Job Discussion Forums

[fulamuso]

There have been a few posts on English Unlimited recently. These have ranged from fluffy to scathing. I don’t feel that either view is totally fair, so here’s my experience.

I arrived in San Luis Potosi in January of 2005 after being hired from abroad. This was my first position after returning from two years of teaching rural West Africa with the United States Peace Corps. I didn’t know what to expect when I got here, but I had a few priorities:

1. Stay legal.
2. Earn enough not to have to use my savings.
3. Learn Spanish.
4. Live like a local.

The first e-mail I got from Michael left things pretty clear: the schedule is split, the pay is lousy, and San Luis Potosi’s definitely not a big tourist destination. I didn’t care. I wanted to work in Mexico and, after months of searching, this ended up being the most responsive school. Since I don’t technically have a certificate (the one disadvantage to doing your training through the Peace Corps), there weren’t a whole lot of other takers. This has been a common factor in a lot of our teachers’ decisions to come here. English Unlimited is a place where you can get started. As long as you have minimally acceptable paperwork for immigration, you’ve got a shot. If you’ve never worked in TEFL before, it’s a good place to rack up some experience before you apply for a more posh position later.

To be honest, the first month was miserable. The split schedule sounds really nice until you have to drag yourself out of bed at 5:30 a.m. after getting home around 10:00 p.m. the night before. Unfortunately, this is standard for teaching English in San Luis. Our students generally come to class either before or after work. If you want to teach in a private language school, these hours are close to unavoidable. It takes some getting used to, but most people develop a rhythm (and a sacred midday siesta hour) that allows them to deal with it. I’m still not thrilled about the hours, but I have found a way to have a life around them.

I started filling out my immigration paperwork within a day of my arrival. Although the visa process generally lags on for a few months, this meant I was technically legal starting from that date (well, more or less). Now, compared to other schools, this is exceptional. Universities generally won’t hire you unless you already have an FM3 or FM1 visa in hand and a number of other private language schools don’t even bother with immigration. This, of course, has resulted in other schools having teachers deported. EU will get you legal, which is another advantage to starting out here. That way, if you want to move on to a better-paying university job later, you already have the FM3 (and in-country experience) to do so.

After a year and four months of working at English Unlimited, I’m still making less than American minimum wage. This includes two promotions and time-fixed pay raises. Compared to other schools in San Luis, EU’s pay is in the middle range. I knew this going in, so if I’m still here it’s my own damn fault. Face it, if you’re in Mexican TEFL for the money, you’re deluded. The important thing for me is that I’m paying my bills and saving enough money to travel besides. Again, there are plenty of people who can’t deal with the local lifestyle and blow all of their money on McDonald’s food, Wal-Mart products, and nightly beer tabs. If you need all of these things on a regular basis, well, yeah, you may have some trouble covering your expenses. If you can cook for yourself, do your main shopping at the local markets, and don’t need to be artificially entertained every waking moment, you can end up saving some money. The salary is comparable to a what an average Mexican with a college education gets when starting to work. If you take your cues from how average young Potosinos spend (being a little more conservative, since you don’t live with your parents), you’ll generally come out alright.

As far as learning Spanish is concerned, I’ve been able to do pretty well. I came with no Spanish and am now doing professional translations for some of the school’s business clients. The school’s free Spanish classes didn’t help enormously, but that’s in the process of being remedied. Most of what I learned I got from studying on my own time, reading, and just getting out and meeting people. It can be hard to develop a network of local friends at first, but once you start meeting people, everyone introduces you to everyone else. Most people start by hanging out with one or two students that they’ve clicked with and then meet more people through them. Potosinos aren’t as open and easy to meet as people in some other parts of Mexico, but they are loyal friends once you do get to know them. This is a sweeping generalization, of course, but it does seem to be the trend. For that reason, it’s harder to develop a social network if you’re only here for a short time. If you plan on staying six months or more, though, you should be able to get to know a lot of local people.

Since San Luis is a relatively wealthy city with numerous business ties to the U.S., there is a strong American influence here. That influence, however, is largely relegated to the upper class that runs those businesses locally. Even the upper class blends the two cultures in its own way, though. Top executives still wear belt buckles, sing along with mariachis, and spend their weekends at the family ranch. They’ll argue about the effects of NAFTA for hours. Some businesses even show that globalization can be a two-way street. Mexicanal, for example, a Mexican cable company based in San Luis and which sends its employees to our school, is a major force in sustaining Mexican culture within the migrant population in the United States.

And, of course, you don’t have to hang out with the upper class. If you walk down Hidalgo from the Mercado Republica to the Plaza de Armas, you’ll get a good idea of how average Potosinos live. There’s cumbia, norte�a, and reggaeton blaring out from every shop, children running around with balloons, and clowns watching out for their next laughingstock. When you can avoid the clowns, it’s a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. You can wander around the market comparing prices on nopales and metates, grab a gordita de horno and a bag of horchata, sit in the shade of the magnolia trees, and gaze at the colonial architecture as the city band strikes up a tango.

[corporatehuman]

Great post, enjoyed it a lot. Nice to hear the two sides and some realistic expectations.

I myself am coming to Mexico with almost no Spanish and subconsciously, it has been giving me anxiety. Consciously, I just imagine I'll have to take it day by day. Anyway, posts like yours are very reassuring!

- Chris[/i]

[some waygug-in]

I enjoyed your post, but I have a question or 2 to ask...if that's OK.

So how much do you get paid every month?

How much is your rent per month?

These seem to be the most important things that would concern me.

[cwc]

Do you have/need air conditioning at home and/or school?

[fulamuso]

[fulamuso]

[grahamcito]

So you�ve never had any problems or difficulties with Michael Tan?

[Cdaniels]

[cwc]

Intendido

[Guy Courchesne]

[Dragonlady]

deleted...

out of date

[MO39]

We say "holy cow" in the eastern United States. Does anyone know the origin of this expression?

[Guy Courchesne]

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0408d&L=ads-l&D=1&H=1&P=3922

Hawaiian intoxicants?

You can also say Holy Moley, Holy Smoke(s), Holy Mary - mother of Christ, and of course, Holy Shit!

[Perpetual Traveller]

How could you forget 'Holy Toledo (batman)'!?!

PT

[fulamuso]