Job Discussion Forums

orinlouis · Joined: 13 Apr 2008 Posts: 31

BA/MA in English and a reasonable amnt of teaching experience w/great references from acclaimed US schools.

I don't drink or plan to eat out much; think I might be able to save a little each month?

Thanks in advance.

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

Yes, after you are established, and if you live in a working class neighborhood, you should be able to save a bit.

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

I lived right by UNIVA, a few blocks south of Tepeyac. We were about ten minutes from Plaza del Sol by foot. My roommate and I rented a really nice three-bedroom furnished apartment for 8000 pesos per month (divided by two people). On top of that we had to pay for gas (we only ran out once, meaning we each paid 150 pesos per gas over the five-month period), electricity (super-cheap) and phone/internet (I recall it being stupidly expensive, like five hundred pesos or something every month for really slow service). I also had a pre-paid cell phone that I spent about two hundred pesos on each month. Bus trips cost about five pesos each, but if you have to transfer to a different bus then you have to buy a new ticket. I think I spent about three hundred pesos on bus travel each month. I ate out a couple times each week- sometimes in fancy places and often in cheaper places. That was easily another thousand pesos a month- probably more. A huge expense for me was traveling to other parts of Mexico.

I would say it's possible to save money in Guadalajara, but the amount you'd save wouldn't be very significant. I doubt it would be possible to save less if you worked in your home country for the same number of hours you'd be working in Guadalajara.

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:03 pm Post subject:

I just don't think it's realistic to pay off loans or debt of any kind back home and work in Mexico. The average job just doesn't pay enough. I would say that full time work pays about $8-$12,000 pesos per month. So, even a decent job is going to pay less than $1,000USD at the current exchange rates.

If you have a BA in English you might want to take a look at working in a high paying market (Korea, Taiwan, Japan) for a few years first and then come to Mexico.

BTW references from the US don't mean much at most schools in Mexico