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obinhwan
Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 23
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 Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:11 pm Post subject: Starting out in DF |
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Hi all.
Well, I've been here in DF for a week now, and I feel like i'm set up pretty nicely, cheap safe apartment, getting to know the city bit by bit, even arriving in the middle of rainy season  . I'm still awaiting my CELTA certificate to arrive back in Canada so my sister can get it legalized for me and send it down, but I'm very anxious to start teaching and was hoping some of the more experience DF teachers could lend me some advice.
I just finished my CELTA at the end of May, and I have a Bachelor's of Finance. Also, I've had no previous teaching before that aside from several years of high school badminton coaching. Since I'm as new as they come to English teaching, I'd like to find a situation where I'll receive good support in developing my teaching abilities. (The CELTA program I took at LSC Toronto was truly great, but one month can only do so much in preparing a newbie) Pay isn't extremely important to me right now, just enough to live is fine for me right now. Can anybody recommend any respectable newbie friendly schools or know of any opportunities that might fit the bill?
Thanks so much.
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Pretty much all of the language schools are always hiring. With your CELTA and degree you could land a job at a private colegio, teaching kids. The pay, hours and benifits are usually much better than a language school. There are many schools hiring right now. Check out the newspaper: El Universal, and just carry a stack of resumes around with you and drop them off in any school that looks interesting. You should have a decent job soon. Good luck! |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| With your CELTA and degree you could land a job at a private colegio, teaching kids. The pay, hours and benifits are usually much better than a language school. |
While this is a good time to be job seeking, I think the Prof is being somewhat misleading in stating that a degree in finance with a CELTA is a good bet to be seeking jobs that pay well with good bennies. The pay, hours, and benefits at such places likely to accept you with zero experience or a relevant degree, in my opinion, are likely to offer you less than half what you could make working in language schools. I would advise looking at business EFL teaching opportunities. |
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obinhwan
Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 23
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| Pretty much all of the language schools are always hiring. With your CELTA and degree you could land a job at a private colegio, teaching kids. The pay, hours and benifits are usually much better than a language school. There are many schools hiring right now. Check out the newspaper: El Universal, and just carry a stack of resumes around with you and drop them off in any school that looks interesting. You should have a decent job soon. Good luck! |
Thanks Prof, I'll give that a try and see how it pans out in terms of offers. |
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obinhwan
Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 23
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| Quote: |
| With your CELTA and degree you could land a job at a private colegio, teaching kids. The pay, hours and benifits are usually much better than a language school. |
While this is a good time to be job seeking, I think the Prof is being somewhat misleading in stating that a degree in finance with a CELTA is a good bet to be seeking jobs that pay well with good bennies. The pay, hours, and benefits at such places likely to accept you with zero experience or a relevant degree, in my opinion, are likely to offer you less than half what you could make working in language schools. I would advise looking at business EFL teaching opportunities. |
Wow less than half? What kind of pay would this be? I'll pick up an El Universal and see if business EFL opportunities are listed as well. Thanks for the advice Guy. |
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thelmadatter
Joined: 31 Mar 2003
Posts: 1212
Location: in el Distrito Federal x fin!
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:14 pm Post subject: finance |
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While not English language teaching, if I were you, I would also look into teaching classes in finance or related (in English) at some of the schools (Tec de Monterrey or Escuela Bancaria y Comerical/EBC come to mind) While probably not enough to pay the bills in and of itself, such would be teaching experience in a field you are already comfortable with.
