- Sean Henderson
InterNations events and forums have provided me with an extensive network of business and personal contacts in Tegucigalpa.
Employment in Tegucigalpa
Good language skills are for example essential to become a teacher in one of the many excellent international schools in Tegucigalpa.
There are also opportunities to do rewarding work in Tegucigalpa as you could take on a role in a non-profit organization, do missionary work, or take a job in a hospital to bolster Tegucigalpa’s developing health services. Follow our tips below and once you as an expat find work in Tegucigalpa, you won’t look back. You could even start up your own business, which will remain tax-free for the first ten years.
Local Economy
Tegucigalpa’s Central District accounts for almost a fifth of the entire GDP of Honduras and is thriving with such industries as commerce, services, construction, sugar, textiles, and tobacco. Mining for materials, including silver, zinc, and lead, still takes place close to the city.
For expats, typical job opportunities in Tegucigalpa include teaching in one of the many international schools or working for a non-governmental organization, in the missionary field, or in the medical sector.
Job Hunting in Tegucigalpa
There are many websites where you can search for your ideal position in Tegucigalpa. These include the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Glassdoor, Deloitte, UN Jobs, or even Great Au Pair.
You may also try your luck browsing local newspapers for open positions. There are several English language newspapers are available in Honduras including Honduras News, Honduras This Week Online, and Honduras Weekly. However, not all offer job listings. Once you become fluent in Spanish, there are further such publications available to you, such as El Articulista, El Heraldo, El Libertador, El Patriota, Hondudiario, La Tribuna, and Proceso Digital.
Taxation in Tegucigalpa
Individuals working in Tegucigalpa are taxed in Honduras on a progressive scale, going from 10% to 25%. There are also social security taxes, and people are treated the same as businesses for tax purposes. There is a corporate tax of 25%, with an added 5% solidarity tax. Offshoot operations of companies are taxed at 15%.
Value added tax (VAT) is the chief form of indirect tax with a rate of 12%, increasing to 15% on some items. Excise taxes apply to beer and cigarettes mainly, but are also levied on imported matches, sugar, soft drinks, and new cars, for instance.
There’s good news if you plan to start up your own business, as new enterprises are exempt from paying income and production taxes and import duties for as long as ten years. As an expats, you don’t have to pay any tax on income earned overseas if you are considered a non-resident. For tax purposes, however, every foreigner who’s lived in Honduras for at least 4 consecutive months of a tax year is considered a fiscal resident.