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gregd75
Joined: 14 Mar 2007
Posts: 360
Location: Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
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 Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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Hey!
My advice would be to refresh your resume and wait until just after the New Year. Schools often recruit for their Spring semester. A word of caution though... there is a lot of people in the EFL market at the moment, so take a few extra minutes to make sure your resume looks as good as it can possibly be.
And remember MEXTESOL will have an event here in Guadalajara on 23rd January at ITESO. This would look good to be mentioned on your cover letter and you may be able to network during the event itself! |
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TheLongWayHome
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 1016
Location: San Luis Piojosi
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| gregd75 wrote: |
| A word of caution though... there is a lot of people in the EFL market at the moment, so take a few extra minutes to make sure your resume looks as good as it can possibly be. |
Good for you though Greg. A lot of cheap labour around keeping those language school wages as low it possibly goes. |
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gregd75
Joined: 14 Mar 2007
Posts: 360
Location: Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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You can't help posting snide remarks, can you ,TLWH??
I was trying the guy with some constructive advice.
As for a supply of cheal labour, I think that your valid point is true about all positions. Not just language schools. |
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ElJuero
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 2:21 am Post subject: Same exact experience in Oaxaca |
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I had the same exact experience in Oaxaca. The small private school never had the hours after I spent a ton of time and money getting an fm3. The school which has been around for some time had just enough market to keep the "old timers" in enough hours. They wanted new blood to take up slack and offer possibilities for making them a bit more money.
After that experience, I think you're wasting your time if you don't talk about a contract and what's guaranteed for minimum hours/week (at least where there are other "full time" teachers. Otherwise they'll just cut your hours at their convenience or to save a few bucks....the loss of time - money is your problem.
The other point made here is correct also - universities are probably well under way to starting at the end of January. One issue there may be that you will get enough hours but will start racking up paperwork for 25-30 students a pop. Lot's of work outside of class when it comes to quizes and the like....... |
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TheLongWayHome
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 1016
Location: San Luis Piojosi
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| Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 4:06 pm Post subject: Re: Same exact experience in Oaxaca |
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| ElJuero wrote: |
| After that experience, I think you're wasting your time if you don't talk about a contract and what's guaranteed for minimum hours/week (at least where there are other "full time" teachers. Otherwise they'll just cut your hours at their convenience or to save a few bucks....the loss of time - money is your problem. |
A language school contract (if you get one) is usually a supplier contract which basically entitles you to nothing. If they have the hours, they can give them to you, if they don't, you won't get any hours and there's nothing you can do about it. And unless it's written into the contract, there's no guarantee of minimum hours.
Be careful though, these supplier contracts don't work both ways. If you want some vacation time, forget it. If you don't want to work Saturdays, forget it. If you don't want to work with kids, forget it.
If you want to ask questions about the contract, forget it.
| ElJuero wrote: |
| One issue there may be that you will get enough hours but will start racking up paperwork for 25-30 students a pop. Lot's of work outside of class when it comes to quizes and the like....... |
The paperwork is minimal. Just grading exams, the same as you would in a language school. Perhaps there'll be a few more students. I've never had to write reports in the three unis I've worked at. In fact, the only place I've had to write reports, and for each student, was in a language school.
Plus in unis you'll get things like a contract (worth the paper it's written on), IMSS, bonuses, paid holidays, a bank account set up for you etc.
Put it this way: 20 hours a week in a uni (no Saturdays) will make you $9,000 - $10,000 a month. That's 4 hours a day.
40+ hours a week, split shifts, Saturdays will make you $7,000 max a month in a language school.
And yes first time teachers can get jobs in unis, this is not a myth. You don't have to start in a language school. |
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ElJuero
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 4:39 pm Post subject: Re: Same exact experience in Oaxaca |
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| TheLongWayHome wrote: |
| ElJuero wrote: |
| After that experience, I think you're wasting your time if you don't talk about a contract and what's guaranteed for minimum hours/week (at least where there are other "full time" teachers. Otherwise they'll just cut your hours at their convenience or to save a few bucks....the loss of time - money is your problem. |
A language school contract (if you get one) is usually a supplier contract which basically entitles you to nothing. If they have the hours, they can give them to you, if they don't, you won't get any hours and there's nothing you can do about it. And unless it's written into the contract, there's no guarantee of minimum hours.
Be careful though, these supplier contracts don't work both ways. If you want some vacation time, forget it. If you don't want to work Saturdays, forget it. If you don't want to work with kids, forget it.
