Where is the "I'm not sure" button?

I would recommend a blog titled Expat Mom, who is a Canadian woman with two children, a Guatemalan husband, living and working in Guatemala.  You can find her on the recommended blog list under "Guatemala" at my blog at TheInnkeepersTail.blogspot.com

I keep a blog about living in Guatemala, and I have had a couple of temp jobs here, but I don't have any young children living with me.  Hope this helps!

lauravalenz wrote:

I know this is a forum for people who want to live in Guatemala or currently living in Guatemala, but am I included as a person who will probably have to live there?  My husband is an illegal immigrant in the U.S., we are trying to do the right thing by "going through the process," but he most likely will have to be under a 10 year ban based on how he entered, and I've heard it is really hard to get a waiver and living without my husband, and my daughter without her father, is not a choice.  So, we will probably end up in Guatemala.  I see people who live in Guatemala because they can afford to, due to retirement money or some sort-of U.S. income, but is there anybody with experience with working in Guatemala, getting Guatemalan wages, and raising a family?  I don't see anybody blogging about that, but maybe I missed it somewhere.  (comments about illegal immigration need not apply, I'm looking more for possibilities not politics)

Laura, some of us blog about working in Guatemala, Guatemalan wages and raising a family.  I've got an extensive blogroll listing a number of those folks, including ExpatMom, whom Trudy mentioned (but she's not working in the local economy).

What you're experiencing is that people who are working for Guatemalan wages ($2 an hour) and raising children don't have a lot of time to blog about it.  The short end of the story is that you are not likely to get a work permit, since the effective unemployment rate here is about 20%; they don't need gringos fighting them for the few jobs they have.  Secondly, wages are low and many employers don't treat their employees well.  Raising a family is possible here-I brought my own children ages 12 months-15 years with me, but you aren't going to have the support system you likely have in the US with friends and family, and you'll find a culture here that is very different from that which you're accustomed to.

There are jobs here with non-profits, NGOs, etc., that offer better than average wages, but you'll be hard pressed to find something that pays $1,000 a month, even if you are technically skilled and fully bilingual. 

I love living here but wouldn't have considered it without a Dollar or Euro based income source.  IMHO you should figure out a way to make an income online, working as a freelancer or something, rather than competing for a local job.

Since writing this post, I have come across expat mom and have talked to her via email.  She is very informative and positive about things, so, needless to say, she has helped me feel better.  Also, I should note that I do read guateliving as well,  although I have arguments with you in my head about certain things, I do find it entertaining.  Actually, the writing is very similar to my fathers, and I have probably had the same arguments.  Anyhow I guess I will just take life as it comes and deal with it then.  I did not know there was such a market for freelance writing, but I do see more and more people doing it.  Thank you for all the comments, I appreciate the time taken to respond.

Mark raises very good points, actually. The pay here tends to be dismal, there is high unemployment, raising kids in private schools here can be super expensive (public schools I wouldn't consider as an option, sadly), etc. I too don't agree with Mark on many points, but I have come to believe Mark does enjoy to roil people and get a good argument going, so I take a lot of his most extreme pronunciations as based on a very dark-humored tongue-in-cheek! I don't get to read his blog as often as I'd like, either, but he is a good source of expat life in Antigua.

However, re jobs, Guatemala is all about connections--as, unfortunately, is the case in many places in the USA. Getting work permits, etc., isn't as difficult if you know where to go, with whom to talk, etc. It also depends on the industry in which you are going into. For example, many language schools in Guatemala City are scrambling for English teachers!  I keep getting offers myself, the pay is pretty decent--by local standards, of course--and I have met several Canadians who have had no problem finding a legit teaching job in Guatemala.

Language schools and American-style private schools much prefer teachers whose native language is English. Other industries, I don't know, might be harder to get a job there. Unemployment is high, as Mark said.  You might be better off finding some source of income from the US.

Your husband, being Guatemalan with US-acquired skills, would have an edge in the local market. Moreover, if your spouse is Guatemalan, you will have no major trouble getting a resident visa with work permit. My husband has dual citizenship, USA and Guatemalan, so I got mine with no further ado. I have no small kids so my situation is vastly different than Mark's and Expat mom.  My husband and I only have to worry about ourselves, thank goodness. Expat mom and Marc are good sources of information on raising kids here when one wants to give them a North-American based education.

Good luck!  And keep us posted.

MIssTrudy wrote:

Mark raises very good points, actually. The pay here tends to be dismal, there is high unemployment, raising kids in private schools here can be super expensive (public schools I wouldn't consider as an option, sadly), etc. I too don't agree with Mark on many points, but I have come to believe Mark does enjoy to roil people and get a good argument going, so I take a lot of his most extreme pronunciations as based on a very dark-humored tongue-in-cheek! I don't get to read his blog as often as I'd like, either, but he is a good source of expat life in Antigua.

However, re jobs, Guatemala is all about connections--as, unfortunately, is the case in many places in the USA. Getting work permits, etc., isn't as difficult if you know where to go, with whom to talk, etc. It also depends on the industry in which you are going into. For example, many language schools in Guatemala City are scrambling for English teachers!  I keep getting offers myself, the pay is pretty decent--by local standards, of course--and I have met several Canadians who have had no problem finding a legit teaching job in Guatemala.

Language schools and American-style private schools much prefer teachers whose native language is English. Other industries, I don't know, might be harder to get a job there. Unemployment is high, as Mark said.  You might be better off finding some source of income from the US.

Your husband, being Guatemalan with US-acquired skills, would have an edge in the local market. Moreover, if your spouse is Guatemalan, you will have no major trouble getting a resident visa with work permit. My husband has dual citizenship, USA and Guatemalan, so I got mine with no further ado. I have no small kids so my situation is vastly different than Mark's and Expat mom.  My husband and I only have to worry about ourselves, thank goodness. Expat mom and Marc are good sources of information on raising kids here when one wants to give them a North-American based education.

Good luck!  And keep us posted.

Miss Trudy,
I do find guateliving to be helpful in getting basic information about Guatemala, plus I do laugh every now and then and understand the humor he uses.  I have worked with plenty of men who display such ribbing.
Thank you so much for your information, I hear various things and I think you are right about the connections.  I keep telling my husband that he would have somewhat of an advantage because he speaks perfect English, and he is a very fast learner, so I find him very capable of doing most anything.  I do worry about education , but after reading Expat mom and guateliving, I would probably lean towards home schooling, since they have shown it to be a possibility there. 
Our whole future depends on the things that will happen this year, such as if there will be immigration reform, how fast or slow our paperwork goes through, and whether or not we qualify for a waiver, etc.  In other words, everything is up in the air.  Thank you again for taking an interest in answering my questions and such.  Hope all is well with you and your husband.
Laura

If your husband is perfectly bilingual and has a friendly disposition, he'll have a great opportunity to work in tourism, operate a business or get into some sort of import/export commerce.  The Guatemalans I've gotten to know who've gone north for an extended period of time and returned have a huge advantage on their countrymen and us gringos in terms of knowing the local system and understanding how business is done in the US.  It's still a challenge though.