I want to move to Jamaica, but...?

Question

...So many people I know are telling me that this isn't a practical decision because good jobs are hard to come by in Jamaica, especially for foreigners ( I'm from America).

So I just wanted to ask if my family & friends are right, or are there lucrative fields in Jamaica for foreigners?

Also, do doctors have a decent living in Jamaica? I'm interested in medecine, and I would finish my education here

Answer 1

Jobs are hard to come by unless you are a professional such as doctor. You will need to take the medical boards there. UWI has one of the best medical schools in world

Answer 2

ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

After you make your fortune as a plastic surgeon in LA you can spend your vacation time in your Jamaican Villa... living and working there isn't practical.

Answer 4

For a doctor, you can actually enjoy a REALLY good life in Jamaica EVENTUALLY. It is especially lucrative for specialists. I have many friends who are in medicine and NONE can call themself poor. The Young ones are middle-income and the older ones are 'living good lives'. Some are plain WEALTHY.  

Its a long road to becoming qualified here though. You MUST work in the public health system first and work your way through to all sorts of exams and internships before you can begin your own practice.

Once you have your own practice, you basically are running your own business. If you are good, you may also get additional income working as a government consultant or at special clinics or with insurance companies.

The biggest determining factor in your success (other than your skill) will be CAPITAL and SOCIALIZATION. You can't start certain types of business without money, and part of being known as a good doctor (as with many proffesions here) is the ability to socialize and BE KNOWN.  Don't under-estimate the importance of either of these things. Jamaica is a place where one man will fight to get $1000 to do a job and another will get $10,000 to do the same job all because of socialization.  

Overall, the prospects for doctors is pretty good. You may not get as much money as in the U.S.A. but you can live a really good & respectable life and there are few middle class amenities that you wont be able to afford. Your income will be stable from the first day you start working.

Most rich doctors i know just use that stability to thier advantage. They begin investing wisely from the first day they get a paycheck!!

My PERSONAL doctor lives in a house overlooking kingston that is worth about US$500,000. Most middle-class houses in Kingston, Jamaica dont pass $200,000. He also has major shares in major fast food chain here, as well as many other stock and real estate holdings locally and internationally.

The first & final consideration is THE PEOPLE. I think since being a doctor is about looking in the eyes of people everyday, and getting to know them you shoudl really be considering who the Jamaican people are in comparision to your other options. How will you feel serving and healing them?