# Chemical Engineers / other Engineers out there?



## Memoymel (Jul 18, 2012)

Hello,

I'm a chemical engineer with 9 years of industry experience in the US. I've previously lived in Mexico (Michoacan) for 6 months. My husband is Mexican and he and my daughter are working out the details of moving to Irapuato, where he has family.

I see there are quite a large number of factories or other large companies in the Irapuato vicinity. I've done a little bit of job searching so far, but would like some advice from an engineer who has done this before.

At my level of experience, what would be a typical salary request? Also, could you offer some of your preferred job search websites for Mexico? Lastly, should I be able to expect that my employer will sponsor / assist me through the visa process or will I be on my own.

I am fluent in Spanish.

Thanks.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Memoymel said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm a chemical engineer with 9 years of industry experience in the US. I've previously lived in Mexico (Michoacan) for 6 months. My husband is Mexican and he and my daughter are working out the details of moving to Irapuato, where he has family.
> 
> ...


I can't speak to the job market for engineers in Irapuato. However, I have a friend who is an engineer with about the same amount of experience as you. She was working for GE in their turbine design office in Qro. She was laid off in the downturn in 2010. It took her nearly two years to find another engineering position. In the meantime she taught English in grammar school. Her English is pretty good but she is not a native speaker and I suspect her engineering skills are much higher than her English skills. Incidentally, she is from Morelia, Michoacan originally and left there because there was no work for engineers.

I wish you good luck in your job search.


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## cuylers5746 (Mar 19, 2012)

*Good paying Jobs for Chemical Engineer*



Memoymel said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm a chemical engineer with 9 years of industry experience in the US. I've previously lived in Mexico (Michoacan) for 6 months. My husband is Mexican and he and my daughter are working out the details of moving to Irapuato, where he has family.
> 
> ...


Wow, this move could be a really good career move for you, instead of just keep working while moving with your husband to Mexico. The new North American Union is off and running strong as you will see below.

Hi, I'm a retired Telcomm Engineer and Professional Trainer, Project Manager. 

You see there are (3) new Aircraft Plants currently in construction in Queretaro, Queretaro just east of where you plan on moving. I mean these will be huge, as Mexico has plans on turning this town into a suburb of the USA as far as Aircraft Manufacturing is concerned. All three of the companies below are in the process of permitting and doing the Civil Engineering work preparing to built these plants. When there all done, I'd imagine over 10,000 new jobs. I wouldn't be surprised over time there's at least another 3,000 jobs coming in relation to subcontractors feeding into these main companies. It will probably take a full year to get the plants built?

First off Boeing.

Second, Bell Helicopters

Third, a Canadian Aircraft Company.

Now, I worked for 10 years for Aerospace Companies, first TRW, then Northrop/Gruman Aircraft where I was the Design Manager for all Local Area Networks where they stationed or repaired the B-2 Plane. So, I have some back ground there.

Almost all new Aircraft, Helicopter designs incorporate high strength composites. That's where you come in Chemical Engineers are needed. The B-2 was practically a plastic plane! I hear
Boeing is now making fuselages of composite to make them lighter and use less AVGas. That's where you will come in. There's so many more jobs and greater depths than in Commercial Industry. 

Now with your experience, I'd immediately contact Boeing and Bell Helicopter's main HQ's. I'd spend some money calling, fishing and finding out who the new "Program Manager's" will be for these new plants. With your experience and speaking both languages, I'd try and get in on the
Management Team, right off. I'm sure they'd love to have you. You need to start working their
ASAP to learn all their paper work, culture, management style, etc. so that when you begin work in Queretaro your very plugged in and a valuable, inseparable asset to the Management Team.

I'm sure you'd be paid a lot more as a Gringa being hired by those companies, then transferring to Mexico. Yes, like in some companies when you transfer to more highly desirable areas in USA with less cost of living you have to take maybe a 20-25% pay cut? Still more than a Mexican 
Engineer working in Queretaro working for them. Working in the Management Team you might not even take a pay cut, as you'd be making more, and then take the pay cut back to probably what you're making now?

You can have a two places to live. One maybe a town home or small home living in Queretaro and then maybe a small place at his families town west of Queretaro. Then that's where you could spend your weekends. It looks like on the map only maybe a 1.5-2 hour drive west? I wouldn't be surprised you'd be happier in the bigger city in Queretaro with all it's ammenities anyway most of the time.

Now as far as pay for a Chemical Engineer in Mexico. Probably comparable to Architects. They make $14K-25 K m.n. per month. Probably more in D.F. You do the math.

I hope this helps. You might have a tremendous opportunity to move up in your career by contacting the Program Manager's direct of Boeing and Bell Helicopter. Forget about H.R. go to the source, and they'll probably jump for joy, that you called them. It might take time fishing in the company trying to find them is all, but well worth it.

Get cracking on your Resume, and be sure including an leadership positions you did in your work.


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