Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Living and working in Panama
If you're setting up your own business or are a foreign retiree who can fulfil the basic re-
quirements, securing a
residential visa
is easy. Otherwise, residential and work permits are
not easily come by unless you have specialist skills and - in theory at least - the recruiting
company is unable to employ a Panamanian.
It's possible to arrange
voluntary work
, which can be carried out on a tourist visa, in ad-
vance. Try one of the various reputable international agencies, such as Volunteer Abroad (
goabroad.com/volunteer-abroad
), or directly through the websites of Panamanian organ-
izations; alternatively you may be able to show up on the spot. Key areas include conserva-
tion or social development projects, usually in poor, marginalized communities. Before you
plunge into volunteering, do your homework to ensure that the programme is both bona fide
and sustainable and that you are sufficiently skilled and experienced for the job. If training is
provided, ensure that there is adequate time devoted to it - often a problem if organizations
are hard-stretched.
Volunteering in projects, particularly with marginalized or vulnerable groups, is fraught with
ethical dilemmas, which usually have no easy or “right” solution and can have unexpected
negative side effects. While a couple of weeks on a turtle monitoring project may be fine,
it's rarely a good idea to drop into a social development project for such a short time since a
constant rotation of volunteers can be unsettling for individuals and communities, especially
for vulnerable groups such as orphaned children.
That said, there are several well-established
programmes
in Panama. In Bocas del Toro,
turtle conservation projects
abound and various other long-standing social operations include:
SOS Children's Villages (Asociación Aldeas Infantiles SOS de Panamá,
sos-childrens-
villages.org
)
, which work with orphaned children; Fundación Pro Niños de Darién (
dari-
en.org.pa
), an NGO operating in over a hundred communities in the Darién, aiming to im-
prove child nutrition through health education and the development of sustainable agricultur-
al practices; and Nutrehogar (
nutrehogar.org
)
, which also focuses on child health. Various
language schools
also have volunteer programmes.
Mail
It is reliable, but if speed is of the essence the standard Panamanian
postal service
is probably
not for you; a postcard from Panama can take five to ten days to reach North America or
Europe (45¢ stamp) and a couple of weeks or longer to meander to Europe (both 45¢ stamp),
Australasia or South Africa (60¢ stamp). While
post offices
(
correos
) are relatively elusive
in Panama City, they are more visible in the provinces; they are marked on our maps. Open-
ing hours (generally Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-noon) vary. For a speedier delivery, send
your letter or parcel express from the post office, though this service is not valid for Europe.
