Job Discussion Forums

[cscx]

I remember my foreign language classes fondly. The textbooks were amusing, the teachers were eccentric, and everything was very systematic. You began at level 1, and you knew that all the kids in level 1, even if they had different teachers, were learning the same things you were...I remember being assigned cultural enrichment activities about various countries...

What is it like teaching English in Mexico? Does your school use standardized materials?

Does anybody teach at a high school? Is it like here in the States, where a teacher has a classroom and teaches a number of different classes at different levels...the kids move around and the teacher stays?

When I think about teaching English abroad, I remember the structure of my foreign language classes. It was about the language, yes, but also the culture. We had art projects, reports, etc...do you assign these, or is it just 100% about learning the language?

Thanks.

[gordogringo]

Schools for the most part are very professional. Modern buildings,good books,etc. If you are a new teacher to the ESL game I would definately not recommend Mexico as your first stop on the journey.Taiwan or Japan will allow you to learn how to truly run a classroom with dedicated students.Korea is not a bad choice as well. You will also make better money.Mexico is not bad for a year or if you plan to set up a business so you have a second source of income. Is a great country with fantastic people and good food. But the Mexican philosophy of cheaper is better makes it a tough struggle for the teacher to get paid well. And you will be competing with local non native speakers for your job. Idiotic,I know but refer back to overall Mexican life philosophy,cheaper is better. Best of luck!

The fat white guy in Tijuana

[gstieglit]

I agree. Go save money in Korea or Taiwan. Then, go to Mexico with some dineros in your pocket. You will really have fun.

[cscx]

I'll hopefully gain experience next year during student teaching, which I'll be doing in public schools with high Hispanic populations. I also have a lot of savings, so, while I obviously would like to be paid enough to live on, I do have money to fall back on while getting settled. I've already been to Mexico and I loved it, so I really want to go back there.

The thing is that I've always been intrigued by the idea of teaching English abroad, but I really have no idea what it's like. I know that there are lots of different venues to do it, and I just wanted to know how it is...like what someone's typical day is like.

Thanks

[gstieglit]

Then it depends where you want to work. Each context is different. Are you looking at a private school, public school, or language school?


In general I can tell you that Mexico is fun and if you only need enough money to live on then you have a lot of choices.

[cscx]

As of right now, I'm still a student and haven't even started looking for jobs. I'd like to live in Puebla, which is where I visited and already have friends. They told me that there are tons of bilingual colegios and regular language schools there that I could work at. Right now I don't really have a preference. I guess I'd just like to hear people's thoughts on whatever venue they teach at, if they're willing to give them.

[MELEE]

Some things no one has addressed yet.
In Mexican high schools the students stay in a classroom and the different teachers move from room to room. That means you have to carry everything you need for the lesson and you don't have all those posters and things on the walls. Some private schools may do it differently. I think most people on this board do not teach in high schools, but there are private high schools in Puebla that you could apply to. Yes, most people use a standard textbook and all the students in level 1 are learning pretty much the same thing even if they have different teachers. There is a lot less culture teaching in English as a Foreign Language than there is in foreign language classes in the US, because it is seen as negative cultural imperialism on behalf of the US to do so. Even though the teacher may just want to help the students learn about life in other countries, because English is the language of the US it becomes a political statement you have to handle very carefully. Some students will be very curious about you and want to learn everything they can about you, your family and your life in the US. Other's will be predisposed to see you as the enemy. There will be everything between these two extremes as well. And don't forget the apathetic students, who just won't care no matter what you do.
Teaching in Mexico can be a wonderful experience. Especially if you later want to return and teach Spanish in the US, you will have gained special insights to offer your US students. I think in Spanish teaching in the US, one of the most important things is teaching about culture and helping the US teenagers understand their neighbors and have a good feeling towards them. If half of your student graduate with the ablitity to carry on a conversation in Spanish you will have done your job. Outside of the US, teaching English skills is more important than teaching cultural understanding of English speaking cultures. English is a technical skill the students need to get jobs. They very well may need English to speak to Koreans, Germans, Russians, Saudis, etc. who also learned English as a foriegn language. They will need to read technical articles in proffessional fields, manual's for office equipement, and programing in English based computer languages. Uses of the language we never learned in our high school foreign language classes.

[cscx]

Thank you for your response, Melee! I can definitely understand about the cultural imperialism--that had never occurred to me.

I was also wondering about how huge a mess it is to live abroad and have an income when it comes to taxes and whatnot. I'm from the US--is it going to be a big deal to report my earnings and stuff during tax season?

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[thelmadatter]

Ben wrote:

[ontoit]

I'll agree with the financial advantages of teaching in Japan, but my experience in the game is that public schools are the absolute worst for language education. Teachers are well-known for their inability to use English and, as a consequence, use 45 of their 50 minutes in class talking about English in Japanese, leaving the students on their on for practice.

Universities are worse, much worse*

*For more information about English education at Japanese universities, look in the dictionary under "joke."

[asi va]

[housed]

I cut and paste this blog from my website about my adventures in DF with a private high school to give you the feel for the first day when all was new, all was different. I advise you to write down your adventure in a journal for years later when it will all be precious and make sense:

This week I started teacher meetings at my new school. All are given in Spanish, so by the end of the day, I am completely overwhelmed. And because I am a perfectionist of sorts, I feel like I need to know everything that was told to me, and I just don't. So I come home at the end of the day thinking about what was said to me, and trying to find a way to relax, but I am starting to realize that I don't really live close to anything to do for a diversion.

My new school is beautiful. The high school has used the International Baccalaurate program, a very prestigious international program, for sometime. This year they are implementing the MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAM for their grades 7-9. My job is to teach Grammar and Composition to grades 7, 8, and 9. Also I will teach a class in the high school (called PREPA) entitled WAYS OF KNOWING that is literature and philosophy. Also I am team teaching with the school's principal an ANTHROPOLOGY class for 11th graders. This will be a very cool class because we will visit regularly the great museums of Mexico City.

There are some striking differences that I have already learned between American and Mexican classrooms. The biggest difference is that the classes stay together all day in one room, and the teachers move around to them. That means as a teacher, that we don't have our own classrooms or our own space to put things. We have to carry things around with us all day and to and from home. I thought it was so wierd today when they told me I could have a locker to put my things in, and then they took me to a locker which is in a hallway--outside!!!!!!! For a MAINER, it takes some getting used to the amount of outdoor space a school can utilize. My first question was 'Don't the books get ruined in outdoor lockers?' The lockers are covered, but they are still outdoors!!!! If something was left outside in Maine it would freeze or get very damaged. Here, I guess it is OK.

Another strange thing was that I had to go to the library and check out all my teacher ancilliaries from them for the year. In the US, teachers receive dozens of examination copies FREE every year from publishers. Not so here. The school must have to pay for everything and of course, they want to keep track of it. I took the books for 1 class home today--about 8 with all the supplements. What will I do when I am trying to carry for 5 or 6 classes? And when I was looking at the books, there were some really cool overhead transparencies. Now I am wondering, if I can use them or if they have to stay as a book. If I use them, I will need to tear them from the book. Probably details like this bore most of you, but it is the kind of thing American teachers take for granted in their classrooms, so I wanted to document the differences somewhere.

I really like this school so far. It seems to me to be all the great things a school should be. It emphasizes curriculum, staff development and professional growth, and is constantly trying to deliver the best educational practices to its students. You can visit the web site at http://www.eton.edu.mx.