Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller provides an in-depth look at the lifestyle of short-term expats in Latin America, particularly those who are young, often college students or recent graduates, and are on a budget. These expats typically avoid expensive living arrangements and instead opt for a more laid-back, communal lifestyle, often sharing apartments and living in a style similar to college dorms. Johnny also highlights the challenges of living in Latin America, such as the prevalence of dirty carpets, the presence of stray dogs, and the risk of insect infestation, especially during the rainy season. He warns against bringing carpets or rugs into homes due to the unsanitary conditions and the potential for insect infestation, citing a biologist's research on the topic.
Johnny then discusses the challenges of sanitation and hygiene in various parts of the world, particularly in Latin America and other regions. He highlights the presence of unsanitary bathroom practices, such as wall-to-wall carpeting in bathrooms, which can lead to hygiene issues. He also talks about the use of indigenous-made blankets and textiles in hotels, which are often not washed and can carry bacteria. Johnny warns travelers about the potential for contamination and the need for caution when using such items. He also emphasizes the importance of being aware of the conditions of the items they bring into their hotel rooms, such as suitcases that have been exposed to various dirty environments.
The segment transitions into discussing the unsanitary conditions of hotel bedspreads, highlighting how they are often used and mishandled by housekeeping staff. Johnny describes scenarios where bedspreads are left on the floor, used as part of cleaning processes, and rarely cleaned properly. He suggests that expats should avoid sleeping on these bedspreads and instead use a cheap, unused blanket that is more likely to be washed. The segment then moves into discussing job opportunities for expats, particularly in bartending and teaching English, and explains why these jobs are common in tourist areas due to the perceived trustworthiness of expats and the prestige they bring to establishments.
Johnny also discusses the prevalence of tax evasion and counterfeit liquor in Latin America, highlighting the lack of effective enforcement and the widespread practice of refilling cheaper liquor into branded bottles. He explains how the government's inspection process is limited to checking for tax stamps, and how this creates an environment where tax evasion is common. He expresses a cynical view of government efficiency, suggesting that tax evasion is a form of resistance against corrupt systems.
In the final segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the financial and legal challenges faced by expats working in Latin America. He highlights that expats often pay a high percentage of their income in taxes in their home countries, while in Latin America, they can work for significantly less, though often illegally. He also explains the legal complexities of working in the region, noting that many expats work without proper permits, especially in informal sectors like bars and restaurants. Johnny contrasts the situation of working as an employee versus owning a business, where the latter is generally more accepted and even encouraged by local governments.
Finally, Johnny discusses the challenges expats face in Costa Rica, particularly regarding the legal status of working without a permit. He highlights the country's financial issues, including a large deficit and technical bankruptcy, which contribute to the strict enforcement of immigration laws. He explains that locals, especially those in low-paying jobs, often report expats working illegally due to resentment over the perceived unfairness of the situation. Johnny also outlines various strategies expats might use to avoid detection, such as claiming to be on a tourism project or pretending to be evaluating a business. However, he notes that these tactics are only effective a limited number of times and that the cost of obtaining a legal work permit is often prohibitive for expats working in service jobs.
Topics
Short-term expat lifestyle, Challenges of living in Latin America, Cultural and environmental issues in Latin America, Sanitation in hotels and public spaces, Use of indigenous textiles in hotels, Hygiene practices for travelers, Contamination risks from hotel amenities, Hotel hygiene, Expatriate job opportunities, Cultural and social dynamics in tourist areas, Tax evasion in Latin America, Counterfeit liquor and illegal refilling practices
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:01:27 The Short-Term Expat Lifestyle in Latin America 00:02:39 The Risks of Bringing Carpets and Rugs to Latin America 00:04:51 Bathroom Hygiene in Latin America and Beyond 00:06:22 Indigenous Textiles and Hotel Practices 00:09:51 The Unsanitary Reality of Hotel Bedspreads 00:10:58 A Safer Alternative: The Unused Blanket 00:12:16 Job Opportunities for Expats: Bartending and Teaching English 00:14:33 The Dominance of a Single Whiskey Brand in Latin America 00:15:09 Johnny's Personal Experience with the Bar Business 00:17:22 Johnny's Cynical View of Government and Taxation 00:18:59 Expats Paying High Taxes in First World Countries 00:19:10 Preference for Working in Latin America Over First World 00:19:31 Illegal Work for Expats in Latin America 00:24:10 Costa Rica's Financial Situation and Immigration Enforcement 00:24:15 Strict Enforcement of Immigration Laws for Expats 00:24:20 Reporting Mechanisms for Illegal Work 00:24:26 Local Resentment Toward Expats Working Illegally 00:24:31 Expats Staying Beyond Visa Limits and Avoiding Taxes 00:24:36 High Taxes for Locals vs. No Taxes for Expats 00:24:42 Expats Paying No Taxes While Locals Do 00:24:47 Comparing Jobs and Wages Between Locals and Expats
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:01] South of the border, down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came out to play Hi everybody, I'm Johnny Mueller, and you're listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America The one of a kind show that tells you what it's like to live, work, play and or retire in Latin America So let's get started Let's talk about something that happens all the time down here And that is, when a first world person or an expat comes down to Latin America And wants to stay for a longer time than a simplification That is, he or she wants to spend more than some months down here, maybe even up to a year or two
[00:49] And a lot of these temporary expats are college kids, or right out of college Mostly you see them between the ages of 20 and 35 Which means they generally don't have much of a savings account So they intend to pick up little odd jobs here and there, just to survive Usually, they want to stay down here as long as they can That is, until the money runs out And if they're having just a really great time As a last resort, they can always tap some resources back up in the first world Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, or whoever But that's not the point The point is to be self-sufficient down here And to try to fit into a kind of low budget expat lifestyle For as long as they possibly can In other words, even if they stay down here for quite a while, let's say a year or two Or even three, they generally don't have a car Or live in an expensive, gated community
[01:36] Or mingle too much with the upper classes They're more or less living on a backpacker budget Or maybe a little bit better, but not much Most of them figure they're down here on an extended time out And that they're not going to be expats forever In fact, in their minds, they probably don't even consider themselves true expats at all Because a true expat will live away from his home country More or less permanently Anyway, these short-term expats, who I run into all the time Whether they're down here for just a few months or even some years Usually you tend to see them in larger groups in the more touristy areas down here Where they often seek each other out to combine resources And it seems to be a pattern with them That they like to lease low-rent apartments together And a lot of them end up in a very laid-back style of college dorm room living
[02:22] But without the actual dorm room, of course In other words, if you walked into one of these guys' apartments You'd be looking at used furniture, wooden plank and dirty plastic shelving Cheap plastic lawn chairs and multi-stained carpeting and mismatched everything Kind of like my first apartment And by the way, just one thing about carpeting and rugs down here Don't buy them and don't bring them down Now, I know it's the custom up north, especially in cold climates To even have wall-to-wall carpeting Or at least a few big throw rugs anyway Well, the third world is not like Japan Where you take your shoes off before you walk into the house So let me just tell you that every visitor that comes in Is going to drag in on his or her shoes At least some horrible variety of unmentionable street grunge Seen or unseen
[03:08] And since most families have dogs And in fact, since down here Packs of half-starved wild mangy dogs run wild through practically every neighborhood And even though they're not dangerous The thing is, there's no such thing as dog catchers And nobody ever bothers to pick up the poo And every expat, including me, steps in a landmine now and again You just can't help it So that disgusting stuff, in one way or another Is sooner or later bound to get tracked on your carpets Not to mention the herds of cows and goats That deposit their disgusting piles wherever they feel like it Yes, and believe it or not You could be driving through an area of a city That looks quite modern And suddenly a couple of dozen goats all around the corner Cute but unsanitary And of course, your car drives right through that stuff
[03:55] And when you pull in your driveway or in front of your house You always drag just a little bit of that stuff with you And if that isn't enough to deter you from buying a carpet Remember that Latin America is extremely hot, humid and wet Especially during that six-month rainy season And those kind of conditions are absolutely perfect For the kinds of insects you've only seen in horror movies up in the first world Now I don't want to scare you, but I've been told by a first world biologist An odd little guy who's down here doing research on fireflies no less Nice work if you can get it, huh? Anyway, well he said if you have a carpet for more than six months down here He'll bet you have more than 60 strains of different insects Living in every square yard of that carpet And he'll pull out the old phase contrast microscope to prove it
[04:41] And of course, he practices what he preaches Because in his house, there's not a carpet or a rug to be found Now as you might imagine, the worst place to have a carpet or a rug Would be in kitchens and in bathrooms So don't get any of those bed, bath and beyond ideas not down here And by the way, they do have their own versions of bed, bath and beyond down here Anyway, although those matching rugs and toilet bowl covers Might look cute up in the states and in Europe You're asking for trouble if you bring your first world bathroom Decorative styles with you down here It's just not recommended And just a little traveler's note Now, when in Europe, which is supposed to be the very definition of first world Anyway, when over there I did notice that some of the hotels and the restaurants have a bad habit
[05:26] Of putting wall to wall carpeting in their bathrooms And I've seen that mostly in budget two-star hotels and mom and pop places How unsanitary is that? Yuck! You know what that means? Every guy with a little bit of a bad aim Or anyone who's had too much beer Well, you get the idea And when you go to Eastern Europe, it's even worse Like Romania, Montenegro, Serbia, Poland, and the Czech Republic I mean, you kind of expect stuff like that from those former communist countries But I've also seen it in countries like Greece In fact, I've seen it a lot in Greece I've seen it in Portugal, France, and the United Kingdom In fact, all over the United Kingdom, even in private homes So I'm not just picking on Latin America here Even first world people have a lot to learn about basic sanitation
[06:12] That's all I'm saying Or maybe I'm just going to the wrong crappy hotels I don't know You tell me And speaking about the lack of basic sanitation in Latin America Let me give you a little heads up about a problem I often see Regarding beds and hotels down here in Latin America Now, it's a fact of life that down here Everybody loves to promote the traditional clothes and blankets and artifacts Produced by their local indigenous cultures Whether it's Aztec, Incan, Mayan, or Toltec, or whatever Now, each of these cultures has a unique style of making blankets and clothes And when you go to any decent hotel You'll notice that there's almost always an indigenous style blanket Covering the bed You know what I'm talking about And maybe there's some matching table and chair covers Made out of exactly the same thing You know, they figure the tourists like that kind of stuff
[06:59] And they do And why not? That's part of the reason why the tourists come down here And the people buy a lot of that stuff in the tourist markets to take home with them Okay, now pay attention Right now I'm going to give you a little warning Although those indigenous blankets look awfully nice as bedspread covers The hotel people almost never wash them In fact, the actual act of washing them often fades and distorts the handmade dyes and inks Because you see, most of these blankets aren't made by machine They're made completely by hand and by the locals Which is another reason people love to buy that stuff In fact, in some places, it's part of the tourist experience To actually go to one of these little textile factories And watch all those ladies do everything by hand Now, when you actually buy one of these bedspread covers, for example, in the market
[07:47] The person you buy it from will tell you not to hand wash or machine wash it at all But to send it out for dry cleaning And then, only if absolutely necessary So when hotels use these things as bedspread covers You know they want them to last as long as possible So they're not going to wash them Now let me ask you, what's the very first thing you do After you finally get the key to your hotel room and open the door After traveling all day and spending all that time in buses and airports And by the time you get to your hotel room You've been sitting in a dozen stained and grimy seats, right? I bet I know what you do You just flop right down on that bed, don't you I mean, it would be the last thing on your mind to think that this bedspread cover has never ever been washed And if by chance you don't flop down on that thing
[08:32] You throw a suitcase or two down on that bed and make a beeline to the bathroom, right? Now let me ask you, where do you think those suitcases have been all day Well, they've been scuffing up against a hundred other suitcases Sliding around on scummy dirty airport conveyors Kicked and shoved and hauled by a hundred sweaty baggage handlers Not to mention, stacked on dirty floors and ramps and conveyors And who knows how many dingy backroom airport holding areas And now they're resting gently on that nicely woven indigenous bedspread cover And later on, after you've cleaned up and taken a shower You just might jump back on that bedspread cover in your underwear and watch a little TV And now it's time to take that damp shower towel that you just used And lay it out on the bedspread
[09:19] And use it as a staging area for your makeup or your jewelry or whatever Am I right, ladies? And later on, if someone in your party happens to stop in for a visit They'll sit right down on that bedspread, like everyone does And how about when you're not there, when you're out of the room And the cleaning ladies are having their little powwow Watching soap operas while sitting on your bedspread cover In fact, one day I walked into my hotel room And the cleaning lady had stripped the sheets off the bed, as usual And the bedspread cover was jammed in the corner on the floor In a pile of used wet towels left over from some of the other rooms she was cleaning Now you might say I'm being picky here You might say I'm a neurotic clean freak Well, just remember, you can multiply that little scenario I've just given you
[10:04] In each room in that hotel hundreds and hundreds of times a year So the thing to remember is they almost never watch those things And the most the housekeeping ladies ever do is lay those bedspreads out on a clothesline once in a while And beat them with a rug beater That's it So now that you know all that, my recommendation is to admire the craftsmanship Then take that bedspread cover and shove it in your closet right away For as nice as it looks and as well as it matches and fits in with the other indigenous trinkets in your room It's certainly, besides you that is, the dirtiest thing in the whole place So, have you changed your mind about sleeping with that thing tonight? I hope so Not to mention, if you do sleep with it, it's probably going to get pulled right up over your face
[10:49] Just like it was pulled up over a thousand different faces before you ever checked in So like I said, just shove it in the closet and forget about it And in that closet or on a shelf somewhere, you'll almost always find an extra regular cheap store-bought blanket Which won't have any special indigenous designs in any way It's just an available extra for when people get cold at night And since you're in a tropical or a subtropical climate, people almost never get cold enough to pull that blanket out So it's practically never used And believe it or not, those blankets occasionally get washed And the worst you could say about one of those is that it's probably ugly and it might have a little dust on it from disuse Big deal So you could either take that advice or not But I think for any first world biology student, there's a master's thesis in there somewhere
[11:38] Wouldn't that be cool? I can imagine that thesis title now Bacterial and insect vector analysis of random bedspread covers in 12 Latin American tourist hotels Hey, maybe I can get a grant for that But when talking about the grossness of hotel rooms in general, you should be thanking me for not talking about those thousands of sexual escapades That surely went on on that bedspread before you ever checked in So I won't mention it You can think about that too, but don't think too long on it, okay? Now let's get back to the subject of our short term expats that might be looking for a job down here Now right off the bat, the two easiest jobs by far are bartending jobs and teaching English Now first, let's talk about bartending jobs
[12:25] Now in practically all the tourist areas, if you walk into any local bars or discos You might just see one or two casual first world types working behind the bar And there's two reasons for that Every owner loves to have a first world person on the premises It adds a little prestige to his joint And it draws in first world clients who always tip better than the locals And secondly, first worlders are assumed automatically to be a bit more trustworthy than the locals So the owner believes that they'll be much less pilfering going down In fact, often times it'll be the first world gringo or Europeans job to keep a close eye on the other workers The local workers to make sure they're not stealing Or if not blatantly stealing from the till, using more subtle ways to pilfer like topping off drinks for their friends
[13:13] Or just passing out freebies to hot looking girls, friends or family Oh by the way, while I'm on the topic of liquor and drinks down here You should know that practically every bar and disco, especially the ones directed at young tourists Either dilutes their booze down here or transfers cheap brands into the more expensive bottles In other words, you order Johnny Walker Black And if you don't buy the whole bottle or crack the seal yourself Or watch somebody else do it right in your face Well the chances are you're drinking Johnny Walker Red Or what's worse is what kind of switches they get away with much later in the night When everybody's pretty much smashed Again, especially at discos and bars for young people So as the night goes on and you're paying for top shelf liquor You're probably getting a lot worse than even Johnny Walker Red
[14:01] And not that I'm the expert on scotch whiskey at all, I'm not, believe me But I mention Johnny Walker because it's the biggest brand name down here Every guy seems to drink it, whether he can afford it or not And it's a good bet that Latins only drink it to impress their friends Because when clients are drinking alone Bartenders will admit that the regular customers don't drink the top shelf stuff Why should they when there's no one else to impress but the bartender, right? And though up in the first world, Johnny Walker's considered pretty average And in fact, no big shakes at all But somehow down here in Latin America That brand has caught on in such a big way It's by far the number one whiskey And so much so that nobody can even name who's in second place And the act of refilling liquor bottles with a cheaper brand is an old trick
[14:48] And it's been going on for hundreds of years in every place in the world But down here, since there's no real inspectors or spot checks on bars I've never seen anyone ever get caught down here for pulling anything like that Though it's practically ubiquitous And even if anyone ever did get caught I've never heard of a single case that ever made it to court And how do I know all these things? Well, I've been involved in two different bar and restaurant businesses down here myself And when you're in the business, you pick up on those ins and outs and those little tricks really fast And like I said, all the countries down here do have laws against that stuff And they do have an inspection team that'll occasionally show up at your bar Just to see that you've paid the government tax on your liquor Nothing more In other words, they look for a special seal
[15:34] That's supposed to be affixed to every bottle of liquor That shows that you paid the tax on it already Now, it doesn't matter if you've transferred cheaper booze into a more expensive bottle Or if you've watered down your liquor Or pulled any of the other dozens of tricks to screw your customer out of getting what he paid for All those government inspectors care about is if you paid the tax And naturally, a little underground business has grown up around not paying the tax In fact, when I was involved in the bar business, once a week, somebody, usually the same guy Would approach me and ask me if I wanted to buy some cheap name brand liquor And it worked like this You'd buy a case or two for half price of, let's say, Johnny Walker Red And of course, it didn't have the government stamps on it because no taxes were paid But the bottles were sealed from the factory and therefore the real thing
[16:23] So bar owners got in the habit of saving all their old Johnny Walker Red and Johnny Walker Black bottles That already had that government tax label stuck on them And they'd transfer all that new untaxed stuff into the old bottles that already had the stamp You get the idea And that's the way it goes in the bar business here every day of the week And in fact, there's so much of that tax evasion going on That you can look in any of the big Latin newspapers down here in the classified ads And actually see that people are selling cases, if not truckloads, of brand name liquor like that Of course, the ad in the paper doesn't actually say that the taxes have not been paid And that there's no government seal on this stuff But that's pretty much how it is And how those people who sell that untaxed stuff actually get so much of it into the cities is easy
[17:09] Since the majority of liquor is imported when it gets to customs, which is called the Duana here They just pay off the officials, it's easy And if it goes by land, they probably don't even have to pay off anyone Since the borders are so porous Now, as to what I personally think about stiffing the government for taxes down here Well, it's what I think about governments in general You never get back what you pay in taxes, really And to talk about paying your fair share of taxes Well, to me, that's an idiotic phrase And actually, I'd be glad to pay for government services if they actually did anything right Or even if they were halfway efficient with any of the programs that they administer Now, can you think of anything that the government does? Where the taxpayer actually got his money's worth? Can they do anything right? Are you proud of anything that your government does these days?
[17:55] Let's take Social Security A disaster Education A disaster The military A disaster The healthcare system A disaster The Federal Reserve A disaster The Securities Exchange Commission A disaster Well, to me, when I read in the paper about someone who's in court Or who's being penalized for not paying their taxes Well, to me, that's a victimless crime Because you know what we call those people who refuse to pay their taxes to the king During the American Revolution? We call them patriots, right? Well, that's not what they called them back then, that's for sure They were traitors to the crown, right? So, the bottom line is, when your governments are completely corrupt Do you have a right to find every way possible to avoid paying your taxes? Now, I'm not advising anyone here to do anything illegal But to me, and most other experts I know
[18:42] It all depends on your own personal definition of illegal And by the way, I get a lot of emails from people asking me why I prefer to live in Latin America And right now, since we're on the subject, I'll tell you one of those reasons I'd rather pay the very low taxes down here Which can be anywhere from 10 to 20% of your income And for that, you get almost nothing in return, of course Anyway, I much prefer to throw 10 or 20% of my income in the sewer down here Than to throw 40 to 60% of my income into the sewer up in the first world Because up there, you don't get anything near what you pay for either So, for me and millions of expats, it's an easy choice of the best of two evils And of course, that's not the only reason I'm down here by any means
[19:27] And I'll speak more about that on future programs, I guarantee you And speaking of illegal, did you know that in most countries in Latin America Foreigners are actually breaking the law when they accept one of those jobs as a bartender Because in every Latin American country, foreigners have to obtain a special work permit Before they're technically allowed to work on any job And that's a catch-22, because if you're a tourist on a 90-day visa And by the way, that 90-day period is pretty much universal And what they allow for anyone with a passport from Europe or the United States or Canada In other words, you can come to any country down here for 90 days and spend your money But you cannot work But if you're down here, let's say, on a student visa, going to a university Or you're down here as an exchange student
[20:13] Or you're working in an international aid program Or you're down here with a Christian organization doing some kind of charity work Or you're coming down here on a business visa Or let's say you're an entertainer Well, then you can get a work permit And in fact, in some of those cases, the permission might even be stamped on your passport visa But the reality is, for 99% of all the foreigners down here that are working as bartenders Or as hostesses or waitresses in the restaurant business Or even, for example, all the thousands of first-world foreigners working as tour guides in small agencies Or as hotel desk clerks Well, I'll tell you right now, the vast majority of those people are working off the books Which means, technically, according to the government, they're working illegally So the bottom line is, all these first-world workers are working for cash and or tips
[21:03] And believe it or not, the average salary for a job like that is from $300 to $400 a month plus tips And you're almost always paid in cash Though in many cases, especially at these small hotels, in lieu of cash, you'll get room and board So if you get free room and board and some small tips on the side You might be able to last almost indefinitely down here if you had just a little bit of money stashed beforehand Though if you end up in a situation like that, you'll find your accommodations will be very crappy But if you're young and unattached and are used to living the backpacker style It's a really good way to see the world and get some experience Before going back up north and jumping on that treadmill for the rest of your life And for a lot of people who do that, when they get older, they recall that experience as the best time of their lives
[21:49] And you know, a small percentage of those people, maybe 15 or 20 percent After they've been down here a year or two, they just decide to stay down here for good Which is somewhat my own story Now, of course, when I tell you it's illegal to be working down here as a bartender It's a whole different story if you're a bar owner In other words, let's say you come down to Takusi Galpa, Honduras And you rent a little space and open a bar or restaurant Now, as an owner, you're not an employee, so you have a perfect right to work in your restaurant without a work permit whatsoever That is, as long as you don't pay yourself a salary But of course, it's your till and you own the place, so you can dip into it any time you like Which is what makes a thing like that worthwhile Because obviously, the countries down here have figured out that some of the best and the most productive businesses in their country
[22:41] Are owned and operated by foreigners And when foreigners start businesses, they hire a lot of locals And they pay a lot of taxes So not only do government authorities generally leave you alone They actually encourage foreigners to come down and start businesses And if you come down here with plans to start a big enough business, they'll give you all kinds of tax breaks and incentives So you can be sitting behind your bar, selling drinks, and hobnobbing with your customers Without a worry in the world that someone from the government is going to walk in and ask to see your work permit That's just not going to happen, but in some countries where tourism is highly developed Like, for example, Costa Rica There actually is an active police task force that'll go to individual establishments like that
[23:26] And check to see that all the workers on staff are either locals or foreigners that have valid work permits Now, it's normally in these high volume tourist areas where you'll see this unusual kind of law enforcement Because I'm telling you, you're just not going to see this in Guatemala or Honduras or Bolivia or Peru Or in almost all the other Latin American countries Although you'll find somewhat stricter enforcement of these laws in places like Argentina and Chile And that's because these two countries specifically are trying to tax and spend themselves into oblivion Like any first world country on the fast track to bankruptcy And Argentina's already proven that by going bankrupt two times in the last 20 years Which means, of course, they want everybody on the tax rolls And in fact, Costa Rica already has a huge deficit and is technically bankrupt too
[24:15] And now, Costa Rica's become so tough on foreigners without work permits They actually have a toll free number that anyone can call if they suspect somebody is working off the books Because it's in the mindset of the locals now that foreigners are actually coming down on vacation Staying on past the normal 90 days given on a tourist visa Not paying taxes, which by the way are ridiculously high in Costa Rica for the absolute nothing you get back And expats down here working off the books pay none of those taxes So for example, if you're a Costa Rican chambermaid making two or three hundred dollars a month Changing linens and cleaning out hotel rooms And the hotel receptionist happens to be a cute girl from Norway Making the same money as you, only cash
[25:02] And doing none of the real dirty work a toilet cleaning chambermaid has to do But you can see how there'd be resentment And that's why so many of those anonymous phone tips come from uneducated locals in low level dead end jobs Who in reality could never do the job that that young Norwegian foreign girl was doing In other words, a lot of the locals with menial jobs are just looking for revenge Now if you're in that situation and someone reports you and you've got no leg to stand on In other words, you're caught red-handed working without a permit They'll usually find the business owner and give the illegal worker three days or so to lead the country But there are some slick ways around that If you're not a repeat offender and you keep a very low profile But these tricks only work once or maybe twice So if you do get caught, the game is up and you'll have to move on
[25:49] Now here's what I've been told by people who've actually used some of these tricks One of the tricks is if someone reports you and a government official comes by and asks you for your work permit All you have to do is say that you're a guest at the hotel And you're just filling in at the desk for a while for no pay You're just helping out Better yet, you tell them you're a tourism major at one of the big universities in the United States And it's part of your thesis or a class project Now an excuse like that can only go so far, right? And I've been told oftentimes it does work And more so if you're a woman, especially if you turn on the charm Now another trick is to say that you're evaluating the business And that the owner may be looking to sell or taking on a partner And you're hanging around for a while, seeing how all phases of the business operate Now you can do this if you're working at a bar, a restaurant, or a mom and pop hotel, or a bed and breakfast, whatever
[26:40] And with this ploy, you'll have an even better chance of success If you happen to have a lawyer's business card on you And then you can tell the government official to go ahead and call your lawyer And your lawyer can confirm that you're interested in making a business investment And those government guys being so lazy, they'll never make that call You get the idea, but a ploy like that can probably only work once, realistically And right now some of you might be wondering Why not go down to a lawyer and actually have him finagle a work permit for you Well the answer to that is, obviously, if you're willing to work for peanuts as a bartender Or a receptionist or whatever, it's evident you don't want to spend any additional money for a lawyer I mean, what's the point of spending $300 to get a work permit When that's about a month's salary for an expat working in a service job down here
[27:27] Well I'm about out of time now and I'll talk more about jobs for expats on the next show You've been listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America And don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America The Expat Files at gmail.com That's theexpatfiles at gmail.com See you next time, nos vemos!