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Northridge School (Santa Fe/Cajimalpa)
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donato



Joined: 05 May 2010
Posts: 98
Location: Mexico City, Mexico

PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

reddevil79 you make some very good points. It's too bad jserio didn't stick it out as it inevitably would've become better, but I don't fault him for leaving at all when you put it like that.
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geaaronson



Joined: 19 Apr 2005
Posts: 948
Location: Mexico City

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Some of the dysfunction you experienced sounds a bit "normal" but we all have a breaking point right?

I'd almost say you have to stay working it out in Mexico for a year to get the kinks worked out - affordable place, decent hours, trustworthy work place etc...


I hope you are not suggesting that he should have stayed at the school for a year and all would have straightened out. I have been around the block 62 times and believe me, for the number of adjunct positions, part time jobs and full time ones as well over these many years, one lesson I have learned is that most likely if it starts out on the wrong foot, it almost never gets righted on both feet. Cut your losses early and go on to the next job. Next time ask the right questions of the right people and you will end up with a better situation.
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tideout



Joined: 05 Feb 2011
Posts: 213

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

geaaronson wrote:
Quote:
Some of the dysfunction you experienced sounds a bit "normal" but we all have a breaking point right?

I'd almost say you have to stay working it out in Mexico for a year to get the kinks worked out - affordable place, decent hours, trustworthy work place etc...


I hope you are not suggesting that he should have stayed at the school for a year and all would have straightened out. I have been around the block 62 times and believe me, for the number of adjunct positions, part time jobs and full time ones as well over these many years, one lesson I have learned is that most likely if it starts out on the wrong foot, it almost never gets righted on both feet. Cut your losses early and go on to the next job. Next time ask the right questions of the right people and you will end up with a better situation.


You are correct. I was not suggesting that. I think Mexico is not a place where you play your hand well once and that's it - it's my impression and some experience that those who have "made it" in Mexico, maybe even Latin America in general, came to expect a longer "startup" time for lack of a better term.

One simple example might be pay. I've never heard of anyone not getting payed after 1 month of a contract in S. Korea. Screwed near the end for insane or other reasons sure. Yet in the part of Mexico where I worked before no one got payed on time when they started in the University systems there.

A newbie might reasonably bolt on this alone - why keep working for nothing. Yet it's part of the culture to get things started late in terms of the first pay check right?

Finessing things (and starting) and making a judgement on how things are going can be something of an art IMHO.
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tsalinger



Joined: 05 Oct 2012
Posts: 8
Location: USA and Mexico

PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:20 pm    Post subject: Northridge School (Santa Fe/Cajimalpa) Reply with quote

I had a similiar experience to (jserio) at Northridge School. The Director told me one thing, the coordinator told me other thing, the HR person lied to my face regarding my housing stipend and pay. I immediately, knew something was wrong and left Northridge School that same day! I later found out that 3 English teachers quit the first week of school and that all of the Expat English teachers from the previous year are no longer at the school.
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Prof.Gringo



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 9:43 am    Post subject: Re: Northridge School (Santa Fe/Cajimalpa) Reply with quote

tsalinger wrote:
I had a similiar experience to (jserio) at Northridge School. The Director told me one thing, the coordinator told me other thing, the HR person lied to my face regarding my housing stipend and pay. I immediately, knew something was wrong and left Northridge School that same day! I later found out that 3 English teachers quit the first week of school and that all of the Expat English teachers from the previous year are no longer at the school.


This happens a lot at colegios in Mexico DF.

I was hired part-time at once school and a few weeks later, I was full-time thanks to a Canadian teacher walking off the job. She just couldn't handle the discipline issues, unruly students and lack of support from the admin.

That job paid $2,000 US month, but there was a lot of BS to put up with for that salary. You can always work in a language school for 5-8 bucks an hour, which means starvation wages, unless you manage to work 40-50 hours per week. Or travel around the city all day, to teach biz EFL at companies morning, noon and night. Classes often cancel, holidays go unpaid and there's no room to advance, unless you want to get a RFC (Mexican taxpayer ID number), print up a stack of Recibos Honararios, and some biz cards, and just like that, you are in business as a mighty language school "owner". Now go out and fight the dozens, perhaps many more so-called other language schools for the same share of the biz class market pie. Good luck, amigo!

If somebody is going to Mexico DF, if possible, have a job offer or two lined up and some job interviews as well. If your first pick doesn't work out, jump ship mid-stream and hop on another job.
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