Job Discussion Forums

[jf1940]

Im getting ready to go throught the TEFL course with EBC in Costa Rica. Then I have my heart set on teaching in Mazatlan. Anyone know of the job market there? I haven't found any postings on MAZ yet.

[Samantha]

The job market here in Mazatlan is difficult, to say the least. The better jobs are sewed up pretty tight and that scene is rather cliquey. If you are determined to teach here, you should bring plenty of pesos because rents can be high but wages not. It takes time to get other than a few part-time hours here and there, especially for someone with a fresh certificate and new to teaching English. Luck has a bit to do with getting hired by the right people. The trend here is to hire national English teachers as they are perceived as more reliable, stable, can tolerate the climate and don't leave town when weather gets intolerable, like most foreign teachers do.

On the other hand, visiting as a tourist is a great experience as Mazatlan is still one of the best beach resort bargains in Mexico. This is a pretty promotional video. (Edited to include this 5 minute clip.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HCiYQixIgQ

[jf1940]

well that is a bit sad to hear. I've read about Puerto Vallarta's job market and figured Mazatlan would be the same or better given that it is such a bigger city. I know there are plenty of language schools there and plenty of mexicans who want to learn english. What about private lessons or tutoring positions at the college and schools? thanks for your reply

[jf1940]

also, what other jobs are available for americans while i look for a teaching job?

[Samantha]

I'm not so sure the job market in Puerto Vallarta is any better, but perhaps it is.

There aren't that many language schools here who hire foreigners. It's totally different than you read about in other parts of Mexico. And the ones that do hire a foreigner, pay quite poorly by a foreign teacher's standards. The better jobs are in the Universities or Colegios where getting a foot in the door is a lengthy process. You need the experience and credentials for that and be able to prove that you are permanent and not a transient working-vacation type. These are the schools where the parents pay tuitions and while the students don't necessarily want to learn English, it isn't optional for them. These settings can be extremely challenging and you need to be an experienced teacher with more than average patience. (Much has been written about this in threads under Prepa or High School)

I have lived and worked in Mazatlan for going on 9 years now, so have a pretty good handle on the situation. To be truthful, locals here don't take learning English very seriously, contrary to what you may have heard. Many language schools have gone out of business because the students just aren't there to enrol. There isn't much monetary incentive for most to learn English. It's hard to explain, but those in hotel jobs can get by with little English and they won't earn more money by taking English lessons. The better hotels sometimes hire a contracted teacher to do group lessons, but it is like pulling teeth to get the staff to attend. Seriously.

When the economy is tough, and it is tough here for more than half the year, English lessons are the first to go from the budget. The schools can't pay for air conditioning with only a few students, and you can't study here without air conditioning for 6 months of the year. The tourist economy is down at the moment but foreigners are still trying to sell time-shares and real estate. The end of this winter season will see alot of people heading back north with no money in their pockets. The resort cities all rely on tourism and it is down right now for obvious reasons. Charter flight fares have been slashed to encourage travel to beach areas in Mexico.

Fewer people means that businesses and those hired by these businesses all suffer. No extra money for attending English classes, basically. I'm sorry it's not better news, but it's best anyone going to a beach resort be aware of this and go in with eyes wide open. The Mexicans working in tourism here are having trouble making ends meet and many of them have gone over to Cabo to work in hotels, restaurants and other tourist venues. They apparently get different kinds of tourists than we do and pay better for tourism workers. Everyone seems to speak English in Cabo.

[Guy Courchesne]

Mazatlan sounds remarkably like Acapulco.

While not every beach town is the same, it's always good advice to warn that life is not always 'a beach' when seeking work in such places in Mexico.