I am planning on moving to San Miguel de Allende

Hi Marina !

Welcome to Expat.com!

Armand

Marinaga wrote:

Hello. My name is Marina and I am 34 years old and from Chicago, IL. My fiance and I are planning on moving to a nearby rural area of San Miguel de Allende in about a year and a half. I am a social worker here in Chicago. I am in the process of learning Spanish and trying to figure out how to make a life for myself in Mexico. I visited San Miguel de Allende two summers ago and very much enjoyed it. I have only ever lived in Chicago and I think moving is going to be difficult, but I would like to try to ease into it little by little. I think I am going to visit again next month...

Hey Marinaga

Have you moved ?

Welcome,Marina!

Perhaps you won't find the move difficult at all once you've settled in down here.  Your skills as a social worker are needed.  Do you plan to work?

Saludos,
jax in san miguel de allende

Thank you for your warm welcome! Yes, I would love to work in my field! Unfortunately, I don't speak fluent Spanish--at least not yet--for this reason, I plan to try to find work as a therapist with the English speaking population and when I can speak Spanish more fluently, I would like to work with the Native population in a social work role. I would like to learn Spanish first and then begin to volunteer with the Mexican population at a social service-type agency.
Do you have any advice for me?
I worry that the most I will be able to do is house sit.

Hi sindxb,

No, I have not moved yet. I plan to move in about a year.

Hi Mariana,

While you're doing research from where you are, you might want to look at CASA, the Centre for Adolescentes in San Miguel.  They have been thriving for 30 years, helping at-risk youth with real, paid jobs performing as peer counselors going back into their rural communities to hold workshops on reproductive health, domestic violence, nutrition, ecology, etc.  CASA also has the only nationally accredited mid-wive school in Mexico

http://www.casa.org.mx/index_esp.html

Since I'm retired, I don't know much about the visa rules for working in Mexico, but if you google Rollybrook in Mexico you'll find substative information.

You're right that without speaking Spanish you're at a real disadvantage; fortunately that's a problem that can be solved long before you get here.  There's a new, free Internet site called Duolingo - you might want explore that.

Also, take a look at my blog: jaxinmexico.wordpress.com which I started 7 weeks ago when I arrived.  Like you, I began looking at volunteer work as soon as my feet hit the ground.

Buenta suerte!
Jax