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dmd887
Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 32
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 Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:26 am Post subject: Getting started in Mexico... |
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Hi, I am currently finishing up my last year in college then upon graduation was thinking of heading down to Mexico to try my hand at teaching ESL. I will have my Bachelor's Degree in hand and plan on doing an online TEFL course in the coming months. I had a few questions I was hoping you could all help me with (I know the boards have a lot of info on them but I wanted to condense all the info right here)
1.) Is my best option to find a school and sign a contract before I come to Mexico OR just find a school there when I arrive? I am guessing there are a bunch of options, especially in DF. Also, should I stay away from the language schools? They seem like they'd be the easiest place to get a 1st job at.
2.) Is it easy to find work as an ESL teacher if your Spanish skills aren't the greatest? I can speak some Spanish but it is still very much a work in progress. Will this hinder me in my search or will I have no problem finding work?
3.) How much $$$ in US dollars should I plan on coming to Mexico with in order to cover start-up costs and to hold me over until I get on my feet?
4.) Will the school that hires you sponsor you and help you turn the Tourist Visa into a Work Visa in Mexico? Also do you have to apostille your documents before arrival? I have heard conflicting reports on this.
AND FINALLY 5.) Should I stick with my plan to come to Mexico? I am 23, (a soon-to-be) college graduate, and I am very well travelled (I have been all over Latin America and Europe as my passion is travel and I devote much of my extra money towards it)...I know this is a big step, moving to a new country, but the thought of staying in the US and becoming a corporate stick in the mud doesn't interest me much....life is about new adventures. So will I have success if I keep the right attitude?
Thanks everyone!! |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:38 am Post subject: Re: Getting started in Mexico... |
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| dmd887 wrote: |
Hi, I am currently finishing up my last year in college then upon graduation was thinking of heading down to Mexico to try my hand at teaching ESL.
1.) Is my best option to find a school and sign a contract before I come to Mexico OR just find a school there when I arrive? Also, should I stay away from the language schools?
2.) Is it easy to find work as an ESL teacher if your Spanish skills aren't the greatest? Will this hinder me in my search or will I have no problem finding work?
3.) How much $$$ in US dollars should I plan on coming to Mexico with in order to cover start-up costs and to hold me over until I get on my feet?
4.) Will the school that hires you sponsor you and help you turn the Tourist Visa into a Work Visa in Mexico? Also do you have to apostille your documents before arrival?
AND FINALLY 5.) Should I stick with my plan to come to Mexico? I am 23, (a soon-to-be) college graduate, and I am very well travelled (I have been all over Latin America and Europe as my passion is travel and I devote much of my extra money towards it)...I know this is a big step, moving to a new country, but the thought of staying in the US and becoming a corporate stick in the mud doesn't interest me much....life is about new adventures. So will I have success if I keep the right attitude?
Thanks everyone!! |
1.) You will want to wait until you get here to find a school. Try Harmon Hall, Berlitz and Hamer Sharp. I know Harmon Hall will help you do the work to transfer your tourist visa into a work visa
No, do not stay away from the language schools. You can gain some valuable experience through them and learn some techniques that you can take with you if you ever decide to go to another school. They are good for experience and you may move up over time.
2.) I think it's easy to find work if your Spanish isn't perfect.I have had no problems. There are some schools that will not want you speaking in Spanish because they want the students to focus on the target language. You should have no problem finding work because of this.
3.) 3,000 to 4,000 dollars is what I would say to try and bring. Others may have different amounts,but I think what I mentioned is pretty average.
4.) Some schools may help you with the transference of your tourist visa into a work visa.I remember Harmon Hall does or at least they used to. I believe Berlitz does as well but I'm not sure about Hamer Sharp. I had my degree, EFL online certificate and my marriage license from the States apostilled before coming. Get the degree and EFL certificate apostilled beofre coming just to be safe. Some places may ask for that while others may not.
5.) Yes, stick with your plan to come to Mexico. You're young (23 you said) so the experience couldn't hurt. It may help your resume if you plan on going to graduate school for a Masters in International Business for example. The right attitude will carry you far in life. Stay positive. Being negative destroys your Ki. |
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dmd887
Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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So as far as Language Schools go such as Interlingua or Harmon Hall do you just show up at one of their doorsteps once in Mexico and tell them that you would like to start Teaching English there?
And as far as I know at these type of schools you can essentially drop in and get hired at any time of the year, correct?
