AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life Living in Belize Thinking of moving to Belize

Hi there,
I am happy to be a part of this forum. I have been a self employed chef for 19 years, a Hurricane Katrina survivor who lived in Napa, CA. post- Katrina, and is now living in St. Petersburg, FL.
I am orginally from New Orleans ( hence the Hurricane Katrina mention ), and I am at a crossroads in my life. There is no work where I live, for the type of work I do. I have been flying back to New Orleans to teach cooking classes, which has been a success, but the bottom line is- I am tired of the rat race and crap.
I have always wanted to live in a tropical setting, and I am planning to visit Belize to see if it's a good fit for me. I am pretty confused about all of it right now, so I appeal to you to help me by answering some questions, please.
Is it possible for me to work as a private chef in Belize or host cooking classes? I would prefer to stay self employed, and also don't know the scoop on that. I would not plan to set up as a corporation, just simply be a chef there, so I would have a stream of income.
What are some places you would recommend for accommodations there that are reasonable? I am doing this on a shoestring budget, so I have to be careful.
I think that's about all I have right now. If anyone is interested in reading about what I do, and my backround, my website address is:
Real Maria
Thanks in advance for the help.
Maria

Hello Maria,....Always nice to meet a culinary pro.....And one who has worked in Napa adds even more interest....When you get to San Pedro please come by and visit with me....We can play in my kitchen and chat up ingredients.....Fun stuff out here in Belize....Feel free to send me an e-mail for other details........In the meantime 'Mise en place'

Hi Maria. Your food looks amazing!
Understand the frustration, exhaustion and the financial stress. My heart goes out to you.
This is a difficult time for so many people worldwide. I think we all envision some warm quiet place where we can work just a little and live very simply with less. While Belize is a bit of that, it is rarely a realistic lifeboat for a foreign person who is on the edge financially.

Moving to Belize costs money, and the learning curve takes time. You would need money for relocation, work permit, and for daily living while you to build a business. We have some good private chefs who keep busy but they have taken years to build clientele and reputation. Also note the seasonal nature of business here.

If you can afford a visit, please come and have a look and see if an opportunity reaches out and grabs you....... But please dont bet the ranch and your future on a hopeful fantasy.

Hi Maria

I've been studying ad nauseum about relocating to Belize. One thing I might suggest is look for volunteer work. You can get a work visa by doing this (I believe the cost is $25) for this visa. You don't need it to just visit (You can get your regular visa renewed every month for six months) but after that have to apply for a work visa (which includes volunteering).

I am sure there are people there who would love to learn to make authentic blackened steak, chicken or shrimp!! There are a lot of Creole there, too.

It does cost money - you must be able to show you can afford sustenance for the time you will be there (I think it's around 1,200 a month or so (US). But double check that.

Also, if you have any other gifts, consider volunteering those as well. It's also a great way to meet locals and learn about the place.

Giving is receiving.

After 6 months you don't have to apply for a work permit. You can continue to renew your visitor visa except the price is 100BZ.

The amount of money it will take to live in San Pedro or anyplace in Belize will vary greatly depending on what you consider necessary expenditures. Many people like to have a few beers in the evening greatly increasing your expenses. Many love scuba diving which is also expensive.

If you come on the QRP visa I don't believe you can work even as a volunteer. Much of this is covered in previous thread do an extensive search.

Unfortunately, the official Belize.gov website doesn't have a lot of info and does have a lot of "not available" pages on it. I was not aware you could continue your visitor visa past six months. That's nice to know (although I still want to volunteer because that's just me)

And I have read that you cannot work under the QRP visa... There's a lot of confusion and a lot of misinformation.

I feel really bad for any false information I may have provided. I have studied so hard! I thought I was doing good but it seems there's a lot more to it than you can find online.

My apologies (once again) if I've misinformed. It's certainly not intentional.

Hello my husband and I are thinking about maybe moving to Belize. Ambergris Caye to be exact.. My husband would like to continue to work. We are not ready to retire yet. He is a IT Technician so if anyone knows of any jobs please email us at [email protected] Thank You and hoping one day to move to the island and enjoy the beauty that the island has to offer.

We can always use more IT expertise. That being said, you would need to qualify to work. Check out topics about work permits, self employment permits, immigration etc on this forum for info.

Thank You we will do that. Hope you have a great day..
When I went to Forum List to employment it only shows the jobs that are available. Where do you get the information on how to get a work permit and immigration stuff we would need? We may need to plan a trip and get all the information then. If we do visit where should we stay?
Thanks again

You can find all the info you are looking for here
http://www.sanpedrobreeze.com/retiring--working-in-belize.html

Good Luck!