# Scoping Playa Del Carmen or Cozumel



## curt00 (Apr 9, 2015)

My wife, 2 year old and I are thinking of moving to Playa Del Carmen or Cozumel from Canada. We will be at PDC (at a nearby resort) for Sep 12-26.

We're wondering about the wisdom and the long-term advantages and disadvantages of raising a kid in Mexico. We're wondering if there are any expat families who would be willing to meet for a coffee to share their experiences and wisdom with us.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

If you like it are you planning on working in Playa or Isla?
Private schools can be very expensive ......suerte


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## curt00 (Apr 9, 2015)

chicois8 said:


> If you like it are you planning on working in Playa or Isla?
> Private schools can be very expensive ......suerte


We would like to, but it doesn't seem plausible given the low wages and our almost non-existent Spanish. Maybe if a real estate company wants an English speaking employee, we would be up for that. It would be nice to work, but it's not a necessity.

How much do the private schools cost? Is the education on par with Canada? Will our kid be able to attend Canadian universities after graduating from a Mexican, private high school?


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

curt00 said:


> We would like to, but it doesn't seem plausible given the low wages and our almost non-existent Spanish. Maybe if a real estate company wants an English speaking employee, we would be up for that. It would be nice to work, but it's not a necessity.
> 
> How much do the private schools cost? Is the education on par with Canada? Will our kid be able to attend Canadian universities after graduating from a Mexican, private high school?


I'm not sure how the Canadian University system works…
but, a good friend of mine graduated from a pretty good Mexican Private High School (Instituto FrancoAmericano, which is situated in a pretty affluent part of the city…)

He didn't attend a Mexican University for long, and decided to use his dual citizenship to pursue studies in the US.

He tried going the community-college route, but could not afford the tuition, as he was an 'out-of-state' student. So while his family could afford the private school, or a good mexican university, the idea of paying 750$ per 3-unit class fee, for a community college, was exorbitant. 

Had he graduated from an instate high school, he wouldn't have had those issues.

I know this only applies to in-state-US schools, but maybe it might influence your decision somewhat. 

There are plenty of good Mexican Universities, and there are sizable quantities of expats attending them, and later transferring their academic achievements to their native countries. Might that also be a route to be considered?

(Yes, my friend could've taken out school loans to pay for his studies. But hell, student loans suck, I have them, but would never be able to vindicate 15,000$ spent to attend a Community College.)

He is still struggling to establish/demonstrate in-state status to be able to attend with a more generous in-state tuition rate.


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## curt00 (Apr 9, 2015)

WintheWin said:


> I'm not sure how the Canadian University system works…
> but, a good friend of mine graduated from a pretty good Mexican Private High School (Instituto FrancoAmericano, which is situated in a pretty affluent part of the city…)
> 
> He didn't attend a Mexican University for long, and decided to use his dual citizenship to pursue studies in the US.
> ...


Hi WintheWin:

Thanks for your input.

I’ve found a couple of high schools in PDC, but I’ve never heard of Instituto FrancoAmericano. Do you have their website address or their physical PDC address?

You raise a good point. Canadian university tuition is also much higher for foreign students. However, I don’t know if my child would be considered foreign. I’ll need to look into this.

University education has become a huge bubble and a racket.


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## Waller52 (Jun 17, 2015)

curt00 said:


> My wife, 2 year old and I are thinking of moving to Playa Del Carmen or Cozumel


Ever live on an island?

Rent before you commit.


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