Living and Working in Mexico?

[Danseur]

Well, with the government in freefall here in Turks, and the US economy in shambles (esp. NY where I'd likely return to) there is a small group of us considering going to Mexico... like not on vacation, but a move.

What's the right-to-work situation; ie: immigration?

Safety near Tulum/Cozumel?

Other things one should know but didn't know who to ask?

3 Americans, 1 Canadian. I speak solid elementary Spanish, the others are hit and miss. 2 of us are cave divers, one is not (ever), one not yet. Some of us work in Hotel/Resort/Resturaunt industry, 2 are dive instructors in addition to other skills, one teacher and Jewelery expert.

Just thinking out loud, and considering getting the hell out of Dodge...

[FW]

I should let one of our members that already live there answer, but I suspect things are bad in MX right now, just like most of the world :(

[Me]

Most likely worse, the value of the peso speaks to that. Last year 10:1; right now 14:1.

Your best bet is to work in the States, but spend all your money/live in Mexico. :smt079

So why is the gov't in freefall in T&C?

[Bill Rotella]

My buddy G.Y. has told me that it is very bad in Mexico right now and that the country is on the verge of civil war. Even Cancun a major tourist area was not shileded recently when the police chief was beheaded. In fact on a trip a couple of years ago a tourist couple was machetted to death near a cenote system in Akumal.

This is a very sad situation and a big concern for me since I have friends in Mexico, and I wanted to retire there.

[Arnold Mesiser]

I gave up on the idea of spending my retiring there due to the instability I felt was present .Mind you in talking to Dennis Weeks (diablodivers.com) and Dr.Trish Beddoes-they seemed positive about living there ( I spoke with them probably 7 months ago) Things may have changed since the downturn got so bad.

I also follow a blog of a gentleman living in a RV and vagabonding across the Yucatan and he seems positive as well.
Maybe there are pockets of good and bad ? If you can find the two people I mention having some time.I am sure they could give their viewpoint as either ex-pats or frequent long term visitors. I do believe both parties are exceedingly busy most times though.

There are a TON of ex-pat forums with a lot of great info if you google.

I have one website that I found really useful.

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/living/living_abroad/living_in_mexico.shtml


http://www.thetruthaboutmexico.com/

http://www.cancuncanuck.com/

[Luxrok]

I am laying here in bed and I am amazed at how people who have no idea what they are talking about are spouting off. Bill your information is out of date and clearly uninformed. Five kids were found slain in the US this morning, that doesn't mean it is a dangerous country. And three cops were shot in Pittsburgh yesterday does that mean that city is out of control? If you don't have direct experience, save your opinion it isn't helping anyone.

The reality is that Playa del Carmen and Tulum are safe. My wife and walk the streets at all hours without fear. There is a huge community of people from the US and Europe here working and living.

As for robberies at Cenotes there is one spot that we consider unsafe right not, that is Angelita. There also have been some auto breakins at Mayan Blue, but we still dive there. Beyond that, there isn't a single spot we do not dive or leave our vehicles at while we are diving. I have been here a year and a half and NOTHING of mine has been stole and nothing of my dive buddies has been stole at a dive site.

On the other hand, there is some B/E that happens in Playa del Carmen. You need to be smart about living here.

1. Don't be flashy with big flatscreens and stuff going into your apartment. Live modestly and don't attract attention.
2. Don't live on the first floor.
3. Be smart about locking your apartment.
4. Choose your apartment wisely, look at it from a security perspective.

Now onto working. I do not work here, I am not a dive professional. However, most of my friends are and I have watched them struggle with this. Therefore, the following information is what I have directly witnessed. And since no one who lives here has chimed in, I will tell you what I KNOW.

Working is a complete cluster f*ck. Getting work permits here takes months. If you are an open water instructor your dive shop will work with you to make that happen. If you are an independent or in some other business, you are on your own and it is very difficult. You need to be able to pass a Spanish language proficiency test. Last I heard, they were requiring you to be able to teach the dive class in Spanish. You have to make some payments. On top of that, there are some conflicting rules about carrying tourists in your, so the local cave guiding, cave instruction and cavern guiding industry is going through some difficulties with that. Pay is low and competition is high. Unless you have very specialized skills as an instructor, you aren't going to make much money. Even some of my cave instructor friends find themselves struggling to make ends meet.

If you don't want to work in diving, you can work in timeshare sales. The other half of my friends work there. 50% of them do ok and the other terrible. They will work with you to get your work permit. Ug.... crimeshare.

Playa is very very expensive by Mexican standards. I have read it is the most expensive place to live in Mexico. We have a lot of Europeans which brings Euros, that currency is very strong and has created local inflation. You should expect to pay at least $300- 500/month for a very basic apartment. My wife and I pay $1000USD for a 2 bedroom 9 blocks off the beach. We have two internet connections. Power and water are very reliable.

Luckily, Playa draws it visitors from both the US and Europe. Therefore the local economy is still intact. Tourism is down but it isn't dead. People are still working here, just not doing as well as they had been. Keep in mind this is a dynamic situation and could further deteriorate.

We have a Walmart, office max and a couple of big box stores. We have Starbucks and hagendaz. I am not sure if that is good, just means variety. If you are on the cheap, you can eat for almost nothing. You just have to get off the main drag. Food from the store can be expensive here. Produce are cheap by US standards.

The local government is pretty stable. There are regular elections and no riots. There is a cop on every corner (This might cost you once in a while, but they don't bother you unless you are doing something wrong to start.) There are tons of public events like concerts and festivals. Playa is a really cool place to live. Playa is growing and always under construction, so beware and check out your desired apartment during the day on the week day and look around at what kind of construction is happening.