Worth a shot. A number of schools look for people who can teach certain subject matters in English. Tec, in particular, pushes this and EBC (as I recently found out) is growing in this way. (Im job hunting myself in Da Big Ciudad) |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| obinhwan wrote: |
| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| Quote: |
| With your CELTA and degree you could land a job at a private colegio, teaching kids. The pay, hours and benefits are usually much better than a language school. |
While this is a good time to be job seeking, I think the Prof is being somewhat misleading in stating that a degree in finance with a CELTA is a good bet to be seeking jobs that pay well with good bennies. The pay, hours, and benefits at such places likely to accept you with zero experience or a relevant degree, in my opinion, are likely to offer you less than half what you could make working in language schools. I would advise looking at business EFL teaching opportunities. |
Wow less than half? What kind of pay would this be? I'll pick up an El Universal and see if business EFL opportunities are listed as well. Thanks for the advice Guy. |
Well....let's see! Most, but not all of the private schools that teach 1-12 grades pay in the range of $8-12,000 pesos. Some pay less, as low as six or even $4,000 pesos per month. Others pay as high as $20,000 or more per month. It's worth a shot to apply at these schools and see what happens.
As for language schools, what do they pay? Guy, can you give some examples where a language school is going to pay you let's say $20,000 pesos per month versus the appx. $10,000 pesos per month that is the average in a colegio? I've never seen a language school that even had decent benefits, I never even had public health coverage through IMSS while at a language school. No aguinaldo (Christmas bonus), or much of anything else for that matter. Even if you work in a colegio for ten a month, you get all of the SEP public school holidays, and that's worth it right there. Language schools seem to pay between $40-80 pesos per hour. A very few may pay more. It's a constant competion against the other teachers to keep and get more hours. Quality of classes varies, but tends to be from mediocre on average up to "the students actually learned something" all the way down to "pack 'em in, and take that money."
Teach kids in the morning to early afternoon, and then work in a language school, or teach private classes to pick up some extra cash.
Business classes seem to pay between 120-200 pesos per hour. I'd say the average is about 150. You will have to travel all over the city and classes cancel or change all the time. With that you don't get any benefits, job security, paid vacation, or much of anything else. Business English is very competitive and cut-throat. Schools seem to come and go, along with the teachers and students.
Teaching at a private elementary, middle and/or high school gives you some decent benefits, job security and excellent experience as a teacher. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Teaching at a private elementary, middle and/or high school gives you some decent benefits, job security and excellent experience as a teacher. |
I simply don't think those jobs are as available as you say, at least not the better paying jobs. Not for an inexperienced teacher.
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| Others pay as high as $20,000 or more per month. It's worth a shot to apply at these schools and see what happens. |
You're right in that it's worth a shot. In the end, there are lots of options in DF and this is the time of year to be looking at all the options as many open up. I hope the OP comes back to let us know how it goes. |
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MO39
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1970
Location: El ombligo de la Rep�blica Mexicana
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| Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:20 am Post subject: |
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| From the comments on this thread, it looks like teaching children or adolescents is the way to go, UNLESS you have absolutely no desire to do so, which is my case! |
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guatetaliana
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 112
Location: Monterrey, Nuevo Le�n, Mexico
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:49 am Post subject: |
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| Also, I love teaching kids and adolescents (enjoyed many years as a certified public school teacher in Chicago), but nearly lost my mind and health doing so in a private school in Mexico. Don't just spring for the money and benefits. Your sanity is worth something! Make sure the private school sector is for you. |
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obinhwan
Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 23
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| Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 2:27 am Post subject: |
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Ok, now that I'm finally set up with a job, I can get back and provide this thread of mine with a bit of closure. I have accepted a job at a private school in Cuajimalpa teaching grade 9 english lit. The pay is on the higher end of the colegio scale, with public health insurance, aguinaldo(spelling), and some other nice bennies. I was warned well ahead of time that the kids will be a nightmare if I'm not incredibly strict and firm with punishment. Worth noting though, that what got me this job was mainly my interview, as I made a very good impression with the principal of the middle school, and me = native speaker I think sealed the deal.
Now on another note, If there is a native speaker out there who is looking for a job and is very proficient with computers (most aspects of ms office, good working knowledge of adobe media software, etc), there is a job opening at my new school. The hours would be 7:30am to 3:00pm, Monday-Friday, and probably the same pay package that I have. The school facilities are very nice and modern, holidays during the school year are plentiful, and the school has a private bus for teachers that will take you directly from Metro Auditorio to the school and back at the end of the day. Anybody interested, pls give me a shout. |
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