Job Discussion Forums

Mateja · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Location: Mexico

Hi,

I fell in love with Mexico, so I decided to move there, asap.

I am economist with 10 years of experiences as a purchase manager and in sales also. I active speak English and German, passive Italian and of course am learning Spanish now. And I am a Slovenian girl, so not native speaker...

I thought that the best idea would be to get a TEFL certificate via internet and take their assistance to get a job for a start. What do you mean? Because afterwards I am sure, I could work also in other positions.

Thank you for your opinions Wink

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Well, not being a "native speaker" of English is really going to hurt you, but you still have a chance with some of the entry-level language school jobs. For example, one of the local language schools hired a Belgian woman for a year to teach both English and French. This Belgian spoke almost-flawless English, however; the only way you could tell was that after chatting with her for perhaps 10 or 15 minutes you'd notice that she messes up occasionally with her phrasal verbs or idiomatic expressions.

The more certificates and diplomas you have, the better your chances will be. You'll definitely want to have both a university degree and a TEFL certificate of some kind to get the schools to open their doors to you.

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

Mateja · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Location: Mexico

gringojoe · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 26

[/quote]
I agree, but in places where demand outweighs supply, you have a good chance of being hired despite not having a degree. Competition is not stiff here (in San Luis). All I'm saying is, don't think you can't work in a uni if you don't have a degree - anything is possible here. If you're a good teacher, success will follow.[/quote]

You have aroused my curiosity in San Luis. Could you give us a little info about the place. Where exactly is it? Small one-horse town, mid-sized town or buzzing megalopolis?

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

gringojoe · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 26

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

I am a newbie and just arrived here in Puebla. I have a BA in English Lit from Rutgers College and a Masters in International Management from Thunderbird. I speak Spanish, Italian, and German proficiently.

However, I have no teaching certification or formal experience.

Is it feasible I could find something here for atleast 8000 pesos per month?

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

itchyfeet81 · Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Norway

Ok, stupid question: what exactly is a "bottom-of the-ladder" job? I think someone said that these are the kinds of jobs that ITTO find for you. And being a non-native speaker, it will most likely be my future...

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

"Bottom of the ladder" means entry-level. You'll be starting at the lowest positions available, and will have to work your way up to obtain better pay, better hours, etc. This likely means a privately-owned English training school, or perhaps teaching in a private colegio. The pay will be something like 6000 to 9000 pesos per month, depending greatly on location. That's enough to live in modest comfort in Mexico, perhaps with a bit of travel on the bus, but you likely won't save much money.

I'd be more concerned with the number of teaching hours. In my experience, once you start spending more than about 25 hours per week in the actual classroom, you exhaust yourself pretty quickly. Most of the entry-level jobs will have you working long hours. If you're teaching 30+ hours per week, you tend not to enjoy your weekends - you need to rest for a day or two just to recuperate from the long work week.

This kind of work is fine for a year or two to get some teaching experience on your resume. You'll find that you either tire of teaching, or you'll use the experience to find yourself a better teaching job.

sarliz · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Jalisco

I figured I should weigh in because I'm pretty sure I'm working one of these bottom-o-the-ladder jobs. I came out of ITTO last September, and got a job at a wee language school in Oaxaca. I think I might be lucky because my school only offers English classes in the afternoon, so I can only work 20 hours there per week, max. I supplemented with a morning class through another company for another 5 hours a week, but I'm getting sick of dealing with their inconsistency, so am branching out into the world of private students. Money-wise, I'm breaking even, but am eating a lot of self-cooked quesadillas (mmm... quesillo....) and not partying too hardy. That said, I'm very happy with my little existence; once I get my lesson planning done, I have plenty of free time and energy for dorking around town, taking spanish classes, dance classes, eating ungodly amounts of ice cream, etc. This isn't a situation I'd like to stay in forever, but it feels like a pretty good place to start.