Guatemala - unsafe?

[Nutella]

I was browsing some reviews and saw that often, the "safety" rating is a 3 for schools in Guatemala. Why is that? Some of the schools I looked at would otherwise seem to be a good fit, but I have little kids and I can't see taking them to a location that most consider unsafe.

[chilagringa]

Of the many countries I have spent time in, Guatemala is where I have felt most unsafe. I have many friends there who have been robbed at gunpoint. I love, love, love the country but I once turned down a job there due to the safety factor.

[reisgio]

It's Guatemala, that's why it's marked so low. Do you follow the news? Do you ever wonder why all of Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala seem to be moving to the USA? Robbery, Murder, Rape, Drugs, and on and on.

[AnotherIT]

Been in Guatemala for a year and a half and will be leaving in June. In my 16 months or so here. My Girlfriend has had her cellphone pick pocketed, my principal and his wife have been robbed at gun point, and I have had my apartment robbed by the security guards paid to protect it. The country itself has been an incredible adventure, Atitlan, Semuc Champey, Cela,Tikal, peredon and so much more has been a level of gorgeous which is hard to communicate. As for safety, it is better than El Salvador and Honduras, but still is accompanied by the constant feeling that it is unsafe.

[Nutella]

Well, that does sound unsafe. What a shame. Thank you for the replies!

[Teach1010]

I really love Guatemala and I've been trying to convince myself for a long time that the safety issues aren't that big of a deal. For those who have lived in Guatemala City, do you feel like choosing your housing very carefully, sticking to the "safer" zones (10, 14, 15, 16?), avoiding being out after night in the city, etc. reduce the risk enough to not be living in constant fear? Do you have any safety tips aside from the obvious things like not flashing your valuables or walking along at night? I don't have kids, so it's really only myself that I have to worry about. I feel like pickpocketing or even mugging I could deal with, but I'm not willing to risk my life to move there. I have visited Guatemala several times without incident, but I didn't spend any amount of time in the city.

@AnotherIT - When your apartment was robbed by the security guards, were you living in housing provided by the school or was it an apartment you found on your own? I was thinking that living in a high-rise would be reasonably safe.

[PsyGuy]

The only positive about Guatemala when it comes to safety is that at least its not Venezuela.

[AnotherIT]

@AnotherIT - When your apartment was robbed by the security guards, were you living
in housing provided by the school or was it an apartment you found on your own?
I was thinking that living in a high-rise would be reasonably safe.

The housing we are in is in Zone 16 and was provided by the school. There are 20 units in the building, 3 of them house teachers or teaching couples. The school had the landlord replace the security company and install deadbolts and we haven't had issues since. Guatemala is a roll of the dice. Semuc, Tikal, Atitlan, are all incredible. Guatemala City is awful. I saw you at staying safe by not going out after dark. Because if its location it is light approximately 6am to 6pm. Which means going out to dinner, going to the movies, etc becomes a problem. Your life becomes very confined.

[Teach1010]

Was the school in zone 16 too? I would worry about having to commute through the less safe areas. Did you own a car? I've read that auto theft is an issue as well, but public transportation is also extremely dangerous. I guess the only option is taxi, which seems risky as well. I can see where it could be pretty isolating. Were there any teachers that tried commuting from Antigua or is it too far? I know it's somewhat close to the city, but I've been there and felt perfectly safe.

[chilagringa]

There's also a school in Antigua... it's pretty new so not sure how it is. If it's a good school to work at that would be a dream location!

[PsyGuy]

@Teach1010

Taxi Drivers have robbed expats either directly from their car, or with accomplices. You get in the car they drive somewhere dark like an alley then they pull a weapon take your stuff and drive off, or they drop you off where you didnt intend and their friends come out of the shadows and rob you.

@chilagringa

That would be an otherwise nice little gem if the IS checked all the right boxes, though with new IS growing pains, something to keep an eye on a few years down the road.

[AnotherIT]

Teach1010 wrote:
> Was the school in zone 16 too? I would worry about having to commute
> through the less safe areas. Did you own a car? I've read that auto theft
> is an issue as well, but public transportation is also extremely dangerous.
> I guess the only option is taxi, which seems risky as well. I can see
> where it could be pretty isolating. Were there any teachers that tried
> commuting from Antigua or is it too far? I know it's somewhat close to the
> city, but I've been there and felt perfectly safe.

We own a car. We haven't had any problems. Yellow cabs are tightly monitored. The green and white ones are not and should be avoided if possible. Our schools was in zone 16. There are a couple of schools in this area. As for commuting from Antigua it would be a nightmare. It is about an hour under great conditions. Most mornings it would be three plus hours on any given day to the week. It would be awful.

[Teach1010]

Thanks for all the info. Do you have any experience with the Transmetro? The videos I have watched make it look really safe, but of course that's to be expected. Do you have any recommendations for areas of the city that are more safe than others? Are there any suburbs or small towns within the driving distance that would be acceptable to live in? I'm really interested in improving my Spanish, but it sounds like it's difficult to have much of a life outside of school or interaction with the locals. Did you know Spanish or did you find opportunities to learn/practice?