Job Discussion Forums

[Prof.Gringo]

[the peanut gallery]

Im all for being positive as well. But perhaps people who came to Mexico without a nice financial cushion, dont have other sources of income out with Mexico, dont have any investments, dont have a spouse to assist with the finances, have been screwed over by their employer, cant invest in their own professional development (even if they thought that it was worthwhile) because they are barely making ends meat, and/or have simply been unlucky cant be anything but dreary.

While being positive is admirable, and most certainly healthier than the contrary, there are a few posters on here who never take off their green/white/red tinted glasses. While a negative post gets slated for being "typical, same old same old points" an unrealistically positive one goes unchallenged. From my relatively outsider (on Dave's at least) point of view there are opinions on here posted by individuals with either A. business interests which require Mexico to be viewed as a viable long term option or B. considerable financial advantages over the "common EFL teacher."

gregd75,

On a previous thread I wrote about the pitiful job offers i have received. You stated that surely there had to be more to the story, inference being that the offer wasn�t quite right, and perhaps i was revealing only the negative side of the offer. If interested in the full story, here it is :

I received a job offer from a private language school in a central Mexican state capital; you asked which city but i would prefer to maintain a measure of personal privacy. However it is an irrelevant detail as the markets in Queretaro, SLP, Guanajuato, Aguas, etc. are not exactly dissimilar.

I was offered the following:
Mon-Fri classes from 7 am to 9am
Mon-Fri classes offsite from 12pm to 1pm
Mon-Fri classes from 5 30pm to 9 30 pm
Sat classes from 9am to 2pm
Prem time unpaid, but that is the norm.

40 hr week, Sunday free.
7 weeks of classes, 1 week free (unpaid)
1 week free for Semana Santa (unpaid)
2 weeks free for Christmas (unpaid)
2 weeks free in July (unpaid)
No FM3 assistance (not needed as i am already in tramite for my FM2)
Free use of internet for 1 hr per day (Mon to Fri) at the school.

Salary offered 7000 pesos brutos.

Here is what i have to offer as an ESL teacher:

A degree from a top UK school in education.
TESOL certificate
DELTA certificate
9 years teaching experience including the following:
a) Paid language consultant for the MADRID 2016 Olympic bid.
b) Granted language instruction contract by the Spanish Government to train military (4 year contract)
c) Above contract led to a 2 yr contract with MILITARY AIRBUS
d) 5 years business English
e) 2 years giving the TOEFL

I dont pretend to be at the top of the ESL mountain. Im sure there a lots of teachers on here with better qualifications. However, the above job offer was an insult. It was also the best of the offers i received.

On the other side of the coin is my wife. She holds a university degree from a top Mexican school. She speaks fluent English. Has experience in her field (international commerce, export). She just accepted a job offer that she received last week. She will be working 40 hours per week, no Saturdays. Paid holidays. All the benefits that the law requires. Her salary is 31000 per month brutos. My wife�s field is respected, mine is not. This is a direct Mexico vs Mexico comparison. Nothing to do with what I, or she, could or couldnt earn in a different country.

I was as you all can imagine very proud and pleased for my wife. But that still didnt stop me from feeling dreary about my ESL prospects in Mexico.

This post is not the rant of a disgruntled ESL teacher struggling to get ahead in life. It is merely an account of my personal experiences in attempting to re-enter the Mexican ESL market since my return to the country. As I stated on a previous thread I will not devalue my time/life and accept derisory offers. Nor am i going to slug it out for the next 5/10 years in an attempt to reinvent the wheel and (God forbid) force employers and students/customers alike to show me the professional respect that I (and all of us on this board) fully deserve. But congrats to all those who have made it here, truly a grand accomplishment!

I will be taking an MBA in International Commerce starting in January. I intend to retrain myself in a different field. ESL in Mexico is an untenable proposition for me. For all those on here who are struggling i would suggest a different field as well.

[gregd75]

the peanut Gallery... I'm pleased you write the word OFFERED in your previous post.

Nothing forced you to go through the application process. Nothing forced you to accept the position- which I gathered you didn't do anyway.

With unemployment so high at the moment in the USA I am sure there will be plenty of young, enthusiastic, motivated (the next generation of) English teachers willing to pick up what you chose not to take.

Your wifes job sounds great. I'm pleased for her and of course you should be proud of her for her achievements- but lets be honest- people are going to be extremely lucky to walk into that type of job straight off. I guess she's being rewarded for investing time and effort into her career.

A topic that I have talked a lot about here- professional development.

Remember accepting any position is an agreement by the employer as well as the employee. Better not to take a job than to take it and hate every minute of it... which is what seems to be happening to so many of the posters here on Daves these days

I don't read posts by people with red/green/white tinted glasses nor do I see unrealistically positive people posting without being unchallenged. I think that instead of the same old people habitually posting here, they should go out and do something constructive with their lives!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the inaugauration of a new MEXTESOL chapter in Puerto Vallarta. I was invited to deliver a workshop (me, a lowly Trinity TESOL certified teacher). It was a fantastic event. 65 English teachers coming together for the first time ever. The energy was amazing. Teachers from all walks of life, from all types of positions working together to learn new things, to share their experiences and all of them sacrificing their Saturday mornings (without pay).

None of this moaning about the lack of education in Mexico, the poor working conditions, students not wanting to learn, not enough resources, having to work too amny hours,the failure by employers to offer contracts/IMSS/infonavit etc, etc, etc. Simply motivated English teachers wanting to make a difference.

I suggest more of the posters here should give it a try. When you hear how a teacher is working in a CEBTIS school with 65 15 year olds in his class and how, after 22 years of doing the same he STILL loves his job.. well it humbles you. It makes you realise that we all have options... the option to take an offer of a job.. or not to.

So, in conclusion, WELL DONE the peanut gallery for making the right decision for you.

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Tretyakovskii]

[Enchilada Potosina]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Tretyakovskii]

One of the great things about Dave's is it allows a new teacher to research markets around the world. When I mentioned that Mexico was about the lowest paying place I'd seen, to some extent I had in mind the developing countries in which I'd worked, such as Vietnam.

Dave's gives you opportunities to learn all you need to know about pay, when considering a new place, such as is revealed in this recent thread.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=85733