Job Discussion Forums

[cucaracha]

Hello All,

I am a newbie to this forum and wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions. I have spent a week reading past posts in the hope of not asking questions which have already been addressed. I am a TESOL certified teacher with ~1 year classroom experience in Asia. I am planning to trek down into Baja to commune with nature (and recuperate from not-living in Los Angeles for a few months. Then I may possibily proceed to the mainland with the hope of at least exploring the job market. The ultimate goal at this point is to save some money so that I may return to Asia at some point in the future.

With that being said I wanted to know the general situation for English teaching in Baja. If someone could provide specific advice or referral to a resource (website, book, past post, etc.) which will give some in-depth info it would be appreciated. I apologize if this issue has been addressed in detail on the forum before.

Secondly, I currently hold a 120-hour online TESOL certification. I have the original certificate for that course as well as a scanned copy uploaded to my web server which I can access and print out from anywhere. I also have my original A.A. degree diploma from junior college (in paper and electronic form as well).

The real problem I have at this point centers around the fact that I do not currently have a copy of my B.A. diploma. My student loans are currently in default and my school has put a hold on transcripts. The only thing I have right now is a letter from the Accounts office stating that my transcript is on hold untill the account is rectified.

So, I guess my questions are as follows :

Would it be possible to get away with providing a prospective school with the letter from the Accounts office which applies that I at least RECEIVED a degree from the school? If not, are there any other suggested ways around this? Will I simply NOT be able to obtain legitimate work in MX without such proof of BA degree? Or will the AA degree hold?

From other posts it seems as if it is necessary to get these forms notorized at a MX consulate in the home country of the teacher. Is there a way around this? In other words are there less "legitimate" places to work where these formalities can be bypassed?

Thanx

[Prof.Gringo]

You can probably pick up work on a tourist card. Not legal of course, but then again this is Mexico If you want to work legally you will need to get your degree/s and TEFL cert. apostilled. Not usually a fun process. Don't worry about having a degree and not having a copy of it for now. Most schools aren't very picky. Unless you happen to be in a area of Mexico where the INM office wants you to have a BA/BS degree in order for you to get a FM-3 work visa. That usually takes a few months and many trips to the INM office. If you just want to work and not commit to a long time in Mexico, then I recommend you just pick up work as a tourist. Then you don't have to worry about the FM-3 or the apostille.

[Samantha]

Getting degrees and certificates apostilled are NOT generally very difficult experiences (compared to actually knowing grammar rules and teaching English in Mexico) and with that done, the OP can get a working FM3. Schools ARE big on seeing something official. It will get you hired. If you want to get decent pay from a decent school you will be required to get legal. Even with just a TESOL. Get it apostilled.

P. Gringo, you are giving advice based on the INAMI office in your area but I sense you haven't actually had much to do with them. Remember when giving advice, this process is NOT uniform across Mexico. My local office takes less than 2 weeks to issue FM3's if paperwork is in order when first submitted.

Hey, a person can not only "pick up work on a tourist card" but can be a real devil and not even pay for a tourist card in the first place. (Bus or drive across.) Why bother with a tourist card if you intend to violate the laws of the country anyway? Deportation is deportation, right, and you could save $28.00 or $30.00 US. Working illegally means always looking over your shoulder and you having a tourist card will mean nothing when you get busted working. A school is not going to ask for a tourist card, so hey, why bother with that little detail in the first place? (Sarcasm intended. for those that it may have blown over)

[Prof.Gringo]

[Samantha]

Nice rant about US illegal immigration issues.

Did you not notice the sarcasm disclaimer at the bottom of the paragraph about the tourist card? Of course I wasn't recommending it. Out of curiousity though, when was the last time you knew of a gringo without a tourist card being put in jail? I have seen more than one person who couldn't cough up a tourist card or an FM3 (yes, when asked by Immigration) and who were then politely told to exit the country within 3 days. Granted they were from the north and not the south. One guy with a long expired FMT had been reported simply because he was a jerk, but others had inadvertently entered by car or bus and missed the tourist card stop. Big problem once in the center of Mexico. They had to leave the country and reenter with their tourist cards.

