# Newbie!!



## Becky L (8 mo ago)

Hello everyone, my name is Becky. I am a 55 year old single female living near Cocoa Beach Florida. I have two sons who are both in college, and I have three four-legged children (1 dog, 2 cats). 

I have traveled abroad twice in my life. Once was to New Zealand when I was married, where we almost moved to. The other was to Belize, which is why I'm thinking about Central America as a relocation destination. I keep hearing wonderful things about Mexico so I want to give it a try. 

I will be really honest, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing or how to make this happen but it's something that I want very badly. I am currently researching becoming an online teacher to teach English as a foreign language so that I can continue to work. Unfortunately I was born cute instead of rich, so I can't retire just yet lol 

If anybody has some words of wisdom, or any kind of input, I would love to chat with you. 

I'm looking forward to hearing from some of you and have a spectacular day!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Becky L said:


> Hello everyone, my name is Becky. I am a 55 year old single female living near Cocoa Beach Florida. I have two sons who are both in college, and I have three four-legged children (1 dog, 2 cats).
> 
> I have traveled abroad twice in my life. Once was to New Zealand when I was married, where we almost moved to. The other was to Belize, which is why I'm thinking about Central America as a relocation destination. I keep hearing wonderful things about Mexico so I want to give it a try.
> 
> ...


Hi Becky, and welcome to the Forum, and possibly to Mexico. Unlike Belize, Mexico is a very large country that offers varied climates and sorts of places to live, from beach towns to the megalopolis that is Mexico City, to everything in between. Unless you choose an area crammed with tourists and expats (not my choice), a good working knowledge of Spanish is essential to making a good life here for yourself. I suggest you come down for a visit and take a look around before making any decisions. Do you want to live near the beach or in the Central Highlands, which has (for me, at least) a more agreeable climate and a more culturally-rich atmosphere. You will need to check with your nearest Mexican consulate to learn about what is required in terms of income to live here legally. I'm sure that other members of this forum will soon be chiming in to offer their advice and points-of-view.


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## Becky L (8 mo ago)

Isla Verde said:


> Hi Becky, and welcome to the Forum, and possibly to Mexico. Unlike Belize, Mexico is a very large country that offers varied climates and sorts of places to live, from beach towns to the megalopolis that is Mexico City, to everything in between. Unless you choose an area crammed with tourists and expats (not my choice), a good working knowledge of Spanish is essential to making a good life here for yourself. I suggest you come down for a visit and take a look around before making any decisions. Do you want to live near the beach or in the Central Highlands, which has (for me, at least) a more agreeable climate and a more culturally-rich atmosphere. You will need to check with your nearest Mexican consulate to learn about what is required in terms of income to live here legally. I'm sure that other members of this forum will soon be chiming in to offer their advice and points-of-view.


Thanks for the reply! I'll be traveling to Mexico in the fall when I have more vacay time, and hopefully a travel buddy.


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## 255 (Sep 8, 2018)

@Becky L -- Welcome to the forum. As @Isla Verde said; Mexico is huge! It's the 13th largest country in the world -- so there are a wide variety of climates, cities (of various sizes,) rural, beach/mountains, and just about anything you can think of that might meet your fancy.

As an American, you can come to Mexico, and stay for six months without any visa at all. Longer stays require a visa (and subsequent residency permit from immigration, INM.) Check out your nearest Mexican Consulate for their most recent residency requirements. There are two options: Temporary and Permanent, and you can get either at your local Consulate. Your financial situation is the determining factor in which one you qualify for. If you don't have enough income/assets to qualify for permanent residency, "off the bat," you can opt for the one year temporary residency (renewable for a total of 4 years,) option which you can exchange for a permanent residency card, after 4 years. If you don't meet the temporary residency financial screening, you should strive to increase your income/assets. Be aware that, as with lots of things, the rules change. I checked the permanent residency requirements last year and we needed my wife's SS to qualify. We went to the Consulate, this year, and the financial requirements increased (fortunately, we had enough to qualify for a temporary residency visa.)

There are quite a few ESL Teacher certification programs available. I suspect some schools may have a preference for one over another. Of course you may be able to hang out your shingle, just by being a "native" English speaker. My wife taught ESL at a private middle school and she had no other certifications other than a four year degree, being a native English speaker and she also spoke Spanish, French and German to various levels. Her classes were entirely in English! (She had previously took a German immersion course, 100% in German,) so no cheating (her teacher didn't speak English.) The on-line thing wasn't in existence back then, but remember your target clientele can be world-wide. I have a friend that retired to Ecuador and became an on-line ESL teacher. She does very well, but her students are all from Asia (probably, because they pay better.)

You didn't mention your level of Spanish, but you might consider attending a Spanish immersion course. My old boss took one in Mexico City and he was essentially fluent, years later.

If you can, *travel* -- my wife and I have travelled to many locations in Mexico, on vacations, but haven't decided yet where to park. I understand, you're not in a position to retire yet -- but you should, at least, come up with a vision for retirement , believe me it's not far off. Do you want to spend time traveling the world, sit on a tropical beach, enjoy a cool mountain retreat -- all are available in Mexico. Remember too, that you're not 100% locked into any decision you make. If after a while you find that your first choice doesn't ultimately check all your boxes (or your boxes change, ) you can always move somewhere else, ether within or without Mexico. I have an acquaintance that initially retired to Ecuador, then moved to Uruguay, Columbia, Brazil and now he his "permanently" settled in Mexico. I have another friend, that after traveling/working the world (primarily No. & So. America, and Europe with short stints in Central America and Asia sold his house in the U.S. and bought an high-rise apartment (with security) in Vancouver, BC, Canada, that he uses as a home base for him and his wife to travel the world (their kids are long out of school, married with children and their dogs have past on.) 

Good luck with the next exciting chapter in your life! Cheers, 255

P.S. Just another thought from a wise man (GEN Norman Schwarzkopf,) "If you aren't going to retire near your children/grandchildren, consider retiring in a location they will want to come.) I know a couple of couples that retired to Mexico near beaches and their kids visit them at every opportunity.


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