It seems like this might be the easiest way to get started in Mexico, specifically D.F.
Thoughts?
P.S. What is the best method of attack once you get on the ground in Mexico City? Just drop into schools and ask if they're hiring? E-mail schools? How do you find out about schools in the first place? It seems so confusing for me being new to all of this, but I guess you don't know until you get there. |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 1:02 am Post subject: |
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| dmd887 wrote: |
So as far as Language Schools go such as Interlingua or Harmon Hall do you just show up at one of their doorsteps once in Mexico and tell them that you would like to start Teaching English there?
And as far as I know at these type of schools you can essentially drop in and get hired at any time of the year, correct?
It seems like this might be the easiest way to get started in Mexico, specifically D.F.
Thoughts?
P.S. What is the best method of attack once you get on the ground in Mexico City? Just drop into schools and ask if they're hiring? E-mail schools? How do you find out about schools in the first place? It seems so confusing for me being new to all of this, but I guess you don't know until you get there. |
Don't waste your time on Interlingua unless you're willing to get paid 41 or 45 pesos an hour for God only knows how long before getting a raise. Interlingua has recruiting sessions that they put in the El Universal paper. You go whenever they put the dates in the employeement section. Harmon Hall will be better. They may start paying around 85 an hour. Their two week training isn't paid but they will pay you more per hour.
DO NOT email the schools. It's much better to go to them directly. Face to face works better in Mexico City. |
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dmd887
Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 6:52 am Post subject: |
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Another related question....I know the process to get a FM-3 visa takes on average a couple months to complete....
So will language schools or any school for that matter allow you to begin teaching while the Visa is still being processed? I imagine they would allow this. |
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TeresaLopez
Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:21 am Post subject: |
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| dmd887 wrote: |
Another related question....I know the process to get a FM-3 visa takes on average a couple months to complete....
So will language schools or any school for that matter allow you to begin teaching while the Visa is still being processed? I imagine they would allow this. |
If you have all your needed paperwork there is no way it will take a few months. I just walked two teachers through the process, one had everything and got her FM3 in 11 days, the other was missing something and it took 3 weeks. The law is, currently, that you have to have an answer within 30 days. From what I have seen, for people that are waiting months, it that the schools are turning the job over to a lawyer who takes his own sweet time about going to immigration. To answer your other quesion, most schools will allow you to start teaching while your paperwork is being processed, yes. You might also pick up a few private classes on the side to tido you over. |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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| dmd887 wrote: |
So will language schools or any school for that matter allow you to begin teaching while the Visa is still being processed? I imagine they would allow this. |
I know Harmon Hall will. They let me start teaching before I had my visa and they just paid a Mexican teacher there the amount they owed me. Once deposited into his account, he paid me what was owed. Just remember though,if you have Harmon Hall or any other school sponsor you,your visa will connect you to that school.
If for some reason you want to go to another school,then you may have a problem since your visa will be with the school that's sponsoring or that helped you get your FM-3.
That's why you need to go and talk with different schools to make sure what will be a good fit for you. |
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dmd887
Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Professor wrote: |
| dmd887 wrote: |
So will language schools or any school for that matter allow you to begin teaching while the Visa is still being processed? I imagine they would allow this. |
I know Harmon Hall will. They let me start teaching before I had my visa and they just paid a Mexican teacher there the amount they owed me. Once deposited into his account, he paid me what was owed. Just remember though,if you have Harmon Hall or any other school sponsor you,your visa will connect you to that school.
If for some reason you want to go to another school,then you may have a problem since your visa will be with the school that's sponsoring or that helped you get your FM-3.
That's why you need to go and talk with different schools to make sure what will be a good fit for you. |
I know that the visa ties you to that school if they sponsor you...so say it doesn't work out with that particular school and you find a better job OR you want to start teaching at another school in addition to the one that sponsored your visa OR you want to start teaching private or even Business classes.....that will require a trip to Immigration to amend your FM-3 visa correct?