About Immigration people having better things to do, I'm not sure what better things you refer to because this IS part of their job. Enforcing Immigration laws. I personally know a guy who works in the local delegation and one of his favorite assignments is 'document checking' . They act on complaints usually, but not always. He has been sent into restaurants to check up on (and deport) illegal waitresses or illegal musicians, into schools to check working FM'3, into gringo real estate offices and other businesses to check paperwork. In fact lately, and this was a surprise to some, an Immigration officer pays an unannounced visit to homes to check if the new FM3'd retirees actually live where they say. The officer then fill out reports as to findings. Now that's a sign that they either have way too much time on their hands or changes are afoot. (One thing to note is that they don't expect a foreigner to carry these documents on their person while out and about. They will set a time to appear at their office with your paperwork).

The actual purpose of my post was not to argue about working legally, but to point out that teachers should always come to Mexico prepared. I suspect most experienced teachers would not want to be passed over because they didn't have their credentials in order. Universities and schools of higher profile are clearly under the watchful eye of the INAM. And we have discussed on this forum several times how easy it is for someone not pleased with you to blow the whistle on your activities. You have to lay mighty low if you plan to work illegally. I can't think of anything more embarrassing than being removed from a classroom by an Immigration officer.

And the other reason was to remind everyone that each Immigration office is different. Most are very strict and by-the-book, but not all are nightmares. The staff at our local office is friendly, helpful and efficient, providing our papers are in order in the first place. And they are seriously inundated with FM3 applications from foreigners moving here in droves, but even still, the one week it used to take for document processing, is still not more than 2 weeks. Whatever you choose to do, and how you choose to do it, be informed. Enjoy Mexico.

[cucaracha]

helpful points made on both sides as I have read between the lines and extracted the pertinent stuff.

I guess for my situation I would want to take the route which would allow the quickest possibility for being hired. Also, even if I got caught and deported it wouldn't be that big of a deal since I am not looking to stay long term (maybe just a few months).

In the part of Asia where I worked before all you need to work is to pay a couple hundred bucks for a business visa - no questions asked. Although I also worked in another (communist) country whose restrictions forced me to depart. It seems like there is a fine line which depends on the goals of the individual.

I will take all of the helpful comments into account as I plan my stategy. Right now the most important thing I would like to know is the general market for teaching throughout the Baja peninsula. If anyone has info on this it would be appreciated.

Thanx again.

[PlayadelSoul]

If you are not legal, then I have no legal obligation to pay you. (How about reading between those lines )

[PlayadelSoul]

Not many, if any, schools are going to be interested in hiring you for a couple of months. Its not worth the time and energy associated with hiring, training, signing up for IMSS, etc. Applying for and receiving your FM3 will take at least two weeks, if not a month or more.

If you work illegally, the place you are working at is crooked. If they don't abide by labor laws in regards to hiring foreigners, what makes you think they will abide by labor laws when it comes to paying you?

As with most internet forums, when you ask for advice, you are bound to get some bad thrown in with the good. Samantha is giving you good advice. Anyone who tells you that its OK to work illegally is ignorant.

[EverReady]

Half of the English teachers working in Mexico City dont have FM-3s. I have met a lot of them and although some have had problems with the schools, I have never meet anyone who has had a problem with migra or knows of anyone who has had a problem with migra. One person I knew stayed five years in Mexico on an expired tourist card and nothing happened. It might be different in other parts of the country but her in the DF the odds of you having a problem are next to none.

[gringojoe]

[Prof.Gringo]

[Prof.Gringo]

[PlayadelSoul]

[ls650]

[cucaracha]

Now, now, ladies and gents. I see I have let the bulls loose on this one. But then again, isn't that the joy of internet forums.