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imbabyj
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 15
Location: mexico
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 Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 6:22 am Post subject: lesser of the evils |
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I would like to know about the major chains such as english unlimited, iaap, united english, etc.... i see what seems to be such a mixed opinion on them. I would like to know about the schools only. NOT ABOUT MEXICO. I lived there for two years working relaciones publico and would just like to know which institution would be the best to build my resume. Is one more respected than another?I have found it difficult to wade through the waste to find out what is true and what is not. If anyone could help me with info about the schools only i would greatly appreciate it.
P.S. Im sorry if this question has been asked before and I have missed it because im sure it has |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 2:06 pm Post subject: Re: lesser of the evils |
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| imbabyj wrote: |
| Is one more respected than another? |
Respected in what ways? Working conditions? Quality instruction? Teacher support? Competitive wages? Qualified teachers?
I don't know much about the chain schools you mentioned. Many of them aren't found throughout all parts of Mexico and/or aren't very well known even in some of the cities where they exist. Just having one of those listed on your resume might or might not do much for you if your purpose is to teach at one for a short while and then move on to "bigger and better things" in the field of EFL either within Mexico or in another country. I mean, it would give you "experience" to list, but if future employers have never heard of the school, it might not count for much. What is your longer range goal for EFL teaching?
I'm sure you already know that most chain schools in Mexico are franchises. That means that although each chain of schools has its own general standard way of operating, there's a lot of variety among schools of the same chain regarding management, working conditions, wages, work schedules, reputation, and other things. A school in one location/city may be a pretty decent place to work, and a school of the same chain in another location/city might not be so great. In the city where I live, both Harmon Hall and Berlitz have pretty good reputations as places to work, and Harmon Hall is probably the best known chain school locally. Whatever you get for answers to your question, keep in mind that they'll be mostly generalizations and may not be true of all schools of a particular chain. |
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moonraven
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with Ben on this.
One caveat: Ingl�s Individual--a scam that rips off both teachers and students. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:17 pm Post subject: on chains |
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The chains you mentioned aren't nation wide, although they do serve select regions. Both English United and English Unlimited have good reputations, both from teachers and students. If you are loking at doing some serious resume building, I would suggest avoiding the chains as they tend towards the business admin side of things. Look for a small school, even a start up. you'll gain much more valuable experience by being a bigger factor in the process, from all angles.
Best places to look are in the cntral states or Mexico City.
Moonie, I hate to argue with you on this one, but I've had great experinces with Ingles Individual...the franchises. Corporate Ingles Individual is another story, and like you, I think they are terrible. Guerrero and Morelos franchaises are very helpful and go all out for their teachers, even if the pay is not great, something that has less to do with Ingles Ind and more to do with local economy. |
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moonraven
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy-we are going to disagree on this one: pay at Ing. Ind. in Morelos is very low compared to that of other schools in the state. It is not a reflection of the general economy. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:24 pm Post subject: where |
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| Don't get me wrong...the more you prove me wrong the better it is for teachers in general. Can you PM me with some names of schools and example wages? |
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moonraven
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry, I am off PMs.
The last time I made a thorough comparison, Ing. Ind. was paying a maximum of 67% of the wage of the other schools. And most teachers were not receiving that maximum. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:53 pm Post subject: fair nuff |
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Ok.
In jujutla and cuatla, I saw that Ing Ind was paying the same monthly salary as another school in the area. Not much empirical evidence. Was hoping you could add to the body of knowledge. |
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moonraven
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Jojutla and Cuautla are the names of the towns. I live just outside of Cuautla, have for almost 12 years now. Managed a Harmon Hall franchise here for four years--among other jobs. I also know the Cuernavaca market pretty well. We will continue to disagree; Guy. Sorry. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 8:33 pm Post subject: HH |
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| What's Harmon Hall out there paying these days? |
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MixtecaMike
Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Posts: 643
Location: Guatebad
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:49 am Post subject: |
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Guy, your address, doesn't it make you a little nervous being so close to a target zone?
