My wife and I have just returned from a spectacular Scuba vacation in Bonaire we have fallen in love with the Island and the people we meet there are really wonderful (although I need to freshen up on my Spanish). We would like to move and work in Bonaire I have done some research and I am finding it a little interesting that employment is a bit of a chore, is it really that hard for a US citizen to get a job there? I am an Electrical Engineer I would think that I could provide some benefit to the Island. Any help on this would be appreciated.

Welcome to BT Ted. The short answer is not bloody likely on the job. The rule is a non-Bonairian can not take a job that can be done by a local. That would seem a pretty wide opening if you have a specialized skill but then you would run into the issue of work permits going to EU members first. It is very difficult.

Generally the only people that have pulled this off are either telecomputing or start their own business.

But by all means good luck and if you pull it off let us know how especially since I am also an EE.

Ted, welcome to Bonaire Talk....I see you have been bitten by the "Bonaire Bug"...oh, and GET IN LINE...lol...just kidding. You aren't the first person to pose this question.

Cecil is correct, and if a local cannot be found for the job, a Dutch citizen would be next. It's not impossible, but as Cecil said, pretty bloody unlikely. Plus, you would most likely be required to speak Dutch and Papimento.

I might also add that to move/live/get residency it is a LOT of paperwork, best to get a local to assist with this. It is my understanding that they also require you to have quite a bit of cash coming in (so they know you have enough to live on, and leave if necessary).

(Message edited by cyndelee on December 2, 2008)

Ted..Welcome to BT..Nice idea, however really not practical. My advice, work for another 10-15 years or so in the good ole US, make your $$ & then buy a place on the island. Frankly, I think it's a much easier to do this,but it requires some patience & planning.

Alternatively,take a hiatus from your work & spend at least 6 months on the island to see if your initial "love at first sight" is a lasting proposition.

I suspect you may not like my advice so whatever you decide best of luck to you.

Thank you all for your responses, wow a little disappointing to say the least, when we where there it appeared that jobs would not be a problem there is a lot of new things going on there I was very pleased to see. Although sad I still loved being there and the people when went with (US Scuba) have been going there for 20+ years and the cool part is we got to see why that is.

My wife and I just got back from Bonaire in Feb.I have been there a dozen times now and since our children are almost grown and out of the house we wanted to start our dream of living and thriving on this wonderful little Island being a US citizen not to be proud of these day's.We are hard working,caring people and need a change in life How ironic {change} but in any case how hard is it to get a job in Bonaire and live the dream?? We are also thinking of buying a house on the Island as well.Is it a lease of land or do you own it out right?

Things are changing and no one is really too sure of what the new rules will be. The government is now inforceing the 90 days per year rule for non property owners and the 90 days X 2 for property owners. What this means is that you can stay a total of 90 days as a tourist (combined visits) in a calendar year) and no more than 120 days if you own property. If you wish to stay beyond that need to apply for residency.

**and no more than 120 days if you own property**
Hi Michael. Do you mean 180?

yes..180 my "calculator battery" was running low!

Hello
what about gaining residency and also working

ALSO GUYS
What is with the partial hotel that has been the same since 1997 down past the lighthouse condo's by the salt pier and helma hooker.Why did they stop construction?

Jon...The short answer is...They ran out of money..
Some projects are started without having the funding "wrapped up" to complete the construction.
So, to anyone thinking of buying into a planned project, my advice would be to ALWAYS ask the question, where's the money & do you have enough to complete the project right now or are you relying on something else? If it's the latter, be careful.

hi am a nurse whom is coming to med school september 2010 i just wanted to know if i would be able to fine a part time job. or can some one help to find some kind of nursing job , in nursing home at home, child care any thing really wild at med school. can any one help

no ..you can not work .. you will be on a student visa .. and it is not permitted ..also you must be fluent in papiamentu, dutch and spanish and have education qualifications in line with the dutch requirements .. even if there were a vacancy .. as stated before .. jobs go first to the locals and it would be rare if a non resident would qualify to work in nursing here...

The only job for US trained nurses has been at the recompression chamber. As Petrie said, since you are on a student permit, you are not allowed to work here and if you do it illegally, chances are you will be deported.

