Job Discussion Forums

[Samantha]

It seems at least two of our long time posters are planning to leave Mexico and I, for one, sure hope they will continue to be a part of this forum to share experiences and give advice.

So, what prompts the decision for a teacher to move back to home country? Does one just know when the time arrives, or was it a plan all along to spend X number of years here? And what about reverse culture-shock after several years of working and living in Mexico? I would worry about that one. That, and getting back into the system again.

[ls650]

I'm leaving after four years overseas (three in Mexico) for a wide variety of reasons; they have little to do with the school or life in Mexico.

There are too many reasons to list them all in a post, but probably the single greatest reason is that I'd like to see my family and friends more than once every year or so. I didn't see everyone I wanted to last Christmas, so I have family/friends I haven't seen in close to 18 months.

[El Gallo]

I'm not leaving at least until George Bush is gone

[Prof.Gringo]

Being able to make more on Mc Donald's (in the US) pay than as a school teacher in Mexico is a strong incentive for people to go home. Also, the lack of a clear path for career progression is another limiting factor in being a TEFL "lifer" in Mexico.

For me the "ceiling" in the TEFL/ESL world in Mexico is the main problem. Once you reach a point, you have a few years of experience and everything you realize that you are probably never going to make much more than a grand a month, or get into management. Unless you want to open your own school. How original! I can easily make 3-4,000 a month in the US working for about one month and then getting 2-4 weeks of vacation time. That's on a permanent basis. For me, seasonal work pays about $7,000(low) to $10,000(high) or more for about 3 months of work. With no living expenses. There is simply nothing in Mexico that pays close to that.

I know enough not to compare the US and Mexican economies, but I need to be able to make more than $800 a month for the rest of my life as TEFL'er.

Has anyone ever tried to get credit in Mexico? Even with a FM-3 and a good paying job its almost impossible to get. Hmmmmmm maybe the US embassy will start issuing those matricula consular ID cards the Mexican consulates give out to all the illegal....oh wait excuse me, undocumented migrants in the US.

Sorry for the sarcasm. I am just it telling how I see it. And before someone comes on here and starts blabbing about the poor Mexicans and what-not, remember that Mexico has the 13th largest economy in the world and the third (or is it second now?) richest man in the world. But paying decent pay rates to its teachers, and I mean all teachers, is just not a priority in Mexico. So don't hold your breath waiting for that to ever change. I just got a job "offer" this week near my house, in a nice part of town. This is to teach in a private primaria full time.....drum roll please........$4,500MX. I can't see a Mexican teacher taking that kind of pay, but to offer it to a experienced native speaker? What an insult.

Don't forget all the fun that we have at INM and don't forget to do your tramite on time, in Spanish (why is it that no one at INM speaks English???) and then wait to see what went wrong this time. 3 months and $1,680 up to??? pesos later you are legal for another year.

[Samantha]

Sarcasm? Your post sounds a tad bitter actually. Maybe you didn't know what you were getting into when you came to Mexico.

[Prof.Gringo]

I knew exactly what I was getting into. In fact, I still live in Mexico. I could go into the positives of life and living in Mexico, but I am a bit too tired right now. Like I said, that's just how I see it. I never expected to get rich or even make a lot of money. That was not why I came to Mexico. Neither did I ever plan on working for pay that is too low by local standards. If I wanted to be a volunteer I would have came as one.

[MELEE]

My husband and I have talked about leaving, but we're with gallito, not until Bush is out of office! We are looking at an alternative teacher credential program in Texas. We could both get jobs through that in Austin, Texas. He teaching high school math and me early elementary bilingual ed. We'd both start off with salaries of at least 40,000 a year, maybe more due to holding hire degrees. But our main reason for doing it would be to immerse our daughters in English and be closer to my parents for a time. We'd set a limit--like 5 years--of time we'd be willing to stay in the US. And a recent road construction project is making my life here HELL!! I've mumbled "stupid country" under my breath more times in the last three weeks than I have in the last nine years.

But even though we toy with the idea, we aren't making any moves on it right now. If find the statements of no credit and career ceilings bizaar! I have both a mortgage and a Mexican credit card. I also have a very rewarding career, at a university, where I've taken a turn as an administrator and I dable in the ELT publishing industry--but not as an author, yet that is. I could happily live out my life here.

[Gary Denness]