Vacation advice/DR Living advice

I have read in some of your other posts that you are considering the north coast as a place to live.  That is where we are and did so for some of these reasons: large expat community, very nice beaches, restaurants,bars, we can find basically what we need including household goods, find that by buying "local" we have decreased our cost of living by about 40%, health care is ok but would return to the US for major problems,and certainly a more relaxed lifestyle. 
Now understand that living here creates lots of new problems and issues to be dealt with.  You have to be able to accept lack of electricty at times, not being able to drink or use tap water, poor roads, absolutly insane drivers, what ever  happens if you are involved as a gringo it is your fault, people who will take advantage of you (more often an other expat rather than a local Dominican), no mail (my favorite thing here actually)and lots more. 
But having said all that we would not change a thing.
On your vacation DO NOT stay at an all inclusive but rather rent a condo or an apt for a couple of weeks and see how "living" her fits you.
Good luck and ask any questions  you may have

Bob K

Thanks a lot Bob, thats all good information to know.

I was wondering if you retired and then moved to the DR or if you were working at any point before retiring there? If so, what were you able to find in the job market there? From most of the posts I have read it sounds like jobs are scarce and what jobs are there are very low in wages. I wouldn't care if I had to work as a maid or in the tourism area, or anything. Its a sacrifice I would be willing to make for a different lifestyle. I would just need to prob have to pay off ALL of my debt so our wages could soley be used for living expenses.

We will def go the hostel or renting a condo route. My parents will be joining us as they plan on moving there possibly as well in a few years.

Good to know about the major medical issues also. We were thinking it would be wise to wait before we have our first child until we move to the DR but I will need to research that more and make sure its not a wiser decision to have a baby here in the states first.

I have questions all of the time. My question to you, whats your favorite part about living in the DR?

Brittnee

Oh do make sure you visit for a month or so.  LIke i said in your other thread jobs are hard to find and you would be lucky to fine one that pays $300 a MONTH.  You can figure on needing at least $1500 a month to have any kind of life style here and live in a secure area
We came to retire but failed at that and actually worked for ReMax for 6 years selling realestate.  We re-retired this past summer and now sell realestate as a private buyers agent for referred and private clients.

Bob K

The work issues are something I can help you with!  I do a lot of recruiting and placement. I  can tell you emphatically  you do not want to be a "chambermaid" - it pays about 200 US a month. AND you are not qualified most likely.... (joke) 

IF you want some real feedback send me your resumes to my email consultantdr@gmail.com and I am happy to give you realistic feedback.

As Bob says, rent here for a while, I think 3 to 6 months before you decide this is for you.  Those of us who have lived here some years can all agree we know hundreds who have packed up and left.  This is paradise but it is not for everyone.

For those who take the time to research, learn, grow and adapt this place is amazing! Life here is rich in so many ways!

Greetings planner. I could not help reading the previous post and noticed you mentioned recruiting. I currently work as a massage therapist for Equinox Fitness in N.Y. For the last 15 years, mainly specializing in Sports Therapy.
     I dropped off my resume at a few spots in Cabarete, but it seems that there is more of a Canadian community up there and more comfortable hiring felow Canadians. I could be wrong, but it just seemed that way. I'm fluent in both Spanish and English, and have previous experience in customer service, managerial, financial, and bartending.
     My current resume reflects my current profession since I have been at it for the past 15 years. I would be willing to work at something else and do my sports therapy part time in order to try living in the North Coast for at least 6 months or more late 2013. Any info on work possibilities would truly be appreciated. I hope to be back in the North Coast hopefully in May for a month. Many Thanks in advance.

Just to elaborate on the Canadian hiring mention. Massage therapists in Canada have more training hours and a much more rigorous training hours than American therapists. I can only hope to be given an opportunity out there and be judged on my experience and skill which time and time again has been well received. The commentary was mainly a reflection of my personal experience with massage jobs and not any other form of employment.  Thank You.

I  am not aware of the training etc of massage therapists so you may be correct. I do know that the main call for massage is in hotel spas.  That will be your best bet to get you started while building up a private client base.  Again, if you want redo your resume and forward to me for a realistic appraisal.

Meanwhile I can tell you it is almost impossible to get a job without being here.  You can start applying to all the Hotel owner / management companies. Apply to every spa group as well to see what you can get.

It will be tough to build up much of a private practice - you need numbers! And the fees you charge here will not be what you can charge there.

Thank you so much for your advice. I will be sure to try the resort route first and see what comes up. Thanks again.