Hey
im realy interested to work there as a dive instructor can I do that and can I live out of that kind of job down there

Joe, assuming you're qualified and all that, it will be a matter of open vacancies I guess . I think your best bet would be to approach some of the diving schools that are listed on one of the many Bonaire sites.
As far as licenses etc. goed, there is a good informative page on the site of Sunbel Realty:
http://www.sunbelt.an/bon_licenses.htm

Good luck!

I explored wages while in BON in the summer and was stunned to realize how low some of the wages are! YIKES..I believe the dive instructors make around 1500.00-3000.00 guilders a month. I spoke to several and cannot recall if they are instructors or DM's.

Good luck..as far as openings, an American friend is there and was passed up for a Dutch applicant.

Annie

It is more like nafl 1500. Dutch nationalitity does not need a work permit. One note. Being multilingual helps a lot when trying for an instructors job.

But now i need to find a empty spot (dive instructor) Is there a a job bank some where or a master list on the internet i can look for. Or anybody i can speak too about this matter. If yes im a qualified SSI open water instructor speaking French and english. And i will be going in bonaire on the 1 of march 2003 for a dive trip/looking for job there as dive instructor.

Joe, in that case I think your best bet is to make lots of contacts during that trip. Look around, speak to people. Hey, you may not like the island at all (impossible to imagine, but it could happen ).
Sending out e-mails will help too. We have found that everyone is very helpfull.

Joe, As far as I know, there is only 1 SSI school, I think it's Bon Bini Divers. You could try to contact them.

Joe,

PADI is pretty much what's in most demand on Bonaire...

Jake

Joe, I think that Toucan Diving is an SSI School too.. I can't find the thread, but I'm pretty sure that my good friend SJ corrected me on this some time ago... ;-)

Good luck...

I have only been to Bonaire once but fell in love. Got my cert card only 2 weeks before we left. I had started taking college classes in Photoshop, et al, a few years before that thinking to move to the mountains with my horse. Forget the mountains, I want to move to Bonaire. Haven't figured out what to do with the horse. (and no I can't sell her, she's my baby) Can you import a horse? I thought the computer would allow me to work from home and it didn't really matter where home was but that is proving to be more difficult than I first thought. I have tried to imagine what could I do to make money there. Still trying to figure out what that island needs and could support. I know this is a shot in the dark but any ideas would be welcome. Can't wait to go back ASAP.

Sandi

Hi, I’m heading to Bonaire for a two year stay. What is the terrain like and what do you recommend for a vehicle? What would I expect to pay for a used vehicle that’s in good condition?

Also, I have been trying to locate a car / pickup truck dealer on the Island that might be able to give me some idea as to what’s available. Do you know of any auto dealers with web addresses?

Well we rented a small 4-door truck for a couple of days and drove all over, even in the park at one end of the island. The rental companies tell you not to but if you keep to the main roads and drive reasonable you won't hurt anything. All they had was manual transmissions and I hadn't driven one in a few years but had no problem. Kind of depends on where you go. We drove around most of the island. Town is town. Most other roads we were on were kinda 1+1/2 lane. Some of them are one way, for long ways. There were several dirt roads that we didn't take, some we did. No problem. I wish I knew where you are from. I live across the bay from San Francisco and have also driven around in the mountains. Freeways, dirt roads, mud, snow - been there, done that. Bonaire was a piece of cake. You might ask about used rentals. If you don't need to take much stuff very far you might consider a motorbike. If I remember right, gas is rather pricey and the island is so small with about 1/4 of it being the park even a bicycle would work great. Downtown is pretty flat. If you need to make regular trips up to or near the "alter" on the peak you will want something motorized. Out of curiousity, how did you manage to get to go to Bonaire for 2 years? A job to die for!!

Jon,

Talk about a coincidence -- I grew up in Wilmington MA. Lived in the big white 3-family house on Burlington Ave, across from Boutwell St. My parents owned it up until 92.

I'm curious too -- how did you luck out and get to go live in Bonaire for 2 years?

Hi! i'm interested to live and work in bonaire, i'm from peru and i'm graduated in business administration and tourism, can anybody explain to me what i need to live there? do i need a immigration visa or a work permit?

My husband and I are moving to Bonaire this summer. My husband already has a job and I am going to need one myself. Where should I start??

Learn Dutch & Papiamento, and take a bar-tending class.....or refrigeration/air-conditioning repair.

Ruth, I am working on the first two, have bartended in the Caribbean and US before the but the bit about refridge and air conditioning repair..YUCK..not up my alley..LOL

boy, lots of folks want to move to bonaire...anyone know what the unemployment rate is on the island?

Thanks Ruth...I am learning the Dutch language right now and know a little papiamento already. I was a bartender for 3 years in the US. Found a house already but will need a temporary apartment. Do you know who I have to contact??

Cynde, according to some report last week, unemployment has rissen by 50%, oddly enough . Of course, while I don't know the exact figures, this might only be a small increase in absolute numbers since the population is so small .

I've lived here for almost 13 years, so I'm a bit out of touch of what you need to do permit-wise, etc. Your potential employer must prove that you have skills that a local person doesn't have before you'll be granted a work permit-which would be very unlikely if our unemployment rate is really up (which is not my personal experience, though. I think there are jobs for those who really wish to work). I've heard Sun Rentals is good for finding temporary apts--beware though, an 'unfurnished' apt. may actually mean there are no kitchen appliances, like a fridge or stove (besides of course, no furniture).

Hey all you peoples! Who knows the language?

I have taken a position with a local Radio Station on the Island. What I am doing is called missionary work. TWR Bonaire is one of 13 super power stations located through out the world. They are a Christian broadcasting network that works with the locals and countries they broadcast into.

I also noticed that the Dutch government has a very large radio station at the north end of the island. It’s probably hard to get in there also, but you can find out more about it under www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/bonaire_history.html.

I do not have any diving skills but will take some lessons for sure, I love to snorkel. I wish you all the best. Be a volunteer. It’s hard work but the benefits must be pretty good for those who love the ocean. Being a volunteer means I really don’t get paid. The way it works is I find people who are interested in the work I am doing and they support me, sponsor me, through charitable donations that allow them to become an extension of the work done by TWR. It’s a worthy cause. Perhaps your only goal in life is to find a niche on an island like Bonaire. More power to you, but I could only find temporary satisfaction in doing that. So, I asked God, who loves me, to show me what He wanted me to do. I only dreamed of doing this. The Bible says, if you will give Him your heart, he, God, will give you the desires of your heart. Interested? Write me!

Be like Jesus