Job Discussion Forums

[peachy]

I'm trying to find ESL work in Sonora - Theres nothing advertised and I've never seen anyone mention Hermosillo in any forums. I'll be in Mexico on 15th May, should I just rock up and hope for the best? Has anyone ever worked teaching ESL here?


Thanks for your help.

Peachy

[amelie]

Check out the following site for some advertised jobs in Hermosillo.

http://www.teachabroad.com/Mexico.cfm/sr/21/countryID/57

[moonraven]

I believe the Tec de Monterrey (ITESM) has abranch in Hermosillo. There are also several language schools, including Harmon Hall.

[peachy]

Thanks guys
I have heard of Tec de Monterrey but not Harmon Hall. Will check it out and will follow link too.....
Have also sent email to UNO. Wish me luck!

Peachy

[moonraven]

Be v-e-r-y careful with Harmon Hall. There is a thread on this forum about HH Hildalgo I believe that you should read carefully.

[peachy]

Thanks Moonraven,

I went to the other thread and I will be very very cautious

HH seem very deceiving, their web site looks so professional, maybe thats the business side coming out and not the education side.

I've been looking for teaching jobs anywhere in Sonora and have found many Universities over 10, but am have little luck finding their web sites. I will keep going, maybe I'll have better luck when I'm actually there.

Not many people are very positive about teaching in Mexico, maybe I'll just come for a visit and go back to Cambodia, where the wages are good and living expenses low.

I might start a new thread and ask everyone if they have any info on GOOD places to work. I bet it ownt get any replies!!!

[saraswati]

Hi Peachy,
I was just reading this thread and thought I'd put my two cents in. Moonraven is very leary about Harmon Hall because of past experiences (negative, obviously) with a Harmon Hall school, but not the one in Hermosillo. If you are interested in finding out more, I suggest you contact the school yourself. The director there is VERY academically minded. So much so that she has contributed a great deal to the organization on a national level.

Whatever you do, ask about everything. There are enough schools out there that you can do a bit of "shopping around" to see which one suits you best.

Good luck!

[peachy]

Hmmmmm,
Saraswati, have you worked for HH or do you know of anyone that worked for HH in Hermosillo? You sound more positive. Theres alot of negative feedback re HH and not just here at Daves. I think I'll stop applying for jobs on line and apply in person when I get there I've got enough $ to last a couple of months and if I don't have any luck I'll come home. And I'll take everything with a grain of salt or two.
Thanks for putting your 2 bits in It doesn't sound as glum after all!
While I'm here do you know a good area to stay in? (in Hermosillo)and what do you think my chance are of finding someone to share with? It seems alot of people also have 1 bedroom places, I'd perfer to split the costs where ever possible.
Thanks again you guys are a great help, its good to bounce ideas around.

[saraswati]

Hi Peachy,
Yep...I work for Harmon Hall and yes, not all schools are equal. That's why I say "take a look." I myself have never been to Hermosillo; I just know the people who work there. If you want to contact the HH before you go, their email is [email protected]. Someone should get back to you fairly quickly.

[MELEE]

There are several other universities in Hermosillo that I've heard of hiring Native English Speaking Teachers. One of them (the name is something like Universidad del Norte) used to advertize really REALLY frequently. I ment a teacher who worked there and asked why they had such high turnover. She said the job conditions were good, but the problem was the weather. It is HOT there, really hot. In May, just when you are planning to arrive, temperatures will be reaching 40� C and don't expect to find apartments for rent with airconditioning.

[moonraven]

I am jumping back in.

Yes, Hermosillo is very hot. I wouldn't be caught dead there, and I like hot weather.

As for the director of Harmon Hall Hermosillo, she seems nice. I know her--we worked on some committees together. However, all HHs are prety standardized in terms of working hours and salaries--tey turn in reports every 4 weeks to themain office and if they are deviating from the norm they are sanctioned-. They are businesses--education happens in spite of that--IF it happens. Many owner/drectors do not even speak English. At a director/owner conventon a few years ago one of them was spoutng off about how he never observed the teachers (teachers are REQUIRED to be observed at least 3 times every 6 months) because he knew they would just put on a show and gve him what they thought he wanted to hear. I confronted him with the real reason that he didn't observe them: because he spoke no English and would have no idea what was going on! As you can see, there are some real clowns out there--and they could end up being your boss. In general in Mexico you had better have your stuff together and be a really dedicated EDUCATOR--willing to go to the mat with owners and directors for the benefitof your students. If you are not, you shouldn't bother teaching here--you'll be frustrated, unhappy and most important of all: you will not make the changes that are needed.

[saraswati]

Moonraven is set on portraying HH as unequivocably evil. What a generalization! As I've said before, not all schools are created equal, but Moonraven's continued defamation of all HHs is tiresome and to an extent, offensive. I hope she is at some point able to let go of all that negativity.

I only spoke of HH in Hermosillo, nowhere else. I still think that particular school is worth checking out because the director is very involved academically. As to other schools, opinion and reality vary.

Good luck Peachy!

[moonraven]

I am not George W. Bush, so I do not use the term evil. Ever. Nor am I defaming (which has a legal implication) any organization. (However, HH does, in fact, defame former teachers with its policy of blacklisting them when they leave.) I was under the impression that these threads were here to give some guidance to folks who ask for it, not to patronize folks who do so with New Age jargon. My experience of HH was not unique, and I have presented both negative and positive aspects of working for HH at different times in this forum. The paradox of HH is that the training and experience one receives there are most useful for new teachers--but they are the ones who usually find it very difficult to adapt to the HH environment.

By the way, why do you believe I am female?

[saraswati]

I agree...people are here to be guided and it's important that people be wary and knowledgeable about their rights but you tend to over-generalize. You say that teachers are blacklisted when they leave. I know that it has happened but it isn't always true. I've worked for four different schools and teachers often transfer from one to another.

New age jargon? Perception is reality. C'est la vie.

Why do I think you're a woman? Well...I've worked in the organization long enough and I think I know who you are.

[moonraven]

HH blacklists folks when they leave because a) they are very concerned about their method being used in other schools and b) they expect teachers to be personally loyal to the owner of the school where they are working--at least that is the rationale that is given by HH owners. But that doesn't hold up to logical analysis, as it would seem to be in the best interests of HH to keep teachers trained by them in the HH system. The blacklist is circulated to Anglo-Americano and Anglo-Mexicano, among others. It was an issue between the owner where I directed a HH school and me because I was not willing to blacklist folks. It was clearly an extremely personal issue--to my mind inappropriate in a business setting. Going to another HH on a transfer is a different ballgame, as it requires cooperation between the owners--or in some cases the owner is actually the same person.

I suppose some people may feel that I am too strict about ethics--however, blacklisting is an illegal act in the US, and it became an illegal act--along with asking a job candidate his/her age--to protect employees from being discriminated against in the hiring process. As the process of education is to inculcate consciousness, it seems counterproductive to me to throw one's ethics in the garbage while living in a culture known for its corruption and lack of transparency. Even the SEP has finally added Ethics as a required subject at several educational levels!