Job Discussion Forums

atimeforeverything · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Busan, South Korea

Helllllo. Im finishing up my contract here in Korea and looking for new options.

How difficult is it to get a university position in Mexico? What qualifications are needed?

I'm almost 25, female, and I have 1 1/2 years experience teaching (Thailand/Korea). Do I have a chance in hell?

Thanks!

MELEE

atimeforeverything · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Busan, South Korea

ah yes might have been helpful if I had included that info! ive got a bachelors in social work and a TESOL Cert from TEFL International.

and Ive got 3 good references from schools Ive worked at.

MELEE · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:14 pm Post subject:

Well you're off to a good start.
The only strike against you I see is 3 schools in 1 1/2 years? Work something into your cover letter that shows you are now looking for a place to settle in for a couple of years. Universities sometimes burn through a lot of resources recruting people, so they want someone who is likely to stay around.

Next think about if there are any areas in Mexico that you are particularly interested in. It is a large and varied country. A small town in southern Oaxaca is worlds away from a large city in the north.

Also think about why uni over some other type of teaching? The age group can often be easier to work with, but many universities in Mexico are going the "full time" staff route, which means you'd be working 8 hours a day. And long vacations are not the norm as they are in other parts of the world.

How to find one? Luck. Some are advertised so check the boards. You can also contact universities by looking them up on-line. Some of the private unis go to job fairs at TESOL in the US and the like. And some will require in-person interviews.

atimeforeverything · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Busan, South Korea

to explain the 3 schools...1 was in thailand for 1 semester, and the other 2 I am currently teaching at, my schedule is split between the 2.

so Im not a total job-hopper Smile

but yeah, Ill put it in my cover letter to explain I was split between 2 schools. thanks for pointing that out!

thelmadatter · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject: networking

I find contacts through networking... of course thats not a really helpful answer for someone who is in Thailand right now.

Since you dont have a masters, think about ITESM prepa or something similar.

thelmadatter · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:07 pm Post subject: uni

If your goal really is a uni job, you should not weasel (my favorite word today apparently) out by saying that bettering your quals is too expensive. If you really want to do it, there is always a way. I did my masters at the U of Arizona just after separtating from my then-husband and adjusting to being a single mom. I did it.

If what you are really looking for is to work at a job you are not really qualified just because you are a foreigner......

atimeforeverything · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Busan, South Korea

I dont want a job Im not qualified for. Right now, Im not interested in bettering my qualifications (as far as getting a Masters or the like), maybe at some point in the future.
Thanks for the info.

leslie · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 235

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

Mexico is so inconsistent you can find (and I have found) the following teaching in unis:

- Teachers with no qualifications other than the fact that they speak English.
- Teachers with qualifications that barely speak English.
- And by far the largest sector: teachers who knew someone/are related to someone who got them the job.

I would say have a degree, tefl cert and a few years experience at least. Some unis payscale is according to qualifications so the more the merrier in some cases.

thelmadatter · Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:12 pm Post subject: ITESM

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

thelmadatter · Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:35 pm Post subject: masters

that $300 /hr is if you have a masters... lets see what kind of contract they offer me for Jan...

J is teaching prepa and he has dual bachelors... have to ask him what he makes. He teaches 2 classes at Tec and a couple of business classes and is happy. they offered him four for Jan as he made a great impression (not surprising to me!)

One other plus, esp for the prepa side is that they teach subject classes in English too. They offered J classes in Latin American history to be taught in English. I know someone in Toluca who teaches math and physics in English. These are to International Bachelorate students... better than your run-of-the-mill HS student

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

El Gallo · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 318

Has anyone run into discrimination against Canadians and Americans in Mexican state universities?

Having taught the Cambridge TKT course to the English professors at a state university in Chiapas and becoming acquainted with the teaching staff at UNACH (another Chiapas university), I noticed European teachers but no Canadians or Americans. The reason I was given for no gringos when I applied at UNACH was that the universities didn't hire foreigners, but after meeting the European teachers, I know now this was just a pretext. Sounds like similar situations do not exist in DF or Oaxaca.