Job Discussion Forums

[rob01]

Hi!

I really looking for some advice from you Mexico experts. I speak good Spanish, I�m British, have a degree and TEFL, ive been teaching for three years, mostly in Madrid, Spain and have tons of experience with all ages and levels. The bottom line is that I�ve been thinking about heading to Mexico in mid July or August to try and set myself up there.
In Spain, it�s difficult or next to impossible to pick up classes from outside of the country, could anybody tell me if this is the case in Mexico? Do you have to be on the ground, I have been searching the internet for jobs and haven�t found too many advertised to be honest. I applied to Global-ers and didn�t hear anything from them. Are there any other similar placement organisations? and can they be recommended?

My question is, if I were to head to Mexico with about $4000 usd, and start searching for classes with my experience; knocking door to door with my CV, would it be possible to find a decent enough schedule within a month or so? Or do you think it would even be possible to find a job in a school, college or university at that time of the year?
After trawling the internet as much as possible, the following seem like a viable possibility in terms of work and a decent place to live; Guanajauto, Oaxaca, Jalapa, Veracruz, are these towns a decent bet? I have been to Mexico many times, but usually in beach towns in Quintana Roo/Yucatan, most recently last year I lived in a town near to Acapulco for about six weeks. Acapulco itself would be amazing, but I�m not sure how easy it would to pick up classes there, being a beach town?
I know that the majority of work will surely be in the huge metropolises of D.F and Guadajara etc, but I really am not a big fan of D.F at all and definetly do not want to be living in a huge metropolis like that, after living in a series of massive cities im kind of burnt out, and one of the reasons I want to leave Madrid is to find a more chilled out, relaxed town or city. Any advice would be just great, is a few grand, a cv and a lot of determination enough to pick up work? Also, any recommendations of places would be just great, im working with a totally open mind right now. Thanks!

[geaaronson]

My sense is that the greatest number of openings will be in Guanajuato. $4,000 USD should do it as long as you are in a major metropolitan area. The beach resorts unfortunately do not have much in the way of openings. Check out the job listings on www.computrabajo.com.mx and on craigslist.

[Guy Courchesne]

Being on the ground is absolutely the best way to go, but you should start making contacts by email or telephone now, letting people know you'll be in country soon, maybe arranging meetings. Early August is a good time for this with schools booting up for the year. Most positions will already have been filled but being there at the start is good if there happen to be any slots to fill.

$4000 usd will easily tide you over for a month, and longer.

Your choices of city seem fine though your options for work may be more limited than a metropolis. Right place, right time of course.

[TeresaLopez]

Even if you don't like the DF, you might consider Mexico state, there is a LOT of work in the outlying areas, you could find a job then a place to live. Just an idea. $4000 US can last a few months, I would think, if you are frugal. Heck, even if you aren't. That's about what *I* live on in a year.

[Samantha]

Wow, Teresa! You must be very frugal. Good for you, to be able to pull that off.

[TeresaLopez]

Yes, I am pretty frugal, but I should have also mentioned that we own our apartment so I don't have to pay rent. But, 400 pesos is what a lot of what would be considered middle class people live on.

[Guy Courchesne]

[geaaronson]

TeresaLopez

You did your math the wrong way. $4,000 US would be 40,000 pesos, and even that is not correct because we are now getting 13 pesos per USD.
Most of the corporate office people in DF are earning between 25,000 and 35,000 MX per month. These are people working for multinationals, have a single college degree, have their own desks, computer, maybe a cubicle. They are not bosses of their work units. Those positions pay exceedingly higher than the differential in the US.
For example the lowest position at the Commission of Competition, Mexico�s equivalent to the US FTC, created in 1994 by order of the NAFTA accord, is 23,000 pesos a month. The next higher position is a person who has two subordinates beneath him and pays 38,000 pesos. I believe that differential to be much higher than in the US for bosses.
Professional positions for recent graduates are significantly lower, even as low as 10,000 pesos a month for computer programmers starting out. But generally the starting salary I have heard most often is 17,000 for a lawyer or a computer geek.

