Job Discussion Forums

[NinaNina]

Reading this board and all the intended adventures is almost like traveling! Here is my plan, with many obsessive questions:

I want to move my family to Oaxaca in August, perhaps for the rest of our lives. I'm a bilingual elementary teacher who has taught ESL in the classroom. My boyfriend and I lived in Oaxaca city in 1997, before we had kids, and the prospect of moving back brings up new issues.

Should I get at TESOL certification even though I have my BA in English, a MA in Library Science, and a teaching credential with cross-cultural teaching/second language acquisition certification (called a CLAD)?

I would love to get a job in a bilingual preschool or elementary school in Oaxaca, perhaps a place where my son could attend (he's in bilingual kindergarten now). Are these the kinds of jobs that a TESOL program can attempt to secure for a student? It seems most programs that guarantee jobs emphasize jobs for private language schools or universities.

[saint57]

I've never been to Mexico, but I'd say you don't need a TESL certificate with your qualifications. The only problem I can see is that you only want to live in Oaxaca. Most of the agencies that recruit for international schools require you to be flexible about your location. I guess the best thing for you to do is to google all the schools in Oaxaca and contact them directly.

[naturegirl321]

Try posting on the Mexico forum and PM Mama Oaxaca, she lives there and could help you out.

[NinaNina]

Muchas gracias for your advice!

I also noticed MexConnect, and thought using their resume submission services might be a way to see if my qualifications match those of a TESOL certificate.

I will post on the Mexico forum, too. Thanks again and feliz dia de MLK.

[naturegirl321]

[NinaNina]

Yes, this whole teachermexconnect thing is, I guess, rather controversial. Has anyone recently gained a job through their "services"?