San Salvador - Post Report Question and Answers
What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Some work EFM positions at the Embassy, a fair number teach at international schools. Many, many more take advantage of proximity to the U.S. to telework. Not sure on local salaries. - Oct 2023
Many, many spouses/partners take advantage of proximity to the U.S. (and Covid-era work flexibilities) to telework from the US. There are some EFM positions at the Embassy. It doesn’t seem to me like we’re overflowing with them, but there are some. I don’t know of anyone who works on the local economy, although I assume some must. - Feb 2022
EFM jobs at embassy which are typically low-paying, though some have retirement benefits. More and more spouses are finding it easy to work remotely. The local salary scale would probably not be worth it. - Aug 2021
Some telecommute, lots of EFMS work at post, and a couple do fitness training, etc. - Jun 2018
Most spouses work at the embassy or telework. - Mar 2018
There are several EFM jobs at the embassy and they all require at least a basic level of Spanish. Some people teach at the local schools, some telecommute. Local pay is very low. - Jan 2018
None at the moment with the US embassy. A few are teaching but salaries are extremely low. - Nov 2017
Most spouses keep their jobs (i.e. telecommute), work in the Embassy or teach. The local salaries would be far below what someone from the U.S. would expect. - Jul 2016
Decent, yes. Well-paying, no. There is a chronic skill-set shortage in the country (brain drain because of the security situation), but the labor costs here are very low. Good for keeping a resume up to date, not a lucrative move financially. - Dec 2015
Not really. Well, there are some good jobs but they pay very little. There are many good schools if you are a teacher. - Jun 2015
No. - Mar 2015
A few people got good jobs in the community, though most people worked at the Embassy. EFMs were generally happy. - Oct 2014
NO. - Jul 2014
There aren't many jobs in the embassy and most are admin-focused. There are local NGOs that may hire or would appreciate volunteer help. - Jul 2011
Do not come here expecting a job of any kind. The embassy says that they have plenty of jobs for family members, but that's not exactly true. Because of the economic differential between the US and El Salvador, you can hire three Salvadorans for what it costs to hire one American. Jobs are written with language requirements so high that only locals qualify. What few jobs are leftover for spouses are administrative at best. Working on the local economy is really only possible if you are natively fluent in Spanish, and you would be extremely lucky to land a job making $15,000 a year. There is so little work for spouses here it was even suggested that I get to work starting a family instead. If you don't have kids and don't want to any time soon, bring a time-consuming hobby if your spouse will be working all day. - May 2010
No. Teachers can get jobs fairly easily, but if you get hired at local rates you'll think twice. Working without Spanish will be almost impossible. There are a few positions at the embassy, but there are a lot of spouses here that do not work and wish they could. - Feb 2009