Folks, you really have to not plan on getting a job here. Not quite impossible, but close. The way an American works here is to run a business. As long as you have the capital to start a business, pass a few checks of moral character, and qualify for residence, you can get a director's permit. With that, you are free to derive income from any business you can get a license to operate. We aren't allowed to get jobs.

Kevin, and would the key words be "get a license"???
Isn't that a tricky process also?

Getting the license isn't really all that hard. I've got one. Michael's got one. Ruth's got one. Rhonda's got one to run the Sign Studio. The handful of American restaurant owners have them. It can take a few months, but there aren't huge obstacles as long as you aren't going into a field that is being regulated due to overcrowding. You wouldn't stand a chance trying to get a dive shop license, restaurant and bar licenses are a little hard to come by, and there's a moratorium on construction company licenses. If you've got a real business plan with any rational chance of succeeding, the cash to meet the asset requirements, and pass the immigration requirements, you'll do fine. If you can demonstrate that you will hire a significant number of Bonaireans, they'll even expedite permits and usually grant temporary operating licenses if you purchase an existing business. If you want to be the fiftieth masseuse on the island, you might have some difficulty even if the licenses aren't regulated, just because it would be hard to believe that someone could support themselves that way.

hmm, interesting Kevin. And if a PA wanted to go into practice on BON. I wonder if he would be a business in demand...any take on that? just curious

personally, I wish they had nuclear medicine on Island and needed ME! hehe

Give me a clue as to what a "PA" might be, and I'll at least venture a guess.

Medical fields are one of the hardest for foreigners to get job. Chances are really minus 0!

Physician's Assistant....just like my Hubby!

As Michael said, minus zero. Think of it, though: what would your business plan be? What exactly would your corporation do? Offer itself as a contract agency to a physician, so that the physician didn't employ the assistant directly? When the assistant your corporation offered could only work effectively with a few percent of the local population? Language barriers become huge in medical work ... you have to know a second language really well to know words like "diverticulitis" and "rheumatoid arthritis" (I still haven't figured out how to say "diverticulitis", but "Een zakje in mijn dwarmkanal" seems to get the point across). The typical Bonairean's grasp of English is impressive, but, not surprisingly, it is only strong in areas that come up frequently in conversations with tourists. When I get in any complicated conversations, many points arise where we have to start mode-shifting ... I describe the thing in English, offer up related words in Dutch or Spanish, gesture, or grab a dictionary, because the things that we are talking about have gone beyond tourist service. The same is true of the Dutch ... for them, English is typically their second language instead of their fourth, so it isn't as big of a problem, but it certainly happens.

This is where the idea that getting a business license is difficult comes from, but it isn't getting the license that is hard. It's figuring out a business that's hard. It isn't simply a matter of repackaging your job in the guise of a consulting business. You have to figure out something the island needs that you can provide in a way that makes a profit for you. Once you've figured out a way to operate a profitable business, the government will license it happily. I'm a case in point: I'm a computer engineer that spent his career designing telecommunication systems and marketing semiconductors. Here, I've run hotels and developed land, because no one here needed telecommunication system designers, and there isn't much of a market for high-speed silicon.

you must remember that a scant 2% of the population is American .. with even lesser percents for English speaking residents from other countries ..

thanks guys...I have a friend that is a Physician's Assistant. He figured he could just go there and buy an existing dive shop that is for sale and go into business. I have heard stories about people buying a business and the permit going to the next in line for one and not being able to operate the business they just purchased. Especially if you arent a resident...

His argument was he could always offer medical services then...
well I KINDA told him what you all mentioned but I was guessing since I have never really asked this question on here before.

Thank you Pietri, Kevin and Michael for your insight. Glad I didn't give bad advice...

My husband is an electrician, he thought he could just pop onto BON and say here I am, I know you need me! hehe.
I have tried to explain to him it just doesn't work that way...

Oh well...so it goes. I wouldn't want to move my daughter there anyway. and our friends that want to move there do not speak any language but english...I really admire muli-lingual people! Such a talent!