Jobs in guyana

I just came back from 8 months in Guyana, volunteering. It depends if you are a doctor or a cleaner. We had two young professional friends living there, they eventually found positions, one at his level the other is way over qualified for his position. It took them about 6-7 months to get these jobs. They are expats.  If you have a qualified trade you might get work with Exon  or a mining or Bauxite Company. If you have no trade or profession and want to work in a store or construction I would say chances are nil. Lots of Guyanese looking for those jobs. Salaries for all jobs are very low compared to Western standards. I think you almost have to go there with a company in order to get a professional job quickly.

what if someone owns a truck and was working for a company as an independent contractor?  would this be a possibility or not to make a living in guyana in georgetown?  rsvp

I would think it would be very difficult to make enough to live there.  My friend was a taxi driver, had his own car he was paying  for and he was always always borrowung money. He was busy most days but fares are 400 Guyanese dollars to almost anywhere in the city for a drop, could go to 600for some. 400 is about $2.50 Canadian. Gasoline is about the same price as in Canada. They still use horse and carts for a lot of local deliveries. The local papers are always advertising jobs so maybe look in them. I don't know anything about being a contract driver..

then are you saying that life is really tough in guyana compared to chile or panama?  is guyanas economy good or bad?  rsvp.

The economy is terrible, lots of citizens think the country is in a death spiral. 

Unless you have family there or a partner I  would not go,  it is very dangerous, lots of violence, you need an “in” to get to know where to go and where not to go.  Guyana is the only South American country I have lived in so I have no comparison.  The majority of the people are great but violence is every where. For example the US Peace Corps has restricted their volunteers in Georgetown to a very small area. I had more leeway but I still had to be very careful and never went out at night by myself.

I have lived in a lot of Asian countries and I would live in any of them again before I would live in Guyana again.

So if I was you I would keep looking.

Barry

is guyana like belize, suriname, and french guiana?  then what youre saying is that there is a lot of violent crime then?  is my assumption correct?  rsvp

I don't know about the other countries, only Guyana.

is there  a lot of violent crime in guyana like el salvador?  street gangs, ect.....???  rsvp

Yes, maybe not so much gangs but lots of robberies and assaults. My neighbour and his son were knifed to death In their home. As a foreigner, unless you are of African or East Indian Descent,  you stand out. One of my colleagues was robbed on a busy street. There are guards in front of many stores with what look like AK 47 rifles.

I dont want to give the impression it is all bad, it is not. Lots of fantastic people. But as a expat going there alone you are asking for trouble.

would they have something against me because im from el salvador?  whats the problem?  rsvp

is suriname and french guiana the same thing when it comes to these types of crimes like in guyana?  rsvp