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FreddyM
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 180
Location: Mexico
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 Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 2:39 am Post subject: |
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I'm not sure what the sad existence of a middle class lifestyle Prof is referring to. My lifestyle is comparable to what I lived on a full time teacher's salary in the USA, except that I don't have a car here, nor any expenses related to it.
Not counting housing (since the mortgage payment is deducted automatically from my paycheck by Infonavit), I can easily live on $3,000 pesos in cash, plus another $2,000 in vales a month. That includes high speed internet, all utilities, the maintenance fee for my condo, cell phone, transportation costs (mostly Metro, occasionally a taxi or bus), food, eating out (I don't cook), and miscellaneous small costs. That still leaves me with a bit more left over each month for savings. It's not extravagant, but I can also afford the occasional trip out of town, perhaps a couple times a year, where I can easily spend up to $10,000. Most of those big ticket items I usually save up for them from the aguinaldo, fondo de ahorro, and various little bonuses I get each year on top of my salary. If I included housing costs, it would add another $5,000 a month for a mid-sized, fairly secure apartment with guarded entry in an area of town that's considered fairly middle class.
How much would a newbie need to make in order to life like this...probably closer to $20,000 rather than to $10,000. Do those types of jobs exist in Mexico (D.F.)? Yeah, maybe not easily found, but they are out there. And if you're making closer to $10k, rather than 20k, you can live with the basics, minus the savings and costly vacations. |
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Enchilada Potosina
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 344
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 2:56 am Post subject: |
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| FreddyM wrote: |
| How much would a newbie need to make in order to life like this...probably closer to $20,000 rather than to $10,000. Do those types of jobs exist in Mexico (D.F.)? Yeah, maybe not easily found, but they are out there. And if you're making closer to $10k, rather than 20k, you can live with the basics, minus the savings and costly vacations. |
Pretty much spot on. I'd also advise newbies to bring a fair amount of cash. I've seen a lot arrive with next to nothing and get stuck here because their language school job pays between $5,000 and $8,000 a month. If you can live on this and you came here for some kind of poverty stricken Mexican zeitgeist, Mexico is your new home - forget about trips home for the holidays. |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 3:19 am Post subject: |
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| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| If you came here for some kind of poverty stricken Mexican zeitgeist, Mexico is your new home |
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TeresaLopez
Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| Professor wrote: |
| And if you're wanting to live in an area where you won't have to worry about having your place buglarized while you're at work, you'd better be ready to pay a pretty peso. |
Bullcrap! I live in Jardin Balbuena, which is just a plain old neighborhood and have never been burglarized, nor has anyone in our building in TWENTY YEARS. The house on the corner was burglarized about 7 years ago, and that is it on my block. What exactly is your point in this agressive anti Mexico rant, if I might ask. |
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the peanut gallery
Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 5:00 am Post subject: |
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I agree with Teresa on this one. There is no real money in Mexican lower or middle class neighborhoods, hence no real incentive to commit property crime there.
Most robberies happen in the nice neighborhoods where the houses are filled with 42 inch tvs, imacs, tag heuers, and handsome sums of cash money dollar bills.
Todays modern, savvy, connected, crafty as hell theiving wanker knows that if he/she is going to risk jail time it damn well better be for decent swag. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| FreddyM wrote: |
| How much would a newbie need to make in order to life like this...probably closer to $20,000 rather than to $10,000. Do those types of jobs exist in Mexico (D.F.)? Yeah, maybe not easily found, but they are out there. And if you're making closer to $10k, rather than 20k, you can live with the basics, minus the savings and costly vacations. |
Pretty much spot on. I'd also advise newbies to bring a fair amount of cash. I've seen a lot arrive with next to nothing and get stuck here because their language school job pays between $5,000 and $8,000 a month. If you can live on this and you came here for some kind of poverty stricken Mexican zeitgeist, Mexico is your new home - forget about trips home for the holidays. |
All true!
And good luck finding those $20,000 peso a month gigs when you're fresh off that $3,000 CELTA course or two grand generic TEFL cert.
I have also seen those with an education degree, certification, etc crash and BURN at the Mexican colegios. Nothing like teaching back home in Canada, US, UK etc...
I always find it amusing when potential TEFL newbies ask me how much they need to get started and I always say the same: The more, the better. $3,000 USD MINIMUM if you already have a TEFL. And in reality, $5,000 US is really the lowest amount somebody should bring to Mexico.
