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Chinesenoodles
Joined: 21 Apr 2015
Posts: 7
Location: Houston
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 Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 4:15 pm Post subject: Moving in a month! |
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Hello!
I will be moving to el DF on June 3rd to start my CELTA training course which runs through the 8th of July. During the month of July I'd like to find a job if I haven't already and then take off to travel before the school year begins in August.
I am a certified teacher here in Houston, Texas and have taught for two years in an elementary school with a high population of ESL students, but I'm not ESL certified hence the want to do the CELTA to get an actual good experience with teaching ESL.
I have a bachelor's degree in English, experience teaching in a high-needs public school, and a love for Mexico City!
I have been emailing the upper elementary school principal at the Eton School in Sante Fe, and she's interested in having me your the school when I get there the first week of June. Does anyone know anything about the working conditions in this school or have experience working in one of the international schools?
I even have a potential room lined up in Condesa sharing an apartment with two ladies around my age (late 20s), but the rent seems insane when I look at past posts about how much rent has been. The rent for my room would be 7000 pesos. Is that high for a room with roommates in the area or is that normal? It seems dreamy from what I'm paying now in the states, but I won't be making US dollars!
I also know that living in Condesa and commuting to the dreaded Sante Fe will probably get real old after awhile, but I'm used to insane traffic here in Houston, and will have the luxury a somewhat functional public transportation system.
I am really getting overwhelmed with everything I need to move. Do I need to go ahead and have my degree apostilled? If it's from out of state can I mail it? Who do I contact!?
As you can see, I'm in over my head! |
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Chinesenoodles
Joined: 21 Apr 2015
Posts: 7
Location: Houston
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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| I should note that I realize the CELTA is geared towards teaching adults, but I think it will be valuable in case I'd like to travel to another part of the world to teach. I also believe I could tweak some of the concepts learned in the course to work with some of my students who may be intermediate English speakers. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Posts: 1186
Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Even in Condesa that seems like a pretty high rent. You might want to check out Airbnb to see if you can find something more reasonable, lots of places rent for a month, or more, and that can give you time to find something else. I have used airbnb a couple of times for one or two night stays and have had good experiences. In a lot of areas you can rent a very nice apartment for 5000 pesos, but that is a lot easier to do once you are on the ground. Lockling yourself into such a high rent is a mistake, in my opinion. If you do decide you like DF and want to BUY an apartment, I have one for sale. It is currently rented out for $3500 to give you an idea of what rents are like. It is not in a fashionable area like Condesa, but is in a stable area, on a Cerrada with private security, near Metro and Metrobus, lots of stores and even a Starbucks. Safer than Condesa, which has a lot of petty crime. 2 bedrooms and a roof garden, lots of little restaurants and long time neighbors. |
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Chinesenoodles
Joined: 21 Apr 2015
Posts: 7
Location: Houston
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2015 1:58 am Post subject: |
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Thank you for confirming that with me! I thought that was a bit high, so I've sent an emailing inquiring about that. I've used airbnb several times in NYC and Italy and I've been looking into it for Mexico City too. The rates are coming out to average about 450-600 U.S. Dollars for a month. That's still a bit high, but I guess airbnb is not exactly on par with average city rents. What are some safe neighborhoods near condesa that I could look at? A friend says to possibly stay away from doctores. What are some other ones that aren't as trendy and more local? I don't want to be too far away from IH. I want to at least be able to take a bike!
Thank you so much for everything. This forum has been a godsend. |
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Jultime
Joined: 25 Jun 2014
Posts: 113
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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I expect that Guy will be along any time now to give you more guidance.
In the mean time check out http://www.teachers-latin-america.com/ for jobs teaching in schools. Guy works there.
Sorry I can't help you with finding a place to stay. Just make sure you are no more than a 30 minutes walk from the school. You will be doing a lot of homework so you don't want the added stress and time wasting of a long commute. I do suggest that you find someplace temporary to stay during CELTA. Then when you find a job you can find someplace more permanent.
I did CELTA at IH Mexico City, the CELTA tutors are fantastic. But the administrative staff at IH are a disaster to say the least. You will need to hound them to get anything done.
