Job Discussion Forums

[Tretyakovskii]

I've been invited to a meeting in which hiring me to teach English in a government institution will be discussed. The institution, while not a university and not connected to a university, trains and certifies professionals at a post-graduate level. I thought it would be useful for me to know what full-time university professors are typically paid in Mexico (assume qualifications and experience, for this illustration) just to give me a ballpark on what a reasonable salary expectation might be.

From other posts, I've read figures ranging between 10,000 and 25,000 pesos per month for full time, teaching twelve to fourteen hours per week. (The poster who said 25,000 did not say on what he was basing his information, so I'm taking that with a grain of salt, at this point. The lower figure was from someone with actual experience, as I understand it.)

I'd be grateful to hear from as many of you as have actual experience, teaching in universities, to tell me what you know about it. (I'm currently teaching, part time, at a local university, evening classes: I don't want to ask there, and stir up unnecessary interest in what may come to nothing, anyway.)

[wildchild]

idk if this is the answer you are looking for but...

see if you can get them to make an offer, then tell them you will get back to them...

also, when determining your fee, consider how many students, hours... gotta make it worth your while...

good luck brother

[geaaronson]

I teach at a public university full time. My monthly pay is $14,394. I get paid every two weeks on the 15th and the 30th. Take home comes to about 6,200 per cycle after taxes are taken out. Neither federal medical insurance, nor social security is taken out.
My teaching schedule is 16 contact hours of classroom time, 24 in the office preparing for classes and administrative work.
My holidays get paid for as well as does Christmas break, Easter and one week in the summer should I renew my contract before that time. My savings rate is 20% of my earnings, if not more.

For my first semester I had 51 students spread over four classes. This semester I have 82 students spread over four classes.
Don�t hesitate to ask any more Q�s.

[Tretyakovskii]

geaaronson, that was extremely generous of you to give us exact numbers, as you did. It not only potentially helps me to know, but may help others, too, who are trying to make life decisions with Mexico in mind. I'm hoping others will be forthcoming, as well, and you set a good example.

If indigo1 is reading this thread, he'll have your savings rate to go on, in answer to his question about whether it's possible to save anything, here.
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And, thanks wildchild for your comments, which I'll certainly keep in mind, though on this thread I'm hoping for some specificity with numbers.

By the way, are those your own abs? Looks like somebody's been putting in a lot of time in the gym....

[TheLongWayHome]

[wildchild]

okay okay! last semester, i was making over 10k a month, 18 contact hours...

yes, i hit the gym, but only because im hopelessly depressed and it helps me to get my mind off things...

[Tretyakovskii]

Looks like it's working, wildchild! But it may be wasted, just a little, with the beaches so far from Puebla.

Thanks for adding the detail about pay. I'm hoping some others will do so, as well, as it is something of interest, generally, to everyone who's not well established, here, or who's thinking about coming here.

[wildchild]

[Tretyakovskii]

Don't have a couch to offer, but I would recommend a trip to Cancun, and points south, and west, for all people who work in TEFL. Come 15 April to 15 December, and enjoy amazing discounts on lodging. During that time, you can really have a great time, with the beaches largely to yourselves.

Living here, we had a great time, last summer, staying in some nice hotels overnight, even though we live here, just for the fun of it.

[Tretyakovskii]

Well, we got down to brass tacks today, and the deal is done, after two lengthy meetings, conducted entirely in Spanish, as usual. (I mentioned on another thread how effortful but necessary it's been for me to be ready to speak Spanish, as all the decision makers I've dealt with were non English speaking.)

I was mistaken about the absence of a connection to a university: actually, as it was explained to me, the courses I'll be teaching are in fulfillment of University of Puebla requirements for qualifying for a postgrad program taught here, and I'll be certifying back to them that this requirement has been met, when it has. (Don't know if I've got the name of the university right, wildchild, but I thought it was highly ironic, in light of your connection, there.)

The pay came out nicely, better than I expected. I won't mention any numbers because I've seen how it can start bragging contests, with the numbers becoming more and more incredible, and no one knowing what to believe. Let me just say, any teacher I personally know would be extremely satisfied with the pay, even if they had many years of experience and graduate degrees.

My thanks to everyone who took an interest in this, and offered their suggestions.
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I want to talk about one other thing that may be useful, or potentially encouraging for others: it was how I struggled and suffered to get to this point. I started in late July to seriously try to develop the very work I've been offered. During the hottest and most miserable part of the summer, I made nine separate visits to the same offices, in an effort to speak with a decision maker, and could not break through the secretarial screen. They'd politely take my papers, and dismiss me. On the ninth visit, and after I'd promised myself "just one more try", the secretary visibly grimaced when she saw me come in. To get rid of me, she said I should call yet again on another department within the organization. On that tenth visit, I hit on a sympathetic soul who ushered me to the postgraduate education department head and, as they say, the rest is history- yet, it took another four months to get to this point and, until I was contacted recently, I thought all had been for naught.

There is sometimes no substitute for perseverance, even when it hurts.

[TheLongWayHome]

Congrats on landing the job, Tretyakovskii. A fine example of what can be achieved here in Mexico.

I'm glad this is becoming more and more commonplace as there's this whole other goldmine of opportunities here for those brave enough to go it alone and cut out the middle-man. You can be your own company here, even if it's just you. There are plenty of niches waiting to be found.

[wildchild]

[Tretyakovskii]

wildchild asks:

[Tretyakovskii]

Just wanted to check with you, wildchild, on the name of the university to see if we're talking about the same place.

Is it, "Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla"?

What led them to tack on the "benemerita" part of that, if it is the same institution?

[wildchild]

The BUAP is one of the biggest ones here, though not the most prestigious, as it is a public system. though I think it would be a great place to study, as it is a very big campus, with a lot going on. their medicine program seems purdy serious.

not sure on the �benemerita� thing...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BUAP