Students

Preparing for your internship in Mexico

Once you have been matched with a host company or research institution in Mexico, the MIT-Mexico Program Coordinator will work with you to prepare your trip. Preparations will include purchasing health insurance, purchasing airline tickets and assistance in finding housing in Mexico. You will also attend MIT-Mexico training before your internship.

MIT-Mexico Training

Interns are expected to attend several training sessions throughout the spring to familiarize you with Mexican culture and society. Topics of discussion will include politics, history, economics, current events and cultural differences between the US and Mexico

Practical Information

Below you will find some useful links for a verion in PDF click here.

Passport/Visa

All participants need a valid passport and in most cases a visa: “visa de cooperante”. To obtain a passport please visit any US post office or go to http://travel.state.gov/passport/.
Students in need of a visa will be informed separately by the program coordinator. To apply for a visa in Boston: Consulate General in Boston, 20 Park Plaza, suite 506 Boston, MA (617) 426-4181 y (617) 426-8782 Before you go, please check their schedule and requirements at:  http://www.sre.gob.mx/boston/

Health Insurance

You will receive health insurance for emergencies which will be covered by your host institution or by MIT-Mexico:  http://www.imglobal.com/  The policy is called Patriot Travel Medical Insurance.

Flights

In most cases we will book your flight; this will be coordinated through the program coordinator

Stipend

Most students will get their stipend before leaving to Mexico in form of a check.

Rents

Rents vary considerably in Mexico. They tend to be higher in the larger cities, such as Mexico City and Monterrey but it varies a lot depending on the area you will live.
If you are going to Mexico City it is very important that you try to live as close as possible to work not to have to deal with a long commute every day, another key aspect is for it to be in a safe area and the program coordinator and/or host institution can help you with that.  A great way to practice Spanish and meet locals is to share an apartment.  A more or less centered neighborhood is Condesa, which is a very lively place with lots of restaurants with outdoor seating, cafeterias, etc.  If you will be working south of the city Coyoacan is a great place to live in!
Have a look at the following websites to check out apartment costs, both entire apartments as well as shared apartments. 

sublet.com

Moveandstay

Craigslist

Compartodepa

 

Money

Most of students participating in the MIT-Mexico program will get stipend/salary in full before you leave the country. Your American ATM card is the best way to withdraw some cash from your home bank account (but check with your bank what the fees are), if you visa will be “de cooperante” you won’t be able to open a bank account.  Check with your bank if they have a partnership with banks in Mexico to see if you incur less fees from ATM’s and when charging your credit card. Traveler’s checks are not recommended since not all of the establishments accept them.  Always carry some cash as not all establishments will accept debit/credit cards

Arriving to Mexico

At the Airport

When you arrive at the airport make sure to take an authorized taxi from the airport, there will be stands inside the airport.  At the Mexico City Airport walk to door # 10 if you arrive in Trminal 1(once you are outside you will see two taxi stands)
Show them in a piece of paper the address where you are going or tell them in Spanish. You will pay cash, USD will be accepted and you will get a receipt, outside you will see the lines of taxis and you will give the driver the receipt. Tipping taxis in Mexico is not required.

Mexico City Airport
Monterrey Airport
Guadalajara Airport

If you are a US citizen it is recommended once you are in Mexico you register on-line with the American Embassy.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_1186.html

 

Commuting

There is extensive public bus service and Mexico City has a very good metro system. There are many taxis as well, but you should only take “stand” taxis or radio taxis, never flag them of the street, because a small percentage of those are not real taxis. (This applies in Monterrey as well).   Mexico City Metro: http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/red/index.html
Metro-bus: www.metrobus.df.gob.mx
Taxis/Radio Taxis: http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/taxis2.html

Staying in Touch     

To dial from Mexico to the US: 001 + the US number

To call the United States from Mexico, you can buy pre-paid calling cards “tarjetas ladatel” to use  at  public phones, you insert the card into a slot.
Making long distance phone calls in Mexico can be quite expensive.  Many students find it’s best to purchase a local mobile phone and buy pre-paid phone cards.  The largest companies are:  Telcel, Usacell and Movistar. All offer similar calling plans.  Unlike in the US, where you are given minutes to make calls, in Mexico, you are charged an amount for every call you make and you don’t get charged for incoming calls unless they are not local!  So you want to pay special attention to how long your phone calls are as well as what time of day you are calling.  It’s quite common to communicate using text messaging. You can also check with your cel phone company in the US if they have a plan for Mexico, that could be a good option as well but could be expensive.