I'm not in DF, I couldn't stand the city. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Posts: 1186
Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Chinesenoodles wrote: |
Thank you for confirming that with me! I thought that was a bit high, so I've sent an emailing inquiring about that. I've used airbnb several times in NYC and Italy and I've been looking into it for Mexico City too. The rates are coming out to average about 450-600 U.S. Dollars for a month. That's still a bit high, but I guess airbnb is not exactly on par with average city rents. What are some safe neighborhoods near condesa that I could look at? A friend says to possibly stay away from doctores. What are some other ones that aren't as trendy and more local? I don't want to be too far away from IH. I want to at least be able to take a bike!
Thank you so much for everything. This forum has been a godsend. |
I think airbnb is set up as a short term hotel alternative, and 450 a month doesn´t seem to bad since you won´t be paying for utilities, internet, etc, it will all be included. The thing about recommending entire colonias is that a lot of them have nice parts and not so nice parts. I agree, in general, about Doctores as well as the neighboring Obrera, yet they both have nice areas, and areas to be avoided. If you like the feel of Condesa, you might look at Escandon, is is a little further south, but is very nice. Also Noche Buena is nearby and has a similar feel but rents are a little lower. South along the Blue Metro line there are lots of nice areas - Nativitas, Villa de Cortes, Portales. A couple of other nice areas are Colonia Cuauhtemoc, San Rafael, Tabacalera and Juarez. Not the cheapest though. Also, south on the Metrobus line along Insurgentes there are some nice areas like Mixcoac Insurgentes, near the Parque Hundido, lots of neat coffee shops, and restaurants, kind of a Condesa like vibe but just a bit more low key. Personally, what I would do is find a short term place and then walk around areas you are interested in. Walk 10 blocks in each direction and see what there is. Explore transportation options. Being far away isn´t always a minus. I lived in Portales and worked in the Zona Rosa, but because I was fairly far south I always got a seat on the Metro, and I had only one quick connection/transfer at Balderas. People would always comment that I lived ¨so far¨ away. Yet when I lived in Jardin Balbuena, I had to take two buses to iget to work in El Centro and it took much longer because of traffic. Also, where are you looking for places? If you only speak English and are looking for places advertised in English you are automatically going to pay more. There are lots of places advertised in Spanish that cost a lot less, that might help once you are actually in Mexico. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Posts: 1186
Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh, for being close to IH Cuauhtemoc, Tabacalera, etc would be your best bet. You could probably even walk if you like to walk. That is if I am remembering correctly and IH is still on Reforma. |
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Chinesenoodles
Joined: 21 Apr 2015
Posts: 7
Location: Houston
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| Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 3:23 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info. I emailed the prospective roommates and this was the explanation:
the rent includes telephone, gas and internet. The only bills to pay is water and electricity and are around 100 pesos per month( almost nothing) Yes you can find rooms for 3,500-5,000 but Im sure that they dont have laundry and you will have to go every week to the laundry and pay at least 250 pesos every week ( around 1,000 pesos per month) and those apartments are the ones that you have to pay for the gas and is around 500 per month, and they dont have doorman, elevator, and 24 hrs. Security.
Oh well, I believe it's best to find out what my salary will be and/or if I even get the job at one of the international schools. What is the average pay for a teacher at one of those schools?
Thanks for the alternative neighborhoods. I'll more than likely be checking into airbnb and then finding a place after the CELTA course. |
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Jultime
Joined: 25 Jun 2014
Posts: 113
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Chinesenoodles wrote: |
Thanks for the info. I emailed the prospective roommates and this was the explanation:
the rent includes telephone, gas and internet. The only bills to pay is water and electricity and are around 100 pesos per month( almost nothing) Yes you can find rooms for 3,500-5,000 but Im sure that they dont have laundry and you will have to go every week to the laundry and pay at least 250 pesos every week ( around 1,000 pesos per month) and those apartments are the ones that you have to pay for the gas and is around 500 per month, and they dont have doorman, elevator, and 24 hrs. Security.
Oh well, I believe it's best to find out what my salary will be and/or if I even get the job at one of the international schools. What is the average pay for a teacher at one of those schools?
Thanks for the alternative neighborhoods. I'll more than likely be checking into airbnb and then finding a place after the CELTA course. |
I paid around 55 pesos for 3 kg of laundry at a place on Sonora in Roma Norte.
