Mexico City Work & study

Work

Mexicans themselves need jobs, and people who enter Mexico as tourists are not legally allowed to take employment. The many expats working in Mexico have usually been posted there by their companies or organizations with all the necessary papers.

English-speakers (and a few German- or French-speakers) may find teaching jobs in language schools, preparatorias (high schools) or universities, or can offer personal tutoring. Mexico City is probably the best place to get English-teaching work. The pay is low, but you can live on it. The News and Craig’s List (mexicocity.en.craigslist.com.mx) are good sources for job opportunities. Pay rates for personal tutoring are rarely more than M$150 an hour. Positions in high schools or universities are more likely to become available at the beginning of each new term; language schools tend to offer short courses, so teaching opportunities with them may come up more often.

A foreigner working in Mexico normally needs a permit or a government license, but a school will often pay a foreign teacher in the form of a beca (scholarship), and thus circumvent the law, or the school’s administration will procure the appropriate papers.

Business hours

Government offices are typically open from 8am or 9am to 2pm or 3pm Monday to Friday. Banks operate 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and some stay open Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. Most other businesses are open from 9am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and many stay open on Sundays, too. A few of the more traditional establishments still take a lunch break from 2pm to 3pm or 4pm, closing up for the day on Saturday.

Most museums close on Monday. On Sundays nearly all museums and archaeological sites are free, and the major ones can get very crowded. Some museums may technically limit free admission to Mexican nationals, though the rule is rarely enforced.