Job Discussion Forums

[cshel]

Has anyone had experience with Global English in Queretaro?

[Gringo Greg]

No I haven't but they advertize a lot on the web which is rare for Mexico. This means one of three things

1) They can't find any teachers locally --no supply, low wages, who knows what else.

2) They can't find teachers of high enough quality and are looking to improve the quality of their teachers..not likely since there requirements are pretty standard.

3) They prefer to have newbies coming. Newbies don't know the ropes and usually put up less of a fuss in terms of salary and working conditions than a long termer does. BUT a school experienced with newbies will usually offer training and help in getting to know the ropes in Mexico. I won't knock it, it is how I started out..no experience, just a grinning face eager to learn and a school willing to take a chance on me.

Use your own tools to find out what category they fall into and then decide if the position fits what YOU are looking for.

[some waygug-in]

Amazingly enough, with the frequency of their ads for teachers, I've never read a real complaint about them.

I looked at their ad, it looks pretty standard for an entry level position.

It's more than I made when I was there, and their guarantee of monthly hours makes it sort of acceptable.......... for a first job. If you have experience though, you should be looking at other options.

Suerte

[Gringo Greg]

What school did you teach with when you were in Queretaro?

I agree, if you are a new teacher, it might not be a bad place to try your luck.....

[some waygug-in]

I taught at a place that no longer exists. It was new to the city. The main office was in San Luis. I don't know if it even exists there anymore.

It was called MCCI. (the Mexican Cross Cultural Institute)

I whined about the low salary at the time, but as far as the teaching went, it was one of the best jobs I've had so far. I really wanted to stay, but the economics just weren't viable. (both for me and the school)

I miss the city tons, I've been back a couple of times to visit friends, but there's no way I could go back to working for such low wages.

Cheers

[Gringo Greg]

Have you ever thought to go back and do private work? You might be able to make a better go of it. Queretaro is a wonderful city, one of my favorites in Mexico. I have lots of friends there as well. It has colonial charms, good shopping, and great weather...and not overrun with tourists.

[lozwich]

Gringo Greg,

What do you mean by "good shopping"? Got me a little intrigued there...

Lozwich.

[Gringo Greg]

Well, when you have been abroad long enough and are making enough, "good shopping" is classified as stores where you can buy things from back home relatively easy..and be able to buy the things you need on a day to day basis without a lot of hassles. and yes i know good is very subjective.

Queretaro has a Sanborn's for English magazines and books, it has a couple of Gigantes, a Soriana, a Wal-mart, Sam's Club, a Mall with lots of shops, a Carrefour..get the idea? But it also has a nice downtown area with small shops.

It doesn't have an awesome market like the Tepito area of Mexico City so I am sorry if that is what you thought! I am doing my shopping in a small Thai town, I have to go to 4 different places just to do my daily shopping!

[lozwich]

Thanks for clearing that up, Greg.

My 'shopping' days consist of pretty much what you do in Thailand. This weekend I'm travelling 2 1/2 hours each way so I can go to places like Gigante and Sears.

The more I hear about it, the more Queretaro sounds like a great place to live! What a shame I'm leaving Mexico in 3 weeks!

Have a good day,
Lozwich.

[moonraven]

I am starting to feel really uncomfortable reading folks beating the band for Wal Mart and other US companies which are repeating the same script in the Third World that they used in the US: putting local companies out of business, paying workers loathsome wages and no benefits, not allowing collective bargaining, discriminating against female employees, etc. I try to keep my nose clean here by not pandering to the destructive aspects of globalization.

Costco/Commercial Mexicana destroyed the ex-Casino de la Selva in Cuernavaca (Malcolm Lowry landmark in Bajo el volc�n), threw murals by world-class artists onto the garbage heap, cut down one of the last reserves of over 100 year old trees (1000 different species--ya no) in this country, paved over pre-hispanic archaelogical treasures--and did all that AGAINST THE DICTATES OF THEIR STOCKHOLDERS.

