Job Discussion Forums

[sebhobbs]

I've found it really helpful browsing through many threads on this forum - thanks for sharing advice and observations with newbies such as me. A topic I've been unable to find advice on is:

What is recommended practice in terms of getting travel insurance if, like me, you're moving to teach in Mexico (Culiacan) for a year or more? In case it's relevant, I'm British.

The Britisch FCO website strongly advises getting travel insurance in general, but as I understand it, policies won't cover more than an couple of months. My language school will pay my premiums for general health insurance once I start teaching. Do people tend to take out travel insurance to cover the first week/month, and then get local (ie Mexican) insurance for the rest of one's time there?

Thanks for any advice/pointers to links/threads where this is addressed!

[Isla Guapa]

I've never had travel insurance of the kind you mention. If the school you'll be working for will be paying for health insurance, that's great. If you need to see the doctor in the time before it kicks in, doctor's visits are very inexpensive here. In Mexico City anywhere from $200 to $500 (that's pesos) a visit. Of course, if you were to be very unlucky and were hit by a speeding taxi or bus and needed to be hospitalized, well, then, you'd be out of luck!

[notamiss]

Consider that in general you only need health insurance in Mexico to cover big expenses; i.e. surgery, hospital stays.

The cost for seeing a physician and getting a prescription (e.g. for a small infection, or a minor illness or injury) is so low that it isn�t worth even claiming from your insurance. Isla mentions $200�500 in the post above, but my local clinic charges $100 if you go Monday to Friday during daytime hours, and a consultation with a physician working out of a pharmacy often costs around $20�30 (these prices are all pesos, too).

Is your language school paying for your government insurance (IMSS) only, or also a private health insurance?

Travel insurance is appropriate for someone who traveling. A traveler isn�t settled down in one particular place, and if they experience a major health crisis, they may want the possibility of evacuation to the home country. You, on the other hand, will not be a traveler, but someone who has moved (albeit temporarily) to another country.

[MotherF]

When I first started out in this field I had that kind of insurance by getting an International Student ID card, then a Go25 card and an International Teacher card.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Travel_Benefits/

[BadBeagleBad]

[sebhobbs]

Thank you all for your responses! It's reassuring to hear that typical travel insurance isn't really an issue, and that medical care is cheap and good quality, should it be needed before the school's (private) health insurance kicks in...