Job Discussion Forums

[gqsmoothie]

Hello everyone, I am planning on entering Mexico this fall via bicycle. My attentative plan is to cycle to a small village/town and find a job teaching little kids.
What do I need to enter and work there? Some people tell me I must have an FM-3, others say if I am working in a small town for little or no pay it won't be necessary. If that's true what visa should I get?
So....passport, visa of some sorts, vaccinations of any sort?


anything would be helpful!!


Gabe

[leslie]

Bye

[gqsmoothie]

After I've been in Mexico for the 180 days can I get my visa extended from where I will be?

Who/what should I contact to get the visa, passport and any other legal documents I might need to have.

The other time I was in Mexico we were only there for a day and we just walked across the border, no visa or anything.


thanx

GQ

[moonraven]

By law, 180 days in the maximum. If you are close to the border, it would be easy to cross and come back in. If not, it's not a big deal anyway.

You get a passport from the country of which you are a citizen. You get the visa when you cross the border. If you need to have an FM-3 where you are working your employer needs to give you a letter stipulating complete terms of your work. If it's not full time they probably wouldn't give you one anyway, but you will need to go to the immigration office nearest you geta list of the documents and comply--you'll need apostillated copies of diplomas or transcipts, and then Spanish translations with a translator approved by the immigration office. Unless you want to live in Mexico for quite awhile, it would be a lot easier to just work under the table.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I'm surprised that nobody has really focused on the safety factor of traveling by bicycle in Mexico. I'm not at all familiar with villages or cities in the north of the country, so maybe safety isn't a concern there.

I know several people who have been mugged while riding bicycles in the city where I live. I also know a number of bicycle riders who have been involved in traffic accidents, and they were locals who were familiar with the way people drive here. A newbie foreigner on a bicycle could easily end up as a hood ornament on a bus! A foreigner riding a bicycle alone out in the country, or even in several areas within this city, could be an easy mark for being robbed.

Just curious. For those who have spent some time in Mexico, do you think traveling alone by bicycle is safe in the part of the country where you are?

[moonraven]

I don't believe traveling on a bicycle is safe anywhere. But then that's me--I don't like bicycles.

[saraswati]

I have to agree with Ben here. Bicycling in Mexico is incredibly dangerous, especially when drivers only pay attention to themselves and the traffic lanes are often undefined with everyone playing a game of "smerge" (smush and merge).

I know of two people in the past year who were in bike/car accidents. One was in traction for three months and the other is still confined to his bed. In the case of the latter, this is his second accident!!

I'm sure you're an experienced rider but the majority of people on the road are not good drivers!

[lozwich]

[MELEE]

I'm an advid recreational cycler myself. I don't wish to support the system that calls for all our transportation via combustion engines anymore than I have to. I had been riding my bike for recreation and Saturday errands around town, but not for my commute to work, because I work 2km up a mountain! Now, I've had to give up bike ridding for the time, due to a new health issue . Two of our English teachers have felt up to the climb and ridden their bikes to work.

When new teachers ask me about bringing their bike, I usually tell them not to, unless they are really attached to their bike. There are two reasons for this. The first one is that I recommend that they give themselves several months to get used to the way traffic flows. Many drivers in our city are unlicenced and most people hear think that "knowing how to drive" is exactly the same as "knowing how to operate a car", in other words, have no clue as to traffic laws or norms. So, wearing a helmet, having handle bar mirrors to help you have a clue as to where the cars around you are, and being on the upmost look out is highly recommended. The second reason is that basic bikes are quite cheap here and buying one from the local bike shop usually includes a service plan and supports the local economy.

I've particullary enjoyed riding my bike outside of town on the smaller highway and dirt roads to other villages. Only once, when their was no shoulder at all on the road, have I ever felt unsafe. I also didn't worry about being mugged, because I never carry anymore than one house key, water and $20 pesos in case I want a snack. I'm not sure how I would feel travelling long term with all my stuff with me. But, it is a dream of my husband's and mine to bike around Mexico. However, if we did that, I would be with my MEXICAN (ethinically indigenous) husband.
I've noticed that travelling with him, we get totally different kind of treatment than I did travelling alone or with other foreigners.

I don't know if what I've written is conclusive at all, but I think Gabe should go for his wonderful adventure, obviously aware of the dangers, but hopefully knowing that the problems he encounters will be the making of the greatest stories later.

[moonraven]

Quite a while is more than a few years. I have been here 10 years, and I can say that the only reason to work legally with an FM-3 is that you then will receive benefits--such as the 100% employer-paid retirement. I am getting close to retirement age, so that has been an issue for me. otherwise, just bounce around on a tourist card unless your employer makes you get an FM-3. (under which circumstance most of them willpay for it.) As for making up stories-why not? That's considered normal here.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[MELEE]

People interested in staying long term in Mexico also need to be up-to-date about the ever changing pension system. If you weren't here before the AFORE (similar to the US 401K plans) system started you aren't eligible for and IMSS or ISSTE (government) pension. Even if you were here before then, if you've ever signed up for an AFORE you may have waved your rights to your IMSS or ISSTE pension.

[moonraven]

Here's the deal on the AFOREs--which are 100% employer paid every 2 months--they began in 1997, and money in the IMSS retirement fund from before that theoretically was moved into the AFORE accounts in 1998. You must work 24 and a half years to qualify for a government pension through the IMSS--unlikely that any of us will be doing that. At 60, however, if you are retiring you may pull out the amount of money in your AFORE in a lump sum--if there is any there when you reach 60, given that the government instituted AFOREs to bail out the banks after the 1995 crisis and feels it has the right to allow banks to charge high commissions on the accounts and to divert AFORE funds for other purposes.

[MELEE]

[moonraven]

Not on the pensions they pay here, probably. If there's money in the system when you're 49 is another question....