The Local Jobs Aspect of Life in Latin America

As I wrote about in this article here, I was having a conversation with my sister about life in Mexico some month or two ago.

Since I am focusing on writing a book about life in Mexico City, I asked her to name me some things that she would research if she had to move to Mexico City right now.

One of those things was “how would she be able to get a local job in Mexico City?”

In terms of the qualifications needed and all to get a job like a mental health expert or a nurse maybe.

Either way, it came as a surprise to her that it’s not likely that she’d be able to work any local job in Mexico.

Not most of them anyway.

Some jobs are available like English teaching…

Or perhaps she can try to work for some major institution like the US State Department or some big international corporation.

Something like that and whatever else along those lines.

Where her being a foreigner from the US with English could come in handy somehow.

But jobs like a nurse?

Unlikely.

That’d be like asking “can I become a fire fighter or a policeman in Mexico?”

“Can I work in construction?”

Not likely.

That reminds me of a conversation I had over a year ago similar to the one with my sister…

“I Want to Work with My Hands, Man!”

Back when I was living in Pachuca in Mexico…

I went to a restaurant with my landlord, her husband and some other foreigners in our group.

Now there was this other foreign guy in our group who seemed to really like Mexico.

From my observation, he seemed like one of those young guys who was just ecstatic about how much pussy he was getting in this country.

Not saying they were all good looking…

But he was very open about trying to have sex with everything that moved.

And that really seemed to be the thing that he liked most about Mexico.

So he wants to stay!

Can’t go back home where the amount of pussy he’d get might be less…

But how is he going to support himself?

So while we are sitting down at this table…

The guy has a piece of paper in his hand and writing down ideas.

Thinking of business opportunities perhaps?

And concludes that “he wants to be a mechanic!”

Well, Maria (the landlord) and I tried explaining to him that isn’t the best idea.

I was trying to explain that the amount of money he’d make being a mechanic in Mexico would likely be very low compared to the income he’d make working online for example.

And especially compared to the income he’d make back home.

But he didn’t care – the ROI of working 40 hours a week as a mechanic for whatever amount of money – maybe 300 bucks a month – is worth it!

“Got to be here to slay more pussy broooo!”

And Maria was in agreement with me that a job as a mechanic isn’t the best one for supporting yourself here.

Especially for a foreigner.

And how, in all likelihood, any business hiring mechanics wouldn’t accept him.

Why?

Because he’s a non-Latino foreigner!

Too many issues.

Having to get the legal right to work..

Them assuming he doesn’t speak Spanish well (even if he does to their face with an accent nonetheless).

Maybe discrimination against him for being a white foreigner?

Which, if he complained about that to some entity, nobody would give a fuck!

For various reasons (including how hard it can be to enforce laws down here anyhow even when in the defense of locals).

And whatever else Maria said!

I don’t remember all her reasoning but she concluded that most of the local jobs are off the table for him because he’s a non-Latino foreigner.

It just wouldn’t work out.

Now that isn’t to say that, under no circumstances, can a foreigner get a local job down here that doesn’t involve the typical jobs I mentioned way above that work for us…

Like this video here of how Dreamers deported to Mexico are pursuing their goals and integrated into society the best way they can be.

And how, in my experience, I’ve seen other Latinos hold jobs here not from Mexico.

Granted, most of the time, it’s been folks who somehow got something like asylum (I think) from countries like Venezuela or special approval to live here fleeing countries like El Salvador?

Otherwise, when I have met richer Latinos working here, it’s usually been those with top talent in something and they were brought in.

Again, that’s not always the case.

But the first point is this….

Being that, as a foreigner in Mexico, you have to accept that most of the local job market is off the table for you.

Because most of the local jobs would be harder for you to get…

Imagine a gringo policeman with a thick gringo accent doing a traffic stop in Mexico City?

And also, in your eyes, a typical local job wouldn’t be worth it anyhow given the low pay.

In all of my time in Mexico, I have never seen a job advertised outside offering more than 6,000 pesos or 300 USD monthly.

Granted, I know locals who make more than that…

A friend of mine named Angie works as a computer programmer making 2,000 a month…

An ex of mine is an aspiring doctor and told me when we were together that she’ll likely make 1,000 to 1,500 a month starting out.

But that’s for doctors and computer programmers.

Jobs that, in the US, would pay a shit ton more.

So imagine how little most of the local jobs pay.

Granted, jobs like those with those two chicks do pay well compared to the cost of living.

But you get the idea.

To the average foreigner, even if you could get a job as a nurse or a policeman, the ROI isn’t worth it compared to other money making opportunities.

It just isn’t.

Final Thoughts

I kept this article brief because I’ve already touched it briefly before

Just wanted to put an article itself dedicated to this topic regarding the employment opportunities for expats looking to live in Latin America.

I’ve never seen a gringo aspiring to be a fireman, a construction worker, a nurse or a normal job like one of those to a local employer in Mexico or anywhere in Latin America.

Does it exist?

You know, I always believe one of everything must exist somehow.

Even in a parallel universe.

So I can see maybe one non-Latino gringo with a thick accent and half-decent Spanish being a traffic cop in some city down here…

Maybe La Paz, Bolivia.

Being one of these guys helping patrol traffic as you can see in this video here.

I bet one of them is a non-Latino gringo!

Not a deported dreamer!

And even with the deported folks…

Most of them that I have heard about tend to go to jobs like call centers where English is needed.

Or at least among the very few I’ve met in Mexico.

So it might be the case that job opportunities are limited to them also for being foreign relative to the locals.

And to be honest…

I’ve had the thought of taking a more critical view of countries like Mexico when it comes to this topic.

Because, while living in the US, I’ve known plenty of foreigners in college who were able to keep on living in the US and get normal jobs.

A roommate of mine from Pakistan who works at a computer company after he finished college.

And others I know like that working normal jobs that don’t rely on some skill that comes with being a foreigner (like a language skill such as knowing English for us Americans in Mexico).

Or working up the right company like some Americans do to work abroad.

That foreigners from countries like Mexico can come to our country and work normal jobs…

Why can’t we?!?

It does seem hypocritical.

But, as I said, it’s a dumb argument to get thinking about.

Because literally almost no gringo wants those jobs to begin with due to the low pay!

And other reasons I’m sure.

No gringo, that I know of anyway, is aspiring to be a cop in Pachuca or most cities down here.

Or a nurse, construction worker, etc.

The only gringo I ever met who contemplated a “normal person local job” was the aspiring mechanic guy above.

And that’s because he wants “to work with his hands!”

Doesn’t want to do online work, teach English or work for some international company.

And on top of that…

To be fair, we gringos do have a lot more other advantages that foreigners coming to our country don’t have.

Like it’s easier for us to enter other countries like Mexico visa free, easier to earn USD to support yourselves, easier to stay illegally without real consequences, etc.

So really complaining about how "most of the local job market seems cut off from us" is just shit talking.

So with all that…

The main point above all of this is to, as I said, highlight that aspect of how to support yourself while down here.

In that it’s not likely to be most of the “local normal jobs.”

But that’s all I got to say on the matter for now.

Follow my Twitter here.

And thanks for reading.

Best regards,

Matt