taxes obviously, they rarely pay for electricity, have maybe one meal a day & 'Borrow' from friends anything they really need. They rarely own cars or motorbikes, travel is by means of the ever visible & dangerous MotoConcho! If the main breadwinners of the household work at a hotel, they might manage to get TWO meals a day!

vegasdiva said:

If these are the prospects, it sounds like the only people who can afford to live/survive are ex-pats who bring money in from outside the country.

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As indicated above, it is DIFFICULT to survive on this sort of salary in the DR - this is why many of them be-friend ExPats in a way to supplement their incomes from handouts, extra meals, little presents for 'jobs or services' or just to make 'the Friend' feel better & (in some cases) scams against their new friends.

vegasdiva said:

I respect your time and experience there - as I do for many members of the DR1 community. I simply don't understand how anyone is able to live there unless the money is earned and brought to the DR from elsewhere. Please help me understand (or am I misunderstanding you?), as I will be making the same move - without a retirement {at least not until I'm retirement age} or sizable nest egg - yes, without a job because so many in these forums have advised not to bother until one is actually in residence.

Thanks!

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When WE first arrived .......... (nah, read the book!!:cheeky
I seriously recommend doing a FULL budgetary test for a month or two living outside the AI's before committing yourself to moving here. Check what sort of area you are prepared to exist in for a year or two, check how your finances disappear without your being aware of what you have acquired, check your eating & entertainment requirements & find out what you REALLY spend each month. Add at least 30% to this for moving down here full time & you should be almost safe - I would be most surprised if any Gringo from a 'First World Country' would be prepared to live on less than US $1,200 per month.

THAT is RD $40,000 per month, so unless you get a job earning hat much (HIGHLY unlikely in the first year or two unless you are self employed with a good service to offer) then you need supportive income from your home country &/or a LOAD of capital to bring down with you.

My apologies to the OP & the moderator for taking this 'Off Subject' but I felt the question needed answering (again)!! Feel free to split this into a separate thread if you think it needs to be moved.

vegasdiva. You can PM or e-mail me if you want a little more flesh to add to these comments. ~ Grahame.

Many Dominicans also receive remittances from family who live and work in other countries. Dominicans are exceedingly good at spreading around a little to a lot of people.

Man oh man, you guys are pretty tough on folks. My wife and I came here for the weather, not the money, or a job. Perhaps others are also interested in a simpler (is that a word) life. I know we were and still are. Perhaps the OP only wants to offer services and not for REAL money. Just maybe.

Phil&Gerry said:

Man oh man, you guys are pretty tough on folks. My wife and I came here for the weather, not the money, or a job. Perhaps others are also interested in a simpler (is that a word) life. I know we were and still are. Perhaps the OP only wants to offer services and not for REAL money. Just maybe.

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The OP asked a question Phil&Gerry, I think I was answering HER/his question with basic facts. I did not want to SPECULATE on the reasons for moving/living here, like with you (on e-mails a few times) I tried to give the factual information.

The second response was to a question by vegasdiva - did I answer that one erroneously too? I didn't build in to my response about why ExPats choose to come live here ....... it wasn't asked nor implied.

I FULLY accept that different people move here for different reasons & the sun/climate, freedom of movement, fun-loving lifestyle is more important to some than being able to 'Pay Their Way' (because they are fortunate enough to have a back up income) but it is also essential to give BASIC facts for others (like these two posters) to build their decisions on.

Yes I am hard when answering these sorts of questions - it tends to concentrate the mind of the person relocating on to the important things about living here in a financially sound state rather than coming & 'wishing' everything will be alright when they get here.

Sorry Moderator - now we have REALLY gone 'off track'. Back to the question ........... 'LOOKING FOR A JOB'. ~ Grahame.

Phil&Gerry said:

Man oh man, you guys are pretty tough on folks. My wife and I came here for the weather, not the money, or a job.

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The OP mountain5 asked whether he/she 'could work as a nurse and how much she/he could possibly earn'. Her/his English was good enough to get that question over clearly I thought. Bushbaby answered giving approx salaries. What is 'tough' about that?

mountain5, I would suggest you investigate hospitals like HOMS in Santiago where nurses are likely to receive more than the amounts quoted above (I think, but Hillbilly would know). Website is under construction but there is an email address there you could contact and telephone numbers.
Homs Hospital Rep?blica Dominicana

I know Santiago isn't Puerto Plata but since you aren't moving because of a man then I'm sure you could be flexible as to the exact location.

And Phil&Gerry, let's help the OP out with some substantive information, shall we? For example, as you're in Puerto Plata you might like to pop along to Centro Medico, get the info on salaries for qualified nurses and post that here? Then the OP will have something to compare between Puerto Plata and Santiago.

mountain5 said:

To Lambada,
thx for your post,very helpful.
I will check the side.And yes I would not mind being in Santiago.
I am just trying to figure out what would be best.
Thx again.

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My pleasure. Check for Phil&Gerry to get back with the Centro Medico nurses salaries in Puerto Plata. Don't feel too bad about the salaries mountain5 - see this - firemen getting 5000 pesos a month:
Noticias - Los bomberos, mal pagos y pocos

Consider also contacting areas where there are contingents of German residents (like Sosua) where there might be a need for private nursing. Some of the long term German expats might be getting on in years now & might welcome a nurse who speaks their first language. If you PM Janin he has a German website he can give you a link to. Good luck to you.

Please IM me about jobs in union Medica

To the OP
My compdre is DR.Marino Perez and if you can send me your reusme and copies of certification I cna hand deliver your resume for review. He is incharge of the emergency room at the clinic.
Please email it to me
albinortiz@gmail.com

OP: Check out also this thread

http://www.dr1.com/forums/employment/65262-healthcare-jobs-dr.html

Lambada said:

My pleasure. Check for Phil&Gerry to get back with the Centro Medico nurses salaries in Puerto Plata.

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To the OP. I would not wait around for this. Lambada suggested this and to my mind it is not good to raise your expectations on something that is suggested for someone else to do.

Do read the thread quoted by rubio_higuey. General salary information is in there and also a short discussion on the quality of the nursing profession in the DR. Lambada's suggestion for private nursing is a good one. In the thread quoted by rubio_higuey is a post by poster Matilda which could be a good lead for you.