Hey,
IMHO, you need to really plan what you are going to do; what are your strengths? Not to state the obvious, but it's usually best to utilise your strengths when considering any career, in any country rather than suddenly try to be a hotelier/estate agent. For example, what do you do for a living now??
I'm in a similar position to you- I want to move to the DR but obviously I'd need to gain paid work. I hope to teach as I've already got CELTA/TEFL and doing an English degree. I also want to do some volunteer work both before I move permanently and once residing- this satisifes two points. 1.) genuinely helping others to gain better education/ employment, etc 2.) To sample living in the DR, gain employment before moving, make new feiends in the volunteer groups and community, etc... Not rushing into it.
It seems a lot of people seem to travel to the DR, very ill-prepared, both in terms of earning a living/ expected standard of living and also what to expect/perils/benefits of living in the DR.
Most info I've found, has been searching on these forums, and there are a some very knowledgable people... Covering areas such as moving to the DR, protecting your house, integration, 'fitting in' etc...
Just my thoughts- hope it helps...
Cheryl
lot of people who know