New members of the Guatemala forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

I've lived, worked and traveled in Guatemala off and on since 1984, longest stretch was 11 years in the late 80's and early 90's. Currently living in the US but planning my return to living full time in Guatemala when I retire in a couple of years. I have a house and some land in San Pedro Pinula, Jalapa where I plan to live; I have permanent residency in Guatemala.

I'm looking to expand my network of friends and offer guest room use with others else willing to do the same.

I'm from Norway, married to a chapina, have lived in the Monterrico area for 8 years now. Life on a tropical beach is quite nice, actually.

Good day everybody!  My fiancee and I are seriously contemplating a move to Guatemala in the near future (perhaps as early as next year).  I will save most of my questions for later and leave a simple introduction for now and some general concerns.  The Spanish language is not an issue for either of us. She was born in Guate and I am perfectly and professionally bilingual.  I will not actually be able to retire for about another four years, but would like to move. I am a trained educator, ESL, Special Education and have taught every grade from Pre-K to Post-Doctoral. I am also an attorney.

I would love to teach English, but would like to also explore other areas of employment.  We are looking to live simply and are very much into natural foods, healing, and a simple lifestyle. We plane on renting and not buying for the time being. We have two little dogs we want to bring with us. I have read the great postings here and in general I am convinced that one should basically just move with LESS rather than MORE.  That is to say, buy what you need there.

A few quick questions:  Are there ways (ATM/Banks) in Guate that exist so as to access money from US?  Is a thousand dollars a month a realistic budget for a very simple lifestyle?  Dos one have to be actually and officially "retired" to take advantage of any laws or perks related to living in Guate as a retired person?

Finally, and a very specific question....do I absolutely need to have one of those TEFL Certificates to get a job teaching English in Guate?  I already have a PhD and 35 years of teaching experience, including the training of TESOL teachers on the university level.

Gracias por todo!

Some quick answers:
ATM machines are found in all urban areas in Guate, and yes, you can draw quetzal cash from an American visa card. However, with the VISA and bank charges, you get 6.80 quetzales for a dollar, which means that opening a bank account in Guatemala and making a bank transfer is a better option in the long run.

Residence: You can apply for a permanent visa as a retired person once you're over 60. You have to produce a certificado de antecedentes penales, certificado de nacimiento, certificado de ingresos mensuales superiores a 1000$ etc. That does not give you a work permit, though. Or you could marry your girl friend and apply as married to a guatemalan, then you get a work permit.

Living on 1000$ a month: That's difficult in a city, but quite feasible in the countryside. Problem is that you want to teach in a college, and would then probably have to live in an urban area.

Good luck!

There are ATM's even in small rural towns, biggest limitation in relation to ATM's in the capital is the cap of Q2,000 every two days. I have an account at BanRural and transfer money from the US. BanRural is one of the most common banks in rural parts of the country so many times you can set up money transfers directly to the account of people you do business with frequently. My budget is $700 a month and includes a full-time housekeeper/cook, car, food, utilities, taxes and standard healthcare. My house is in a very small town out in Jalapa, so your mileage may vary.

i'm pete, a native new Yorker who has studied Spanish in xelia. I prefer Guatemala to where I used to live, in mexico city, where I worked as an English professor. currently, I'm back in new jersey but am considering a move to Antigua, xelia, or even Guatemala city.