Good to see moonie has a friend, even if she won't return your pm's. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:12 am Post subject: well |
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Temporary aliances, forged of the mysterious forces of coevolutionary pressures. I assure you I am still an agent of on the side of good.
My address? I figure that there are enough concrete buildings between me and the Embassy that I'll be safe. In case of riot, I think that tear gas will flow along the normal NE to SW wind stream, which means I'll get little more than a light seasoning for my salad if I hold it WAY out of the window. |
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sandyhoney2
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Posts: 189
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| Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: lesser of the evils |
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| imbabyj wrote: |
I would like to know about the major chains such as english unlimited, iaap, united english, etc.... i see what seems to be such a mixed opinion on them. I would like to know about the schools only. NOT ABOUT MEXICO. I lived there for two years working relaciones publico and would just like to know which institution would be the best to build my resume. Is one more respected than another?I have found it difficult to wade through the waste to find out what is true and what is not. If anyone could help me with info about the schools only i would greatly appreciate it.
P.S. Im sorry if this question has been asked before and I have missed it because im sure it has |
Hey there, Mexico forum people. I came across some recent information that may be of use to you from a non-profit group I'm involved in. As a former ESL teacher (and soon to be back into teaching again...) I thought I'd share this info.
The link is : http://www.idealist.org/bbs/cgi-bin/showflat.pl?SID=44128951-228-rAQgT&Cat=&Board=networking&Number=14691&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&part=
Here is what one teacher had to say about IAAP:
I just had a very bad experience with an organization in Mexico called IAAP (www.iaap.org), and I recently received harassing emails from the director of the program, so I feel I should warn other optimistic naive teachers who may be considering teaching in Mexico. This organization has changed its name in the recent past and may do so again to hide from bad publicity, so exactly what the acronym actually stands for depends on which documents you are looking at. This organization claims to have support from the Mexican federal government to provide English instructors to the Engineering Techs in Mexico, but at the school where I taught, there was very little support if any provided for the program. I was really won over by IAAP`s teaching philosophy and I had taught disadvantaged populations in a community college in Texas, so I was not deterred by bad conditions or unmotivated students but I had no idea what I was in for. Other than being given a remote, dilapidated, rodent-infested classroom for the classes, I had to beg for everything including supplies, maintenance, and forget about email access or any electronic conveniences that the Mexican instructors had. IAAP administration only showed up when it was time to collect the students monthly payments usually completely ignoring me, or given me some dismissive response. It was a good day if we had electricity and the bathrooms had running water. Though it wasn�t Club Med, this was not characteristic of the whole school, only the building that I was assigned to.
I could write a laundry list of problems with this program, but I think the most important thing to know is that turnover is extremely high for this program for one reason or another. So much so that I had a hard time finding a place to live, because according to one of the other instructors- no one wants to rent to English teachers because they don�t stay long. I did not know the significance of his statement at the time but quickly learned why. The organization will not pay what they promise and in total owed me about $400 for unpaid wages when I quit, because I just couldn�t endure anymore. Also the administrators played games and claimed that the accountants were resolving the payment issues, but I never saw or heard from these mystery accountants. The director and his wife run the program including hiring teachers, collecting student payments, and paying wages. After a while it was obvious, that they were stringing me along to keep me there until the end of the semester. The wife claimed that they didn�t want to lose me, but because of the War on Terror in the U.S. and restrictions on donations to foreign entities their resources had been limited and money was tight. I believed her at first and waited patiently, but each month there was a new excuse. Later she blamed her husband criticizing his business practices.
Now after all that I went through and all that I tried to do to help their program continue and since I have quit and started a new teaching position that is unbelievably better, the director is sending me emails claiming that I was dismissed. I laughed when I read the email, but did not think it was funny when I saw that they are trying to recruit more unsuspecting idealist teachers to replace me and other instructors who left. Beware. As I now know, there are good teaching opportunities in higher education in Mexico but IAAP is just not one of them.
CORRECTION TO POST- the company`s website is www.iaap.org.mx
Regards,
- sandy |
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