Job Discussion Forums

[Summerville]

Has anyone heard of Advanced Teacher's Academy of Canada? They are located in Monterrey and offer job placement at the end of the course. I'm interested in taking this course as I am planning to live/teach or obtain some kind of employment in Mexico this summer. Has anyone been through this program and can offer me first-hand knowledge and experiences? See below. Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Advanced Teachers Academy of Canada's Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide adventurous and enthusiastic native and non - native english speakers with the skills and the confidence needed to launch out into the exciting world of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Working closely with each student we help them enter the mexican TESOL job market by means of our job placement guarantee and encourage them in their process of transition to a new country and culture. As they say here in Mexico, "como Mexico no hay dos" (Mexico is one of a kind). We invite prospective english teachers from around the world to step into the magic through our TESOL certification program in the beautiful mountain city of Monterrey.

Year Founded: 1996

Highlights: We offer:
- Small class sizes and personal attention in a professional but relaxed environment
- Accredited training and certification from Global Tesol College, an internationally recognized TESOL organizaton, in our extremely safe and modern facilities
- Pre-arranged accommodations
- A simple and straightforward online registration system with no hidden fees or other unwelcome suprises
- And of course, the guarantee of a TESOL job upon completion of the course

[Jetgirly]

I would be suspicious of a TESOL program that didn't capitalize "english" and "mexican" in their advertisements. But I'm also known for being overly critical!

[lisa1968]

I agree 100% jetgirly, but I too am overcritical! It sounds a bit too commercial and too "selling itself" to me, but again I am overcritical of many things. I think it depends on where you want to work, summerville, what kinds of students you want to teach, etc. I will be glad to fill you in on the course I took in Mexico if you want.

Good luck

[Summerville]

Thanks jetgirly and Lisa1968!

I don't think I'm critical enough, and I tend to be the eternal optimist! Thanks for pointing that out. I guess I didn't pay too much attention to the fact they didn't capitalize english and mexican, but if you notice they capitalized it at times..

That's a valid point about "too commercialized" but don't these programs have to sell themselves?? How else would they recruit students? There is this one Web site that recommends that program in Monterrey to me called Mexconnect.com. Have you heard of that Website?

I'm not exactly sure what kind of students I want to teach, or if I'm set on the idea of teaching, I just thought since I loved Spanish so much I would enjoy it, and I thought teaching was the quickest way to get me back over there. I'm not set on a location either, but for some reason Monterrey, Guadalajara, Chihuaha, and Acapulco all appeal to me!

I would appreciate you filling me in on the course you took and any advice you could offer. Thanks!

[Jetgirly]

I did the CELTA through International House Barcelona. I doubt I could have found a better four-week intensive certificate course. It had it's pros (the school had a bar!) and cons (the trainers made a guy cry!) but overall it was worth my money and set me up for a job. I would HIGHLY recommend the CELTA program, which you can do in Cancun or Mexico City. Sure it's for-profit, but at least you know that if the center is really bad the Cambridge folk will crack down on it.

http://www.ihrivieramaya.com/
http://www.ihmexico.com/

Only IHs offer the CELTA in Mexico, but non-IH schools offer it elsewhere.

[Olivia]

I lived in Monterrey for two years and never heard of this place. I was always on the look out to make friends with English speakers.