Job Discussion Forums

[Maria S.]

[color=blue]Hello,

I am planning to sell my house and move (temporarily or permanently) my family (3 kids, husband & dog) to Mexico, next January.

I don't have a BA but I am taking the TEFL course online as well as doing vollunteer work in my son's kindergarten class, and working with Aboriginal children here in Canada.

So my question is: Is it realisitic to think I can get part time ESL work with children somewhere on the coast? (There has to be surf!)

and-

Is it better to get a Tourist VISA and look once I'm there, or try to get a job from here, and a Working VISA? Thanks in advance![color=blue]

[Guy Courchesne]

There tends to be extra competition for jobs on the coast, particularly in the winter months. There are jobs on the beaches, such as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco, but pay is fairly low in what may be higher cost-of-living environments.

You'll need to bring extra resources with you, particularly if you plan to put your kids in school.

Working on what you write, not having a BA and working on a TEFL online course, you're not going to have access to good paying jobs. I would reconsider this unless you have a lot of extra money to burn or if your husband is going to contribute to this venture as well.

[Maria S.]

Thanks for your reply, Guy. If winter months are more competitive, when is a better time to show up? I know I won't be making top dollar, but hoping to pay for at least part of our living expenses (you bet my husband will be contibuting!).

I'd love to be in a smaller community, maybe near PV. Does anyone have experience/ knowledge of ESL jobs around PV (Punta Mita? Chacala?)

I've also thought about starting a private afterschool program. Any thoughts?

Thanks and sorry if you've answered these questions a million times already!

[moonraven]

Maria,

I am all for folks following their dreams. I did. But I did not try to do it with a husband, 3 kids and a dog.

I think you are in for a big shock if you think you will earn enough to pay for more than dog food. I really do. As I have been here almost 13 years, I think I know what I am talking about.

[Guy Courchesne]

For the bigger beach communities, the best time to show up is in September, before the winter hits. You'll be there for job openings before anyone else.

The smaller the town, the less opportunities. An afterschool program might be a good idea, but that's generally what all other language schools are doing too. Plus, you don't want to run afoul of immigration.

Moonraven is right on earnings. It's hard enough for a single person for the areas of the country you want...I can't imagine trying with a family unless I was independently wealthy. Maybe consider a larger city?

[Maria S.]

I know I would not be able to support all 6(!) off us teaching English!
I am hoping to supplement other incomes.

Is it difficult to find work without post secondary eductaion? Thanks for your views.

[moonraven]

It's difficult to find work because there is a lot of competition.

[Guy Courchesne]

Without post-secondary education, you are limited to private language schools. Without knowing more, you are even more limited by having an online TEFL course, though that might not be a big problem if no one checks.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[ls650]

Maybe you should research a little more. A starting salary for someone without a degree and only a TEFL certificate might be a few hundred dollars a month. Yes, things are cheap in most areas of Mexico, but you will not be able to support a family on such a salary.

[Maria S.]

Thank you all for your feedback. Like I have said a couple of my replies, Ido not expect to support my family with an ESL job, but to supplement other incomes. Income provided by a job teaching English would be secondary to our main sources of income. So a few hundred a month might be fine, depending on cost of living- which I need to research more.

What I am wanting to know is if I can get a job on the west coast without post secondary education and the best way to go about it; start looking once I'm there, or begin the search while still in Canada?

[aisha]

<What I am wanting to know is if I can get a job on the west coast without post secondary education and the best way to go about it; start looking once I'm there, or begin the search while still in Canada?>

i would do both, look on the computer for any jobs available in the areas where you would like to live and then maybe once you get down there you can search around too and see if there's better offers. Most employers like to be face to face when hiring.

[Samantha]

Please trust me on this one - you won't get hired in a coastal area until they see the whites of your eyes. Different world here, and while other posters have alluded to low wages, I will be specific for my area. The wages in private language schools are 40 - 60 pesos an hour part time. Full time wages in upscale private schools are approximately $6500.00 per month. In the Tec de Monterrey or similar you will earn $100.00 pesos an hour or slightly more, part time. All this said, there is always private tutoring which can bring you $80 - $100 pesos an hour depending how experienced you are.

Bring money and have no debts. Be prepared to rough it otherwise. This is a tough environment in which to compete. The majority of English teachers in my beach area are Mexicans for a couple of reasons...one being that the working-vacation foreign teachers are too transient, and considered unreliable. The summer weather is unbearable and most run for the hills, if they haven't run out of money first. The school session begins in August, a rather tough month in the humidity for whimpy northerners!