Job Discussion Forums

Fitzgerald · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 224

I really like my new boss in Queretaro; he is a very decent chap to deal with. And his rates are better than others I've heard around town - 140 pesos/hour for classes in the city, 170 pesos/hour for classes out in business parks. He built my hours to about 15 per week by mid-January, but there they have stuck. He has talked about a number of other classes being imminent over the past three weeks, but none of them has materialized, and I fear it is just talk.

He teaches classes himself, and I believe (although I have not asked directly) that I am his only other teacher right now. His offices are not downtown, but out in a remote business park. I'm not teaching any classes at that site currently, and I don't believe much is going on there in general. He has talked of sub-letting one of the classrooms to a friend as an office.

He seems to be having cash flow problems. He owed me about 8,000 pesos for my work in January, but it is coming in small amounts - 1,000 pesos last week, 2,000 more today. He says that he is waiting on a check to pay me the rest, and that if it does not arrive within a couple of days, that he will borrow the money to pay me.

Hmm, I think. I am sympathetic to cash flow problems (of course!!), but on the other hand, he has been in business for 10-15 years, and he does not have 5,000 pesos on hand? That does not inspire confidence. That is such a red flag, it's blood-red.

I like the guy, I truly do. He helped find me my apartment here, and I'm naturally grateful for that. But loyalty ain't going to pay my bills. I feel that I need to immediately approach some of the other English schools here that I have not had any contact with, and see if I can cut a better, more dependable deal. What would you do?

esl_prof · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:11 am Post subject: Re: What Would You Do?

Fitzgerald · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 224

esl_prof · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:53 pm Post subject:

Hopefully something will come through on the online front soon. In the meantime, please keep us posted regarding what you find after approaching some of the other local English schools in your area. You've already got your foot in the door in that community, so hopefully that will give you a bit of an advantage as you try to branch out. Perhaps some of your current students can direct you to other possibilities in the area.

golfsuper41 · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:42 pm Post subject:

I would go hit up the universities such as UAQ, Tec Milenio and others. I teach at their campus in San Juan del Rio (UAQ) and since I have started have had numerous other schools offer me positions that are both public and private in the area. Need to get your name out in town and it will give you an advantage since you are a native speaker. Hope all works out and if need any additional info, just pm me and we can talk or meet up. Jamie

Fitzgerald · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 224

Fitzgerald · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 224

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

As you are asking, "What would you do?", I'd walk. That's what I did every time I worked for a company that didn't pay me. It isn't a game, it's a contract, written or not. Of course that depends how easy it is to find an alternative, or what other resources you have, but as soon as it is possible, I'd walk. One of the reasons I got out of the teaching game was that it was almost impossible to find institutes that were actually run as serious businesses.

Rose Cohen · Joined: 21 Apr 2010 Posts: 43 Location: Mexico

Rose Cohen · Joined: 21 Apr 2010 Posts: 43 Location: Mexico

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

Very true. It's a balance, of course. Some people complain that institutes are only interested in making money, which as a business is important, but what they fail to grasp is that if they provide a first class educational experience they'd actually make more money through their good reputation.

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:42 am Post subject:

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

?????

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

water rat · Joined: 30 Aug 2014 Posts: 1098 Location: North Antarctica

Since you like your boss, what I would do in your situation is stop coming to work. Tell him you don't mean anything by it, but the dribs and drabs of salary he's granted you are not enough. You have had to send much of it to your poor old mother (or whoever) who is also behind in her bills thanks to him, and you've got expenses of your own, so, you're embarrassed to admit it, but no you can't afford the bus fare to where the gig is as you'd rather use the little money you have on keeping yourself in bean and cheese burritos and drinking water. Do nothing until you are paid in full. Next payday, you have only to hint that you'll do all this again, and he'll be calling you in to fork over the dough.