ESL teachers who are concerned about causing polarization would be well-advised to stay away from WalMart (and its minions Sam's Club, VIPs and Aurerr�), Costco/Commercial Mexicana, and Office Depot.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[moonraven]

I tend to shop in the mercados and in small shops and supers that are at least locally owned. That's for the day to day stuff like food and domestic items. They may mistreat their employees but at least they're keeping mistreatment in the family, so to speak.

For clothes I shop most frequently for natural fiber duds at used clothing bazars--would like to buy Mexican made clothing, but as the government is involved in garment production here, the quality is very poor for the price one pays, and most of what is produced is made from synthetic fibers anyway. I also buy "folklore" clothing (ropa de manta, hand woven wool items for traveling) as that makes my indigenous self feel respected. My only standard retail purchases are in Zara--mostly when there's a sale--a chain from Spain, and for underwear (made in Mexico) and hair products (Klorane, from France), Liverpool. I also patronize the flea market in Plaza del Angel in the Zona Rosa of Mexico City--occasionally there are great vintage accessories.

I buy books (Spanish only) from Gandhi--they at least have a small discount--helpful for a voracious reader in a country of non-readers where books are consequently very expensive, and when I am finished reading them I donate them to the university library where I teach. Magazines I buy very occasionally at Sanborns (C. Slim owned), but mostly from local "puestos de periodicos". Once in a while I buy a CD at Mix-Up. I don't do t.v., and I do not patronize films from the US (I didn't have to do that when I was living in the US and working as a film critic, so I certainly do not have to do it in Latin America, either.) I do see films occasionally at Cineteca or at the UNAM (which also operates Cine F�sforo in the Centro Hist�rico.)

I realize that many folks would prefer to be--or at least feel-- more connected to their culture of origin than I choose to be--even so, it isn't necessary to do things here that one wouldn't do in the US--like shop at WalMart!

[some waygug-in]

[Gringo Greg]

I know you had a bad time of it, followed your posts for a few years, even on the old board. You fell into a bad situation. You are right Queretaro is just as expensive as the DF and the wages are less for foreign teachers.

I had a good time with private teaching in Mexico City. I guess it matters how you set it up. Students spend a lot of money and expect a professional course, but they are not willing to submit to professionalism. They get a Gringo "friend" to teach them and they don't really treat it like a real class.

My rules for teaching private classes are as follows:
1) I don't teach friends.
2) Students pay for 10 hours at a time, in advance.
3) Students are given 1 freebie cancellation per 10 hour course and to use it, they need to let the teacher know 24 hours in advance.
4) Students pay for their coursebook up front.
5) The class starts and ends at the agreed time, though I knew most people were late, so if the students was less than 15 minutes late, I made up the time at the end of class.
6) Students are told of the rules in advance.

Teacher have it tough, we need to be teachers, businessmen and entertainers all at the same time., except if you are lucky enough to teach in a university.

I asked if you had though about going back, Waygug, because I know how much you love the place and a few years of teaching in a different place can change your perspective a lot..if I am not mistaken, Queretaro was your first teaching job.

------------------
Now about shopping!

[Gringo Greg]

I am sorry to disappoint you, Moonraven, but yes some of us like shop at places that save us money. I am all for shopping at the little guy as long as the little guy saves me money or at least offers the same value. I spent two years in a small town where the only choices were the local mom and pop stores. It took too long to shop, but my wallet didn't suffer.

I have learned something since leaving the US back in 1997 for a teaching career abroad. Cultural identity is important. I have two sons of my own now and I want them to grow up with my culture. That means the movies, music, tv, books, toys, food, etc of my culture. I am lucky being outside of the US, I can choose which parts of my culture I can partake in and which I don't want to bother with.

Yes, seven years on, including 3 1/2 years in a Muslim dominated part of Thailand, I have a very idealistic view of my home country and culture. I will gladly send in my absentee ballot for Bush. I am just glad I can choose to look on things in an idealistic light.