moving to mexico

Old Jul 26th, 2016, 03:45 PM
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moving to mexico

Hi,
My name is Traci for over a decade now I have wanted to move to Mexico. My family and friends think I am crazy. I am not rich, however have decided to save diligently for the next years and spend all my time off exploring different countries in Mexico until I find the right fit. I know very little Spanish. I work as a child therapist for a nonprofit and have thought of getting certified to teach English to move sooner. I am single 47 and realize I have to be careful. I need a smart way to start meeting people so I can travel and have someone to give me guidance in getting to know the area. Can anyone help me with a way to start meeting people so I can start exploring. I have thought of Cuenca, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Honduras. I am open to suggestions that would be the right fit. I would appreciate anyone who is willing to give some guidance.

Thank you,
Traci
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Old Jul 26th, 2016, 03:54 PM
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Can you travel to those places on a vacation first?

And do you mean Mexico? Or Central America? You mention both?

Have you looked into residency requirements in all those countries? You can't just show up and live there beyond a tourist visa limit.

If you mean to make this a reality, I would enroll in serious Spanish classes immediately.

Meeting people in a new area will be the easy part.
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Old Jul 26th, 2016, 04:35 PM
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I would be interested in exploring both Mexico and Central America. I don't have the funds to move their permanently anytime soon, however I want to start vacationing to find an area I like. I am single and would prefer to meet someone in the area rather than going without knowing anyone.
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Old Jul 26th, 2016, 04:36 PM
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Oh, yes looked into residency, however I am just vacationing for many years so not a concern at the moment
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Old Jul 26th, 2016, 09:36 PM
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Good for you, Traci. You go, girl.
My wife and I did something very similar, with a goal of living/retiring somewhere in Latin America. It took us about 10 years. We did decide on Mexico for reasons that may not be the same as yours. But we would combine tourism/language learning in several countries and in each ask ourselves "could we live here?" Some random thoughts.
Language learning is an excellent way to meet fellow travelers/expats. Fluency in the language will forever distinguish the traveler from the tourist, and opens up a world unknown to those who are satisfied to just "get by" with the language.
Decide on a climate you can handle year round. While it's romantic to think of retiring near the beach, summer heat and humidity can be brutal. Nearly all of the countries you mention have pleasant highland climates that allow for year round living without A/C or heat, while still having access to beachy places.
Budget. While some think they wanna "go native", a typical residency income requirement is a bare minimum. Many expats I know teach English on-line that supplements a modest pension or even provides their entire income. Some have a rental property (or properties) for income. Some have built some sort of online business.
Safety. Right now, Honduras and El Salvador are among the most violent countries in the region, if not the world. 5 years ago Venezuela was a good option (apart from Caracas) while now it's a mess. Colombia 10 years ago was dangerous; now not nearly so. Who knows about Mexico in 5 years.
Above all, don't let anyone deter you. Plan the work, work the plan. You never wanna look back and wonder "what if". Enjoy the journey above all, wherever it ends up.
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Old Jul 27th, 2016, 08:29 AM
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Well I've been vacationing once or twice a year in Puerto Vallarta Mexico for a long time. I know I could definitely live there at least fpart-time (I don't personally desire a full-time permanent move).

Because I go back to the same place each trip, I have met people over the years.

I'm just not sure about this part of your request:

<would prefer to meet someone in the area rather than going without knowing anyone>

... how you are going to know people before you go??
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Old Jul 27th, 2016, 01:33 PM
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Hi Tracy, I can only speak about living in Mexico and will tell you that we're very happy here in Merida. Because Mxs middle class is growing rapidly there's a demand for English as a second language classes.
That said, you may need to go where there's a good size population and a good economy to find the people interested in ESL.
As for finding people and networking ahead, I extensively used and met many people on dedicated expat FB pages before moving here. I also found many websites with forums and blogs that also helped.
Let us know if you have any locations in particular that you're thinking of and perhaps we can help you find FB pages or websites that might help.
Good luck with you're adventure.
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Old Jul 27th, 2016, 02:07 PM
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Hi Suze,
Yes, that is my intention to meet people using the internet so when I go to an area it will be safer because I know someone. I have been to Puerto Vallarta once and it was nice, but I think it may be expensive for someone teaching English....

Hi Cybor,
I am open to suggestions on locations. I just need to find an area that is safe for me being single, and has some way for me to find work. I am interested in living with the locals near the market. I want to meet people and join in their culture. I realize some areas will be more open than others. I am hoping to learn of several and begin visiting this winter. It would be great if someone out there in my similar situation or knows someone in this situation who has done this and is living in Central Americas may read this and share their experience.
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Old Jul 27th, 2016, 02:34 PM
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Trip Advisor has destination forums that could help you begin to meet some people living in the cities you choose to persue (there is a PM feature there so people can chat privately).

The Thorn Tree on the Lonely Planet website is another good forum.

