Job Discussion Forums

[Writer]

I live in Oaxaca City. I just heard from two different sources that there's some law or regulation that might require schools to have just one foreign teacher every 8 or 10 Mexican teachers. Is this true? Just for Oaxaca? Or for all of Mexico?

[Samantha]

It's an immigration law (Federal) and doesn't apply just to teachers. 1 in 10. I know a restaurant owner who recently got hauled in for a head count of the foreigners to Mexican ratio. The foreigners were all singer/entertainers, but no matter....they had to legally be only 10% of the entire staff. That was a mad scramble! Schools are the same. That's why when you read of a school boasting of ALL foreign teachers, you know something is not quite right in Paradise.

[Prof.Gringo]

The law does say that only 10% of a companies employees can be foreign. Like many laws in Mexico when and how it is applied depends on where the company is, and who the owner knows.

There are some schools that hire foreign teachers through 3rd party "companies or assocations". Wall Street Institute comes to mind, as they hire foreign teachers through something called "Master Teachers" although for all intents and purposes you work for WSI, that way they can screw people on pay and benies and get around the law.

[TheLongWayHome]

[Phil_K]

How does the law apply when the teachers are paid by honorarios or facturas - in which case they are not "employed" by the company, but effectively freelance?

[Samantha]

In the case I mentioned, none of the foreign musicians were on the actual payroll of the restaurant (that would be rare). The rule was still applied, and they made this very clear to the restaurant owner when they asked for the list of everyone working there.

Likely the only reason they acted was because of a complaint from a neighboring restaurant, and they accomplished two things. Like foreign teachers, foreign musicians don't always bother to get legal, especially if they are seasonal, and the complaint maker was pretty sure this would be the case. It was.

[jillford64]

I was paid paid by the hour where I worked too, so I guess, technically not on the payroll because they weren't taking out taxes and all that. I still counted against the 1 in 10 and they sponsored me for a work permit.

[vaca_loca]

I believe it's 10 Mexican staff not teachers - so that means cleaners, receptionists, etc., etc., at a school. So the proportion of teachers can be more than 1 in 10 that way. Also, some school owners own other businesses and combine them as one company - if the other business has all Mexican staff, that means there can be lots more foreign teachers at the school. I could be wrong, but that's what was explained to me once.

[Prof.Gringo]