Job Discussion Forums

[Professor]

Newbies, perhaps now isn't a good time to come to Mexico City to teach EFL. It's possible that the market (at least here in Mexico City) is saturated with 'teachers' and schools that you may have a very hard time making enough money to even eat and pay rent for the LONG TERM.
You always hear that you need to come here with some money until you get going. You also need to make sure that you have enough money to go back to your country and have enough to hold you over THERE as well until you can get a job.
Here in Mexico City there are language schools on almost every corner, others trying to make it independently and still others who will hire newbies to travel across the city to work for them. All of these situations are saturating the EFL market here in Mexico City and making it hard to have a stable, long term living wage.
Just make sure if you do come to the DF that you have enough money to take care of yourself while here and have enough to go home in case it gets bad here. Just trying to help you newbies who are considering Mexico City.

[Tretyakovskii]

Lots of people come to Mexico and, through a combination of skill and a little good luck, make a go of it; but, and I've mentioned this before, I found Mexico to be the hardest market to crack of any I've tried.

In Cancun, there's plenty of teachers who are scrounging for hours, and working several different places, in an effort to put a living together. On top of that, the hourly rate is, typically, not very high, adding to the challenge they face.

[mejms]

[Professor]

[Guy Courchesne]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

Newbies, wait until things start to pick up in the States and then come here for one or two years before you go back to the States for graduate school.

[TeresaLopez]

[Professor]

[Professor]

A person will get tired of traveling all over the huge city with no benefits after a while. They will want to have a better income eventually. Traveling to a class, giving it and then going home...all taking half a day or longer and one only receives 12 to 15 bucks just doesn't cut it long term.

[TeresaLopez]

[Prof.Gringo]

Here's the copy from a current ad for an English Teacher in Mexico City:

"Requisitos:
Sexo: indistinto
Edad: de 23 a 37 a�os
Escolaridad: preparatoria mas Teachers o nivel avanzado de ingl�s
Experiencia: un a�o como docente en centros de ense�anza del idioma ingl�s, manejo de grupo, realizar la planeci�n de cursos, monitorear y documentar el desarrollo de cada alumno.
Laboprar: lunes a s�bado de 9 a 7 pm con dos horas de comida
Ofrecemos: sueldo de $8000 mensulales + prestaciones de ley y superiores."

So that's a job that pays $8,000 pesos per month (deduct taxes) for working Mon-Sat 9AM-7PM. Forget any other classes or job with that.

Also forget if you're 22 or 38 years old. You might be the best teacher, but not at those ages.

I decided to call, just as a lark. The contact person/HR manager speaks NO English and they want English teachers with an excellent level of Spanish and command of Spanish grammar.

So I guess it's not a gig for those new in Mexico with limited Spanish skills.

So we are talking about a full-time job, 6 days a week that pays, maybe $6,500 after taxes and that requires teachers to have an excellent command of Spanish.

I think I'll take a pass.

[Professor]

Excellent post prof. Gringo. I'm not thinking in dollars, I'm thinking that a job needs to pay enough for a person to at least SURVIVE and a perfect example of the EFL market and why it's getting worse was just posted by Prof. Gringo. The sad salary Prof. Gringo commented on is an example of the EFL market being saturated in Mexico City.
After taxes 6,500 plus rent, food and POSSIBLY entertainment...where is there ANY secuity in that?? My friend working at Target does much better and doesn't have much stress.

[Professor]