What are the requirements for me to get a job in Belize?
Kate Corrigan - Caye International Bank
In order to get a job in Belize you have to have a work permit, which you would have to apply for. Belize very much looks after it's own workers and what’s in for it's local people, so you would have to have somebody sponsor you to work in the business and show that you bring something to the business that the business couldn’t get by hiring a Belizean. The business owners have to demonstrate that they have advertised any position that wasn’t filled by a...
In order to get a job in Belize you have to have a work permit, which you would have to apply for. Belize very much looks after it's own workers and what’s in for it's local people, so you would have to have somebody sponsor you to work in the business and show that you bring something to the business that the business couldn’t get by hiring a Belizean. The business owners have to demonstrate that they have advertised any position that wasn’t filled by a Belizean.
So, in the restaurant I had, I sponsored a person to come and work for me. The reason was that I was implementing a POS system, and the person I wanted to hire was a friend who wanted to work. When I implemented the POS system nobody locally was versed in using it, but my friend had managerial skills and the knowledge of how to use the POS system. In order to hire my friend, I had to write to say that I felt that his management knowledge in a larger restaurant in the States would be a huge benefit for all the staff here, including myself. As a result, they allowed me sponsor him, which didn't cost me a bit as a business owner, but my new employee had to pay for his permit to work.
You have to have a work permit, which you can apply for as being sponsored or you can have a business owner's work permit, which I got for myself in order to allow me to work. If you are not a resident, you can own a business and have it run and managed by staff, but to actually be physically seen working in your business, you have to have a work permit to do so. Once you become a permanent resident, you don't have to have a work permit. In order to become a permanent resident, you have to be here in Belize for over 12 months and not to have left for more than 14 days.
If you are not a resident, you need a work permit. They just stamp your passport and say you have a work permit which is valid for one year, and you have to renew it at the end of the year.
Once you are a resident, you can go and get a job anywhere you like because a resident can work for anybody without any issues at all. I have a Social Security card, and they make deductions from my salary.
Posted December 1, 2014
Christian Burn
If you want to get a job in Belize and have an employee-employer setup, you have to make sure that the job you are trying to fill is a job that cannot be filled by a Belizean. If you are an employer you have to understand that jobs have to be advertised to the Belize market first and if it turns out to be impossible to get a Belizean to fill the job, then you can look for a non-Belizean to fill the job. There is a law in Belize that specifically tells employers to make sure that they...
If you want to get a job in Belize and have an employee-employer setup, you have to make sure that the job you are trying to fill is a job that cannot be filled by a Belizean. If you are an employer you have to understand that jobs have to be advertised to the Belize market first and if it turns out to be impossible to get a Belizean to fill the job, then you can look for a non-Belizean to fill the job. There is a law in Belize that specifically tells employers to make sure that they cannot hire a Belizean before hiring other nationalities and I think that is the right approach, to be honest.
Expats who arrive in Belize are much better off starting their own business rather than looking for a job. They should be more entrepreneurial rather than just looking to get a paycheck every month. Besides, the salary that they pay in Belize is considerably less than what we are used to in North America. The most lucrative approach for an expat is to be an entrepreneur and start your own or to buy a business and run it in Belize.
Expats who arrive in Belize are much better off starting their own business rather than looking for a job. They should be more entrepreneurial rather than just looking to get a paycheck every month. Besides, the salary that they pay in Belize is considerably less than what we are used to in North America. The most lucrative approach for an expat is to be an entrepreneur and start your own or to buy a business and run it in Belize.
Posted December 2, 2014