I hope this helps.

Hans

[Slüdge]

people who have no idea what they are talking about are spouting off. Bill your information is out of date and clearly uninformed...

Sorry, but I'm going to have to come to my buddy's defense here.


Playa del Carmen and Tulum are safe... there is some B/E that happens in Playa del Carmen. You need to be smart about living here...2. Don't live on the first floor...

Yeah, sounds safe to me. Don't live on the first floor?

A friend was going to drive to the Yucatan for an extended trip. He was told, by multiple parties, to carry plenty of $100 bills. The police will stop you, expecting a "tip" to let you go on your way.

When it's commonplace for the police to be participating in extortion, count me out.

[FW]

Hans is defending tourism, which that area depends heavily upon. He isn't saying anything that doesn't apply to the rest of the world. It is still relativaly safe for tourists in the cavdiving areas, as long as you use common sense, and stay in the tourist areas. If you stray into poorer sections of *any* country, you are taking chances. Those people are desperate during good times, and we all know these aren't the best of times.

And Hans, most of us are only recomending that people looking for a place to move to, should look at more than just the surface. Any tourist area looks good on the surface, but they are *all* surrounded by areas that are not as attractive as whatever attracts tourists in the first place.

[Danseur]

Hans, thanks so much for the first hand account!!! That's what I was looking for! I figured diving would be a no-go as a profession. Sounds like economically there is still some life in that economy, albeit it is no longer a boom town. It took me 9 months and $4000 to get my work permit here in TCI; sounds familiar....

eramosakarst, thanks for the resources. I was a bit overwhelmed with Google an was trying to distill some meaningful info.

Bill, where does your friend live?

From what I have heard, most of the violence is West Coast and drug related, and some hijacking going on upon the toll roads. The US State Department has an advisory out, but it's the same one they have been posting for a while that essentially says the same thing, but is especially cautionary about Tijuana.


There is SUBSTANTIAL cave here, mostly virgin, but getting to it is quite an endeavor. I HAD a good paying job that was to allow me the means to get out there, but then the hours got INSANE, then the Owner followed suit, then the job evaporated. I'm looking for alternatives to allow my cave compulsions (bordering on addiction, but still somewhat under control) to be actualized while making even the most modest of a subsistance living. Here it's as expensive as NYC for housing and food, and with no job and no work permit, that's a problem that's getting bigger by the day. With the British coming things MAY stabilize, but I'm researching alternatives...

Thanks to all, and if anybody else in MX care to chime in it would be very helpfull!!

[Arnold Mesiser]

When I get a chance I will PM the urls to you that I collected, when looking at moving there.I was looking at living in an RV at Paa Mul and from what I remember it was only something like $600 a month for full hook up/internet/hydro/water/sewage and access to the community center and beach plus long term usage and the ability to build a palapa around your unit,...cheap living from where I come from..especially with the cheap eateries (the ones the locals use) If a hurricane hits you can move your RV inland as needed.

Schooling was a good quality and not hard to arrange as well as medical care (from what i remember of the conversations) One big problem seemed to be with business accounting and frequent submissions having to be made to the government -if I remember correctly.

I do wish i could have continued my plans to go there but health issues make it too sketchy.

[mattmexico]

yo

What's the right-to-work situation; ie: immigration?
- you need to have a company you either work for or open your own in order to get working papers. There is a legal 9 Mexicans to 1 Foreigner policy in place so to get a FM3 froma small company is almost impossible

Safety near Tulum/Cozumel?
- its as safe as anywhere in the world I would think, there are areas you may don't want to go 3 am but it is ilke that everywhere.

Other things one should know but didn't know who to ask?
- come for a visit and see if you like it in the first place

3 Americans, 1 Canadian. I speak solid elementary Spanish, the others are hit and miss.
- when applying for a tourist related work permit, especially diving you need to pass a written and oral Spanish test with 90%

2 of us are cave divers, one is not (ever), one not yet. Some of us work in Hotel/Resort/Resturaunt industry, 2 are dive instructors in addition to other skills, one teacher and Jewelery expert.
- again, you may wanna come over to see for yourself

we are somewhat hit as well by the crisis with hoteloccupancy down and with hit bars, restaurants, diving, etc ...

greetings
Matt

[Bill Rotella]

My friend is a Mexican Citizen and lives in Cozumel. Please note that it pains me to see all of the problems in Mexico right now. I also own a time share in Cancun.

[Adam Korytko]

My buddy G.Y. has told me that it is very bad in Mexico right now and that the country is on the verge of civil war. Even Cancun a major tourist area was not shileded recently when the police chief was beheaded. In fact on a trip a couple of years ago a tourist couple was machetted to death near a cenote system in Akumal.

This is a very sad situation and a big concern for me since I have friends in Mexico, and I wanted to retire there.

This is the sort of scaremongering we hear too often in the Riviera Maya - CNN and other US "news" providers obviously do not have a great idea of geography.
Yes, there are a huge amount of drug-related murders along the US/Mexican frontier, er, like thousands of miles away from here.
Is there crime here? Sure, like everywhere else and if you are involved in the drugs business it's probably not the healthiest country to be in.

BUT, this area has the best cave diving bar none and no-one we know has ever had any problems apart from some sporadic hold-ups. We feel much safer here than in some other gun-toting nations.

Come here and dive, see for yourselves.

Hasta luego,