Job Discussion Forums

[canada_1986]

First, I will give everyone my story.

I started teaching in a well-known language institute in Mexico City several months ago (an institute which I won't be naming, speculate amongst yourselves if you wish). It is my first ESL job, and it has had mixed results.

Pros:

- The hours haven't been too bad so far. I started off at 35 hours/week, later 27.5 hours/week.

- Overall the students have been good groups. Most of the students are employees at nearby businesses who are highly motivated to learn. Other students are university students, some of whom are motivated and some of whom are not. I enjoy working with virtually every single one of them, the most rewarding aspect of the job.

Cons:

- I was hired under the understanding that I would be helped with getting an FM3 and that I would be working with an FM3. This institute had me start working without an FM3, but with the promise they'd get me the required documents (namely the letter) "soon". It took weeks of prodding for them to finally produce a letter, and the FM3 application has been made. This institute has employed a number of foreigners in the past, but it seemed like the management had absolutely no idea what they were supposed to do in order to have me work legally. They had to ask me about INM's requirements.

- The "training" was an absolute joke. There was very little training, even though this was my first ESL gig and this institute "supposedly" has an extensive training program.

- The academic standards of this institute are a joke, even though it is certified by SEP. SEP has certain standards that have to be met, including student attendance and certain marks that students must achieve in order to pass the course. Examples:
- Attendance is a huge problem at this institute; some students are absent for more than half of their course, far above the SEP limit. We are forced to pass these students if they perform reasonably well on their final exams, and fraudulently enter different attendance numbers in the database.
- Regarding final exams, most students who fail are given a passing grade anyways. We create fraudulent exams which the student puts his/her name on, and we fill in the circles to allow them to get the minimum passing mark - even though these students clearly are not qualified to pass. I recently was even asked to enter a fraudulent exam mark in our database for a student who hasn't been to the institute for weeks and didn't write his most recent exam. I haven't bothered, and I haven't heard anything more on the subject.

- This particular institute is one of those businesses that focuses too much on what teachers do wrong rather than what they do right. Although the vast majority of my students think I am great, all it takes is one student who strongly dislikes me for me to get threats of hour cutbacks. There's an attitude around this institute that 100% of our students must always be happy, at all costs, and that if they're not happy it's always the teacher's fault.
- At the same time I get no reward for the 99% of happy students. In fact I am aware of at least one student who wanted me as his teacher for another course and left the institute when they wouldn't assign me as the teacher for his next course; instead I got no course at that particular hour. (I am the only native English speaker there and he only wanted a native English speaker) This was an excellent, highly-motivated student who we should want as a student. So, not only do I suffer, but our students also suffer and we lose business.

- Finally, the pay is less than even other institutes that have been criticized on this website for paying too little.

So, now, I have received a job offer from another institute which pays more and has similar hours to this institute. From my visits to the other institute, I'd say the staff there is more relaxed and happier. I have already decided that I am leaving my current institute and that I wish to work for the other one. However I need advice, mainly because this is my first time working abroad.

1) My FM3 is still pending approval, although that should be coming this week or next. I received my letter for INM from the initial institute; would this FM3 tie me down to one institute or can I change jobs within the same industry under the same FM3? The new institute claims I can do this, but I'm unsure if that's true or not. Would I have to inform INM if I made this kind of change?

2) The new institute wants me to start before my current courses at the first institute are over. I have no problem with walking away from the current institute with zero notice (especially as I am not under any contract there, aside from a letter to INM offering me "temporary" work with no specification of dates or hours to be worked), but what happens if I did that before FM3 approval? Would I lose the FM3 if I walked away from the first job?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[travelinhobo]

As with everything Mexico City, instead of getting to the point and reason of your question, you felt the need to drag it out with all that drama. Next time, don't.

Have you actually told the new school that you'd leave the old one without notice? Because if so, and they're fine with that, I'd be questioning why. Whatever you do with the old school, in terms of leaving, the new school knows to expect from you. Normally respectable schools would expect that you'd give notice (whether or not you actually do).

Just for your info (in case you haven't figured this out yet), you're living in what has to be, one of the most corrupt countries/cities in the world. Rules and laws but nobody follows them. Therefore, it really isn't a big deal if you work for a company under the table. You do a border run every 6 months, make the school pay for it, and everything's okay.

2 notes: if you can really claim that most of your students were highly motivated, consider yourself lucky. I found the opposite to be true in MC. Also, I can't figure out why you didn't take htat one student as a private student (unless his classes were being paid by the company).

[canada_1986]

[Enchilada Potosina]