I have no idea what doctors make, but most of my friends from university (I studied here in Cancun) make between 7000 and 10000 pesos a month. Most work in travel agencies or hotels. I know an academic coordinator at a public high school that earns 18000 a month (she's been there for years) and a friend who's worked for years in charge of approving transactions at a bank who earns about 12000. A friend who's head of maintenance at a hotel earns 30000 a month (with a 2-year technical degree). My fiance worked as assistant manager at Blockbuster a few years ago while he was in college and earned $6000 a month (part time). That's all I know
Oh, and some jobs I applied for a few months ago offered the following: Jewelry store salesgirl in a hotel: $8000/month plus commissions Jewelry store salesgirl at a hotel kiosk: $4000/month plus commissions Time share sales (over the phone): $13000/month Web marketing manager for time share sales: $13000/month Concierge: $8000/month plus tips and commissions Concierge (different hotel) $6000/month plus tips and commissions
Gringation, for an example of a higher paying position, your mention of 30,000 pesos for a head of maintenance at a hotel fits a pattern, perhaps: I saw an ad for a similar position, at a five star, offering 40. When I saw the ad, I immediately supposed there was a typo, of some kind, but no. When you're discussing money with prospective employers/clients, knowing something about what they think is the top end can help you be a better negotiator. I knew I'd missed that mark, recently, when the response to one of my proposals, was, "Oh, that's very reasonable," and the discussion moved on to other issues....
$30,000 a month for a maintenance head sounds like a good paying job, of' course I doubt you can just walk in a get that job, but rather have to work up to it.. and this is assuming that its not an exaggeration as some people do. I'm sure there are plenty of jobs in the area that pay that well or better, but for almost everyone (Mexican) I know breaking the $10,000/month barrier is very difficult and rare thing... someone making 18,000 at a public high school is unheard-of to me.... I know a 2nd grade teacher here that makes exactly $3,750 a month, and know of another who retired a few years ago after 20-something years teaching who earned just over $5,000 towards the end... and now gets a monthly pension of the same amount. Both have told me that public school directors/officials routinely rob the coffers of much needed funds.
V- The friend who earns 30000 as head of maintenance only has a 2 year technical degree, and he's 35. He could earn more if he had a 4-year degree, so the 40000 you mentioned sounds about right. Life- The lady in question has been in the teaching business for 25 years, and has worked with the same school for about 8 years. This may be why she earns so much, plus the fact that she has an administrative position somewhat similar to a vice-principal. Her hours are awful, though! and she has to put up with tons of bullshit from the other administrators. It may not even be worth the money, since she has developed a few stress-related health issues in the past few years since I've known her. I believe you that many of the administrators take money from elsewhere! (although I doubt that's the case with this particular person.) I've definitely heard some shady things about the school where she works.
Jobs for expats Gringation, in those jobs that you mentioned, were they seeking to fill them with English speaking expats? If not, did you feel, after interviewing, that expats had a serious shot at getting one or more of them?
The ones I mentioned were not specifically looking for expats, although they all required English-speaking skills. Here are the reasons each one didn't work out: Jewelry store salesgirl in a hotel: $8000/month plus commissions These were willing to hire me and get me my work visa. However, I declined because I was in school at the time, plus they told me upfront that I would have to lie about the quality of the products. Jewelry store salesgirl at a hotel kiosk: $4000/month plus commissions I hadn't realized how low the salary was until I went to the interview. I was desperate at this point, since I had no time left on my student visa. They told me I was overqualified, but the interviewer immediately referred me to my current job. Time share sales (over the phone): $13000/month They were very interested... until I told them they would have to help me change my visa status from student to employee so I could legally work there. The interviewer seemed confused. *note: this job was advertised as "customer service"* Web marketing manager for time share sales: $13000/month They didn't hire me because of my lack of marketing experience. While at their office, I did see a lot of expats interviewing for lower-level jobs. (phone sales?) It may have been Sunset, but I can't remember. Concierge: $8000/month plus tips and commissions The head concierge was very interested and asked me to come in for an interview. When I got there, Human Resources was also interested, but said they are at their limit percentage-wise for foreign employees. (Mexican companies can only hire a certain percentage of non-Mexican workers.) Concierge (different hotel) $6000/month plus tips and commissions They needed someone who also spoke fluent French. So, to answer your question, they weren't specifically looking for expats. (With so many Mexican locals speaking great English, being a native English speaker isn't necessary for most jobs here.) However, I think *most* of them would hire a foreigner so long as the company is willing to help with their immigration status and the person is truly the best for the job. In order to get a job here (right after the swine-flu scare) I had to be very agressive. I went to many companies in person to ensure an interview, even if I wasn't fully qualified and even if it wasn't ideal. I went out to interviews every weekday for two weeks before finally getting lucky with a reference. In the end, the job I found wasn't one I found in the paper or on a job-finding website. I had to get my name out there. For anyone looking for a job here, I recommend buying Novedades newspaper (Mondays usually have the newest listings). computrabajo.com also has a lot of good options. There's also a company called "Manpower" on Uxmal that helps people find jobs in Cancun. (Haven't used it myself, but I've heard good things.) Mainly, just make lots of calls, go out on lots of interviews and be agressive about it. Nobody's going to come looking for you.
The job hunt Perhaps, but extremely interesting, and it was very nice of you to go to the trouble, Gringation. Thanks for sharing with us, in such rich detail. V.
I had an interview at a Hotel yesterday, 6600 pesos a month at their Kids Club. Problem being, they can't give me an offer cause I don't have an FM3 yet, and I can't get an FM3 without an offer letter. WTH!!!!
