Job Discussion Forums

[Brothersote]

Hello all,


Please excuse me as this is my first post and perhaps I have not done a good enough job on my "homework" of reading others' posts.


I am a college graduate with a B.A. in Spanish and a minor in International Studies: Latin American emphasis.

I have a few questions regarding teaching, more importantly teaching English...Any advice, warnings, suggestions and the like will be greatly appreciated!


1. I have done some research as to ESL/TESOL ect certification courses. What would an employer in lets say, Mexico City say about Seattle University's S-TESL program/certification?


2. How does this program compare with the Trinity CertTESOL and the Cambridge CELTA program?


3. Would it be wise to get a second bachelor's degree in Education from an accredited University in the US?


4. Is it possible to earn a comfortable living teaching English in M�xico? In Mexico City?


Thank you very much!

[johntpartee]

I know a LITTLE bit about Mexico City, so here goes. Any EFL certification will suffice. "Comfortable living"? Depends on what your definition of "comfortable" is. I made a comfortable living, but it required a lot of teaching hours (private schools) and I'm fairly frugal.

[MotherF]

1. I have done some research as to ESL/TESOL ect certification courses. What would an employer in lets say, Mexico City say about Seattle University's S-TESL program/certification?
That's a good program. Unfortunately most employers won't know that or care.


2. How does this program compare with the Trinity CertTESOL and the Cambridge CELTA program?

Like I said it's a good program, one of it's advantages is that you can take the classes for a credit option and if you decide you really like teaching English in Mexico and want to continue, that is credit earned towards an MA. Not the case for a CELTA or a Trinity Cert.

3. Would it be wise to get a second bachelor's degree in Education from an accredited University in the US?
Only if you enjoy teaching kids or young teens and think you would like to teach English at a school, but why a second BA? There are a lot of MAs out there that have K-12 license options. Some of the MATs would even give you a dual license in ESL/Spanish which would give you more flexibility should you ever decide to take up teaching in the US.

4. Is it possible to earn a comfortable living teaching English in M�xico? In Mexico City?

Despite what the nay sayers say--yes. Though probably not in your first year or with your current qualifications.

[Enchilada Potosina]

[Isla Guapa]

[Brothersote]

Hello all,

PLEASE excuse my delayed response...Aside from being busy starting a new job and helping my parents with a few chores, for some reason I didn't receive a notification when a reply was posted!!!

I really appreciate everybody's advice and input it means a lot. And because of this, I now have a couple more questions and concerns.

What I mean by comfortable living is being able to afford the basic necessities as well as be able to go out every once in a while AND save a little money..

MotherF: In regards to my first question about S-TESOL and certificates, when you say that employers won't know or care, is that because all they care about is a body with a certificate regardless of where it came from?
My research into Masters in Teaching or Education has proved to be an epic fail as far as finding a program in the US which offers endorsements in Spanish and English at the high school level... That is, with a masters degree in the above mentioned area, the graduate would be able to teach at the college level but NOT the public high school level...Go figure...
Do you happen to know of any? What do you think of getting a MA in Mexico?
Why would the first year not be profitable? Because of not having experience and connections? What else could I do to make the first year "better"?
You mentioned my current qualifications; is this because I don't have a teaching certificate at the moment?

Thanks again

[MotherF]

In regards to my first question about S-TESOL and certificates, when you say that employers won't know or care, is that because all they care about is a body with a certificate regardless of where it came from?
To some extent, yes. But there is quite a lot of variety in terms of eployers. Many have no idea about any of these courses, some don't even speak any English themselves. Of course there's the other side to, who make it a priority to know all about all the different TEFL courses. As with most things in Mexico--it depends.

My research into Masters in Teaching or Education has proved to be an epic fail as far as finding a program in the US which offers endorsements in Spanish and English at the high school level... That is, with a masters degree in the above mentioned area, the graduate would be able to teach at the college level but NOT the public high school level...Go figure...
Do you happen to know of any?
Really? I just googled MAT ESL K-12 and got tons of hits. If you are looking for licensure, it's easiest to study in the state you hope to teach in, but not impossible to do other wise. I'm not sure now, but it used to be that some states accepted some other states' licenses through a series of agreements. When I was an undergrad, Iowa had many such agreements with other states. The University of Iowa has a MAT program in foreign language + ESL
http://www.education.uiowa.edu/teach/flesled/programs/mat.aspx

What do you think of getting a MA in Mexico?
Unless you choose the rather expensive program at UDLA Puebla, I don't think it would be worthwhile--getting an MA via distance how ever would be. There are a lot of choices, but this is one on the more affordable end; http://online.missouri.edu/degreeprograms/ed-tesol/details-copy.aspx

Why would the first year not be profitable? Because of not having experience and connections? What else could I do to make the first year "better"?
Yes, and Yes, but also do to the high start up costs in Mexico--which you can do little to deflect. Your visa will set you back around US 300 dollars all in all, and apartments often come completely unfurnished and require a security deposit.