In a related question...say you quit a school, how long do you have before you have to report this to Immigration AND find new work somewhere else? Obviously it would be smart to have other work lined up before quitting anywhere obviously. |
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TeresaLopez
Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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| You have 30 days to change schools, or add activitiies to your FM-3. If you don�t have experience teaching, I wouldn�t totally discount Interlingua. True, the starting pay isn�t great, but you do get paid training, and having worked at Interlingua will open a lot of doors for future jobs. At least when I worked there raises were fairly soon, you got ongoing free training, and you don�t have to spend anything out of your own pocket for you classes, something that is NOT true at a lot of schoolsl. Or, you could just apply for an independent FM-3 from the beginning and do it that way. |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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| TeresaLopez wrote: |
| True, the starting pay isn�t great, but you do get paid training |
Not true Teresa. I'm looking for the thread now but as it was told, the 1,500 Interlingua SAY they give you for the training...they take it back out of your checks once you start working, so technically they DO NOT pay you for the training. |
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TeresaLopez
Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 2:43 am Post subject: |
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| Professor wrote: |
| TeresaLopez wrote: |
| True, the starting pay isn�t great, but you do get paid training |
Not true Teresa. I'm looking for the thread now but as it was told, the 1,500 Interlingua SAY they give you for the training...they take it back out of your checks once you start working, so technically they DO NOT pay you for the training. |
Well, I worked for them, and they didn�t take it out of my pay. Maybe things have changed, but there are also people who hate the chain schools, for whatever reason, without ever having worked for them. I have seen many things said about both Interlingua and Harmon Hall that aren�t true. Maybe things at Interlingua have changed, and all you get is free training, which still isn�t a bad deal for someone with non experience. |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 3:11 am Post subject: |
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| TeresaLopez wrote: |
Well, I worked for them, and they didn�t take it out of my pay. Maybe things have changed |
Apparently they have changed. I guess they FORGET (yea right) to mention at the recruiting session that they take the 1,500 out of your pay. |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 3:14 am Post subject: |
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| TeresaLopez wrote: |
| there are also people who hate the chain schools, for whatever reason, without ever having worked for them. |
True I guess, but one doesn't have to have worked for Interlingua to know that they don't REALLY pay you for your training since they take it out of your paychecks once you start working for them. |
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Professor
Joined: 22 May 2009
Posts: 449
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 3:18 am Post subject: |
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| TeresaLopez wrote: |
Maybe things at Interlingua have changed, and all you get is free training, which still isn�t a bad deal for someone with non experience. |
True but why go to work for a place like Interlingua that will start you out at 41 or 45 pesos and hour when you could go to Harmon Hall and start at around 85 an hour????
And I'm sure one could move up at HH just like they could at Interlingua if they focus on professional development and work hard. |
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Enchilada Potosina
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 344
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 5:27 am Post subject: Re: Getting started in Mexico... |
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| dmd887 wrote: |
1.) Is my best option to find a school and sign a contract before I come to Mexico OR just find a school there when I arrive? I am guessing there are a bunch of options, especially in DF. Also, should I stay away from the language schools? They seem like they'd be the easiest place to get a 1st job at.
2.) Is it easy to find work as an ESL teacher if your Spanish skills aren't the greatest? I can speak some Spanish but it is still very much a work in progress. Will this hinder me in my search or will I have no problem finding work?
3.) How much $$$ in US dollars should I plan on coming to Mexico with in order to cover start-up costs and to hold me over until I get on my feet?
4.) Will the school that hires you sponsor you and help you turn the Tourist Visa into a Work Visa in Mexico? Also do you have to apostille your documents before arrival? I have heard conflicting reports on this.
AND FINALLY 5.) Should I stick with my plan to come to Mexico? |
1) Roll up and sign up, bring as much cash as you can though - let's call it bail-out/flight home/deposit on an apartment money.
Unfortunately working in a language school is the easiest way to get your feet wet. The chain schools, Interlingua(cala), Harmon Hell, Ber$hitz, Kwik Learning et al are horrible. Get in, get some experience and get out.
Foreigner-owned language schools are probably nicer at first, but once you realise that most are just monolingual salesmen that wouldn't make it in their own countries, you'll know what to do.
Language schools owned by Mexicans: Pretty much the same deal as above only you'll probably get taxed more and paid less.
High schools and unis: If you're a hard-core teacher then they're a good option, decent pay for the hours but you won't get paid in the summer and a month at christmas.
2) Yes, especially in language schools--if it breathes and it speaks English they'll hire it. Learn Spanish to an advanced level while you're here. You'll get much more respect as a teacher and it'll open more doors.
3) As much as possible.
4) Apostille the thing that will get you your visa, could be a tefl cert or a relevant degree.
5) Yes, why not? Last free country in North America. |
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