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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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 Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:54 pm Post subject: Re: Non native English speaker seeking advice |
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| Guldlok wrote: |
I am a teacher from Denmark who is planning to go to Mexico to teach.
I am going to take a 140 hour online TEFL course at ITTO (International Teachers Training Organization)
Due to the fact that I am not a native English speaker I am little concerned about my job opportunities after taking that course because everywhere I look (jobsites etc.) they only want native English speakers.
I would love to hear from non native English speakers working as a teacher in Mexico about their experiences finding a job (Of course native English speakers are welcome to give advice also  )
Thanks for your replies |
You should be fine in beautiful Mexico City. When I first moved to Mexico City , the school I was working for paid my salary to another teacher and he then took the money out of his account and gave it to me. They did this until I officially got my FM-2.
Try the following language school but keep in mind that they won't pay good, but like others have said...it's that "beautiful lifestyle" that will make it all worthwhile. 
The information I am about to give is for Mexico City.
Harmon Hall=75 to 80 pesos an hour. Two week unpaid training.
Hamer Sharp=80 to 85 pesos an hour. Good little language school. Friendly staff and coordinator.
Interlingua=45 pesos an hour. 50 or 55 pesos an hour on Saturdays. This is probably the worst paying language school I found in Mexico City but some say you can move up. You just need to figure out how to pay rent and eat in the meantime  .
Wall Street Institute=6,000 pesos per month. You work a morning shift or an evening shift and every other Saturday morning if I remember correctly. But I cannot advice that you work for them. many teachers I knew (myself included) had to get lawyers in order to get our money. I mentioned them so you would know to stay away.
Berlitz=70 to 75 pesos an hour. They seem OK to me but I hear bad things from other posters.
One more thing...if you go anywhere in Latin America, make sure you have a lot of savings because you won't get paid much and based on my personal experience and the experience of many teachers I knew in Mexico City, there is a good chance that you will not get paid on time or the full amount. |
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notamiss
Joined: 20 Jun 2007
Posts: 908
Location: El 5o pino del la CDMX
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| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| It was mentioned elsewhere that Wall Street Institute seems to have closed shop and disappeared from Mexico City. |
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Enchilada Potosina
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 344
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:12 pm Post subject: Re: Non native English speaker seeking advice |
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| EFLeducator wrote: |
The information I am about to give is for Mexico City.
Harmon Hall=75 to 80 pesos an hour. Two week unpaid training.
Hamer Sharp=80 to 85 pesos an hour. Good little language school. Friendly staff and coordinator.
Interlingua=45 pesos an hour. 50 or 55 pesos an hour on Saturdays. This is probably the worst paying language school I found in Mexico City but some say you can move up. You just need to figure out how to pay rent and eat in the meantime .
Wall Street Institute=6,000 pesos per month. You work a morning shift or an evening shift and every other Saturday morning if I remember correctly. But I cannot advice that you work for them. many teachers I knew (myself included) had to get lawyers in order to get our money. I mentioned them so you would know to stay away.
Berlitz=70 to 75 pesos an hour. They seem OK to me but I hear bad things from other posters. |
Can you really live on those wages in Mexico City? The same dives are here in SLP but have very few native speakers nowadays as it's simply not a livable wage. The Interlingua here boasts a selection of teenage teachers who are there because they speak English and would rather not work in a mall. |
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Tretyakovskii
Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 462
Location: Cancun, Mexico
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Can you really live on those wages in Mexico City? |
Hasn't this question been answered- many times in the affirmative- on this forum? Or, the suggestion made that, once you're here and get started, you can find ways to augment your earnings, making life here entirely manageable? |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Tretyakovskii wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Can you really live on those wages in Mexico City? |
Hasn't this question been answered- many times in the affirmative- on this forum? Or, the suggestion made that, once you're here and get started, you can find ways to augment your earnings, making life here entirely manageable? |
Not accurate my fellow professional TEFLer. Mexico City is an expensive place to live and I personally never did like buying veggies in how shall I say this...not so clean places.
Contrary to what has been mentioned in the past, EFL salaries do not go up very much in Mexico City. This is my experience and the experience of all TEFLer's I met while teaching in Mexico City. |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:10 pm Post subject: Re: Non native English speaker seeking advice |
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| EFLeducator wrote: |
The information I am about to give is for Mexico City.
Harmon Hall=75 to 80 pesos an hour. Two week unpaid training.
Hamer Sharp=80 to 85 pesos an hour. Good little language school. Friendly staff and coordinator.
