Job Discussion Forums

gnattie · Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 9:53 pm Post subject: Moving to Guadalajara in January

Hola, que onda? One more teacher for Guadalajara... reading through the forum I have seen there are a lot of GDA teachers out there. I lived there about 5 years ago and studied at ITESM, lived in La Normal and taught English really informally in a government office. I was there to visit in October to look into job opportunities and have a small vacation. I was amazed at the changes. Even though I used to live there it seems I am in need of some advice. I have a place to live for the first little while (friends house) but I am sure I am going to want my own place quite quickly. Does anyone know where I can start looking for apartments or shared accomodations? Are there any website I can check out before I go... or places in GDA that people put up ads. Is 1000 - 1500 peso per month a reasonable amount to expect to pay. I am simple and don't need anything fancy (I used to live in La Normal and we paid 1000 pesos for a 3 bedroom - YES times have changed) I would also love any tips on life in GDA (cost of living, cheap/good places to shop/eat/hang out, schools to avoid, the best schools to work at etc...)
Thanks gNat

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

You'll find far more info on the ground in GDL than online. For shared accommodations, swing by UAG. Can't remember the street name but it's central. They should have some listings eiter in student services or just posted around.

Otherwise, check the Aviso Oportuno in one of several papers. You should be able to find something central for between 1000-1500 pesos. You can get something classier for the same price out towards Zapopan or a little past Plaza del Sol. I was renting near Metro Refugio, at 900 pesos per month. Sparsely furnished, but I spent all the days out and about and the nights ligando anyway, lol

Wouter · Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 128 Location: Tlaquepaque

I live and work my self in GDL for more than a year now. About the apartment prices. All depends where you want to stay, in which area. I must say that I think that you need at least 1500. Maybe if you look in the outskirts of Guadalajara you can find some cheaper buti dont know that you want to live there. Specially if you have to travel every day to your work. I pay my self 2100 pesos a month and it wasnt furnished. My collegue pays 2250 for a furnished one bedroom apartment and our apartments are both situated in Tlaquepaque.

The best thing to do for searching an apartment is buy on friday the Mural and the Informador (newspapers). The have a special section only for advertisements and it is free to place an ad on friday for the Mural.

What you also can do is visit churches and big supermarkets or indoor markets. These have often a special boards for ads.

Also a good thing to do is look at some websites. I know that http://www.mexplaza.com.mx has a special section where they offer apartments for rent and you can also place an ad for free.

I pay my self around 5000 pesos a month for every thing. I think it can be a little bit less but this gives you an idea. I live my self in Tlaquepaque what i think is a real nice area to live in. Center of GDL is me to busy.

I have my self a school for english, french and german for mexicans and spanish for foreigners. You always can pop in to see if we have any work available or to ask for some information. Maybe we can help you with something. I know some nice restaurtants here but most of them are in and around Tlaquepaque.

Just drop by when you are in the neigbourhood.

Wouter

guera · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 8

A little late but I am a somewhat infrequent visitor to this site.........

I�ve lived on and off in Guad. for the past 4 years and I have to say that you would be pretty hard pressed to find a safe house or apartment to rent for 1000 pesos. You might find a room to rent in a casa de asistencia for that amount or in a shared apartment. Locations near universities posted on bulletin boards are good places to look but for 1000 pesos it would be more difficult to find something near the UAG on Patria . I lived for a brief while somewhat near the Transito but farther north ( kinda... close to La Normal ) in a casa de asistencia near UdeG psychology faculty that was very cheap albeit a long commute ....being without car at the time...to my english classes in chichier areas on the west side.

My guess is the house that you rented 5 years ago in La Normal wouldn�t go for less than 4000 nowadays unless..the landlord really liked you and had fond memories of your stay... , or wasn�t up to speed on current rental rates etc. etc.

I pay 1500 for your typical Infonovit style townhouse which I consider dirt cheap in Bosques del Centinela but I am just outside the Periferico. This development didn�t exist 5 years ago, so you might not know where it is. It is on the road to Las Ca�adas. It is not that far from ITESM and it would be inconvenient to live here without a car.

Being in a Christmas frame of mind - I will let you know that you can do some job and housing searching online, as the Informador is online.

(If you can read Spanish)

http://www.informador.com.mx

Best of Luck!

juststeven · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 117

"I pay my self" / "I have my self a school". UNBELIEVABLE! Shocked

Wouter · Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 128 Location: Tlaquepaque

Hi Justseven,

I think you refer to my english. Thats what i think. If this is the case would you tell me how it would be better. I am actually dutch so my native language is not english but dutch.

Also it would be better not to make comments about spelling errors because their are more people in the world and not every body is an english native speaker. If you would have given the correct ways how to write this would be better.

Wouter

MixtecaMike · Joined: 19 Nov 2003 Posts: 643 Location: Guatebad

Wouter,

If everyone in the world was as perfect at English as Steven wants then we would be out of a job.

Steven must be another one having a solitary Christmas if he spends Christmas Eve correcting English, so I can empathize with you there Stevie.

But let's save the nit-picking for those who REALLY deserve, it.

CLUE: M _ _ _ r _ _ _ n

juststeven · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 117

You're quite a piece of work, Mikey! You don't write English well and your Spanish is even worse!

As for my previous post, If you run an English school in Mexico, please teach them correct grammar and syntax! Very Happy

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I suppose, Simple Stephen, we should make Dave's the new TOEFL test? What a world it would be if we could just simply have you be the judge and jury of all non-native speakers...

I hope you are not a teacher of English. Your poor students, left to the spell checker to curry favour.

If you did some research, and I see you don't, you would come up with a different response to what Wouter says. Would love to see you try to write to us in Dutch.

Wouter · Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 128 Location: Tlaquepaque

Hi Steven,

Our school gives Dutch, German, French, Spanish and English classes. Unfortunately I dont speak all these languages but I dont think that it would be a bad thing helping people out with information if I my english is not perfect and I have a language school.

For your information we have qualified native english teachers for our english classes. For this reason I�m not one of the teachers. Wink

Wouter

juststeven · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 117

Wouter,
I wish you the best of success with your school. I'm sure that you will be a master of the English language very soon.
To Backdoor Guy,
Once again, I've been devastated by your rapier wit! Rolling Eyes

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Mike, in his usual wrong-header and mean-spirited manner, thinks he can nit-pick the moonraven. Ha! (Right--he thinks he can nit-pick someone with a PhD in English who designs TOEFL exams, when he can't even pass one.)

And this is also a guy who doesn't know the difference between "discreet" and "discrete", and who, when he tries to show off his Spanish skills, only shows off that he doesn't speak, read or write that language.

Mikey--remember that advice Dick Cheney gave to Senator Leahy? Follow it.

thelmadatter · Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 10:19 pm Post subject: myself

Just my 2 cents

Ididnt find Wouter's use of "myself" in an informal forum such as this to be such an offense! I have heard this type of usage before however colloquial it might be.

Good Goddess people! I sure dont use the same kind of English in the classroom that I do in my "normal" life - esp. not when, say, talking to my sister! Then my "Joisey" comes out real good! Laughing

Take a chill pill.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Thelma,

I hate to break it to you, but you are not the measure of the linguistic behavior of all people on this forum. Some of us do not talk like guys on the docks in New Jersey.

MOD EDIT

But I suppose "ya coulda bin a contenda"....

juststeven · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 117

Thelmadatter,
WHY don't you use the same English in your 'normal' life that you use in the classroom? Surprised