I would generally agree with the poster above on Latin America. It's a huge generalization, I know, but men in Latin American countries tend to like North American women. (It's been my observation that the majority of travelers/expats in Latin America tend to be women, while the opposite is true in East / SE Asia. This can hardly be a coincidence.)

I'm a bit younger myself, but I know plenty of 35+ women who have lived in various Latin countries, and all had dating success. There tends to be a lot of single guys 35+ in many Latin countries, partly because not everyone gets married anymore, partly because people are getting married later, and partly due to fairly high divorce rates. This is mostly based on my own experience in Mexico, but from what I've heard and seen it can be similar in many parts of Central / South America.

Don't know about the school but I would love to live in Queretaro! Very pretty, friendly, and a nice size. Has a reputation in Mexico as a safe place to live, but enough going on to keep it interesting.

Oh yeah, one more piece of advice... don't apply unless you have fairly thick skin. Rich Mexican students can be astoundingly bratty.

Oh, you could also add Vistahermosa to that list, as well as the Colegio Suizo.

Try the following schools in DF:

Churchill
Edron
Eton
Modern American School
Colegio Ciudad de Mexico
Colegio Williams
Colegio Peterson

These schools will probably hire without certification (they range from my knowing for a fact they take teachers without certification, to I think so from hearsay.)

From what I know, they range from great to tolerable places to work. The range of pay is great to enough to live on decently.

Try Mexico. Besides the top tier schools (such as the American School or Greengates in DF), most of the schools don't give a rat's ass about your certifications. Check out all the schools listed on the IB website. Most will pay decently. They won't exactly be "international" though - mostly rich Mexicans.

I don't personally know anyone who works there, but it's probably pretty similar to the place I used to work in Mexico City, since they are usually lumped together in more or less the same category. Things I would consider:

1) It's not really an international school per se, it's more a bilingual school for rich locals. This is OK, just keep it in mind. Students of this class can be bratty, but just like any kids they can be great once you forge a positive relationship with them.

2) All the locations of Peterson suck. You'd be looking at a long commute whichever campus you choose, unless it's the one in Lomas but that's just for preschool and kindergarten. But a long commute is pretty normal in Mexico.

3) I'm not sure how they pay at Peterson. As a single person, I wouldn't take anything in Mexico City less than, say, 25,000 pesos/month unless you don't want or need any significant savings.

I know it doesn't technically count as Central/South America, but I made almost 30k in Mexico City and that was at the bottom of the salary scale. I saved about a third of my salary each month, and could have saved more.

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that unless you've worked previously in Mexico (and already have a social security #), you can't get hired after 60.

I only really know about high school, since that's what I teach. But here's my perception of the following schools.

ASF - probably the most desirable due to central location & good package. Has a good reputation as a great place to teach. The student population isn't THAT international though, I think about 70% are Mexican. Has a reputation as a big ". school," both for students and for teachers. Teachers that I've met tend to be on the young side, but there are tons of teachers there so there are probably all types. Most expensive school in the city, so some pretty entitled kids. You'll get your own classroom. Good international recognition.

Greengates - apparently the most "international" in terms of the makeup of the student body. Supposed to be a good place to work. Decent package. Crappy location. Decent international recognition, but not as much as ASF.

Eton - not really international in terms of its student body. At least 90% are Mexican. Small school, which means a tight foreign teacher community. Small school also means you'll be teaching many preps (different classes) but usually there's another teacher willing to share planning together. Some behavior issues. Most students have a great level of English. Best pay in the city. Location is kind of far away, but it's pretty easy to get to. Unless you're teaching primary, you won't have your own classroom. Not so well-known internationally, but it's IB (MYP and DP, no PYP) and SACS accredited so shouldn't be a problem.

Hope that helps.

If you'll be working at one of the main schools that recruits internationally (ASF, Greengates, Eton, Edron, Churchill - there may be a few others but those are the ones I'm familiar with) you will be fine on their salaries.

If you are living on only one salary it will be a little tight. OK, but not a lot of extra cash to work with. However, if you're in this position, your spouse/partner could get a gig teaching English in companies (super easy to get such a job). That would give you a comfortable 10,000 peso cushion to work with.

If you are BOTH hired at one of the above-mentioned schools, you'd be sitting pretty.

Here's my monthly breakdown in pesos. However, the costs listed below are just for me (one person).

After-tax take home pay= 24,000

2 bedroom apartment in a nice area and utilities: 9000 - I pay half, so 4500
Public transportation and taxis: 400 (I take taxis more than I need to)
Groceries: 800
Eating out: 2000 (I eat out WAY more than I should, really.)
Once-a-week cleaning lady: 800
Necessary expenses (toiletries, prescriptions, etc): 1000
Cell: 500

That adds up to 10,000. I could spend less, but I don't.

I usually spend another 4000 or so on frivolous things, trips and clothes, and then save about 10,000 pesos a month.

[quote="bostonfan19831"]chilagringa - Thanks for all your help. I think I will be living in the Roma/Condesa area. Is the area dog friendly? Is Mexico City Dog friendly?
[/quote]

Ha!

Everyone and their dog has a dog in Condesa/Roma. Especially Condesa. Seriously. You practically need a dog just to fit in. I once thought it was weird how many dogs there were. And then I got a dog.

I would say Mexico City as a whole is very dog-friendly, but Condesa most of all.

As for the questions on Spanish... well, my Spanish was already pretty decent when I arrived. But I know some people who spoke very little Spanish when they first got here. They certainly got by, either by learning some or because a lot of people speak English. I don't think it's a big issue. Spanish is actually pretty easy to learn. It's hard to master, but to get to the point where you can have simple conversations is easy.

Well most neighborhoods have a "tianguis" or outdoor market once or twice a week. It can be a nice place to pick up food. But I usually just go to my local market (there's a sizable market for food in every neighborhood), which is filled with vendors selling vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, etc, etc...
Bargaining isn't normal when it comes to food, but there's not really any need because produce is so cheap.
If you're like me, you'll go to the local Western-style supermarket for some stuff (cereal, canned food, bread, pasta, cheese, etc) and then go to the local market for produce.

Trains, buses... all are cheap are run frequently. The Metro is generally more pleasant than the buses because it doesn't have to deal with traffic, but either are OK.

Let's say you lived in Condesa (I bet you will probably end up living in Condesa or one of the surrounding neighborhoods - Roma, Escandon or San Miguel Chapultepec). And let's say you lived within a five minute walk of a metro station. Your commute would look as follows: (I'm guessing because I don't work at ASF, but I know the city really well.)

Walk to metro (5 mins)
Metro to Tacubaya (10 mins)
Bus from Tacubaya down Observatorio to ASF. (5 minutes)

All in all, a 20 minute commute. AMAZING for D.F.

Taxis? Cheap. I commute about four times as far as ASF, and a taxi home costs about 110 pesos (less than 10 bucks). I would estimate a taxi to the Condesa surroundings from ASF would run you about 30 pesos. About 2.50. Not bad.

Actually, more than half of the Mexican-foreigner couples I know decide to stay in Mexico for the long term. So it's not about the green card.

As well, most of the Mexican-foreigner couples I know involve Mexicans from middle to upper classes, so they aren't dating the foreigner as a way out of poverty.