Take some advice from those that have been in Mexico a while, don't show up almost broke and with just the promise of some low-paying EFL job and hope you'll somehow buck the trend. Better off investing in lottery tickets |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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| foodie555 wrote: |
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| Professor wrote: |
| kaptaincangaroo wrote: |
| teach in Mexico to make enough money to pay for my BA degree. |
Dude, that will NEVER happen in Mexico or Latin America!! As Prof. Gringo told you, the salaries are VERY low in Latin America and saving is almost impossible unless you have a spouse/girlfriend who has a job as well and/or that spouse/girlfriend has properties used for rent.
OR..you have a SS coming in every month from the States. An EFL income ONLY in Mexico or Latin America will not make it possible for you to save.
Get the bachelor first and look into teaching int he Middle East or Asia. |
All very true. The people that do well in Mexico all seem to either have:
1. Outside income such as a pension, SS check or a trust fund to rely upon.
2. Rich parents (EFL phone home)
3. A Mexican life partner with better than average income, business, rental property and/or connections as well.
4. Significant savings or income from their home country or possibly from a high paying EFL country before coming to Mexico.
5. A combination of the above.
The average EFL job in Mexico pays $8,000 pesos per month, which is the minimum to live on. No way to save on that income.
Some jobs pay as little as $4,000 or $5,000 pesos per month. That is not even enough to live on.
Cost of living is going up all the time in Mexico, but wages have stayed about the same for the last 5 years (or more). |
I know that this may be true for teaching jobs at institutes. What about university jobs? And are these university jobs hard to come by if you have an MA? I would really like to work in Mexico or another Spanish-speaking country in order to have more opportunities to speak Spanish (I am fluent, but speak like a 4th grader right now) while gaining more teaching experience. I know that I will not make a ton of money, but I do not want to lose money. Is that possible anywhere in Mexico, or am I just a dreamer? |
First of all, I was addressing the OP who has no degree and was asking what could be done with just a CELTA/TEFL cert. in Mexico.
As for university jobs, remember that there is stiff competition for those jobs and the pay is often not much better versus other employers.
Private uni's often pay peanuts ($40-80 pesos an hour) which is about the same as a language school. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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| the peanut gallery wrote: |
There is no real money in Mexican lower or middle class neighborhoods, hence no real incentive to commit property crime there.
Most robberies happen in the nice neighborhoods where the houses are filled with 42 inch tvs, imacs, tag heuers, and handsome sums of cash money dollar bills.
Todays modern, savvy, connected, crafty as hell theiving wanker knows that if he/she is going to risk jail time it damn well better be for decent swag. |
Maybe that is why in my barrio fresa, there are 24/7 police patrols, guard shacks and I have never had nor seen any problems? Could also have something to do with folks paying taxes around here 
As for being a foreigner in Mexico, you will always stand out and be a much more likely target. Many believe that all foreigners are "rich" and even if you live like a pauper (on that awesome TEFL salary) you must have a magic box full of cash and gold, or a huge bank account back home 
Also, the amount of crime in the subway system, in the poor barrios, taxi robberies etc. All go to show that crime is not reserved for the upper-class in Mexico. |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Amazing. Yet another potentially helpful thread goes off track and turns into a huge rant about a couple of poster's ongoing economic problems. We get it already. Merry Christmas, all. |
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Isla Guapa
Joined: 19 Apr 2010
Posts: 1520
Location: Mexico City o sea La Gran Manzana Mexicana
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Samantha wrote: |
| Amazing. Yet another potentially helpful thread goes off track and turns into a huge rant about a couple of poster's ongoing economic problems. We get it already. Merry Christmas, all. |
I agree, Samantha, we get it. I, for one, am tired of seeing personal problems turned into arguments about how awful life is in Mexico for everyone, not just for the kvetchers. Enough gloom and doom for a while, OK? Let's enjoy the holidays, which are such a treat in Mexico! |
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the peanut gallery
Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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���..This thread has gone off topic���..�
"�..safety in rural and urban areas" is the title and topic of this thread. Have we not had enough coverage of income/savings and such on other threads?......�
I have said the same thing twice already but posters who are doing just fine in Mexico are also guilty for derailing this thread. If blame must be laid, lay it justly, not lazily at the doorstep of the perceived usual suspects.
And yes, Merry Christmas! |
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