If you do buy a cel phone please send the program coordintor the number

by E-mail We recommend MIT web mail to stay in touch. Usually your host institution provides you with internet access. In addition, you can find inexpensive internet access in Internet Cafés in all cities. If you will be checking your other email account you should also let us know.

 

Troubleshooting

Please address difficulties concerning your internship as soon as they occur. The MIT-Mexico Program stands ready to address these problems before or during your internship. If you have problems with a particular arrangement in the department you are working in or the people you work for, please address these problems in a polite way right from the start with your mentor in the company. In addition, the program coordinator tries to visit you during your internship. You can also get in touch anytime by email gomezg@mit.edu and phone (617) 252-1483.

Dress Code

Dress codes vary from company to company; however, in general, Mexicans dress quite formally.  Working for a bank obviously requires a more formal outfit than working in a lab. A good style to start your internship is “business casual”. Once you get a feeling of how everybody else is dressed you can adapt to the “code” in your department. Don’t forget to bring a suit and tie or skirt/dress for more formal events, such as meetings, receptions, and dinner parties. You can also ask your host institution what their dress code is before you arrive to Mexico.

Cultural Differences
Although Mexico and the US are neighbors there are a lot of cultural differences!
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/culxcomp.html

The best tip is to use common sense as you would in any city/country you don’t know well, be aware of your belongings at all times (pickpockets) and don’t go out alone in neighborhoods you don’t know and don’t go out alone at night, try to always be in a group.  Don’t withdrawal money from an ATM in a place that looks empty, do it during the day when it is busy and the bank is actually open.
The number one rule is to never flag down taxis as they might not be authorized taxis- both in Mexico City and Monterrey always use taxis on local stands called “sitios” look for the one nearest to you and/or use radio taxis.  http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/taxis2.html Save in your cel phone two or three radio taxi phone numbers and when you call them they will ask for the pick up address and they will give you an estimated time the taxi will be there and the taxi number.
For more information please refer to the state department travel warning link:

MIT-Club of Mexico

You may want to contact the MIT Alumni club of Mexico.  The club's main contacts are Adrian Gonzalez in Mexico City adrian_gonzalez@alum.mit.edu  and Jorge Treviño in Monterrey. Jorge_trevino@alumn.mit.edu

Traveling

Traveling by bus is a great way to see other parts of the country! As long as they are first bus classes they use toll roads, buses are very comfortable, safe and inexpensive.
http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/common/pages/bus_info.htm
There are some low cost airlines that you can check out as well www.volaris.com.mx, www.vivaaerobus.com and www.interjet.com.mx

• http://mexicanfood.about.com/
• http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/common/pages/food.htm

The tap water in Mexico in most cases is not drinkable so to be on the safe side you can purchase bottled water which is inexpensive.  When ordering at a restaurant, make sure to specify if you want “agua con gas o mineral” or “agua natural” depending if you like sparkling water or still water. “agua embotellada” would be bottled still water.

Driving/Cars
Try to avoid driving especially in Mexico City and be aware of cars when walking as they are not very friendly with pedestrians!

Places to see!

Mexico City or close by:
Piramides de Teotihuacan; Palacio de Bellas Artes; Zócalo (downtown); Museo Frida Khalo; Museo de Antropología;  Some cities you could visit on weekends: Queretaro, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Taxco, Cuernavaca, Puebla, Morelia, Acapulco.

Monterrey or close by:
Barrio Antiguo, Cola de Caballo waterfalls, Chipinque National Park (hiking, etc). Weekend trips: Zacatecas and Real de catorce

Please refer to the links below for more information about Mexico  
Mexico City:

http://www.mexperience.com/guide/majorcity/mexicocity.htm
Monterrey:

http://www.mexperience.com/guide/majorcity/monterrey.htm
http://www.allaboutmonterrey.com/

Guadalajara:

Cuernavaca:
http://www.clickoncuernavaca.com/

General Information

• http://www.state.gov/p/wha/ci/mx/
• www.mexconnected.com
• http://www.mexpat.com/new/
• http://www.solutionsabroad.com/t_login.asp?zone=ask&section=
• http://www.mexperience.com/liveandwork/default.htm
• http://www.internationalist.com/business/Mexico.php
• http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html

Recommended Reading

• On Mexican Time: A New Life in San Miguel by Tony Cohan
• The People's Guide to Mexico by Carl Franz, Lorena Haven and, Steve Rogers
• The Labyrinth of Solitude, Octavio Paz
• Let's Go Mexico

 

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