Job Discussion Forums

[Professor]

There are MANY threads pointing out the negative sides to the language schools here in Mexico and working for them, but perhaps the schools are on to something. My personal experience shows that companies want to deal with other companies for the most part; not with an individual off of the street.
A big corporation in Mexico City for example may have more TRUST in a company like Berlitz, Harmon Hall or even Interlingua than in an individual who works alone.
The language schools have more resources and references at their disposal than say a Gringo who works solo. And most of the language schools do train their teachers before sending them out to teach. It also seems very difficult to move up on your own in EFL at times and ones salary can be unstable and unsure to say the least.
Whereas in a company, a person can move up possibly and there seems to me more job security. Just thought I would point out some of the PROS to the language schools here in Mexico.
Add a more BALANCED perspective to the forums on this issue.
Anyone agree? Care to add anything??

[Isla Guapa]

A very balanced post, Professor. I think that what many of us here do not like about working for language schools is the big disparity between what they pay their teachers and how much money they rake in from their students

[Dragonlady]

[Isla Guapa]

I have something positive to say about language schools in Mexico City. I only teach private students these days, and all but one of them come to my apartment for classes. Several of them have at some time in the past studied at language schools in the city, usually going through all the levels successfully. What they tell me is that in spite of all this instruction, they come out of the program still unable to carry on a normal conversation, which is why they've ended up with me! So I want to thank these schools for providing me with a nice supplement to my pension income !

[Professor]

Here's a site that gives school reviews. HH is featured.

http://www.teflschoolreviews.com/harmon-hall-mexico-200666.html

[Guy Courchesne]

[Isla Guapa]

[Dragonlady]

Whoa! What am I missing?

The link provided is not a review; it's a request for reviews, and the text used is the same for every single school.
Everything is blank except 'Overall Quick Ratings' which states 14 votes (received) which produced a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. But where is the link to vote?

We can scroll down to comments - we have 2 negative comments, 1 positive comment, and one professional comment (guess whose).

Right... so, 14 votes and 4 outdated comments is enough for a prudent individual to reach a conclusion about anything out of the thousands of teachers and students who have/will have graced HH facilities?

And where on this web site is this discussed?

[Isla Guapa]

[Guy Courchesne]

[Prof.Gringo]

[TeresaLopez]

[Prof.Gringo]

I don't expect to make $4-6,000 USD per month in Mexico (which I can earn in the US) but I do expect to get things like cost of living raises, bonuses and the ability to have a career path.

I was making $9,000 pesos per month almost 6 long years ago, and that was cash in hand, at my first job as a teacher.

Also, comparing an English teacher and a receptionist is like comparing apples to oranges. And a secretary makes as much as a teacher, that is very telling.

As other posters have said there are careers that pay well above those salaries quoted above. I know people that make $35-40,000 pesos per month.

Again, I see no point in "professional development" and spending tons of my hard earned pesos to get some more cert's so I can make the same wages as 5 years ago.

BTW TeleTech is hiring CSR's full-time in Mexico City. You don't need Spanish. No expensive TEFL cert. Flexible hours. Benefits. They get you a FM-3. And they even have a career path. Starting pay is 40 something pesos per hour. About the same as the language schools.

[Professor]

[Professor]