Job Discussion Forums

[GueroPaz]

I just read that the urban area of Veracruz (the port city) is almost a million inhabitants, more than enough for me. I visited there as a tourist, years ago, and passed through it by bus, but I never thought of teaching there. As a major port city, it must have more international commerce than most inland cities. I could swim, probably find adequate hospitals, and it's reasonably warm in the winter. Does anybody know about the EFL/ESL scene there? Thanks.

[MELEE]

Don't know much about the teaching scene in Veracruz, but I'm going to be there November 8th to the 11th for the Annual MEXTESOL Convention!

[veroax]

I'm about two hours outside of Veracruz, and I'm there often on weekends. There are several language schools including two Harmon Halls, Knowledge of English, etc. I've been told that native speaking teachers are very much in demand. A friend was taking classes at HH and most of the teachers are locals. She said that the native speakers' classes fill up quickly. I imagine that getting a job would be relatively easy since you'd be a valued commodity, although teaching hours may be high at first to make a comfortable living. I'm also aware of a sort of dispatch company that sends teachers to companies for business english classes. And there are also a slew of universities... a campus of the Veracruzana, Cristobal Colon, Villa Rica, and a few smaller ones. I suspect that you would probably need good Spanish and some local experience / recommendations before getting hired at one of those. But if you plan to be there for a while, you might end up teaching at a uni and part-time at a language school, in which case I think you could live pretty nicely and stash aside a bit.

Jarochos are especially friendly, and the city has a unique feel to it... almost more Caribbean. There's even a substantial Cuban influence. The whole coast along Boca del Rio is ringed with beaches, but they are not spectacular nor particularly clean. They're fine I suppose, but nicer beaches are located a bit outside of the city.

Feel free to post here or send me a private message if you have any specific questions about el puerto. As long as you don't mind the heat, I'd say it's a great destination.

[GueroPaz]

Thanks for the replies. I'll proceed with my "Plan B" to exit Thailand next year if things proceed in a direction toward Mexico.

veroax, I'll send you a PM with a question or two. Your post is very helpful and informative. I recall that jarochas prefer blondes; hopefully the jarochos do, too.

After coastal Chiapas and after Thailand, Veracruz would actually be a bit cool in the winter. I spent most of my life on coastal plains and in big cities, but 4 million or 19 million people are too many.