Relocation Services

[japboi604]

Hey everyone,

I have found all your CR info very informative. I have decided to take a little leap from my way of life between Montreal and Vancouver to come down to CR in July hoping to get a shot in the book business. I am part way done my Finance degree at McGill University and need a couple year break (long story). Anyways, has anyone here had any experience with relocation services, the ones that help smooth along visa stuff, housing, banking, etc. I have tons more questions about CR but any help here would be appreciated.

 

[WHALE]

I've been there a couple times, it's a really beautiful place to live, very safe but what exactly do you want to know? I'm not Costarican but maybe I can help...

 

[GuinnessGal]

I moved here 5 years ago from GA. I just put all my stuff that I wanted to keep in storage in GA, sold a bunch (including my car) and stuffed all the rest into 2 suitcases and got on the plane heading south. Once I got here, I bought the things I needed.

I will try to answer any questions you have.

Come on down!!! You'll love it here!

 

[AdamSelene]

I came down here four years ago. I just put everything in storage, bought a one-way ticket, $40 in my wallet, 3 words of spanish, and a contact here. I was somewhat concerned when no one met me at the airport, and all I had was the name of a restaurant in Lomas de Ayarco, but everything worked out.

Note on storage, very short-term only, have someone ready to sell everything after a few months if you end up staying. By the time I sold my stuff (kept telling myself I was going to ship it down) I lost 80% of the value in depreciation and storage fees.

Visas, banking, housing, etc? Just figure that out after you arrive. Professional re-location services? All you'll find is plenty of people looking to scam you. Best get you feet on the gound and do some legwork.

 

[wolfie_cr]

My suggestions since you are looking for a "two year break" are

1) don't bring anything you don't absolutely need, you will find that being a newcomer in a foreign country will make "light suitcases" very useful in case you have to move say 2 /3 times till you find the right place
2) get familiar with the social reality of the country where you are going, wages are obviously the biggest shock followed by the delays that the simplest procedure can have
3) try to learn as much as you can of the language , simple stuff that will allow you to survive while you get the hang of things
4) you need to get rid of "trusting the other person" , like Adam said, scams are quite abundant and target specially the foreigners

a note on the visas issue, work visas are extremely difficult to get, for 2 years..........and specially if you don't intend to visit home frequently.......you might as well just forget about it and stay.........most you will face when you leave is a very small fee for overstaying your tourist visa

 

[japboi604]

Thanks for the input guys. I went down to CR about a month ago to visit and just fell in love with the place. How hard is it for me to get a job with a book? I dont mind doing clerk work for awhile before I can make contacts and network with the right people. Should I just go to the Mall and start handing out resumes, waiting for an interview?

 

[wolfie_cr]

suggestion would be buy the ticotimes and the Nacion on sundays/mondays and look for available positions

 

[jorzavfa]

Down here is easy to start looking if you got friends they can advice you about where to go, not only in the mall you can find books, there are all around, but just remember that for a foreigner to work need a working permit, so have in mind all of this, or maybe you can try to get a residency but for two years is not worthy. Just come down here start buying La Nacion and start visiting books.

 

[WildBill]

Ballpark figure, how much would this guy have to pay the poster who mentioned he had a hook-up for residencies?

 

[jorzavfa]

For the residency you can find a lot of different prices I know what he charges but when someone is interested I just give the person the phone number so they get in touch. And i work with him cause I now everything is for real and the time frame is excelent, but if you dont like the price there are a lot of people around that charge similar prices to him, and timeframes are not that good. Or they just give you fake ones. The main problem with this is the usual, they charge depending on who u are, where are you from and on what they need to get for you. If you need one or want just to check the price send me an email and I give you his phone number.