Located in the center of Mexico, San Miguel de Allende is a small city with a rich artistic, cultural, and historical heritage. It has attracted thousands of foreigners over the years, particularly senior citizens who have chosen to retire there. This city stands out for its colonial beauty when it comes to beautiful cities. It used to be an essential stop on the Ruta de la Plata between the Zacatecas territory and Mexico City.
General information
The background of its history is full of riches, such as very well-preserved homes, squares, and temples from the 17th and 18th centuries. On its stone paths, gardens, and beautiful details, San Miguel de Allende is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico.
This city is also a popular tourist destination because of its temperate climate, peaceful atmosphere, and Spanish-colonial architecture. It is also well known as a hub for artists from all over the world. But what about job prospects in San Miguel de Allende?
San Miguel de Allende is a developing region consisting mainly of tourism infrastructure projects. Therefore, finding a job there may not be as easy as in other Mexican cities.
One of the most important things about working in San Miguel de Allende is to apply for a work visa once you have a job offer. Some employers might even pay for it, or you could simply ask them to do so. Find out more about how to apply for a work permit in our article “Visas in Mexico.”
For your interview with your possible future boss, it is recommended to follow the usual standards such as:
- Prepare yourself
- Know your CV
- Find out more about the company
- Suit up (or whatever you think applies for this certain company)
- Don't be late
Labor market of San Miguel de Allende
According to the data provided by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) in the economy of San Miguel de Allende, the sectors that present the most activity are services and the secondary industry. Regarding services, the highlighted activities largely make up the tourism industry and its related industries.
In addition to fantastic opportunities for the local society, tourism promotes and provides employment opportunities for all types of people, including women, youth, indigenous peoples, and immigrants, groups that generally present barriers to entering the labor market.
From June to November, the holidays are usually important dates for the meeting and celebrations of the people. They also provide a space for commerce that is so present in the economy of San Miguel de Allende.
Taking into account that San Miguel de Allende is a place of tourism distinguished by its art and culture, which covers, for the most part, activities that correspond to the service sector. Entertainment, tourism, communications, culture, and finance are the leading players in the economic activity of San Miguel de Allende. Therefore, all those professions directly or indirectly related to communication may experience demand from each sector.
Along with the evolution of professions, tourism marketing stands out in its new applications for hotels and other agents related to tourism. Communication with tourists or visitors is more recurrent through the Internet through social networks.
For those who work in the sector, whether it is a hotel, travel agency, or tourist attraction, the role of a Community Manager is essential to create a distinguishable brand and maintain that image, promote events or report on site news.
It is not surprising that the real estate market has shown substantial growth in recent years. In addition to being a long-lived city with a pleasant climate and a privileged location, San Miguel de Allende has an excellent cultural offer and several places of interest that, added to pleasant weather, make it a perfect candidate for the purchase of properties.
Even though the resale market in this sector focuses on foreign buyers, in recent months, many Mexican buyers have increased real estate transaction activity in the city.
With the advancement in high-quality renderings and 360 options, the dynamics of buying and selling in the real estate sector have been revolutionized. Many angles and perspectives show off the essentials of properties and allow investors to see interiors like never before.
Therefore, to reach the target customer, it has become vital to offer quality audiovisual content to expose the buyer to a competitive offer, and not a simple text with images and basic transitions.
The new business management methodologies offer technological tools that allow exponential growth in the development of potential by companies. Many marketing and communications professionals are meeting the increased demand, although a breakthrough in the market is still expected.
A profession that promises great demand in recent years is the management of market data for companies' usages. The CRM specialist offers a very effective service to automate many of the organizational and commercial processes, both for real estate agents and for the company in general. This allows all activities to be centralized in a segmented and seamless manner.
The monitoring of real estate processes provides a way to optimize the factors that are not working as expected and also provides reinforcement for those that are working correctly. In this way, not only is the company managed but its full potential is also developed, maximizing its resources and increasing its overall productivity.
You are most likely to be hired within the tourism or hospitality fields in San Miguel de Allende. Jobs are also widely available in foreign language teaching. There may be considerable competition for teaching jobs because so many foreigners in this popular expat community, so having some prior experience will work in your favor.
Guanajuato has invested important efforts to preserve tourist traffic, promoting an increase in its visits with plans and events that have worked very well. A clear example of this initiative is the bicentennial passport of Guanajuato.
Guanajuato Bicentennial is an interactive tool whose uses benefit tourists and the state of Guanajuato. Around 24 tourist experiences are the ones that will grant a stamp for each step of the tourist. When you arrive at each place indicated on the map provided by the passport, you register your arrival to activate your stamp.
In the end, if you manage to collect more than 15 stamps, the state of Guanajuato will offer a collection of commemorative coins for the achievement of completing a large part of the tourist route.
