Job Discussion Forums

[Dancing Monkey]

I've been checking out your site for a few weeks now and am curious about some of the terms used in Mexico.

What exactly is an "apostille"? I guess it = a chop/stamp as it does in China.

Does an "FM3" = a work visa?

It seems to me that a good monthly salary = 13k+ pesos a month. What is that in USD? 13k in China = around 2k USD. Perhaps you could type that I'm enjoying my siesta now and can't figure out Google.

I've also read that 10k would suffice. I prefer to eat at "Dave & Busters" every now and then. Is it true that there is one in Monterrey? Would 16k from "Tec de Monterrey" enable me to enjoy American food on a weekly basis? How difficult is it to be hired there? If that option doesn't pan out, does anyone have any suggestions about teaching in a Mexican ciy with more than its fair share of American influence?

The "DF" doesn't appeal to me. Basically, I want to go closer to home and enjoy the fruits of my labor. I've had enough of experiencing different cultures. It is just a job now.

I'm almost 41 and can't figure out my "smart phone". I do know how to call and send messages to people, as well as work the camera. A new camera would have cost me 1k rmb, so, the extra 500 rmb was a good investment, if only I knew what I was doing. How do phones in Mexico operate?

Would any of the old Mexico hands help someone interested in becoming a newcomer?

[notamiss]

[Professor]

Hello Dancing. I'm in DF and I can tell you that if you come here and know a little about business, you can do well. Don't work for the schools in Mexico becuase they probably won't pay on time.
Find some companies that NEED native speakers to help their workers with NATURAL CONVERSATION and PRONUNCIATION. That's how you can make money. Don't listen to anyone who tells you it's too hard or you have to travel too much. Not true and I'm living proof of that. And if you know how to start a little company here, you can get health insurance also.
You have to THINK BUSINESS. Also, try to get an independent work visa with a letter you write stating that you want to teach independently or privately. I can't remember what the letter says but migracion could tell you. By the way, I'm 41 and I'm doing well here in DF. Send me a private message if you want to know more.

[Dancing Monkey]

Thanks for the "apostille" links Notamiss. It seems like a hassle, especially if someone is not in their home country.

Perhaps I misread, but, it seems as if a person's actual degree must be presented for certification. What if your degree is in a glass frame, do you have to remove it from the frame in order for it to be "notarized"? Will they do something that will change the appearance of the degree or just look at and confirm that it is real?

Again, I may have misread, but, do you need an apostille in order to get an FM-3 or independent work visa?

I know I'm comparing apples to oranges, but, here in China, in order to get an independent work visa the applicant can not simply write his/her own letter. Technically, a local company has to invite you or your foreign company has to write a letter that says you are working for them in China. Of course, letterhead can be fabricated etc...

Thanks again.

[notamiss]

[Dancing Monkey]

Thanks.

[tagastelum]

There is no longer a Dave & Buster's in Monterrey. It never recovered after a high-profile drug war hit took place there a few years ago. (Ironically, the space is now a health club.)

You will find lots of American food in Monterrey. Regios have very conservative palates and the bland flavors of Sirloin Stockade, Burger King and Chili's make those restaurants favored dining spots. (Along with bland Monterrey chains like Super Salads and El Papalote.)

I'm happy I now live in Mexico City, where the food actually has flavor.

[Dancing Monkey]

What is "Sirloin Stockade"? A steakhouse? Sounds interesting.

Thanks.

[Prof.Gringo]

[wildrover]

Hello Professor. Hope you check this board on occasion. I had wanted to contact you concerning your last post here but being as I don't have 5 posts credited to me I can't contact you directly. Odd that it works like that but who am I to question the wisdom of Dave . So if possible would you mind contacting me if you have a spare minute or two?

And as long as I'm here I would like to ask some advice from the audience if I may. My situation is this. Have been teaching in China for the last 4 years at the university level. I have a degree ( A.A), TEFL cert., and 5 years experience. I currently teach graduate students but have also taught business english ( banks, advertising agencies, software company, etc.). I'm an American but my wife , of one month, is Chinese. We would like to live abroad for a year or two ideally near the sea as I have spent the last 4 years landlocked here in Wuhan, PRC. The Caribbean would be ideal as we have family in Florida. Mexico and South and Central America as also options we are open to.

What I'm wondering is how will her Chinese passport effect us being able to relocate to one of the above mentioned places?
Would there be a demand for Chinese language lessons so my wife could work as well? Her English is pretty good but I don't know if it's good enough for a teaching position. Though I did work with a woman from South America 2 years ago and I could only understand her about 70 % of the time.
There are other questions but I have been checking previous post and that has been very helpful.
Oh, one last thing though. What the heck does DF stand for? I'm sure it simple but I guess so am I. LOL!

Thanks in advance for any help/ideas you can toss my way. If contacting me privately is easier please feel free to do that. And if anyone is planning on coming to China let me know and I'll do my best to help anyway I can.

[wildchild]

i work at a university in Puebla, Puebla. We employ a Chinese Chinese teacher. Many people are aware of the important role that China plays/will play in our current global capitalist system. I'm sure she could find some work...

[Prof.Gringo]

[geaaronson]

I`ve come across two foreign teachers with poor English speaking skills who did well. One was Latvian and English was her second language. Although her conversational English was excellent, her sense of Business English was tortured at best. When writing emails to me, her grammatical structure was so convoluted that even after several readings, several passages eluded my understanding. She had a TEFL certificate from ITTO in Guadalajara and worked alongside me in language school for half a year before leaving. She was in good graces with the school administration and came away, I believe, with a good recommendation.

The second was a native speaker from Nigeria whose conversational English was heavily studded with a thick Nigerian accent that many of the students had problems with. The recruiter, an Englishwoman, could not understand her as well, nor could I. I was able to pick up a few courses from her students who complained quite stridently about their inability to understand her and as the recruiter likewise had problems, eventually phased her out of classes and gave them to me.

My point being that if your wife is understandable in her spoken English there is room for her in DF. As for teaching Chinese, she would be able to do that in DF but not in too many other places, if at all. I do recall being in a language school office in Merida and the director of the school had just received a phone call from an interested party who was desperate for Chinese classes.

From what I have learned of the DF market, the market for less popular languages is actually much higher than English as there are so few people teaching them. If you are teaching Portuguese, Japanese, German or Chinese, you will get paid a higher rate, but there are actually fewer students of those languages. I could be wrong about this and I would love to hear from other posters concerning this issue but from the few teachers that I have met who teach these idioms, they have done well,perhaps better than the rest of us.

So if she can teach both English and Chinese, she will be a hot commodity.

[Phil_K]

[Prof.Gringo]