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Old 09-27-2014, 08:31 AM
 
2 posts, read 7,272 times
Reputation: 15

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Hello,

I'm a recent college graduate, and I would like to move to Puerto Rico (at least temporarily).
As for why- it's hard to explain, but to make a long story short: because I want to.

I speak, and understand Spanish well. I've visited the island, but at the same time, I realize that as is the case with most places, each part will have its own "personality"- Carolina, Humacao, and Culebra aren't the same just because they happen to be on the same island.

Now, my question is- what do you think is the best way to get a job in PR as someone who is currently living on the mainland. Right now, I have a number of things making the process difficult:

1. The distance- it's hard enough to find a job in one state when you're living in another. Add in a body of water than needs to be crossed, and... yeah.
2. I'm a recent graduate. I have work experience, but not enough that would make an employer really say "We've GOT to get this girl over here. Even if it means taking a risk."
3. To my understanding, the economy of PR is not the best right now. It's hard for people who are already living there- with work experience to find jobs.

So what do you suggest someone in my situation do? Is it reasonable to think that I may be able to find a job before moving, or would I be more successful by saving up enough to survive for a few months, moving there, and then looking for work? I'm thinking the latter, but my problem is figuring out where the heck would be the best place to move in order to do that.

For those of you who have been through this, did you select the area you wanted to live in first, and then look for jobs based on that, or did you find a company you liked, and then look for a place to live that was a reasonable commuting distance?

Of course, I'd like to spend some time in the place I'd be moving to before just packing up my life and going there, but I'm not certain as to how to go about that when I have no idea where I'd be going.

I was looking into Aguadilla- I have a tech background, and I've seen that a couple big tech companies are out there.

But enough- I'm rambling at this point.
Any insight or help you all can offer would be appreciated, and if you need clarification on anything on my side, please ask and I'll explain more thoroughly.

Thank you
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Old 10-03-2014, 06:51 AM
 
132 posts, read 236,905 times
Reputation: 137
That's a tough call. Unemployment is high, and the job market is limited. That, however, is not to say that individuals with needed skills and/or education are not able to get jobs. Looking for work from a distance is not as easy as presenting oneself in person. If you know areas on the island that have businesses looking for particular skills or ones you have, then you are correct in residing there. Aguadilla and vicinity are more progressive in establishing new developments, so I agree with you that this would be a good place to start.
The fact that you are comfortably bilingual is a great plus if you qualify for other aspects of any open positions.
The cost of living in PR can be quite inexpensive if you watch yourself (like not using excessive electricity), so you can easily move here with a small.savings to live in for six months just to get a feel for not only the job market but your desire to stay. This way you do not come somewhere that you may not favour as a place to live. As a bonus, as you look for work you are basically living a Caribbean holiday to enjoy. Your new job here may not carry the salary you could find on the mainland, but that is negligible compared to the benefits of living in a tropical "paradise".
Everything in life has risks, but happy people are those who at least attempt to follow their dreams. The best of luck to you!
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Old 10-07-2014, 08:41 PM
 
2 posts, read 7,272 times
Reputation: 15
Thanks so much for your response, Sunpup!
I was beginning to think that no one would bother to reply.

You know, one thing I was considering was trying to find some sort of remote job. That way, I could save up a good amount of money, take an extended trip to the island, but also have a stable flow of income via that job while I'm there to supplement whatever savings I arrive with.

I just started doing spanish to english translations and subtitling for a guy's youtube channel, and he has a pretty large following, so I'm hoping that maybe that will help me land some other business prospects. But only time will tell.

In your opinion, what are the skills that are most needed right now in Puerto Rico? In my searches, apart from at companies like HP, Kimberly Clark, and Honeywell, I've been finding a lot of customer service job postings (ticket agents at airports, desk attendants at hotels), etc. But I really don't think I stand a chance at landing one of those jobs as long as I'm living over here. I'm sure there are plenty of local candidates that could fill those positions.

But you know what skills are most in demand right now?

