Canadian based consulting company looking to hire - not sure where to start

[rcadman]

We're a consulting firm based out of Toronto. We implement prepacked software from Oracle. We'd like to hire a few people in the DR and start an 'near shore' type operation. This operation would be for the development and support of our clients back in Canada. We are looking for candidates that can are fluent in business English and have an accounting designation and/or business background. Candidates should also have experience and/or exposure to IT since the products are somewhat technical.

Questions:
i. Where should we start our search for the correct candidates?
ii. What are the salary expectations (range is fine)
iii. What's the best method of interviewing a series of potential candidates across a couple of days? We'd need a location and someone to coordinate the logistics for the interviewees.

Thank you.

[Dolores]

Contact the governmental Export and Investment Department (CEI-RD). The director is Eddy Martinez. They are big promoters of call centers and would be able to guide you to get started. I would come down and meet with him. He could also assist you in visiting other call centers in the DR.

We published this brief on 13 May 2008 on the boom in telecom support centers in the DR.

More call centers in DR
The Center for Exports and Investment (CEI-RD) says that 57 call centers are currently operating in the DR. Eddy Martinez of CEI-RD feels that there is potential for the number of call centers to double in the next two years. He says that approximately 25,000 Dominicans are employed in call centers and forecasts that by 2014, as many as 200,000 could be employed in this sector. Martinez said that the DR has been the Latin American leader in attracting call center business. Other world leaders are the Philippines, India, Germany and Ireland. He said that these business are entry-level jobs for young Dominicans, and wages are around RD$20,000 for agents.
The CEI-RD recently signed an agreement with the Contact Center Institute of the Americas (CCI) to train more Dominicans for these jobs. INFOTEP will be the local training counterpart.


CEI-RD | Centro de Exportación e Inversión de la República Dominicana

[Dolores]

See this link for some information on wages at the call centers. Call center jobs

Also note you can post employment opportunities in the Dominican Republic for free in the Employment Forum.

[adrianb]

I think you'll have problems finding the caliber of people you need from the DR who speak good enough english.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by adrianb

I think you'll have problems finding the caliber of people you need from the DR who speak good enough english.

Unless they hire gringos/gringas.
Otherwise, I agree.
That would be a hard combo to find amongst the Dominicans, and if you did find Dominicans with those capacities, they would likely have higher scale jobs/salaries.

[Chris]

I know many of the consultants in the DR. Although the quality of the individuals as people is high, their business skills overall is not. There are also 'funnies' with accounting in the DR and the consultants by definition learn this and apply and implement these methods. It is hard enough to manage a best practice implementation in the DR itself. I cannot see that DR consultants will do well on the phone consulting for another country without real on the ground experience in that country.

If you go exactly by the implementation manual, they can do it. If you vary from the manual, you're in trouble. Technically you need all the bells and whistles to get it right - a proper design environment.

Again I've met some of the finest and brightest people in this industry in the DR but their training does not prepare them for a multi-national consultancy.

[rcadman]

We are ok paying higher wages for more skilled resources. And we are not opening a call centre per say. The idea would be to hire a couple of people from the DR and bring them to a client here in Canada and get them trained on the tool. Then, once back in the DR have them perform the same type of work. We'd most likely send a Canadian based resource down to the DR to work with these individuals. The better the model works the more people we can hire.

Bottom line, English is a must and the accounting background (and/or designation) is a must.....as long as they're willing to learn about s/w I think they'd make good candidates.

So, new questions:
i. What type of salary range am I looking at for this skill level
ii. Where would I find good candidates?

Thanks.

[planner]

I've sent you a PM.

The pay scale will depend a great deal on what is expected of the employees! Will you provide an office or will they work from home? Is it all online or by phone?

How to find good candidates - again depends on specifically what you are looking for.

Remember an accounting designation here will be very different from one there!

[adrianb]

I still think you will wind up unhappy with the caliber of the people you can find. I predict this won't work as you hoped, however I would love to hear your results in 6 months and be proven wrong.

[donnaparadise]

An accounting designation in the DR is NOT the same as in Canada. And as far as supporting Oracle, I'm afraid you are not likely to find any Dominicans with the knowledge to be able to do this at all. Finding Dominicans tihat can think conceptually enough to provide telephone or verbal support would be a stretch.

This is not to speak ill of Dominicans as there are very many who are very intelligent, however there are huge cultural and educational differences that would prohibit you being able to staff your enterprise with enough with the skillset with the sophistication you require.

Also, if you intend to have them trained in Canada, that is extremely difficult as getting any kind of visa for a Dominican to go into Canada even for a week or two, is almost impossible and so far there is a waiting list of more than a year and a half for processing of even spousal visas, let alone any other kind of visitor's visa.

Sorry, but knowing accounting packages and systems as I do, I'm afraid you are going to have to drastically re-think your vision.