Job Discussion Forums

[greent]

hi all... thinking of taking a job in guadalajara and am wondering what the pros and cons of living in the city are. how does it compare with other areas of mexico? tx...

[periodista-masajista]

I've been in Guadalajara for two weeks. This is my first trip into the interior of Mexico, my Spanish is limited and my knowledge of Mexico in general is similarly limited. So, my opinion of Guadalajara is so incomplete and devoid of context as to be practically worthless. However...

At this point I'd say Guadalajara is good but not great. There's enough art and architecture to provide some interest, but nothing to blow you away. The same could be said of the restaurants and nightlife. I've found the people to be wonderful: friendly and just likeable in general. It seems a lot safer than your typical big city in the USA. Maybe you might get jacked if you were wandering around drunk in the middle of the night, but I'm guessing that the only consistent danger here is the police. I think Guadalajara would be a great place for a person who wants to experience urban life in Mexico without the hassle and danger of Mexico City. That said, it also has less to offer culturally than Mexico City.

Not sure how accurate the above may be, but perhaps it could provide a starting place where someone who knows more about Guadalajara could continue the discussion...

[MixtecaMike]

[Samantha]

Me too. The only danger we ever encountered in GDL was the bus drivers! They will run you down without blinking an eye, so be very careful at the corners. I have come sooooo close to being hit by a bus in GDL and I know people who have been victims of buses there. (The police however, never did enter into my GDL experience). The night scene is varied but there is plenty of it. You just have to know where to go to find what you are looking for.

[Wouter]

I live in a suburb from Guadalajara called Tlaquepaque. Really nice place I must say. If you are looking for a teaching job their are a lot of posibitlies. We have a school where we teach English and Spanish and we often have teachers visiting us looking for work. If we cant offer any work we provide them with a list of schools where they can try to find work and till now everybody found a job that we met.

I dont go often to the city center but it is a nice place to visit. I prefer to live in one of the suburbs where it is more quite because I dont really like the city rush.

There are a lot of places where you can party. From upscale places to local kantinas. Because it is a city from some say 7 million people it has everything. From big malls to small shops on the corner. You can find here everything.

Also there is a lot to do around here. There are ruins to visit around 1,5 hour from here. Visit the Volcano in Colima which is around 2 hours from here, visit Mazamitla which is around 3 hours from here and of course the beach for the weekend which is around 4 hours from here.

Guadalajar has a lot of museums and other historical sites to visit. So plenty of things to do.

Wouter

[periodista-masajista]

I know someone who was mugged by the cops here- they were committing no offense, were picked up and told to either come up with 200 pesos or face the possibility of jail. Of course the police were bluffing, but still, the person in question went ahead and came up with the N$200 just to get away from them. A number of other locals I've talked to have had negative experiences with law enforcement, so maybe it's not widespread or even common, but my impression is that it does happen.

[Samantha]

That is certainly not something unique to GDL. It can happen anywhere. And it generally doesn't happen if you are conducting yourself accordingly, not placing yourself in a vulnerable position such as out partying and wandering around late at night. I think it is much more common to settle up for a traffic infraction roadside, as an example, than it is to be shaken down for money for "committing no offense". The other thing is, some foreigners don't take into consideration that perhaps certain behavior IS found to be offensive in this culture.