Interlingua=45 pesos an hour. 50 or 55 pesos an hour on Saturdays. This is probably the worst paying language school I found in Mexico City but some say you can move up. You just need to figure out how to pay rent and eat in the meantime .
Wall Street Institute=6,000 pesos per month. You work a morning shift or an evening shift and every other Saturday morning if I remember correctly. But I cannot advice that you work for them. many teachers I knew (myself included) had to get lawyers in order to get our money. I mentioned them so you would know to stay away.
Berlitz=70 to 75 pesos an hour. They seem OK to me but I hear bad things from other posters. |
| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| Can you really live on those wages in Mexico City? |
You can survive but not really live. For me personally, I got tired of always having to watch every peso I had, hardly ever being able to go out and eat except for greasy street food. It gets old fast. Plus there is nothing noble about getting low wages. Nothing noble. Plus one would have to get a room mate but who really wants to do that?? A lot of ones salary would go toward rent unless you don't mind living in a bad part of the city. A car? Forget it.
| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| The same dives are here in SLP but have very few native speakers nowadays as it's simply not a livable wage. |
Sad but true. So many beautiful places in Mexico. Sad that the wages are low and no, they do not go up.
| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| The Interlingua here boasts a selection of teenage teachers who are there because they speak English and would rather not work in a mall. |
Unreal. |
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Tretyakovskii
Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 462
Location: Cancun, Mexico
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Sad but true. So many beautiful places in Mexico. Sad that the wages are low and no, they do not go up. |
When I spoke of augmenting ones earnings, I had no reference to wages in mind. Many have done far better than working merely for wages, and it's not that hard to do, anywhere, including Mexico. |
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Enchilada Potosina
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 344
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Tretyakovskii wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Sad but true. So many beautiful places in Mexico. Sad that the wages are low and no, they do not go up. |
When I spoke of augmenting ones earnings, I had no reference to wages in mind. |
Now where have I heard that before? *Insert name of language school*  |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:14 am Post subject: |
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| Tretyakovskii wrote: |
| Many have done far better than working merely for wages, and it's not that hard to do, anywhere, including Mexico. |
I'm sorry my dear fellow professional TEFLer, but I do believe you are in Cancun...not Mexico City.
Allow me to mention some things that MOD EDIT.
In Mexico City a professional TEFLer will be lucky to get paid on time and the full amount owed him or her.
Language schools do not go up very much in their wages.
Colegios do not keep a lot of their teachers long term. I'm not sure of the reasons for doing this. Plus colegios are more like babysitting, not teaching.
Universities pay about the same as colegios but it is hard to find positions there plus the teacher has no room for creativity and one could lose their job without warning.
FAIR & BALANCED |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:21 am Post subject: |
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| Tretyakovskii wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Sad but true. So many beautiful places in Mexico. Sad that the wages are low and no, they do not go up. |
When I spoke of augmenting ones earnings, I had no reference to wages in mind. |
| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| Now where have I heard that before? *Insert name of language school* |
Right!  |
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Tretyakovskii
Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 462
Location: Cancun, Mexico
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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It seems to have been lost that I was speaking of self-employment, in contrast to working for wages, as the means by which to augment one's earnings.
Employers have got to keep a good part of what students are paying for your classes to cover all their expenses, and allow for a profit for themselves.
Isla Guapa seems to have understood what I had in mind.
Self employment is not for everyone, as the total responsibility for success or failure falls on the teacher, but for those who can manage it, it represents one of the best possible options, in my opinion. |
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Enchilada Potosina
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 344
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| Tretyakovskii wrote: |
| It seems to have been lost that I was speaking of self-employment, in contrast to working for wages, as the means by which to augment one's earnings. |
I was kidding, yes self-employment or diversifying is probably the only way to go here if your in it for more than beer and Friday night jollies. Slaving away for virtually non-existant wages won't cut it for more than the above. I'm finding the more I cut my actual teaching hours, the more money I make, and the more time I have to capitalise on other opportunities. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| Tretyakovskii wrote: |
| It seems to have been lost that I was speaking of self-employment, in contrast to working for wages, as the means by which to augment one's earnings. |
I was kidding, yes self-employment or diversifying is probably the only way to go here if your in it for more than beer and Friday night jollies. Slaving away for virtually non-existant wages won't cut it for more than the above. I'm finding the more I cut my actual teaching hours, the more money I make, and the more time I have to capitalise on other opportunities. |
How true that is! Working for schools and others in Mexico will get you nowhere fast.