I have 'met' people on the internet in advance of trips but I've also met many more people by actually being in PV and participating in various activities. I don't think one is safer than the other, or that knowing people keeps you safe necessarily.
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Old Jul 27th, 2016, 03:24 PM
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Well, Merida is very safe. It's one of the safest cities in the world. We very comfortably walk around at all hours of the night.
There are many single women here, as well. I'm quite biased but it is a great city with a good vibe. It's loaded with an incredible array of culture and activities. It does, however get very hot during the summer months.
Here's one page on FB that you can try.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatslivinginmexico/

Find me on FB and I'll invite you into a few closed groups if interest in Merida or the Yucatan.
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 07:54 AM
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Suze,
Thanks for the info, I will look into them. Yes, you are right knowing people may not keep me safe, but at least it may provide some comfort knowing you have someone you can ask questions. It would be better for me to find someone to do this with, but I can tell you not one person I know will even entertain the thought. I can't let safety stop me or I will always wonder.... Truth be told there are times here in the states where I don't feel safe. I think if I keep at this sooner or later I will meet people who can give some helpful guidance.
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 07:59 AM
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Cybor,

Thanks I have a fb page, but I have not used it but I will start. I have started searching Merida and will continue. It is not one I have looked in to before, so I know very little. If I can find work and live alone it is an option. This is exactly the type of info I was hoping to find when I did that post.
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 08:33 AM
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Working legally is going to be the biggest challenge (getting the necessary paper permit, extended visa or residency permit, etc. for whichever country you end up choosing).

I most often travel solo to Puerto Vallarta so I've no concerns about you doing something like this on your own. Again just because you met someone on the internet, or know someone in a town or have a friend with you, that's not what keeps you "safe".

I think the thing you can do right now to best move this idea forward is start taking intensive Spanish language courses.

suerte, suze
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 09:27 AM
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I am looking at working on line to eliminate the job factor. I feel like it will be possible to find something that will give me enough income to move. Yes, spanish classes a must
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 10:50 AM
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Eliminating the need to work in the new country would streamline your idea immensely. It's when you are taking a job that a local person would be qualified to do that gets tricky.
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 11:07 AM
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I can only speak for Mexico's income requirements, but it's kind of a Catch-22 thing. If you can meet the income requirements to get either Residente Permanente or Temporal, (either of which you need to work legally in Mexico) you may not need to work anyway. Although the monthly minimum income requirement for Temporary is in the $1600 US range, which isn't a whole lot, but doable. Permanent is like $2000, last I checked. We have some friends from Australia that began teaching English on-line some time ago and now have built up their own clientele through word of mouth and no longer have to go through an online school. So, yeah I agree with your last post. FYI, you can work at your own business in Mexico, but it's nearly impossible to get hired by someone else. Legally.
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 12:28 PM
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Thx Baldone, this is good information. I am going to continue looking to find work on line because it would solve the income problem. If you could happen to get the name of the company your friends worked for that would be great. I am going to continue to search online because you are right there has to be something that will allow me to bring in 1600 a month.
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 12:43 PM
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I very much wish you luck with your idea. You need to stick with it to make it happen. Because if it was easy a lot more people would already be doing it!
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 01:04 PM
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I kind of don't know if someone is going to want to be your personal moving guide that you happen to run across on the internet. That's asking an awful lot of someone. I would distance myself from anyone on the internet who tried to get me to handle their life for them and they were coming to my city.

It would make more sense for you to visit places and find people at some kind of local clubs or activities, but that's only if you moved somewhere. There are probably some kind of local meetup groups or even groups related to a church or some other activity, something like that. Going to a school would help (language).

I don't suppose you really want to do it, but you could join the Peace Corps, my brother did and didn't know Spanish before and was sent to Central America and became fluent. He liked it, lived there even after his gig was up. They don't send people any more where he went due to violence but they still have openings right now for volunteers in Mexico (and Belize, but they don't speak Spanish there AFAIK). Your background could be useful, actually. IN fact, there may be other volunteer organizations that could use a child therapist (but you wont get paid, of course). Peace Corps pays a stipend and given how cheap it was to live there, it was fine for my brother. Some of their openings do not require Spanish ability, but some do.

The openings in Mexico actually do not fit your background, they generally want people with some kind of environmental or science background. But they do have projects in Nicaragua and Costa Rica about teaching English, you should have your credentials to pursue that (TESOL or whatever). They don't do that in Mexico.
Some private language schools may hire you but you won't get paid as much as teachers who have a real teaching degree, and you wont' get paid a lot no matter what. But you do have to have the TESOL certificate. And then these opportunities will mainly be in the biggest cities. I gather you have never been to Mexico, well living in the DF is not for the faint-hearted (the pollution is horrible, also). I presume you have a university degree of some kind. A lot of English language teaching jobs are in the biggest cities like Mexico City and Guadalajara. Here is an interesting read
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/pub...n_mexico.shtml

http://www.tefljobplacement.com/mexico.php

If I were you, I'd forget the idea of trying to get to know someone online and just start traveling to places that appeal to you, no reason you can't take a vacation somewhere without knowing anyone--you are only going to be there a short time, anyway.
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Old Jul 28th, 2016, 01:18 PM
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Christina, thanks this article has a wealth of information that will be useful.
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