[Личный опыт] Why do IT engineers go to Mexico and then work for the USA

There are many different rumors about Mexico. Some say that the country is terribly poor, all residents are cartels, and it is simply scary to go out. Others say that it is a modern developed country, the IT industry of which is growing at an unprecedented pace.

To figure out where the truth is, we talked with Daria. She and her husband have been living in Mexico for 3.5 years and have given birth to a child here. But she did not work for Mexico, but for the United States, and her husband also works for an American company. She will tell you why a Mexican IT specialist has nothing to do, but living here is very interesting and comfortable.


How is IT doing in Mexico

In recent years, dozens of companies have opened in Mexico, both local and foreign branches. Proximity to the United States plays into the hands of the country – many firms open offices to save on rent, wages and taxes, and then work for America.

There are also a lot of IT engineers in Mexico. Local universities produce good specialists, although for my taste they are not on par with American, European or even Russian. But they cope with most tasks, especially when they gain experience.

But there are two major problems in Mexico that prevent IT engineers from abroad from entering the local market.

Low salaries. The Mexicans themselves are more or less satisfied with the salaries, and they can live here freely. But if you are looking for a job with relocation, it is better to immediately target Europe or the United States – in Mexico they will pay much less for similar work. Actually, this is why Mexican companies rarely look for foreigners – there are enough local engineers who are ready to work for a lower salary.

On average, a Mexican developer makes $ 2,000 a month – and that is not what juniors are paying. This is less than 150,000 rubles.


Prices here, of course, are also low (everything is in pesos). But not much lower than Russian

The language barrier. In Mexico, everyone speaks Mexican Spanish, even IT engineers. English is taught poorly in schools and universities, it is not customary to teach it on purpose. It will not work like in Europe – to come to Germany and communicate with colleagues in English without knowing German. English is taught only by developers who plan to work in the United States. And in any local company without knowledge of Spanish is nowhere.

So aspiring to Mexico to work here is not a good idea. But this is not why IT specialists are coming here.

Why should an IT engineer still need to move to Mexico?

The main reason why thousands of people from all over the world come to Mexico, including developers. It is easy to find a job in the USA from here.

Americans often throw their jobs into the Mexican market and offer to work for them remotely. There are two reasons for this:

  • You can pay less. In Mexico, the developer receives $ 2,000, in the USA the same level – $ 8,000. As a result, Americans pay something in between, for example, $ 4,000. They save money, and in Mexico itself you can live like a king with this money 🙂
  • Geographic proximity. Approximately the same time zone, plus the employee will be able to come for business trips. You can’t ride like that from Europe or Russia.

But why not go straight to the USA?

Inexpensive life. Everything is expensive in the USA. Even on a developer’s salary, living is not always comfortable – you will have to pay a lot for rent, products and household services. Mexico is much cheaper. It is not a problem to rent a spacious apartment with all the furnishings in a good area for 700-1000 dollars. We spend a little over $ 125 a week on groceries for three – and this is in the state of Quintana Roo, where prices are quite high. With entertainment and services, the story is the same.

Easy to move and live here. Mexico is one of the most loyal countries in terms of immigration laws. Russians can enter for six months with a tourist permit, which is easy to obtain online. Then you can register foreign income – enough confirm you get $ 2,000 a month outside of Mexico, and will give a residence permit. You can also formally get a job in some company – pay them and pretend that you work there. The scheme is illegal, but many people use it, and so far this loophole exists.

But we didn’t have to do that. A child was born here, and upon birth he immediately received Mexican citizenship. And we received a permanent residence permit, like his relatives. It turns out that we “moved” to the child – this is more interesting than to the husband 🙂

What’s with life and safety

I already talked about life in Mexico in the thread on Abroad… I will briefly repeat what I like here the most:

Lots of opportunities for freediving – scuba diving without scuba gear. This is our main hobby, and Mexico is perfect for it – there are many cenotes, underwater caves with clear water. One of the main reasons why we decided to stay here 🙂

Not as dangerous as people think. The crime rate in the country is high, but among the locals. They try not to get involved with “white people” – they bring money into the country, and any crimes against them are always severely punished and cause a great resonance. There are areas where you should not enter, it is also better not to walk alone at night, but I will not say that I feel less protected here than in Russia.

As proof of safety, very often retirees from the United States move here, buy houses by the sea and live luxuriously on an American pension. Even if they are satisfied with security, we certainly have nothing to fear.

The only unpleasant moment – for the safety of the child, it is better not to let him go anywhere alone. It’s depressing, but we’re used to it.

Large immigrant community. Mexico has a lot of digital nomads – digital nomads who come here to work remotely. Therefore, there are many foreigners, including Russians, and it is easy to find people for communication and joint entertainment. Plus, in general, they are very loyal to foreigners.

Sea, sun, fruits and seafood. Mexico is practically a resort, and it is very great to live here. Especially to me, a native of Siberia.

PS All photos are from Dasha’s Instagram. There is still a lot of cool underwater photography

Thinking of finding a remote job to live anywhere (and maybe in Mexico)? Then in our telegram bot @g_jobbot there are thousands of vacancies from other countries, including remote ones. And with relocation too, if there is a desire to move.

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