Seeking employment opps in Costa Rica

Give this previous post a read.  There are a few points that refer to your question.
Cheers .... Terry

Hi S. Jeffery,

Welcome to Expat.com!

Thank you for this introduction.

You may also post an ad in the jobs in Costa Rica section.

All the best,
Christine
Expat.com team

Thanks for the info.  So, what about companies that will hire US citizens?  I am seeing alot of job seekers looking for work on the job site here, but not many updated jobs.  Where would one look to apply for jobs while we are still stateside?  Also, we had thought about someday buying a small business...is it possible ti sponsor ourselves? 

We just want to relocate to Costa Rica so badly, but we understand its going to takr some time. We are basically gathering info at the moment....or trying to find employment that will eventually lead us down there.

As for myself, pretty much anything administrative.  I am currently an Office Manager for a veterinary consulting business; however, I have also worked for a police department.  My Bachelor's degree is in Criminal Justice and was in charge of their warrants division, the evidence department, etc.  I have years of experience with computers, data entry, office managing, etc.  I am also a certified vet tech. 

My husband has his Bachelor's in Project Management and his MBA. He also has many years of work experience in a variety of areas: oil & gas, project management, outdoor survival instructor/team leadership, construction... he's very well-rounded. 

Again, we aren't looking for anything that pays what it does here in the States - we understand that the cost of living, and therefore the compensation is considerably less, also.  But we are simply wanting employment that will allow us to earn a living and be happy and comfortable in Costa Rica and become worthwhile citizens of a community.

The most efficient way to work here is to create you own company.  Although you can own your own business, technically you cannot do the work yourself; however, many people do.  But, you do have to have Costa Rican's doing the work.  Or at least appear to be doing most of the work.

This is a different world.  You need to be here, experience it, take it in and then decide if you can or want to live here or start a business here.  You need to be here "at least" six months to determine this.  Life here is NOTHING like North America or Europe.  And as I have said previously, it cannot be explained.  You have to experience it to understand it.

- Dave

I totally agree with Dave.  You really have to live in Costa Rica for awhile to know if you will like it.  It is definitely not for everyone.  It is an amazing adventure but not for anyone easily discouraged, impatient, or not willing to live and look at life an entirely different way.  I have tried to describe it to people but as Fave says, it is indescribable.  Until you live you will never fully understand.  I would suggest if you have not lived here before and by live, I don't mean vacationing, then save/have some money to live on for awhile.  Come down and check it out, maybe even live in a few different areas if possible because theycanbevery different, socially, economically, weather, attitude toward gringos,  all can be quite different.
On a positive note, it is obviously agreeable to a lot of us because there are quite a few expats here. 

Sjeffery13

There are two general answers to your questions. One is what people do and what people should do. These are two very different things.

What people do. There are tens of thousands of illegal immigrants working in Costa Rica (or in any country for that matter) and in this case, I am not talking about Nicaraguans, I am referring to expats (as they do not like to call themselves immigrants) from the US, Canada, Argentina and Europe. They are employed in all sorts of things, from technology companies to restaurants and hotels. There is also people who telecommute. You mentioned that you do data entry, well, you can get gigs in freelancer.com and work from here. There is also people who have their own businesses.

What people should do. They should first obtain legal status in order to find a job. This topic is complicated because there are a lot of immigration categories. ExpatDave refers to the Temporary Resident as an Investor, in which case you are supposed to invest in a business but are not allowed to work on that business (BTW the investment amount should be $200k). But there is also a special category for self employed people with their own business. So if you know how to bake cookies, you can open your cookie shop and sponsor your own status.
You ask about which companies hire expats, well, there are tons of them. You can find Fortune 500 companies here such as HP, Intel, P&G, etc.  who invest a ton of money hiring foreign workers, but these workers are highly specialized in their fields. Further, there are a lot of local companies in need for specialized workforce too, but unless they are registered companies (registered companies is a whole other subject in the immigration field) their chances on obtaining a work visa for a foreign worker are slim. Believe me, I am an immigration attorney.

And, as an attorney, I always suggest people to be compliant. Nevertheless, the reality is that there is plenty of people who are doing it under the table. Again, I do not advise it.

There are very few Jobs here for non-Ticos.  The CRican companies
will not hire you protect their own is the byword.  The few american companies  are under great pressure to hire only locals.

The unemployment rate for job age foreigners here is well over 50% and maybe as much as 75%-90%.

You should only come to live here with some type of fixed income to back you up and the ability to start a small biz.

Costa Rica for job seekers is the land of broken dreams, with no back-up for food stamps or other welfare, you are on your own a stranger in a strange land

With all due respect I disagree with bard. The unemployment rate is not that high with foreigners. I would like to know what statistics bard used to support such a claim.

I agree that Costa Rican companies do not hire that many expats. Although, they do hire a lot of Nicaraguans.

There are a significant number of international companies that bring expats on a regular basis, such as IBM, CISCO, HP, P&G, Unilever, Clorox, Intel, so on and so forth. The question is: are you hirable by this companies? Depending on your background and expertise, you may be able to get a job in some of these companies. If you are expecting to be a teacher or wait tables at the beach, maybe you will be able to get a job under the table. Pay may not be good.

A good option that you have available, as ExpatDave noted, is to create your own business. But there is a misconception about this option. People often confuse being self-employed with being an investor.

Under Costa Rican Immigration Law, you are eligible for temporary residence as an investor if you invest $200k in a new business or an existing business. However, there is also the option of obtaining a status if you are self employed, and for instance, you have your own business. For this category, you do not need to invest $200k, you just need to be self employed. So, if you are a web developer and have enough income to make a living, you will qualify for the self employed category.

I hope this information is helpful.

Regards,

Rafael Valverde