Job Discussion Forums

[ericksgm]

I just got a job at Harmon Hall in Tapachula, Chiapas. Has anyone else worked for Harmon Hall? Do they pay enough to live? Will I be okay? Are they at least nice to their employees? I'll take any information I can get on Harmon Hall, Tapachula, or chiapas. Thank you so much!

[geaaronson]

From what I have been told, they are very legitimate. They do make you work the first month for free and are nortorious for being intolerant to any deviancy in the curriculum format but they do pay on time.
Here in Merida, they are a much sought after position. I applied back in December and was told there was a waiting list of 6 people whose application had already been approved and were awaiting openings. I was in the next crop of applicant pool and would not possibly be hired before July.
There are better gigs than Harmon Hall but then there are many that are downright terrible.
Here in Merida you need to make about 1500 pesos a week minimum to survive. Since Harmon Hall pays between 58 and 65 pesos an hour here in Merida you would need about 22-26 hours to survive.
I strongly urge you to also pick up some private clients from outside HH at 100 pesos per hour to supplement your income. Two or three such private students can make all the difference in the world.

[ls650]

I suggest the OP do a search in this forum for "Harmon Hall". I don't know if you'll find anything specific to Tapachula, but you'll find a lot of general comments on HH that are pretty negative.

[saraswati]

[quote="geaaronson"]They do make you work the first month for free [quote]

No, we don't. There is, however, a month's training program prior to teaching. Are you confusing that with "working free?"

[ls650]

[MELEE]

erick

Is this your first EFL job? Have you done a training course?
I think HH is a great option for people who have no or very little experience and no training. You have to take their "training" anyways so why pay for a course somewhere else that will teach you thing HH won't allow you to do in the classroom? If you've taught for a while and know a variety of teaching techniques and methods, I don't think you'd like HH. I wouldn't anyway. But I think its a great first job.

Tapachula is hot and muggy! Which would also put me off, personally.

[saraswati]

[grahamcito]

[ls650]

Pretty much. How many hours DO the trainees teach during their month of training?

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I've known quite a few people who have taught at the two Harmon Hall schools here in Merida. I wouldn't go so far as to say that jobs at Harmon Hall are much sought after, at least no more than at any other reputable language schools in this city. As far as I know, the Harmon Hall schools here are looking for new trainees/teachers rather frequently. They don't insist that their teachers commit to long-term employment, which I'm sure contributes to the turn-over rate. I believe they expect their teachers to work for them for at least 6 months or so, which seems fair enough, since the schools provide a month of free teacher training prior to employment. Pay is competitive with many other private language schools in this area. They don't employ foreign teachers illegally.

I've never worked for Harmon Hall, but I have recommended the local Harmon Hall schools to a number of people. Locally, the Harmon Hall schools have a decent enough reputation as places to work, especially for newbies who have little or no training or previous TEFL experience. The schools seem well organized. They provide on-going support to their teachers, unlike many private language schools, where new teachers are tossed into a job with a textbook, a teaching schedule, and little else.

As MELEE pointed out, Harmon Hall isn't for everyone. No school is. Of all the people I've known personally who have worked for Harmon Hall schools in Merida, they've had more good things than bad things to say about working there.