You mentioned my current qualifications; is this because I don't have a teaching certificate at the moment?
No, certificate, and no experience, which is just as important as training.

[Brothersote]

MotherF - Unfortunately I am not elligible for a varitey of MAT or MIT programs....I have looked into a lot of licensure options..Ideally I would have liked to have been licenced in Washington...but that doesn't seem possible at this point...Hence my interest in a foreign degree..I am also not opposed to other Masters programs..

A degree evaluation organization (ECE) has told me that basically a degree is a degree is a degree despite coming from a different country...That is, for the most part a degree will be recognized in the US from an international university.

As I cannot yet send PMs I have to ask here; what is it that you do? Are you a teacher in the US? How long have you been teaching?

[Brothersote]

What are the prospectives of teaching business English in Mexico City?

Is it a needed service?
How does it compare with teaching high school? (besides the obvious responses)

[johntpartee]

There are corporate classes (companies sponsoring their employees for English lessons). Market Leader and Smart Business are the textbooks I was provided. Most of the students needed basic skills, though.

[Isla Guapa]

Business classes can be a pretty good way to make a living, but you have to hustle to find students and you usually have to run around the city a lot to get to your classes.

[MotherF]

I teach at a university in Mexico. I've been teaching here for 14 years and teaching abroad a few more than that. I originally studied a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies and opted not to get a secondary teaching license as I didn't think I wanted to teach, (it would have only been 3 more classes and a semester of student teaching). I started teaching abroad originally for the international living experience, but found I enjoyed teaching so I looked into ways to add licensure to my degree. I had decided that the best option was to get an MAT like the one I posted a link for at the university of Iowa (I happen to be from Iowa, so that worked for me). In the end I decided to stay in Mexico, so I did a distance course from England instead. That was 12 years ago, at that time there were only two ore three US distance options, but now there are a lot more. I don't understand why you would not be eligible to enter the MAT program with a B.A. in Spanish. Their program is specifically designed for people who were foreign language majors as undergraduates, who did not take the education courses required to get a teaching license with their undergrad degree.

As I understand it, the major difference of teaching buisness English and teaching high school in Mexico City (I have done neither, but observed people do them for many years) are the hours and the type of students. Business people have a need to learn English, they are adult professionals and generally act accordingly. Class tend to be early in the morning and in the evenings. High school students are required to take English, they are teenagers and act accordingly. Hours are generally 8 to 4 or 7 to 3. or less if you are just hired by the hour.

[Brothersote]

MotherF - Likewise I neglected to really consider the possibilities of teaching and how it could be a rewarding career until I had already graduated from university and I went on vacation to Mexico. There I met a family with whom I've become very close. I worked a lot with their son on English and he worked with me on Spanish...It was then that I realized that I wanted to teach.

However, the university I graduated from did not/does not have a certificate program. Also the biggest reason I have not been able to find an appropriate program is because my GPA does not make me eligible... I've come a long way since 2010, but unfortunately schools and universities here seem to value grades over personal experiences and growth.

Because of this I'm in a professional limbo...

I would also like to teach abroad for the international living experience.

So that distance course from England, would it make you capable of teaching in the US?

Tentatively, ("tentatively" because of family reasons) I am ready to dedicate myself to international living and international teaching...I just need to get the certificate and have an opportunity to put it to use.

What is the norm concerning high school English teachers? Do the majority have steady jobs at one school or do they work hour by hour at various schools?

Isla Guapa - Can you explain this a little bit more? What do you mean hustle around the city to get to classes?

johnpartee and all: Are there US companies that hire people to travel abroad to teach? Or are there US companies based in Mexico that do that?

Once again, thank you all for your help.

[Guy Courchesne]

[Enchilada Potosina]