I have friends who are renting a furnished apartment in Roma Norte for 7000 total, that's 3500 each. But I'm sure its not a fancy apartment with doorman. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Posts: 1186
Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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| Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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| You can easily find an apartment for 5000 pesos, and likely for less, depending on where you want to live. You will be starting from scratch, though, no furniture, no fridge, nothing, so that is also something to consider. There are furnished apartments, but they are more expensive. I still think 7000 for a ROOM is a LOT. It must really be a luxury building, I don´t know anyone who pays, what 21,000 for the entire apartment. I do know a couple of people who pay 7000 for an apartment, and they are very, very nice. |
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Phil_K
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2041
Location: A World of my Own
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| Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 1:14 am Post subject: |
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The problem in Mexico at the moment is that everything seems to be getting more expensive almost on a monthly basis. According to my wife, who has much more experience in such matters, this is a return to the pattern of PRI governments of the past, despite them telling us that basic costs are being reduced. Yes, my phone/internet is less now...by around $8 MXN!!! Wow! The supermarket bill, however, has increased from around $800 p/w a couple of years ago to around $1300, and most of our costs have risen in a similar percentage.
On the other hand, to move to another apartment at least of the same level of ours (worth around $1.6m) we need to looking at $2.5m+ (New that is, we only buy new ones). The upside of that is that I have heard of similar apartments to ours fetching around $9000 p/m in rent. We are in what could be described as a "moderate" area, bordering the likes of Narvarte and del Valle, but certainly not on the same level as Condesa. I don't think Condesa is all it's cracked up to be, to be honest, but I'm really not surprised at those rents, given what the rents are in our own colonia. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Posts: 1186
Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Phil_K wrote: |
The problem in Mexico at the moment is that everything seems to be getting more expensive almost on a monthly basis. According to my wife, who has much more experience in such matters, this is a return to the pattern of PRI governments of the past, despite them telling us that basic costs are being reduced. Yes, my phone/internet is less now...by around $8 MXN!!! Wow! The supermarket bill, however, has increased from around $800 p/w a couple of years ago to around $1300, and most of our costs have risen in a similar percentage.
On the other hand, to move to another apartment at least of the same level of ours (worth around $1.6m) we need to looking at $2.5m+ (New that is, we only buy new ones). The upside of that is that I have heard of similar apartments to ours fetching around $9000 p/m in rent. We are in what could be described as a "moderate" area, bordering the likes of Narvarte and del Valle, but certainly not on the same level as Condesa. I don't think Condesa is all it's cracked up to be, to be honest, but I'm really not surprised at those rents, given what the rents are in our own colonia. |
But that is $9000 for a WHOLE apartment, and the OP was talking about a ROOM. I am definitly going to have to rethink the rent we are charging for our apartment, it is valued at 850,000, or at least was two years ago. Funny, since our house here in Zacatecas is twice as big and on a quarter acre, on paper it is only ¨worth¨ 500,000. But then, rent here is in the 1500 to 2000 peso range too. |
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Rose Cohen
Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 43
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Chinesenoodles wrote: |
| ...you will have to go every week to the laundry and pay at least 250 pesos every week ( around 1,000 pesos per month) ... |
That's insanely high for trips to the laundromat! I live in a nice (though not trendy, thank God) area called Colonia Cuauhtémoc and pay $25 pesos per kilo to have my clothes washed at the laundromat next door to my building. That usually comes to $100 - $125 a week. |
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Jultime
Joined: 25 Jun 2014
Posts: 113
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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FYI re: rental prices...
I'm renting a very nice room with my own full-bathroom in a very nice house in Queretaro for 3000 a month including everything. I can walk to work, I'm central and there's loads of buses and taxis nearby.
A friend just found a 2 bedroom apartment for a steal at 2000 a month here in Qro.
You've no idea how happy I am not in Mexico City. I couldn't stand the thought of commuting 2 hours a day to earn less than I'm making her in Qro. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Posts: 1186
Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 12:55 am Post subject: |
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| Rose Cohen wrote: |
| Chinesenoodles wrote: |
| ...you will have to go every week to the laundry and pay at least 250 pesos every week ( around 1,000 pesos per month) ... |
That's insanely high for trips to the laundromat! I live in a nice (though not trendy, thank God) area called Colonia Cuauhtémoc and pay $25 pesos per kilo to have my clothes washed at the laundromat next door to my building. That usually comes to $100 - $125 a week. |
Yeah, $100 pesos seems more in line with reality. You could stay in a nice hotel for 7000 pesos a month. I have seen apartments that rent for that much and they are quite nice, I can´t imagine what an apartment that rents for 20,000 or so a month looks like. And with two roomates to boot. Yuck. |
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