If you want to ask questions about the contract, forget it.
| ElJuero wrote: |
| One issue there may be that you will get enough hours but will start racking up paperwork for 25-30 students a pop. Lot's of work outside of class when it comes to quizes and the like....... |
The paperwork is minimal. Just grading exams, the same as you would in a language school. Perhaps there'll be a few more students. I've never had to write reports in the three unis I've worked at. In fact, the only place I've had to write reports, and for each student, was in a language school.
Plus in unis you'll get things like a contract (worth the paper it's written on), IMSS, bonuses, paid holidays, a bank account set up for you etc.
Put it this way: 20 hours a week in a uni (no Saturdays) will make you $9,000 - $10,000 a month. That's 4 hours a day.
40+ hours a week, split shifts, Saturdays will make you $7,000 max a month in a language school.
And yes first time teachers can get jobs in unis, this is not a myth. You don't have to start in a language school. |
In my experience staff from at the private school did have contracts even recently, could question contracts etc.. In fact, big disputes have arisen between staff and the owner in that area. Without a contract, I think we are in agreement, anything may and does happen. In contrast, some states may have much stronger worker protection with a contract which is rarely known to Gringo's wandering into that particular area. It does vary.
The "good" private university I had experience with in Southern Mexico had 3 times more students than the private school. The private university was highly bureaucratic (lots of paperwork) required meetings etc. (this entailed taking buses across city). The pay as you say was better but it wasn't easy money.
No disagreements with what you are saying but it isn't universal for Mexico. I think it can be very different in certain states or cities even. Immigration in Oaxaca is famously difficult which has to do with their own political issues. I've heard of very easy immigration processes or none at all in other parts of Mexico.
In any case, be prepared for your own learning curve in Mx.. You can run into things being quite different in some places. |
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TheLongWayHome
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 1016
Location: San Luis Piojosi
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| Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 9:13 pm Post subject: Re: Same exact experience in Oaxaca |
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| ElJuero wrote: |
In my experience staff from at the private school did have contracts even recently, could question contracts etc.. In fact, big disputes have arisen between staff and the owner in that area. Without a contract, I think we are in agreement, anything may and does happen. In contrast, some states may have much stronger worker protection with a contract which is rarely known to Gringo's wandering into that particular area. It does vary.
The "good" private university I had experience with in Southern Mexico had 3 times more students than the private school. The private university was highly bureaucratic (lots of paperwork) required meetings etc. (this entailed taking buses across city). The pay as you say was better but it wasn't easy money.
No disagreements with what you are saying but it isn't universal for Mexico. I think it can be very different in certain states or cities even. Immigration in Oaxaca is famously difficult which has to do with their own political issues. I've heard of very easy immigration processes or none at all in other parts of Mexico.
In any case, be prepared for your own learning curve in Mx.. You can run into things being quite different in some places. |
Absolutely, I'd recommend government unis or private unis with very low fees for teaching. They often pay better too. At the end of the day a private (expensive) university would rather lose a teacher than a paying customer err... student any day of the week.
Mexican law does protect the worker, though how and whether laws are enforced in different parts of Mexico is another matter entirely. |
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ElJuero
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:04 pm Post subject: Private university |
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Yes you are right. In the end any allegiance is between the University and the rich student (private uni's). I found that out when I tried to minimize and/or eliminate cheating. Exams that were low scoring were mysteriously "lost" by the department at the end of the semester. I taught a semester and came back to the states it was such a joke. The public university in Oaxaca is the wild wild west. A shooting a year ago and there are essentially departmental "gangs" that have been known to raid the goods of another department.
Even the most blatant cheating is tolerated due to the fact "Papi" can go have a drink with the department chair etc.. and make it alright. You know the drill I'm sure 
Still, there's something about Mexico that is charming in all of it's horrible corruption and brutality.......
Eljuero |
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TheLongWayHome
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 1016
Location: San Luis Piojosi
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| Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 3:22 am Post subject: when 6 is 9 |
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| ElJuero wrote: |
Even the most blatant cheating is tolerated due to the fact "Papi" can go have a drink with the department chair etc.. and make it alright. You know the drill I'm sure
Still, there's something about Mexico that is charming in all of it's horrible corruption and brutality.......
Eljuero |
There definitely is something charming about it... and it was an interesting experience seeing how 6s become 9s, how absences disappear, to be offered money to pass students and all the rest of it but I probably won't venture into a private uni again. |
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