Job Discussion Forums

Sapphhire Moon · Joined: 14 Nov 2008 Posts: 6

I am due to leave cold, rainy England in February to embark upon a new life teaching English in Mexico. I am due to start a 4-week TEFL in Guadalajara with ITTO. The only reason I have chosen to do this course is because ITTO guarantee to find you paid teaching work after completion of the course. Can anyone verify this Question

ITTO have assured me that this is the case, but they would, wouldn't they? I'd be reallly grateful for some help with this.

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

And even if they don't you're bound to find something here, there are plenty of jobs, especially in a city like Guadalajara.

El Gallo · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 318

Don't take ITTO's assignment of a school for you blindly. They get commissions from schools for placements of their graduates and some of the schools they refer people to are real stinkers.

Do your own research before you are stuck with a 9 month contract in a hell hole.

Sapphhire Moon · Joined: 14 Nov 2008 Posts: 6

Thanks for your help guys. I'll do some research into prospective teaching positions before I arrive.

dangermouse24 · Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 22 Location: Mexico

I wouldnt get your hopes up too much on that one.

Studied in ITTO myself, though it was a few years ago now, they promised us exactly the same thing however of the 15 or so in my class only one of us actually got a job placement with them and thats because they were actually planning to stay in Guadalajara. They ended up teaching in the school across the street where we did our observed training. As for the rest of us it depended on which city we were heading to.

Some of us were given a list of schools in the city we wanted with contact details (with some rather outdated info) and told to contact them on arrival and say that we were coming from ITTO. Others got a hand shake and wishes of good luck in their job search.

Like I said it was a few years ago. I really hope its changed since then.

Other than that little hitch the course was great. Met a lot of great people, enjoyed the beautiful city of guadalajara and its surrounding areas, learnt alot of techniques etc in the course, the teachers are very good, really knew what they were talking about,...I'm still in touch with them from time to time and they are always willing and able to help.

Don't let what I said put you off. It's not as hard to get a job here as many people seem to say. Being foreign and having the right papers will make the difference. English teaching jobs appear all the time for mexico on the internet, newspapers, or simply working in of the street to a school and asking...it's just a question of doing your research before hand, knowing what you want and where to look.

Sapphhire Moon · Joined: 14 Nov 2008 Posts: 6

Thanks Dangermouse. I know I shouldn't depend on ITTO to find me a teaching position. Hopefully, as you suggest, the organisation may have improved from when you studied with them.