All this results in a clear invitation to the professional in the tourist guide. The tour guide has to inform and interpret the heritage, cultural and natural assets of the area, acting specifically for tourists and visitors. In this way, it attracts and interacts with them, arousing their interest through support and assistance services, in addition to using English and/or another foreign language, if the situation requires it so that they feel comfortable at all times.
Currently, there are more than 10 tourist agencies that provide their services in the territory of San Miguel de Allende, so competition can be high.
Knowledge of a foreign language, preferably English, can be a great advantage when communicating with tourists, who mostly come from the United States and Canada.
Moreover, artists are welcome in San Miguel de Allende's creative and colorful environment. They are authorized to work by obtaining the necessary permits, but no permission is needed to simply produce art that won't be sold within Mexico. Here is more information about the work visa for Mexico.
Cost of living in San Miguel de Allende
A monthly salary of USD 2,000 may be enough for a couple to live comfortably in San Miguel de Allende. This includes your monthly rent, whether in furnished or unfurnished accommodations, as well as your monthly grocery shopping. Fresh, quality ingredients for cooking at home are pretty affordable, as well as dining at local restaurants.
Specificity of San Miguel de Allende
Together with all its virtues, this city continues to be a place of wonders for almost a century, where it grew and developed like the other cities. However, despite this change, the city continues to maintain that essence that has continuously won numerous international awards.
Life in San Miguel de Allende can be quite different from in other Mexican cities. In fact, it mainly revolves around tourism and artistic activities, so if you don't like this kind of environment, then it might not be for you.
Some areas in San Miguel de Allende are currently developing rapidly due to ongoing modern and luxurious real estate projects. This is what primarily attracts retired senior citizens, mostly U.S. and Canadian citizens wishing to invest in high-class accommodation.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), this city is the second with more residents born abroad. Of the 17,615 people, 4,312 are from other countries.
Located below the city of León, it has a total of 10,519 foreign residents. The most significant number of foreigners in Guanajuato is from the United States, with a total of 31,821 immigrants. The second place belongs to the Republic of Colombia with 1,275, and Japan is in the third place with 1,256. Other nationalities add up to around 8,131 immigrants.
What to do in San Miguel de Allende in your free time?
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), this city is the second with more residents born abroad. Of the 17,615 people, 4,312 are from other countries.
Not everything in life is work. In fact, in order to be more effective in our work, it is vital to ensure a good rest that clears our minds and replenishes new ideas.
Just as job opportunities are presented in new spaces, San Miguel de Allende has areas and times of festivity and rest.
Around 10 parks cover the city, and points of interest are located in the surroundings. Here at Expat, we will give you a list of places to visit to clear your mind in the surroundings of San Miguel de Allende.
Sanctuary of Atotonilco
Atotonilco is very close to the city and is considered one of the main tourist attractions in the country.
This small town is charming and it is delightful to walk through its streets, but what you cannot miss is the declared cultural heritage of Humanity, Jesus Nazareno. It is a fantastic temple, frequently visited by both Christians and artists.
Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden is located at a distance of 10 minutes from the city, an incredible sanctuary of flora and fauna.
In addition to being a perfect natural environment for walking or exercising outdoors, it is also part of the historical heritage. Along the way you can explore several iconic places such as Ruinas del Batán or Presa de las Colinas.
The Virgin's Gorge
La Cañada de la Virgen is a pre-Hispanic settlement, ideal for getting away from the noise and following the path whose main monuments were used for observing the sky. The most recent studies indicate that the society inhabited by Cañada de la Virgen had very advanced astronomical knowledge, which facilitated the control of time and production cycles.
San Miguel Adventure Park
The park, located very close to the José Manuel Zavala Bypass, is the best place in San Miguel de Allende for extreme sports.
It has a bridge and seven zip lines, one of them 21 meters long. It also offers horseback riding and mountain biking, as well as mountain bike tours, camping areas, and hiking trails.
Admission costs around 150 Mexican pesos and comes in two different zip line options, one that includes three zip lines and hanging bridges, and another includes all seven trails and bridges. It is open from 9 am to 5 pm.
La Gruta
La Gruta is a spa located 20 minutes from downtown San Miguel de Allende. Its main point is the outdoor hot springs. On the other hand, you can go to a fascinating area set in a small cave. Once there, you will feel like you were in a steam bath, and you can even stand under a very relaxing pressurized water jet. After the hot springs, you can also go to a restaurant with very delicious dishes.
We promise you won't get bored!
San Miguel de Allende is also a socially vibrant city with its many museums, restaurants, cafés, and pubs. Whether to work or enjoy retirement, moving there can be a unique and fulfilling experience.
Useful links:
Visit Mexico, San Miguel de Allende
Work visa:
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