Job Discussion Forums

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

I`ve taken the route to advertising for private students and so far have been successful but I would love to continue this in greater depth.
Namely I am interested in taking advertisements in professional newsletters. Has anyone done this? Which were the most successful if any? I am thinking of contadors, abogados, doctors, etc.

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

Stand on Reforma in a clown suit and hand out fliers during the morning rush hour.

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

The best way to get private students is to mentally emit that you are too busy. You will not even have to advertise. If you (mentally) don't have time, you'll have private students desperately wanting classes. Pieces of paper will be handed to you randomly. People will stop you in the street. Old students will suddenly plan trips to Winnipeg and want you to teach them how to survive.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

MELEE · Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:33 pm Post subject:

In my town you wouldn't need the clown suit or the flyers, just stand on a street corner, you'll be bombarded with requests!

I don't know if doctors and lawyers in Mexico have professional newsletters... Confused

How about hitting the local Rotary Club? That's where you can find all the rich professionals in my town. The Lion's Club to, but a here the Rotarians alone would keep you very very very busy.

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

When advertising publically (newspapers OR bulletin boards), be careful to make sure you have the correct Immigration status. Not only do Immigration people read the newspapers Shocked

but those owning schools with teachers for this purpose also read the newspapers.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

Yes, Tim I do have the FM3 independente as you know and I may be incorrect in assuming that as long as I identify all sources of my income to SAT including private classes they could care less as long as they get the proper amount of taxes from me. That`s a point I should like to clarify with immigration.
My quasi paralegal counsel did advise me to go ahead with these plans anyway.
As for the clown suit, yes, that's funny. Of course I would have to wear a mask that would make me readily recognizable as a Native Speaker Americano. Anyone got a George Bush Jr. III mask?
The idea about the Lions Club is a good one.
Thanks Samantha for the comment about notifying people about my legal status.

sarliz · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Jalisco

Dubya? As poster boy of english fluencification? Shocked

M@tt · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 473 Location: here and there

how do you get an fm3 independente? what rights does it give you?
thanks

MO39 · Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:42 am Post subject:

I'm also interested in information about the FM-3 independiente. This is the first I've heard about its existence. Maybe I'd still be in Mexico if I'd known about it when I was in the DF last fall.

MO

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

The FM3 is a new creature only a few years old. Essentially it confers self-employment status to a non Mexican worker. Instead of your Mexican employer witholding your taxes you get the privilege of filing your own taxes. Of course as an independent contractor you have to file your taxes with SAT every month just like any other business.
For this you have to get a contador to lead you through the labyrinth of tax codes. Such an accountant will cost anywhere from 200 to 500 pesos every three months, depending on the price of that professional.

My employer is a language school and they insisted on such a status as they were tired of doing the bookkeeping for so many instructors, about 35 in all, with a large turnover every year.

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

As to how you get it, you do the same as with the regular fm3. You have to discuss the matter with immigration. They are the ones that grant it. You have to write a letter proposing what business you intend to involve with. In my case I am an ESL instructor, with a wide range of teaching arrangements from university to language centers to acesorias to private teaching.
I essentially had to write in Spanish a letter expressing that I wanted to teach English, photography and art. My lawyer revised it and typed it up for me. This letter was submitted to immigration along with all the other paperwork, ie. the 380 bank payment receipt that avers I was switching out of tourist visa and the 1686 peso bank receipt that declared that I had paid for my FM3 independente status.

I may have underpaid the latter as I was initially told the independente status was more expensive but as the immigration people were not so used to doing this, even initially reluctant and almost at a loss as to how to execute an independente application, they may have mistakenly under charged me.

Psst don�t tell them that please.

In the case of an independente I don't have to pay immigration each and every time I get a new part time job with another school. But legally I still have to go back and let them know that I have a new client. I was told by my caseworker at immigration that the independente status would also allow me to teach at a government school!!!???

MO39 · Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:58 am Post subject:

Thanks for the very complete information in both of your messages. Do you know if you have to have a job before applying for this kind of FM-3? I recall a couple of schools in the DF that I contacted which would only hire people who already had FM-3's; they just weren't interested in helping me (or anyone else) get one. Neither of them told me that I could apply for one on my own; I wonder if they were aware of the existence of the FM-3 independiente.

Once again, mil gracias.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia