30 years old vs retirees

There  are two issues you should consider.
Financially, there is a reason many Ecuadorians left for Spain and the USA as compensation and advancement opportunities are limited here. The minimum wage is approximately $4,000 and the average wage is not much higher.  Professionals do somewhat better however still significantly less than in the USA. Underemployment is 20-30%.
There are positives and negatives to raising  a family here. Biggest positive is the strong sense of family which there lives center around and an appreciation for different cultures and learning a different language. The biggest negative is quality of education requiring paying for private schooling which is expensive.
Good luck.

I am in my thirties (I live in Ecuador for about three years now) and my husband is also Ecuadorian. The points fdmcg mentions are definitely correct - if you come here to look for a job that makes you rich, you are in the wrong place. Me and my husband have an agency here in Quito, which is fun and gives us flexibility. If you earn a salary of 1000 USD per month that's a high salary if you work as an employee. I appreciate the quality of life here - less consume oriented as in Europe or the US, closer to nature and the cost of living is lower. Fresh fruit and vegetables are very cheap. You can quickly get to the coast, rainforest, cloud forest or in the mountains. Climate is great all year around.

Kerstin_in_Quito wrote:

I am in my thirties (I live in Ecuador for about three years now) and my husband is also Ecuadorian. The points fdmcg mentions are definitely correct - if you come here to look for a job that makes you rich, you are in the wrong place. Me and my husband have an agency here in Quito, which is fun and gives us flexibility. If you earn a salary of 1000 USD per month that's a high salary if you work as an employee. I appreciate the quality of life here - less consume oriented as in Europe or the US, closer to nature and the cost of living is lower. Fresh fruit and vegetables are very cheap. You can quickly get to the coast, rainforest, cloud forest or in the mountains. Climate is great all year around.

My wife and I are also in our thirties, she is Ecuadorian and I am Canadian.  All the points made above are completely correct.  It is a great place to live but you won't get rich here by any means.  Best bet to make it would be to start a business and work for yourself if you have the skills required.  You would need to come here and spend some time to figure out what is needed and what you could do, this is where I am right now, lots of ideas and just waiting for things to fall into place.


We need to start a 30 something club for Ecuador haha

Chris

Heres our adventure...  http://www.atruetalltale.wordpress.com

Luna, your constant referencing the web site is tiring.

Just trying to help people out.

Hello Luna2 -> You can help by posting some informations directly on the forum instead of referring to your blog each time.

[Sorry for the off topic]

Thank you,
Aurélie

Thank you Luna2 for posting your blog.  It was very informative and helpful.  It is refreshing to read something without someone trying to sell something. As for the gentlemen who said it was tiresome, please keep your negative comments to yourself. Others do appreciate someone that cares about helping others learn about the country.

Way, you will notice within a few days that all Luna's postings reference her blog. No insight or reference to the subject topic providing any useful information other than "selling" you to access her blog.

I'd like to join your 30 something, I'll be in Guayaquil though lol

fdmcg wrote:

Way, you will notice within a few days that all Luna's postings reference her blog. No insight or reference to the subject topic providing any useful information other than "selling" you to access her blog.

I think the industry term is "spam".

Good idea, Chris - we should organize something and meet up!

Best regards,
Kerstin

Nards Barley wrote:

fdmcg wrote:

Way, you will notice within a few days that all Luna's postings reference her blog. No insight or reference to the subject topic providing any useful information other than "selling" you to access her blog.

I think the industry term is "spam".

Ahhhh.... the ever popular SPAM.... made here locally in Austin Minnesota. We make a bike trip there every Spring to The Spam Museum. They treat us right with free samples. One thing I'll miss when I make the move.
I agree, spam is giving SPAM a bad taste! < snicker >

fdmcg: My husband and I are in our 40s and are thinking of moving to Ecuador. We will be visiting in June to check out 3 places on our list. I've been reading/researching trying to find information about education. There appears to be multiple opinions and the costs seem to range from $57/month to approx. $1000/month. If you or anyone you know has any information/links on billingual schools in Manta/Cuenca/Quayaquil area, I would apprecaite it. I have found info on the private schools but not billingual schools.

simak

hola!
I just turned 29 and have been living in Quito for 2.5 years with my Ecuadorian husband. I work at an NGO. I agree with Chris, Kerstin and fdmcg: You probably won't get rich here. I want to add also that finding a job might be a challenge, because like everywhere you are, it mainly depends on your networks. I think being bilingual and having a degree from outside Ecuador, especially "cuarto nivel" (master's or ph.d) is HUGE and can help you get your foot in the door.
My husband's family is also here in Quito, so it is a huge support to be able to have that family network around, it helped me to adjust. We are also contemplating raising a family here, and I also worry about raising a child here, if I would want to send my kid to a bilingual school or a public school, if we have a girl how the machismo here would affect her life, etc. I actually don't really like living in Quito, but once you're out of the city Ecuador is great! Never in my life would I have thought that I would get to go to the Amazon for work :-).
If anything, you can move here for a while and at least have an adventure before family and other responsibilities tie you down.

christine

For those wanting to raise young children, I found a school in Cuenca that looks interesting. I have no idea how good it is but I am hoping to check it out while I visit Ecuador this year: cedei.org/index.php/en/

The information below are the costs I was given:
Cedei School Costs 2012-2013:
?       Registration, one time per year: $90           
?       Tuition: $145 per month (20% discount for 2nd child)   
?       Bus: $35 per month (optional and paid direct to driver))
?       Breakfast and Lunch per month: $32 (optional, you may bring your own food)                       
?       Swimming: $17 per month (for 3 months out of year)   
Miscellaneous costs: Uniforms, books, supplies, etc.   
Documents you need:                       
?       School records                       
?       Copy of visa or proof of residency           
?       Vaccine records