Jobs in the DR for American Web Developer

Welcome to the forums.  So  in order to work here  you would need either a cedula or a work visa.  Do you have either? AND do you speak fluent Spanish? while there are some clients who will need English  my experience in IT  is that you need both languages here.

In addition you are competing with the local market who will likely be priced very differently than your services.

@MissBBBBB  Let's break that question up a bit.

Is there demand in the D.R for software development? Yes, Banks and Resorts ( the ones that pay ) I would not recommend dealing with small businesses due to a lot of things.

You could approach larger to medium size businesses and ask but Dominican works based on connections so be careful how you present yourself and your services; get to know people in your community.

My personal opinion - if you want to work here salaried bank or resort that will pay 100k peso per month ~2,000 USD in the capital region give or take. You need to understand they will be using old stuff and legacy system and management will be very different from what you're use to.

My actual answer - not really, stick to US clients to make top dollar for freelance its more trouble and stress than its worth plus you would need a cedeula to work for the banks and other institutions but honestly if you really wanted to work here and they liked you they would probably jump a few hoops for you this is Dominican where your network can get you very far. Cheers.

@planner

Hi! Thank you for taking the time to respond. I don't speak fluent Spanish but am currently taking classes, I can get by but am working on becoming proficient. I didn't realize I'd need a work visa for an online service, and you make a great point about the local market rates vs the U.S. This helps a lot!

@T.DRRR

Thank you!!!! I feel like the people I've asked before have been sugar coating this for me. I don't want to be ill prepared. Thank you for your honesty, makes complete sense!

One other thing - only the largest businesses, and some smaller ones run by expats, even have websites! The vast majority only have Facebook or Instagram pages because they are free and can be self-managed!

if you are planning to do this, stick with US clients!

also, understand that it will be very difficult for you to get residency here! Basically, if you have to work, you won't qualify! You must either buy or start a business (don't recall minimum capital) or show passive income (not for work) from outside the country.

@T.DRRR
Thank you!!!! I feel like the people I've asked before have been sugar coating this for me. I don't want to be ill prepared. Thank you for your honesty, makes complete sense!
-@MissBBBBB

It is the normal here for people to tell you what they "think you want to hear" .   Factor that in always! 

@ddmcghee Thats a very valid point - you couldnt just go into a place like you could in North America and shoot your shot of "This is the value i can give you by making a well thought out business page" you would be doing a lot of leg work with a very low conversion rate because your prices and also cause you're extranjero/a they would be hesitant - most businesses just Whatsapp for contact and it works pretty good to be honest for advertising they use fb marketplace and instagram. DR will catch on someday.. but not for a bit.