Much better to print up a stack of biz cards, become a "consultant" and charge $500 pesos an hour for "services" rendered.
Taco and/or tamale cart on the street is another good option.
I have even seen a few foreigners selling stuff in the Mex DF Metro... Seemed like the Mexicans must have felt sorry for them as were selling at least 30% more product than anybody else... Or maybe with the "foreign is better" syndrome, they thought the pirated DVD's were of higher quality, sorry I didn't take an informal poll of subway riders... |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:58 pm Post subject: Re: Non native English speaker seeking advice |
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| EFLeducator wrote: |
| EFLeducator wrote: |
The information I am about to give is for Mexico City.
Harmon Hall=75 to 80 pesos an hour. Two week unpaid training.
Hamer Sharp=80 to 85 pesos an hour. Good little language school. Friendly staff and coordinator.
Interlingua=45 pesos an hour. 50 or 55 pesos an hour on Saturdays. This is probably the worst paying language school I found in Mexico City but some say you can move up. You just need to figure out how to pay rent and eat in the meantime .
Wall Street Institute=6,000 pesos per month. You work a morning shift or an evening shift and every other Saturday morning if I remember correctly. But I cannot advice that you work for them. many teachers I knew (myself included) had to get lawyers in order to get our money. I mentioned them so you would know to stay away.
Berlitz=70 to 75 pesos an hour. They seem OK to me but I hear bad things from other posters. |
| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| Can you really live on those wages in Mexico City? |
You can survive but not really live. For me personally, I got tired of always having to watch every peso I had, hardly ever being able to go out and eat except for greasy street food. It gets old fast. Plus there is nothing noble about getting low wages. Nothing noble. Plus one would have to get a room mate but who really wants to do that?? A lot of ones salary would go toward rent unless you don't mind living in a bad part of the city. A car? Forget it.
| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| The same dives are here in SLP but have very few native speakers nowadays as it's simply not a livable wage. |
Sad but true. So many beautiful places in Mexico. Sad that the wages are low and no, they do not go up.
| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| The Interlingua here boasts a selection of teenage teachers who are there because they speak English and would rather not work in a mall. |
Unreal. |
I have a buddy who needed to drop (dump) some private students a number of years ago and he said I could talk to a few of them and see if I wanted to teach them.
Best one of the group, a super fresa Mexican lawyer. He had just returned to Mexico after a 4 week vacation in Europe. Met me in a super fresa part of town in a brand new BMW. His first concern? If I could drop the price of the classes from what my amigo had charged him... I asked him if that was a joke or what...? He paid me for our time, gave me his biz card (threw it away) and never bothered to call him back/return his calls.
If you let people walk on you once, they will use you as a door-mat every time.
People SCREAM & YELL about how professional they are and how much education and certs they have to be EFL pro's, but at the end of the day, if you work for the same poverty wages that have not increased in a good 7-10 years, you are anything but a professional, unless you consider beggars to be such professional ladder climbers.
With years of exp. under my belt, a TEFL cert, and YES, of course I am a NATIVE SPEAKER-Not a backpacker, but a teacher with a solid track record and the ability/knowledge to deliver outstanding EFL classes/courses, there is no reason I would accept garbage wages ($60-80 pesitos an hour), unruly teens (colegios) or instability (pretty much 90% of Mexican EFL jobs) let alone horrible so-called school owners & directors.
So, at this point, I would only consider working for myself in EFL, running my own school and/or consulting work.
As another has said, if you drink the Kool-Aid and put on rose-tinted glasses, and feel that a job that pays poverty wages ($40, 60, 80 pesos an hour) is a career growth opportunity... |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Enchilada Potosina wrote: |
| Tretyakovskii wrote: |
| It seems to have been lost that I was speaking of self-employment, in contrast to working for wages, as the means by which to augment one's earnings. |
I was kidding, yes self-employment or diversifying is probably the only way to go here if your in it for more than beer and Friday night jollies. Slaving away for virtually non-existant wages won't cut it for more than the above. I'm finding the more I cut my actual teaching hours, the more money I make, and the more time I have to capitalise on other opportunities. |
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| How true that is! Working for schools and others in Mexico will get you nowhere fast. |
Right!!
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| Much better to print up a stack of biz cards, become a "consultant" and charge $500 pesos an hour for "services" rendered. |
I thought about doing that once when I was living and working in the beautiful DF but then decided against it because of my beautiful blonde, golden hair. I once thought about singing outside, close to Reforma since everybody always told me I look like John Lennon.
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| Taco and/or tamale cart on the street is another good option. |
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