Please tell me pros and cons of living DR

Welcome to the forum!  In terms of living and working in the Dominican Republic, your degree of spanish needed is going to depend on where you live (which city) and what you are doing.

For example if you live and work in tourism then spanish will help you but not be mandatory.

If you work in Santo Domingo (large city) and you are working for a company that only speaks Spanish then it is going to be a big problem!!!! 

tell us more about you, the work and where it will be.

Welcome to the Forum.  Where will you be working and doing what?
If you are used to things getting done at a very slow pace sometimes than you will do fine.
Type A personalities do not work all that well here.

Bob K

Hello , first I give the welcome all guests to this beautiful country , while people in Dominican Republic are very friendly and rest assured that you show your support .

Att . Her friend Diana

Belkys welcome to the forum
Are you an expat or were you born here
There are lots of good folks here with great information to share.
Tell us a bit about yourself

Bob K

Welcome Belkys,  please tell us more about yourself.

Hola Jaeeyun Jo! If the following statements represent you, you should decide against the Dominican Republic:

- You can't stand the heat
- You dislike the sun very much
- You hate rice and chicken
- You're a control freak

Otherwise, in my experience so far, one may live many different lifestyles in the DR depending on the location. Most cities and villages are somewhat chaotic by Canadian / American standards (maybe not by Korean standards though), but in various places I've seen neighborhoods and gated communities that felt almost like the quietest of American suburbs. However, no matter where and how you live, you should expect to experience the following hurdles, at least occasionally:

- Roads are difficult; driving long distance is generally an ordeal due to hazardous road conditions and incongruous signage (although for long-distance trips you can avoid that problem by using motorcoaches, which are cheap and air-conditioned)
- ATMs aren't reliable
- Food selections tend to be limited
- Drinking tap water will send you to the loo
- Showers will be cold
- You may have to lower your standards for most things: transportation, restrooms, cleanliness, efficiency in customer service...
- People talk a lot about your whereabouts. As one expat once told me, "if you hurt your knee in Cabarete, 20 minutes later it will be known in Rio San Juan"
- If you know the right people, most things will get done very quickly. Otherwise, be ready to hear "mañana", which in Dominican lingo means "Anytime between now and the day my grandchildren are all dead".

On the other hand...

- DR is a beautiful country (not only for the beaches but for the campo and the mountains as well)
- Dominicans are exceptionally friendly and easy to approach in small towns and in the country (campo)
- If you don't shop in places that cater mostly for gringos, food will be very affordable, particularly tropical fruits and vegetables
- Dominicans are NOT stressed and it's good to live in such a relaxed environment
- Everything you'll do outside of tourist traps will cost you about 1/5 of the equivalent in the USA
- You'll experience a lot of freedom here; so much so that you'll be the one having to set your own limits

Lastly, I don't think it's suitable to live here long term without speaking any Spanish. If you only master English, you'll miss all the fun of mingling with locals and creating bonds, which in my opinion is a big part of the greatness of this country. Spanish is easy to learn and I find Dominicans quite helpful when they see you make efforts to speak and understand the language.

Cheers and good luck

MPD a very good general post for all that are considering  living here.

Bob K

Excellent post   -  however you responded to a question that was posted over a year ago.

But you may  want to cut and paste that into other forums!  Its very well done! I particularly like these.....

"- You may have to lower your standards for most things: transportation, restrooms, cleanliness, efficiency in customer service..."  GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT.....LOL   CUSTOMER SERVICE DOES NOT EXIST HERE

"- People talk a lot about your whereabouts. As one expat once told me, "if you hurt your knee in Cabarete, 20 minutes later it will be known in Rio San Juan"

SO TRUE..... I LAUGH ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME.

Well the talk about your whereabouts might not be such a bad thing just in case you go missing, at least they can provide some usefull info to authorities