“I write dirty novels,” said a resident to me the other day.
She smiled and gave me a minute to process the information. The relatively new resident and her husband had recently purchased a stunning three-bedroom condominium and I was pleased when I saw her sitting at a small table overlooking the Panama Canal. “Have you been doing this long?” I inquired.
“Not long enough,” she replied. “When the children were young, I balanced a job in marketing along with being a wife and running a home. I should have done this much sooner, but I didn’t think I could risk it,” she replied simply. “I didn’t have enough confidence to believe I could do it, until I couldn’t do anything else.”
Plenty of Opportunities in Panama
I hated to hear she felt “she couldn’t do anything else” when her husband’s job transfer moved her to Panama. There are visa requirements and other laws that regulate a foreigner’s ability to work, but there are also a lot of great job opportunities. I didn’t bother to comment about what I was thinking and was just glad she was realizing her dream. It seemed ideal, writing while enjoying a gentle breeze and warm air.
There are many things I love about living in Panama, but one of the things I enjoy most is getting to know people who are risk takers and just plain interesting. Interacting with these people enriches my life and helps me think about things so easily forgotten when balancing everyday demands. Ordinary is not a word you would use for most of the expats who have made Panama home.
An Unlikely Au Pair
For example, there was a woman who was always, not just on time, but regularly about 10-15 minutes early for meetings and social gatherings. One day we were talking and I apologized for being late to a recent gathering. “Oh it doesn’t matter. I’m aware I’m the oddity. I grew up in Siberia and anyone from Siberia is always early. We don’t come late,” she explained simply. “If you come late you might freeze to death!”
Her penchant for being on time resulted in securing a job she absolutely loves. “It’s hard for us to become accustomed to the mañana attitude,” she continued referring to the fact most Panamanians don’t get too worked up about schedules and time tables. “I work for a family from Norway as their au pair. They only need me a couple of days a week, but I love their children and being able to take them around Panama. Norwegians are very time-conscious too, and when I showed up 20 minutes early for the interview, I had the job!”
My Siberian friend confessed she had never considered being an au pair before. “I’m an architect by training,” she said. “Very precise and I liked it well enough, but I’ve found I love being with the children. Some people back home might have judged me, trading blueprints for coloring books. Here, people value more than just having a fancy title.”
Great Opportunities for Writers
I’ve met many writers in Panama, whether they’re writing novels for themselves or providing freelance writing services to local companies.
Corporations will pay handsomely for someone who can write in English and the needs for web sites are multiplying daily. I have several American and Canadian friends who take writing jobs and they stay as busy as they want to be. Everything from restaurant menus to real estate descriptions and anything found on the web. Some of them work with mostly Panama clients, others work with clients from back home, and more still juggle a mix of both!
Lawyers Become Editors
Professionals are often dismayed to learn that certain occupations are only open to Panamanians, like practicing medicine or law. But since so many people come to Panama to slow down a bit anyway, they often find more creative outlets for their expertise that aren’t as stressful or time-consuming.
“I need to get some editing done,” said a resident the other day as she started gathering up her beach tote and slipping on her sandals. “I edit law books for an international company and West Virginia manslaughter is on tap for today.” The woman had been a prosecutor before she moved to Panama and she explained how she didn’t want to give the law up entirely. “I just couldn’t do it full time anymore. The cases I worked… it takes an emotional toll, you know. Consulting from afar lets me keep my skills sharp and helps me feel useful…without having to put on a pantsuit.”
It Pays to Be Bilingual
If someone is bilingual in Spanish and English, the opportunities are even greater. Banks, hotels, restaurants and just about any business which deals with customers directly love to have an English speaking alternative to pointing and hand gestures. Western hotels are accustomed to dealing with employment laws so they don’t mind the extra work if you can communicate easily with the customers.
The ability to translate, both orally and via the written word, is also in demand. There are some exceptions such as legal documents, which by law, can only be translated by a Panamanian. As the internet becomes as routine as the telephone, native English speakers are required to clean up writing which originated in Spanish. Google translate can only do so much and many documents, such as web pages selling directly to the English-speaking market, must be in perfect English. It’s painfully obvious when the translation does not accurately maintain the differences among too, to and two or there, their and they’re.
Selling Art, Making Jewely
I have clients who maintain a business renting vacation properties from the beach just by working their smartphones. Another makes jewelry she sells on the internet. Some of her most popular pieces contain sea glass collected on the shores of Panama.
The other day she told me she had expanded into reselling art she had purchased been from locals who live in the interior of Panama. “You can’t imagine how fast they sell,” she said. “I’ve got a partner in Miami who does the fulfillment and I can’t take her enough art to keep up with demand. It’s also nice that I can pay the artists a fair amount for their work. It’s hard to get a decent price when people don’t know you exist.”
Options for the Less Experienced
There is a number of wealthy Panamanians who will pay above average wages for odd skills. “My son has been hired by a family just to hang out with their son and speak only English. Last week they went to Jackson Hole for skiing, on their private jet. Not bad for a 16-year-old.”
Jobs such as bartender and barback are always available. If you present well and don’t mind doing the heavy lifting with ice, beer, glassware and fruit, you can quickly move up after a very short while and tips tend to be very good where the expats drink on vacations. Teaching English as a second language is also an option and can vary from one-on-one tutoring, to managing a classroom of fifty!
Open a Business
Transplants to Panama can always open their own business. Plenty of expats have opened restaurants, retail shops, bed and breakfasts, yoga studios. Others offer professional services, such as digital consulting or general handiwork. Panama makes it relatively easy for foreigners to open a business, and Panama’s thriving economy and diverse population offers a great environment for business.
Panama is just coming into its own and there are so many ways people can reinvent themselves. Whether you have dreams of writing a novel, opening a cozy cafe, or starting an online business, you’ll find Panama to be an advantageous setting.
