Working in Mexico -- Self Employment
How To Work In Mexico -- Self-Employment In Mexico
(Excerpted From Live Better South of the Border, 4th Edition.
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Self-employment businesses that could work in Mexico include Internet-based businesses (provided you can work out the shipping details if you sell products—that’s not easy). If you have a partner in the States or Canada to do the actual shipping, that would be best.); consulting; working with Mexican companies that want to expand into U.S. or Canadian markets; engineering consulting (While you are unlikely to be hired as an engineer for a firm, you could provide consulting expertise.); import-export (obviously).
Doctors, nurses, chiropractors should just forget about it. While Mexican doctors are able to find employment here, and some American doctors train in Mexican medical schools, those seem to be one-way streets that go in opposite directions. I know of a psychologist illegally working with gringo clientele in (well, I won't blow her cover), but she is running a risk. (I have changed my tune from when I wrote the book. I knew some medical professionals who managed to find employment, but now I believe they were the exception, not the rule.
Tourist-based businesses (Provided you employ mainly Mexicans. I know of a guy who started a yacht cruise company. I told him his chances were slim, which goes to show that I don’t know everything, he said sheepishly.); manufacturing (I know a fellow who built a plant to extract shark cartilage and bottle it.); computer technicians (This is harder, as there are plenty of Mexican technicians. Your best bet is to form a corporation and hire Mexican techies. The pay scale is less than half of U.S. and Canadian standards, but a lot higher than places such as India.); realtors (This should be difficult, as you are supposed to be able to interpret Mexican real estate law, but in gringo areas, there are plenty of gringo real estate salespeople who don't know anything more than how to sell.); time-share sales (You don’t need to be fluent in Spanish, know a darn thing, or do anything but be able to sell. Expect prejudice from your Mexican competitors, er, coworkers.).
Advertising executives are in demand. While there is competition from Mexican advertising agencies, gringos are believed to be good at this.). Copywriters (While this field is dwindling, it’s a little easier to get into in Mexico than in the States or Canada.); artists (There is lots of competition from Mexican graphic artists, but you could bull your way into a position.); journalists (besides being a full-fledged wire service reporter, you could be a stringer for a wire service or a paper back home or work for a gringo paper. However, if you think journalists in your country are underpaid, wait till you get to Mexico.); and English teachers
You don’t need to be certified as anything to teach English in many private schools. All you need is to be able to speak English—American, Canadian, or British varieties. A high-school degree is about all you need. (Yes, I know a web site that vehemently disputes this, but then again, they are selling their services.
If you have some teaching experience or a couple of years of college, it’s a plus. But having an ESL degree is not going to mean much, unless you are teaching at a high-end school.
The field is open to English-speaking Europeans as well. Pay is just enough for you to survive, and, in some cases, enough to live comfortably, but not large. It ranges from about 5,000 to 10,000 pesos a month [U.S. $500 to $1,000]. You make extra money tutoring. If you are applying at a school that specializes in teaching executives and their families, you’ll probably need some experience. There are a lot of scam companies that promise to get you jobs. In my book I recommend Internetworks to help you get a teaching job. I no longer endorse them, nor do I endorse any company that offers these services.
It is possible to form your own corporation while you still have your FMT, or tourist permit. If you do, you will not be able to receive any pay from the corporation except for dividends or bonuses. You must hire Mexicans to work for you and you cannot work at the location of your business, although you can visit it to oversee the operations. Another way to work here is to marry a Mexican citizen and then put the business in his or her name and get him or her to hire you. Another way is to get yourself sponsored by a Mexican business and get hired. Then you can work, but only for that company. The smartest way to work is to get an FM-3.