Employment opportunities?

[Pamela Carter]

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for advice for my daughter and hope you can help me. We have not long returned from a holiday in Tobago and understandably my daughter has fallen in love with the island and would love to live and work in Tobago. From the research I have done so far it seems you need employment before applying for a work permit and despite looking it looks as though employment opportunities for non-Tobagonians are few.
She is a bright and bubbly 21 year old with a zest for life and is trained in Food and Beverage Service (UK NVQ level-2) and would love to work in an hotel. She is very definitely a people person with a passion for service. Does anyone have any ideas or advice of how she might progress her dream ....?

[Lisa Keith]

Hi Pamela,

It's not easy to get a work permit for Tobago, but neither is it impossible, and the right attitude and relevant background certainly goes a long way. I've heard that the Hotel/Leisure industry is the highest employer of foreign labour, which makes sense as it's the largest employment sector on the island, period! It can't hurt for your daughter to e-mail the larger hotels in particular and ask about job opportunities. They may sponsor her for a work permit, or they may provide her with employment if she applies for her own work permit. She needs to have a qualification that is in short supply that would set her apart from other applicants. For example, if she's able to speak other languages, that's probably something that she could use to her advantage. Whichever way, I'd be inclined, in her position, to contact the larger hotels and tell them exactly what you've said here! Enthusiasm goes a LONG way - especially in the hotel/leisure industry/

Good luck!!

Lisa.

[Pamela Carter]

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the reply. It sounds like her qualification is useful but not necessarily in short supply. Maybe she can combine it with her scuba diving qualifications ..!
Thanks again for the advice I'll pass it on to her
Pamela

[Lisa Keith]

Hi Pamela,

To be honest.... scuba diving qualifications aren't in short supply!! Not unless you have something specific and high rated. I'd say that unless you're Instructor, MSDT or above, or you're in a position to buy a dive centre and run it yourself (which is, I can assure you, much harder work than it sounds - ahem!), the island has a supply!

I'd definitely lean towards the languages / academic side if she can. Although there's an affiliation between dive shops here and the hotels that they're based in here, I can't think of a single hotel that owns the dive shop within (with one possible exception and one that I know has a shareholder in common). For that reason, you're not looking at the hotel being an employer of dive staff, or vice versa!

Lisa.