Moving to Oaxaca

[J.higginbotham]

Hello, My wife and I are planning to move to Oaxaca from Montana; I'm hoping to find a job as an English teacher and live modestly near a beach. My wife is 6 months pregnant and we plan to have our first child in Oaxaca. Does anyone happen to have any information about midwives in the region or know if they are easy to find? Also should we be concerned about any safety issues regarding the cartel in Oaxaca? I would appreciate any advice, thanks and have a lovely day.

[Longford]

Originally Posted by J.higginbotham

Hello, My wife and I are planning to move to Oaxaca from Montana; I'm hoping to find a job as an English teacher and live modestly near a beach. My wife is 6 months pregnant and we plan to have our first child in Oaxaca. Does anyone happen to have any information about midwives in the region or know if they are easy to find? Also should we be concerned about any safety issues regarding the cartel in Oaxaca? I would appreciate any advice, thanks and have a lovely day.

Firstly, I think you'll want to confirm that you and your wife qualify for a visa to live and/or work in Mexico. I believe the minimum income requirements of approx. US$3,000 (or the equivalent in other foreign currencies) still apply. Permission to work requires compliance with additional regulations.

Your chances of finding work which will compensate you sufficiently to support your family, or significantly contribute to your support may be difficult to locate along the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca. I think your focus should be on Puerto Escondido, Puerto Angel and Huatulco ... though the opportunities will be very limited. But if you have qualifications which set you apart from others, including Mexicans who are teaching English in the area, you might locate a position.

I believe that the rules of participation here forbid me to link a couple of websites/forums at which you can gain helpful information. I'm going to name them, however and you can search for them on the internet:

+Dave's ESL Cafe Mexico Job Discussion Forum
+Tom Zap's Oaxaca Forums

I've read postings at the Dave's ESL site from one or two people who've taught near Puerto Angel at a small university. It's at the beach. Puerto Angel is a small breachfront community near Pochutla and not far from Huatulco.

Look also at the "Rolly Brook" website where you'll find archived there pretty good information regarding moving to Mexico, working as a teacher in Mexico, etc.

But, before you delve too deeply into the relocation issue verify that you'll qualify for a visa to live and work in Mexico. I suspect you will not.

Best of luck.

[cuylers5746]

Originally Posted by J.higginbotham

Hello, My wife and I are planning to move to Oaxaca from Montana; I'm hoping to find a job as an English teacher and live modestly near a beach. My wife is 6 months pregnant and we plan to have our first child in Oaxaca. Does anyone happen to have any information about midwives in the region or know if they are easy to find? Also should we be concerned about any safety issues regarding the cartel in Oaxaca? I would appreciate any advice, thanks and have a lovely day.

Hi just a few words of advice on Teaching English in Mexico;

First most Gringo's make the mistake of looking to work for a company teaching English. Why settle for $50 pesos/ hour, when ever they can get a class big enough to make their maximum profit? A little research on your part before leaving the states and purchasing materials in US - when you have all that you need to make all the profit teaching from your home at $200 pesos per hour?

First research in the USA for the best system and books to bring south with you on this. So much has developed over the last 10 years to help you and your prospective students. A good place to start is a major US bookstore in the language section. You will have access that 90% of the English Schools in Mexico run by Mexican's don't have. I have people stopping me on the street asking me to join their English School. When they tell me what they can pay me, I have to laugh.

Can you write an Add in Spanish in the local paper? If not get a friend to help you with it. Just make sure you advertise that you're a "native speaker", American Citizen teaching English and they will come to your door.

If you live near a major seaside resort in Oaxaca you will have more demand for English Classes as it's in demand for employees to work at these resorts. And if you find a Businessman that needs a crash "total immersion" course, you can get good bucks. My wife a Mexican Citizen was trained by Berlitz School of Languages in L.A. to teach week long 40 hour "total immersion" classes in English to businessmen in the 1980's and they charged the customers $3800.00 USD.
Maybe you might get $1000.00? But, that's after you get up your proficiency as a English Instructor and the word gets out about you.

What's needed the most by these students is forced speaking, and immersion to get them comfortable to try and keep practicing what they've learned in English.

Hope this helps?

Cuyler

[Isla Verde]

Oaxaca is a very poor state, so salaries for English teachers are quite low there compared to the rest of the country, even in Oaxaca City, and especially at the beach, where opportunities are few and there's lot of competition for jobs, since, like you, many expats have a dream of living near the beach. The only exception is the Universidad del Mar, part of the SUNEO system of government universities in the State of Oaxaca, with campuses in Puerto Angel, Puerto Escondido and Huatulco. I believe you would need an appropriate degree and some teaching experience to qualify for a position there. Here's a link to the website: UMAR. You should also post an inquiry at Dave's ESL Cafe: Job Discussion Forums :: Index.

By the way, if you ask questions about "Oaxaca", most posters will think you're talking about Oaxaca City. If you're not, it's best to specify which town or area of the state you're referring to.

Good luck!

[Detailman]

Originally Posted by Isla Verde

Oaxaca is a very poor state, so salaries for English teachers are quite low there compared to the rest of the country, even in Oaxaca City, and especially at the beach, where opportunities are few and there's lot of competition for jobs, since, like you, many expats have a dream of living near the beach. The only exception is the Universidad del Mar, part of the SUNEO system of government universities in the State of Oaxaca, with campuses in Puerto Angel, Puerto Escondido and Huatulco. I believe you would need an appropriate degree and some teaching experience to qualify for a position there. Here's a link to the website: UMAR. You should also post an inquiry at Dave's ESL Cafe: Job Discussion Forums :: Index.

By the way, if you ask questions about "Oaxaca", most posters will think you're talking about Oaxaca City. If you're not, it's best to specify which town or area of the state you're referring to.

Good luck!

You are getting advice from a well qualified English teacher that has been in Mexico for years.

[Isla Verde]

Originally Posted by Detailman

You are getting advice from a well qualified English teacher that has been in Mexico for years.

Thanks for your vote of confidence in my post!