[Prof.Gringo]

[TeresaLopez]

I have to agree with Prof Gringo, I work with lots of young professionals, and they aren't making anything like 20,000 a month, more like 7000 or 8000. And the secretary of one of my students is a highly skilled, Bi-lingual woman with 25+ years experience, in a government job, and she only makes 9000. She does have good benefits, though. One of my sisters-in-law is an office manager, oversees 20 or so employees, works half time and makes around 6000, also with 20+ year in the same job. Also get decent benefits, but that isn't pay.

And, yes, I did the math wrong, was thinking in dollars, but as you said, that's not right because of the exchange.

But I do live on about 4000 - 5000 pesos, we are saving like mad for a few big ticket items.

I also think the prices for food, hotel, etc are accurate, though if you pay upfront for a month you might get a better deal.

I did have a great comida corrida at a little place in Neza when I had to go to the Hacienda office a couple of months ago, for 22 pesos. Soup, rice, beans, chicken in mole, tortillas and a yummy watermelon water, made from scratch. But I don't think that is typical. Also, I have a friend who owns a hostel, and she also has some private rooms upstairs, it's very central and quiet, if you are staying for a month or more she will work with you on price. PM if interested. It's a small place, 3 blocks from the Metro, with a fonda almost next door and a great (cheap) taco place around the corner.

[Guy Courchesne]

From the people I know, the salaries made at the junior exec level are closer to what Prof quotes. The banking and legal industries are paying 20K and up when you get into mid level management and beyond.

[geaaronson]

8,000 for a professional? Your students are not seeking out the better companies, or they just are not top notch. I am talking gross pay, not take home.
One student was an attorney who started out at ScotiaBank. She was a contract lawyer. First year she made $17.000 a month. After three years she threw in the towel, switched over to MIFEL Bank, a commercial bank in Polanco, that among other things underwote the loan for the city to buy 4,000 hybrid cars for sale to city employees under a low loan rate program and Victoria was the one to write the contract and deal with Ebrads city attorney, for which she was receiving 23,000 per month. There was an opening for her boss� position as he was promoted one rung up the ladder. If she had landed that job, after 4 years as a contract lawyer and four years out of UNAM, her salary would have been 38.000 a month. I never found out if she got the job but I do recall that Slim was interested in hiring her.
Another private student had just completed his studies at UNAM in computer programming. He had the paperwork to finish before he got his diploma and was takingj private English classes with me. He had interviewed with Microsoft the year before and after the first interview was not recontacted. He was offered an entry level position in Guadalajara at $17,000 a month but took my advice and turned the position down. He was seriously considering taking the job as one of his best friends had a similar job in DF at only 10,000 a month and didn�t think he could get anything better. Again, I recommended that he look around, which he did and was offered a job in the Estado de Mexico for $17,000 a month!
Again, my economist student at the Comision de Competencia, has after 6 years the same status as her initial year and is paid 23,000 per month. Her friend who I also had as a student, had one level up and was making mid 30�s with fewer years there.
I hope that answers your question about pay for professionals. Perhaps mine were the best of the brightest and are slated to shoot up to the top of their fields. I don�t know.
Oh yes, there is another student I had out in Santa Fe who actually never completed his college education and was working at a company called Comverse Technologies. They were paying him 300,000 a year. He had a cubicle job.
I did have one student from Iztapalapa who was an office manager in a 200 lawyer legal firm in Polanco who was only receiving 9.000. She was a lawyer as well but no one would hire her as an attorney. Her personality left a lot to be desired and I doubt that she was so brilliant that she would shine and advance, so I suspect her career to go nowhere fast.
I should hope that answers your questions about pay. I still don�t know why your students aren�t making more money out there, but there are jobs plenty that pay that kind of money.