Job Discussion Forums

[dashzero]

Hey guys. Does anybody here have experience living in Monterrey? Has anybody heard of Colegio Ingles or Euroamericano? Thanks in advance!

[urbanhickup]

Hi,
I am a teacher at one of the local schools here in MTY. I do know of both schools. Colegio Ingles has a good rep. You will be worked hard for the money, but they give you good housing. Euroamericano is also a good school. It is newer, and growing quite a bit. The principal at Euro is foreign and a good person.
Monterrey itself is not a bad city, but it is not anything typical for Mexico. Which is good and bad. You will certainly not be doing anything touristy here.

[tagastelum]

I live in Monterrey and currently work at CI. Please pm me for details.

[tagastelum]

Let me come clean up front: I am no fan of Monterrey. (In fact, after five years of trying to enjoy this city, I now accept that we are simply a bad match for each other -- an arranged marriage that was doomed from the start -- and I have taken a job in Mexico City, which I love, warts and all.) Monterrey has its share of boosters and true, it has much to offer, if what you seek includes modern shopping malls, supermarkets, fast food, drive-through convenience stores and weekend getaways to Texas.

Monterrey is the face of globalized, modern Mexico. And yes, other Mexican urban centers are headed in the same direction as the country plunges forward into the 21st century. Sadly, unlike Mexico City or Guadalajara or Puebla or Quer�taro, Monterrey has no real sense of history to soften its hard modern edges. It is a North American Sunbelt city, more akin to Phoenix or Dallas than other cities in the Mexican Republic. If you would willingly move to one of these desert metropoli, you might just like Monterrey. If you would never consider living in Arizona or Texas, I would suggest that you not move to Monterrey.

I may be generalizing here, but it seems to me that many of us moved to Mexico to enjoy its beautiful natural scenery and rich culture -- including food, music, architecture and sense of history. The outskirts of Monterrey are indeed beautiful, and that is its saving grace. (You'd better bring your own car or you'll be hard pressed to access these beautiful places.) But sadly, it fares poorly in the culture arena. So think about what you want out of life in Mexico. Life in Monterrey is nothing but a harried rush of work and driving around to run errands. Your free time will probably be spent surfing the net in your cramped living room, waiting for the outdoor temperature to drop to a comfortable temperature.

A three-part series on Monterrey was just published in The Globalist under the title, "The Southernmost City in Texas." It provides an interesting and realistic look at life in the "City of Knowledge." Read it here http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=7673 and decide for yourself if Monterrey is the city for you.

[J Sevigny]

I've been dealing with this city in one way or another for years. I lived here full time for three years and now I'm living in Saltillo, Coahuila, commuting here for private classes, which isn't as bad as it sounds.

Monterrey has its own culture which is a little hard to pin down. It exists, really, outside of the downtown area, as a previous poster and is definitely Tex-Mex in many ways. Unlike other cities in Mexico, the culture here is completely oriented around work. People work, spend time with their families, and drink. While I enjoy it here, I'm pretty much through with it for a number of reasons which I will list.

First, the heat here is incredible, and it gets quite cold and wet in the winter. Running AC here is also incredibly expensive and will take a big chunk out of your pay in what is already an expensive city. If you're going to live here you have to learn to sweat a lot.

Second, as a previous poster mentioned, Monterrey is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a cultural mecca. There are things to do here -- nightclubs, parks (again if you're ready to brave the heat), and yes, a lot of US style shopping malls. But Monterrey is kind of retarded when it comes to cultural events, museum exhibitions and the rest. This is surprising only when you consider the size and general wealth of the city.

Finally, there is a certain shallowness of thought that is pervasive here. As Americanized as the city is, people here are still not accustomed to foreigners. You will here more English on the street in Guadalajara than you will here. However, in terms of lifestyle, Monterrey is definitely more Americanized -- a car city with fast food and everything else.

All of which said, I have had some wonderful times in Monterrey. There are tons of places for dancing, there�s good music and the quality of the meat served up by regio restaurants is far better than what you'll find in most of the rest of the country.

But if you're going to come here, be prepared for a sweltering Pittsburg, not a quaint colonial town. And also, don't accept any salary below 10,000 a month unless it's absolutely necessary. Buses here cost 7.50 pesos and rent on apartments is in the 3,000 peso range. But again, these are lifestyle questions.

What I can tell you is that I was earning 9,500 a month here in salary and I was still having trouble making ends meet.

js

[J Sevigny]

I've been dealing with this city in one way or another for years. I lived here full time for three years and now I'm living in Saltillo, Coahuila, commuting here for private classes, which isn't as bad as it sounds.

Monterrey has its own culture which is a little hard to pin down. It exists, really, outside of the downtown area, as a previous poster and is definitely Tex-Mex in many ways. Unlike other cities in Mexico, the culture here is completely oriented around work. People work, spend time with their families, and drink. While I enjoy it here, I'm pretty much through with it for a number of reasons which I will list.

First, the heat here is incredible, and it gets quite cold and wet in the winter. Running AC here is also incredibly expensive and will take a big chunk out of your pay in what is already an expensive city. If you're going to live here you have to learn to sweat a lot.

Second, as a previous poster mentioned, Monterrey is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a cultural mecca. There are things to do here -- nightclubs, parks (again if you're ready to brave the heat), and yes, a lot of US style shopping malls. But Monterrey is kind of retarded when it comes to cultural events, museum exhibitions and the rest. This is surprising only when you consider the size and general wealth of the city.

Finally, there is a certain shallowness of thought that is pervasive here. As Americanized as the city is, people here are still not accustomed to foreigners. You will here more English on the street in Guadalajara than you will here. However, in terms of lifestyle, Monterrey is definitely more Americanized -- a car city with fast food and everything else.

All of which said, I have had some wonderful times in Monterrey. There are tons of places for dancing, there�s good music and the quality of the meat served up by regio restaurants is far better than what you'll find in most of the rest of the country.

But if you're going to come here, be prepared for a sweltering Pittsburg, not a quaint colonial town. And also, don't accept any salary below 10,000 a month unless it's absolutely necessary. Buses here cost 7.50 pesos and rent on apartments is in the 3,000 peso range. But again, these are lifestyle questions.

What I can tell you is that I was earning 9,500 a month here in salary and I was still having trouble making ends meet.

js

[Julieanne]

I have lived in Monterrey before and San Pedro is the best place to live although very expensive.

[J Sevigny]

San Pedro may be the best place to live if a California style suburb is what you're looking for. I stay downtown where things are actually happening.

[juliagirl]

Has anyone heard of an Irish International School here? Any reports on what working there might be like.....
It is called Irlandes Monterrey. It is an Irish Catholic school. I would really like to get some opinions regarding this place.

Thanks!