women in business/working women in DR

Great start.... I am a foreign woman in business! It is a mixed bag here. First their is a giant double standard. We cannot do what men do. Your behaviour, wardrobe, knowledge etc is.judged. You cannot do what men do. You are expected to take positions where you will be a visual asset if that is appropriate.  Your partner or spouse will be part of the judgement too!!! So if your husband doesn't fit the "role" or "class" of the operation or business it reflects on you!

For the first couple of years here it is tough to get people to take you seriously. After that hard work and good business sense can take you a long way.

Business here is very different in many ways.

Sexual harassment - oh my, pretty much part of the culture and not seen as harassment at all.

Banking - yes sometimes better rates. Be careful where you invest. Do not put all your $ in one place. Do not invest privately anything you cannot afford to lose.

That is a start.....

Great info! Thanks!

I have already been "used" (I consented) as a visual asset "prop" for a band...they're actually playing tonight in Puerto Plata...Not sure where you are at??? at Marco...He's pretty good bachata singer...check him out...

Other than that, I am questioning the "you cannot do what men do" because so far, I have acted as a strong headed gringa and it works well as long as I have the $$.  However, I have not yet confronted government authorities to the full front, that is what I am weary of...

Other than that, I have to improve my local, dominican spanish in order to fit in even better...my wardrobe works so far...Looks are a major asset I shall say...

Thank you!

Right now you are a bring a with money in a tourism area.  Govt officials, big business, those on the inside of the network - not the same at all. Whole other world.

Right now I am in Costambar heading back to Santo Domingo tomorrow!

Hello! I would like to move to DR with my husband who's Dominican-Canadian. I have been a Massage Therapist for 8 years in Canada (worked on cruises ships and other travels). What could I possibly do for work in DR for desent pay? Have my own business / spa? Teach Massage Therapy? Or practice privately?...etc. Or should I think of a new career path in DR? Such as teach English??? What would be a good option?
Thank you for your help!

Christy first off welcome to the forum. There are lots of nice folks here with good information just feel free to ask away.

Have you been here before?  Do know that to work here legally you need your cedula (national ID card) and residency card (like a green card in the US).  If you are going into business for yourself you will also need a RNC (tax id) number.

Do know that the pay scale here is VERY low.  If you are lucky enough to find a job you usually be earning between $200 and $400 a MONTH!  There are tons of spas and massage locations (mostly in the tourist and expat areas as they are the ones who can afford them) both ligit and not so ligit.  As to teaching your best course if you have a degree or license is to contact some of the private schools, again in the Expat and more affluent areas of the country.  Education on a whole is not really stressed here but it is getting better with the new government.

If you have not been here come visit for a month or two and see if the country "fits" for you.  Again welcome.


Bob K

Welcome to the forums!!!! As your husband is Dominican - does he have his passport / citizenship? IF so makes it easier for you to get legal.  You can open a business as an independent person using your cedula as soon as you get one!  Its pretty easy actually.

As to how much money you will make - nothing like you are used to.  Right now I can have a good full body massage - 1 1/2 hours for about US 20!

Now there are many spas / resorts etc who are always looking for staff!  Start there.  What area of the country are you thinking to settle in?  That will change some of our recommendations possibly!   

Starting a school  of massage.... interesting. Not sure what we currently have here.   Teaching English - are you qualified?  If not you might want to get qualified before coming. It is always a good idea to have more then one stream of income!!!!

Next thing - read all the threads that interest you!  Come back with any more questions you have, we are here to help!

Thanks for you messages! Yes, my husband has a Dominican Passport, how long would it take for me to get a cedula.
I dont think I could do a massage for that cheap..hehe! I normally charge $120 for 90 mins here. Oh boy! Maybe I should call some large spas and see what they offer, it is probably not much, hmm. I was thinking of moving to Punta Cana. We got married there and spent 3 weeks in the DR visiting different places. It is so beautiful and would love to raise a family there since everyone seems so happy! I like to see the kids playing on the streets, something you rarely see in Canada anymore.
It is a good idea to contact the schools to teach english and see what there qualifications are.
Is there plenty of spas in Punta Cana and how do they do. (having trouble with my question mark button)
Thanks for the help!
Cristy

Even in the big spas at the resorts you will not make nearly what you make there in Canada. Just to reinforce what planner said I get an one hour and a half deep tissue massage every week and with tip it comes to less than $21.