And as for your second to last sentence, all I can say is thank you (again)! Reading that really meant a lot to me.
I've avoided discussing this subject with my family and friends because we see life a bit differently. Everyone from my family is concentrated in one state (Maryland). Maryland is where they are born, where they go to high school, college, and ultimately where they settle down. I choose to keep this to myself because I know the moment I share it with them, they will try to talk me out of it. But the way I see it, I'm 21! I'm doing the research to try and make a wise, and safe decision. And if it turns out not to be what I expected, well... I'm 21 haha! I'm not married, I have no children, I have no student loans to pay back. If there were any time to take a risk, I think this would be it.

So thank you again, Sunpup!

Take Care.
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Old 10-16-2014, 03:50 AM
 
4 posts, read 6,447 times
Reputation: 10
I love your mentally on things I am in the same boat n too in the IT field I recommend looking and applying on usajobs as well. I wanted to change positions to a bigger fortune 500 company but my Spanish is a lil rusty I can read and write it pretty decent but speaking fluently isn't the easiest for me. So that's why plans are to start on base first because English is the primary language on base.
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Old 10-20-2014, 07:53 PM
 
132 posts, read 236,905 times
Reputation: 137
Thanks, LaLu.
Sorry I cannot give you specifics on what kinds of work are available. It is a tough call for someone starting out today. I would recommend that you will need to have enough savings to live on for awhile. One big problem centres around getting around. Without a car it is not easy and you would be very restricted. The exception to this would be San Juan where you wo u ld have public transportation, though living in a big city is not the same as smaller cities or towns.
Life is very different living in small cities like San German or Cabo Rojo when compared to San Juan.
The pace and personality of the western part of Puerto Rico would in my estimation be easier to adapt to by someone from the states.
Once you get established I feel you will love living here. It would help if you had some family ir friends here to advise you. If you send me a private message with your email address, I might be able to answer more specific questions.
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Old 02-24-2016, 09:30 AM
 
1 posts, read 2,872 times
Reputation: 10
La Lu,

were you successful in your endeavor to move and work in Puerto Rico?

I am in a somewhat similar situation. I have two years of experience working in Logistics and an additional two internships with Fortune 500 companies. I am ready to move and work in Puerto Rico. I am native in both English and Spanish and have lived in an island siminlar to Puerto Rico for 10 years, currently i am in mainland USA (since early 2000s). Do you have any advice for me? I have applied to big companies with offices iin PR but no luck.

Thank you,

SC
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Old 02-24-2016, 10:09 AM
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,173 posts, read 63,623,198 times
Reputation: 92916
My Puerto Rican DIL has a Masters in Architecture, her brother is a new lawyer. Her brother is happily situated and will stay, but she will never go back because the job market is too small.

The way she explained it is, college is relatively cheap there, so almost everyone is a college graduate and they are leaving in droves because PR is small and there just aren't enough jobs to go around. Many of her friends who stayed, are college graduates, making $10 an hour at some entry level job, without much hope of moving up.

You might find a position, OP, there's no harm in trying, but if well connected PR kids are having trouble, then you probably will too.
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Old 02-25-2016, 08:44 AM
 
Location: O-Town
1,285 posts, read 1,392,057 times
Reputation: 740
Well we thought PR was great when we went their on our cruise. But it is very very dangerous to live there, and there are no jobs there. I would not move there.
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Old 02-26-2016, 06:03 AM
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,173 posts, read 63,623,198 times
Reputation: 92916
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joey Falcon View Post
Well we thought PR was great when we went their on our cruise. But it is very very dangerous to live there, and there are no jobs there. I would not move there.
I had not thought of this, but actually, the place we stayed was gated, and our host was very specific about never leaving the gate open. We walked around a lot and never felt unsafe, though. There was a story about how a cousin of my DIL was abducted and killed, and the wedding we attended had guards around the perimeter. My son's FIL said it was, "There are a lot of very rich people here."

I suppose, like anywhere, there are the haves, and have-nots.
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