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Puebla decision coming up

 
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boomerexpat



Joined: 15 Apr 2012
Posts: 135
Location: Mexico

PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 4:07 pm    Post subject: Puebla decision coming up Reply with quote

I just got a verbal offer from a uni in Puebla to do some consulting work (non ESL) to their students at 30 dollars USD an hour this semester with the idea that it would be an on-going job. Problem is I only will get guaranteed 5 hours a week so at 4.3 weeks a month that comes to a little over 8K MX. Not much but little work.

Their teaching positions are already filled for the next semester and she said I could probably get teaching work the next semester but who knows.

Trick is my son will be coming with me; I'm in China now - teaching biz/biz English and doing some corp training on presentation skills - and I think my son would enjoy Mexico more, especially since he speaks some Spanish. He is 15.

I am guessing I could probably manage to live off the part time work by myself but I'll need to hustle up some more work to cover monthly costs with there being two of us.

1. Since I will have some stamp of legitimacy due to working at a uni, do you think that I would have much of a problem rustling up some more work maybe at corps? I have 16 years of training but only about 4 months of ESL work. Alas, I'm just starting to learn Spanish so any comm with potential employers would need to be in English.

2. The International schools in Puebla seem to all be bilingual not English only. My son knows 4 languages but has only studied Spanish for 2.5 years. Do you think he would be OK in a bilingual school?

3. Any International school you would recommend for my son there? I looked on International Schools Review and the American school there was really slammed as filled with spoiled rich kids and no support for teachers. On one hand, he may only be there a semester but on the other hand I would like him to have a positive exp so he will want to stay longer, maybe until he graduates.

4. Any idea what the total cost of living for two people would be in Puebla, not counting his ed costs? Min roomy studio furnished but would prefer a 2 bedroom. Some eating out but most eating in. No extravagant lifestyle but not living like student either. I'm guessing 13K MX???

5. This being Mexico, anything specific you would make sure I got in the offer letter?

Thanks
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Tretyakovskii



Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 462
Location: Cancun, Mexico

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:08 pm    Post subject: Permission to work Reply with quote

Your issue will be how to get a visa for you and your son.

If you could rustle up all your documents, get them certified, apostilled and translated into Spanish by a Mexican Government certified translator, the offer you now have of part time work, plus a plan to pursue contract teaching of English in Mexico, could get you a visa to enter Mexico to work independently, as a self-employed person.

This has always involved a lot of legwork, but has been made harder by the recent changes in Mexican Immigration Law which requires you now do all this outside the country.

It�s doubtful they would let you enter Mexico with your son in tow without a significant showing of resources, or a well paying job offer, in Mexico. You may have to approach this as a two stage process- come yourself, get established, then arrange to have your son come. Even then, you may find it hard to get your son in, unless you can show the resources now required to sponsor a dependent for a visa ($100,000 USD in the bank, for example).

This is a real roll of the dice, it seems to me, if what you�re reported here is all you have to go on, and you hope to bring your son with you.

People who�ve been here for a while are having a real hard time getting their heads around how much more difficult it is to get a visa, since November last year.
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boomerexpat



Joined: 15 Apr 2012
Posts: 135
Location: Mexico

PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 3:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tretyakovskii,

Thanks for the feedback. It does seem like an onion, where the more I look into it, the worse it smells.

I do have the resources in the bank, but I'm concerned that these are new regs that will likely be interpreted very differently and that they may not approve of whatever work arrangement I have.

Do you have any idea if a child is in Mexico less than 6 months, he can come in on a tourist visa and go to a private school on one? He will only be here the first time for 5 months (finish Spring semester), returning to visit his mother for the summer and then, I hope, returning for the next school year when I would be supposedly working full time.
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Tretyakovskii



Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 462
Location: Cancun, Mexico

PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your son most certainly can enter Mexico under the visa waiver program (I�m assuming your nationality to be one to which this program applies), and receive 180 days in country. Whether he will be allowed to enroll will depend on the school: I suspect this would, in many cases if not all, require a student visa, obtained outside the country.

Since I mentioned earlier how much more difficult it can be now to get a visa to live and work in Mexico, those who already have a status in country should do everything possible to preserve that status as it�s much easier to maintain a status in country then to obtain one, ab initio.
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Guy Courchesne



Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City

PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 3:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone studying longer than 6 months needs a student visa...and courses/stays of less than 6 months can be done on a tourist visa.

Would it make sense perhaps to have your son come in as a dependent under your own visa? Not sure if that works well for his coming and going or if it is easier to do.
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boomerexpat



Joined: 15 Apr 2012
Posts: 135
Location: Mexico

PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Guy Courchesne wrote:
Anyone studying longer than 6 months needs a student visa...and courses/stays of less than 6 months can be done on a tourist visa.

Would it make sense perhaps to have your son come in as a dependent under your own visa? Not sure if that works well for his coming and going or if it is easier to do.


Guy, thanks for confirming what I thought about the less than 6 months. Do you know if it matters what Visa I'm on if it is less than 6 months? Reason being, I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing at that point.

A. I line up a job that pays enough for a work visa (haven't seen the paper work on the verbal offer so who knows there) and can get him into a bilingual or English school mid year in the same city. Then I will be able to get a work visa but probably not enough time to bring him in on mine for this trip.

B. If no work lined up - just bag work for this semester and work on an online business I'm doing and come in on a tourist visa then leave in the summer and come back on a work one with whatever work I've lined up starting August. However, I don't know if I, as the parent can be on a tourist visa. Then there is the issue of lining up a place to rent on a tourist visa and not sure how hard that is.

C. Just stay in China for this semester and come to Mexico in the summer, preferably with job in hand. That will be easier but my son will enjoy Mexico more and I'm concerned about my work hours being out of sync with his schooling. I will only have one day off on the weekend and will work till 9 at night, although I can come back and make dinner. Plus, the Chinese school is 1K USD per month and I may need a driver to get him to school for 300 USD per month, all steep on a teacher's salary.
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Guy Courchesne



Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City

PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not sure to be honest...I have yet to see someone sponsor a child under the new rules, though if his stay is most definitely under 6 months I should think the tourist visa is fine for him - not tied to you in any way.

What I wonder is if you can sponsor a child that comes in after you already have your visa squared away and have started work.

Quote:
B. If no work lined up - just bag work for this semester and work on an online business I'm doing and come in on a tourist visa then leave in the summer and come back on a work one with whatever work I've lined up starting August. However, I don't know if I, as the parent can be on a tourist visa. Then there is the issue of lining up a place to rent on a tourist visa and not sure how hard that is.


I doubt very much that your son could acquire a dependent visa if you only had the tourist version. You'd have to make him dependent to a Mexican national in that case.
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