With teaching English you will need a degree and a certificate for teaching English (I think it is an ESL or something like that).

Living here is MUCH different than being on vacation for  a few weeks.

Bob K

There are spas in almost every hotel in Punta Cana. I don't know how they pay but they charge big bucks!!!

Living in Punta Cana can be expensive and raising children - no issue until they need to go to school!!!

Bob is right living here is very different then vacation. Come check it out before making long term decisions....

Would it be hard to open a spa in Punta Cana? What about Sousa?

Im going to check out some schools for ESL Training Certificate in Canada.

What are the schools like for the children? Is there good education?

We might come to visit the DR in a few months. Then I can apply for the cedula before we decide when to move. I will check out more places which I would like to stay...

Thanks for the advice!

it would be expensive to open a spa in  Punta Cana and you will be going head to head with the resorts who have the guests in house.

Opening a good quality massage place for  people who live there might be a better idea but I do not know what the competition is there! 

Good education is a commodity here that you will have to pay for!  And it is not cheap.  Cost depends on school year and the school you choose.

Hi Christy. I'm a massage therapist in N.Y. And I'm trotting down the same road as you.  I have been to both Sosua and Cabarete. There is a spa in Cabarete called: Andari. The spa is inside the Millenium hotel and the manager is named Michelle, she is Canadian, that might be a positive for you.  I don't know what she is willing to pay, but it is a very nice high end hotel by Cabarete standards.  Google Millenium hotel Cabarete and the spa info should be there.  You might be able to see what she is willing to pay.  Most of the other therapist I have met from abroad are independent.  There is a good chance you might have to do more than one type of work to survive there, unless you do not mind lowering your standards of living a bit and live modestly.  I do know that in some places they do pay foreigners a bit more off the books, but as far as medical insurance or any job related hazard, you are on your own.  There are many Canadians in Sosua and Cabarete, I'm pretty sure they would be willing to give you some temporary employment while you get your self situated, just be open to all employment. Come, spend a while and make some friends, but choose wisely.  There is also a page on FB called Everything Cabarete you can find pretty much anything on there, jobs, apartments, used furniture, scooters etc........ Good Luck and let me know how things work out for you.

Good info!!!!! Fyi medical insurance is available fairly easily and inexpensively.

Be careful of taking under the table work, gov't is cracking down.

Opening another spa in the Sosua/Cabarete area will be a bust from the get go.  There are lots of them here some ligit and very good and some are rub and tug places (happy ending).  The more upscale ones are barely making it and as I said are abundant.

Yes you will need you ESL to teach English here and you will only find employment in a private school. Once again the competition for positions is pretty strong.  General public education is basically still a joke here.

Bob K

Hello Massagewiz! Oh wow! Thank you for your valuable information! Looks like you have some research... It seems like opening a spa may be a huge challenge with so many spas and prices so low! I'll check up on the spa you mentioned! Maybe we can work together!! Hehe

Planner & Bob - Thank you for keeping it real! I like your honesty!!!
I'm going to see if I can take a course in ESL training before I come!
Hopefully I can come up with more ways to generate income!
Looks like if we have kids they would need to go to private schools. What are the cost in your area?
Thanks!

By the way: I think I may have made two profiles by accident cause I forgot my password! Hehe I try to delete one!

Now worries, we are here to help and we always try to be honest!!!!  I hate to calculate how many years experience we all have......LOL 

Private schools here in the capital start at about  US 500 per month per child. and it goes up as they age........

In most cases, if you teach in teh school your first child attends for free.....

Costs are about the same here on the north coast at $500 or more per month per kid. For two girls (our house keepers kids) in a Dominican private school (only local Dominican kids and supported by different charities) we spend about $400 a month for the two of them including tuition, transportation, food,  registration fees, books,supplies and uniforms.

Bob K

No problem at all, hope the massage thing works out.  I plan to personal train as well in addition to the massage thing.  I would love to trade or work together while there.  I mainly spend my time in Cabarete. I'm not settle there yet, but I'm usually there two to three months out of the year.  If all pans out after my next trip in May, I should be there again in November/December for about 6 months.  Good luck on your venture and if feel free to ask away.  Have a great Easter.

Please come to the capital..... I need a massage..... Lol.