LIFE WITH A 6,7, & 14 YEAR OLDER!

blackghost79 wrote:

Internet
Education
Crime
Political Stability
Finding a job on site vs prior to moving
Renting or buying

Welcome to the Ecuador forum, Black Ghost.

Internet -- the spectrum runs from drek to fiber optic depending on where your residence is.

Education -- what would you like to know?

Crime -- Cuenca good, Guayaquil bad.  Quito suburbs good, Colombian border areas dicey.

Political stability -- Ecuador has had the same president since 2007.  Before that they were changing supreme leaders every couple of years.

Finding a job on site vs. prior to moving -- finding employment in Ecuador from another country is a near impossibility.  Finding one here may require fluency in the Spanish language and is impossible to discuss intelligently since we don't know what you do or would be looking for at this point.  Teaching English or professionally advising Gringos about visas, real estate and giving tours might work part-time for the right person.

Renting or buying -- Expect to rent at the start until you know where you would be happy living long-term.  Don't give serious consideration to buying for at least a year.

cccmedia in Quito

blackghost79 wrote:

I will be getting 1300 month to live off plus what ever job I find.

That will be enough to qualify your family for a pensioner visa, provided the money is from a pension, Social Security, disability or another verifiably reliable source.

cccmedia in Quito

blackghost79 wrote:

Most children friendly city
Learning Spanish for 6 & 7 year old
Job for English speakers
Job for wife, insurance customer service in English
Networking with people
Private school vs public
How credit works there vs USA experian...
If moving how long should planning be...

Most children friendly (in a) city -- They are typically all friendly, as in not hostile.  However, they will be shy with Expat adults at first.  How friendly they are at first with Expat kids may depend on the culture at a particular school, any Spanish-language ability the Expat kid has, and the dynamics/attitudes involving the particular kids.

Learning Spanish for 6, 7 year olds -- Kids are usually good at picking up languages as a rule.  There are too many exceptions to the rule and too many variables in play to predict how your kids will do.

Job for English speakers:  Teaching English, perhaps .. or assisting other Gringos if you know more than they do when they're getting started.

Job for wife, re English-language customer service -- I wouldn't count on this unless a way can be found to do it over the Internet.

Networking with people -- what's the objective here?  Whatever it is, it's probably as easy to do it successfully in Cuenca as anywhere in Ecuador.  Lots of meetups, affinity groups, events and parties in Cuenca.

How credit works -- Gringo arrivals shouldn't expect any extension of credit, especially if they don't yet have the national ID card that all legal residents get.  Eventually, you may find a high-end residential property where up to a 50 percent mortgage is possible. 

If moving to Ecuador, how long planning should be:  Long enough to get your home-country paperwork in order, including such visa-related documents as birth certificates, driving record, FBI and state criminal backgrounders, plus the relevant apostilles.  The latter are documents available from the agencies that issued the original documents making such documents legit for international purposes.

cccmedia in Quito

Disclaimers...

Don't move to Ecuador without first visiting Ecuador.

Don't bring a family to Ecuador without a firm income/residency visa plan.

Don't buy or build on any property in Ecuador until having lived in the target area for at least one year.

Non-attorney Expats posting on this site do not have the expertise that may be necessary to advise arriving Expats about the latest wrinkles in residency-visa rules, interpretation of rules, preparation of required documents and enforcement of immigration rules.  Consult a professional immigration attorney or visa facilitator based in/with office in Ecuador.

cccmedia in Quito