I will be the cynical one...:rambo:
Were these fantastic Dominicans part of the hotel staff, ie: animacion staff?
Kirsty,
You are going through what is commonly known as "post-holiday" syndrome. I would imagine that you were there for what 1 or 2 weeks, staying in an All-Inclusive resort. You danced in the discos, drank the local beer or rum, laid on the beach, came back nicely sun-tanned, caught the attention of a few charming Dominican men and then had to leave. Next thing you know, you are back to work, weather is crap, same old humdrum life that was perfectly fine before you got on that plane for a holiday. Am I correct so far?
I am not saying this is an impossible dream, but I will be frank with you. First of all, unless you can hook up with First Choice tours and possibly get some type of job through them, it is highly unlikely that you will find a job in any other resort (except maybe selling time-shares on a beach).
How many languages do you speak and understand? Is Spanish one of them, and I am not talking basic phrases like dos cervesa, por favor!!? What do you have to offer that a Dominican can't? What experience do you have as a tour rep.? Tour reps are sent by the company they work at, and sometimes it is a long wait, as I am sure you are well aware, everyone wants to live in Paradise. As far as entertainment staff goes, except for Holiday Village, the staff is Dominican. They are also required to take language classes so they converse in as many languages as they can with the guests at the hotel. Unless you speak Spanish, French, German, etc, you will have some tough competition. My last place of employment made the staff even take Russian spanish lessons! My old boss said (2 years after I left) that times had changed and if I had tried to get a job at that time only knowing English, some French and little Spanish, they would not even considered hiring me.
So having said that, you should consider waiting a few weeks, getting back into your old routine, clear your head and then start a game plan. Start saving your money, at least enough for 6 months to live on, in case you can't find a job, do not quit your job but see if you can take a leave of absence, just in case, you need to go back to England because it didn't work out. Most people move here with money in the bank and investments back home to cover all emergencies.
As far as apartments go, that depends where you want to live and what fits your budget. There are a thousand threads on this subject - you have to do the search, since only you know what is suitable for you.
Monthly expenses, same thing, each individual spends their money to suit their lifestyle. We do not know anything about you so we cannot tell you how much you will be spending each month. Again, search the archives, there is some very good and varying examples at what you can expect to pay for the basics.
Moving there and what it entails - a plane ticket! There are tons of threads on the legalities of working there and what is required - search them.
Bottom line: If you are serious about a move to the DR - you must show some self-sufficiency or you will never make it. This means - read, read, read and then read some more of the countless threads on this subject (because you are not the only one who has asked these questions, it is almost a weekly occurrence). The search button is your friend!!!!!
You also have to realize that if you do not get a lot of answers from people on this subject it is because this subject has been beaten to death over the years and people get tired of answering the same old questions over and over again. Don't take it personally.
Now - if this sudden wanting to move is because you not only fell in love with the country, but also because you fell in love with a Dominican, who loves you and wants you back, and is phoning/emailing/texting you since you got back - then I just wasted a whole lot of bandwidth!!!!! Then go straight to the Sankie forum and get your answers there!!!!!
I hope you aren't offended that I gave it you straight up - but sometimes we have to take off the rose-coloured glasses and face reality.
Marlie
P.S. I thought I should add, living there can be a challenge, just because you were taken to a few token places outside the resort, you have not seen it all. Living here is exactly opposite of vacationing here.