Job Discussion Forums

[Boy Wonder]

Moonraven I am sure most of Western Europe will be thrilled to hear you describe them as living in the Third World.
I have taught in Greece,Spain,France,Italy and Poland and wouldn't describe any of them as the Third World.
But then as a North American what does she know!

[Guy Courchesne]

One might also consider how teaching abroad, even entry level positions claimed as farcical in this thread, might serve as only a small part of one's career or career path.

Many people in Mexico teach English part time after having retired and moved down south. Some do it to keep active, others for the extra income, and still others as extensions of careers left behind.

I mentioned earlier in another thread (I think) that one could be a consultant. I met an EFL teacher from Toronto who had previously been working as a stock broker. He left it behind and came to Mexico to teach. He had a natural inclination towards teaching in companies, and quickly found himself back in the stock game. Last I heard, he is still here in Mexico City working as a consultant as I said, working in finance. It struck me as odd...stock borker turned ELT turned consultant aborad, but hey, to each his own.

[marblez]

Life is what you make of it! Most people here are living proof of that. Don't forget to consider those who just don't care about material things or getting "rich" in general. I only have one life - I'll spend it doing the things I love. I think I can live with a $500 car instead of a $50,000 black hole of a car.

[guty]

IS 650,
Please tell me if any of my figures are way off. Out of interest, I think a good salary at a Mexican Uni is about 12,000 pesos. If a mortgage is 3.5x annual income that give a possible mortgage of around .5m pesos.
What kind of property can you get for this?
Big detatched villa with pool, comfortable city centre apartment, etc?

[Guy Courchesne]

[ls650]

[Guy Courchesne]

Prices in Huatulco I imagine are about to take a big climb as I hear there is much developement out there. Those teachers may have made a nice investment indeed should they decide to sell in the future.

[sojourner]

Guy,

Many thanks for the postings about buying residential property in Mexico. However, what are the laws regarding tenure ? Does Mexico have a freehold system of tenure ? In Thailand, it appears that if you buy a house, it's only "yours" for about 20 or 30 years, when the (leasehold ?) tenure expires - what about the situation in Mexico ?

Also, is it very difficult to obtain permanent residency status in Mexico ?

Regards,

Peter

[Guy Courchesne]

Tenure expires in Thailand? That's either progressive or repressive, depending on which side of the fence you are on I guess. I have never heard of such a system in Mexico.

We've had a few threads regarding residency status in Mexico over in the Mexico thread. Here are some sources for info...

http://www.mexperience.com/liveandwork/immigration.htm

http://www.mexico-trade.com/citizen.html

I'm just under 2 years away from not having to stand in line any more at la migra office, which is always packed with Argentines, who seem to not like being in line as much as I.

It is not difficult if you have patience, or resources, or family connections in Mexico. Since I married a Mexican woman, it is pretty easy for me.

Of course, about 3 or 4 thousand dollars to the right official could also make the process lightning quick...such is Mexico. While assisting a teacher to renew his visa once, the immigration official with our case offered us a working permit for 900 usd. Not a copy, nor a fake. The real thing. Mexico can be a crooked place.

[foss]

Thanks for the insights into DF - quite surprising.

Back to the question: let's imagine that it weren't a farce. Imagine that, due to some improbable economic kink, the standard TEFL job in attractive countries such as Mexico, Turkey or Thailand offered a secure financial package for life. Wouldn't the competition for jobs be a bit stiffer? How many people currently teaching would measure up to this competition?

[Ben Round de Bloc]

Peter,

One thing to keep in mind about buying property in Mexico is its location within the country. Only Mexican citizens can own property outright within a certain distance from an ocean border, for example. The distance can vary due to the size of the municipio in which the property is located. It isn't just beach-front property.

If a foreigner (non-Mexican citizen) wants to "buy" property in one of these areas, it has to be via a bank trust (fide comiso) with an annual service charge or have a Mexican citizen's name on the title. The fine print is important, because in some cases the bank or the Mexican citizen automatically becomes the owner of the property when the foreigner dies. A long-term lease (99 years) is an option for foreigners but can be risky. Should the Mexican citizen whose name appears on the lease die, the lease usually becomes void, meaning the deceased person's family can legally oust the foreigner from the property immediately.

A few years ago, there was a big scandal in the state of Quintana Roo regarding state and local government officials selling government land illegally to both Mexican citizens and foreigners. A person can also run into problems regarding property that was once part of some haciendas (plantations,) where the property can be handed down to members of families who were given parcels of the land, but the property can't be sold legally.

If you're seriously considering buying property in Mexico, it's wise to find a trustworthy lawyer (oxymoron?) with a background in local real estate dealings.

[ls650]

[Guy Courchesne]

[Guy Courchesne]

Good important points Ben...there was an incident in Ensenada a while back where the police had removed many American home owners form the properties they had purchased. I think they cited the 50 meters from the coast rule in that case.

I didn't know that the distance varied though, from town to town. Do you know what the distance rule is where you are? Your city is beach front is it not?

[Ben Round de Bloc]