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El Gringo
Joined: 13 Jan 2006
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:41 pm Post subject: The nature of the game |
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Samantha, it�s quite obvious even to a casual observer like myself that you�re pursuing some sort of personal vendetta against Guy through these forums. How would you like your professional integrity questioned every time you post on a topic? Very uncool.
You�ve turned this thread into one that people simply stop reading because your posts contain no actual information. Reviewing your posts on other threads they are nearly all the same. What�s the point?
Take Guy�s posts out of these forums and you lose a huge body of information; take your�s out and you simply make the threads easier to read because there�s less waffle to sift through to find the information people are looking for. You say you�ve helped people in PM�s, well good, I�m sure you have, but your public contribution is negligible given your number of posts.
You make a big point about the hours, but you�ve already stated in a previous post �It takes time to get established with a full teaching schedule. When I first arrived in Mexico I was teaching part-time in 3 different locations, 6 days a week. It took months to get established.� So why is Guy at fault for not flagging the lack of hours? I couldn�t agree more, it can take months to get established, it�s the nature of the game.
You also say:
�A new teacher trusts someone here in Mexico to know what is going on� � then they are hopelessly na�ve; it�s your job to look after yourself, not somebody else�s. If you trusted the wrong person then your judgement was in error.
�Those of us that have worked here a while know full well how many fast talkers and sharks there are out there� � I knew this before I arrived, it�s called common sense.
�And they aren't all Mexican, contrary to popular belief� � of course they�re not. The good gringos are in a good position to win the trust of other gringos and help them, the bad ones are in a good position to win the trust of other gringos and rip them off. Happens all over the world � doesn�t need fixing, just needs understanding.
As Guy says, life is a verb, not a noun � YOU have got to grab it with both hands and make it what you want, not find someone to blame when it doesn�t go how you hoped.
Now I�ve also made a post that is just pointless chatter in response to yours and further degraded the usefulness of the thread to others � see the chain effect you start? Play nicely Samantha, continual public questioning of someone�s professional integrity is very bad karma and no good will come of it.
I agree 100% with Guy that ongoing dialogue is the key to learning something through this type of forum, but as is so often the case, the pointless waffle gets in the way. I've got no time for it and as I�ve said my piece about EU, which is solely what I registered to do, I�m out of here for good - enjoy Mexico everyone. |
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cwc
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 372
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:53 pm Post subject: Problems |
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| Thank you all for the info. It just makes me realize how lucky I am to have stumbled on a great job. There are good jobs in Mexico, but one has to suffer while looking. Anyone can send me a PM if they want to know about a spectacular place for 2006-07. |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Samantha wrote: |
| Did he/she ever find a place to live? This situtation should have raised huge red flags simply because of the take home wages vs the cost of accommodation. You can't survive on 19 hrs a week x 40.5 pesos an hour. That's around $3000.00 pesos per month. At the initial 16 hours a week he or she would have been receiving only about 2600.00 pesos and paying out about 1500 for rent at the dorm, based on the price he gives of 50 pesos a night. That's very scary and not even close to possible to live on. |
As the situation was described in the feedback letter Guy posted, I would see no major red flags. Nothing that the person included in the feedback letter seemed overly unreasonable or out of line to me.
The dorm situation was described as temporary housing until teachers could find something more suitable to rent. I doubt that a newcomer could find private temporary housing any cheaper and more convenient than that on his/her own.
Perhaps rent vs. cost of living is very different where you are compared to certain other parts of the country. In the city where I am, it wouldn't be unreasonable to fork out up to 75% of one's teaching income for rent at first. It's standard procedure for schools here to hire new teachers very part-time. If they prove to be acceptable teachers, more hours are added. If teachers build up enough hours and live conservatively, at the end of a year they can break even or come out a bit ahead.
Additionally, I, too, question why it seems that you are on Guy's case almost every time he posts on this forum. Has he done something personally to offend you? Does he represent some group or organization that you dislike for some reason? Do you think the information he posts is misleading? |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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My initial reaction at the beginning of this thread was one of  in how teachers could be placed (sent on purpose) in a school that has been described as so awful (in great detail) and elsewhere and where the owner of such a school would be considered as an upstanding person.
If Gringo hadn't come forward, teachers would continue to accept jobs because of this glowing recommendation sitting here. And furthermore if a longtime poster, someone (anyone), trusted as a giver of good advice on this forum doesn't know for sure, then better to say nothing. That is the smart thing to do, knowing how things work here in Mexico. Anyway, that's my opinion, something I think we are entitled to.
And as far as the poster quoting my comments from other threads... That wasn't the issue I was trying to address here. Right, of course coming to Mexico on your own you must expect to spend time getting established, unless you were hired in advance somehow. I would assume if you pay someone to find you a job it would not be unreasonable to expect that you would go in with enough hours to live on or the situation would be monitored. Is that thinking out of line? If so, then excuse me. Anyway, I'm over it. It spoke for itself.
What some here fail to realize is that there are readers of this forum who feel intimidated posting concerns or relating certain experiences because of the "fan club" mentality (for lack of better words) that seems to have taken over here. I think that's a shame. What happens behind the scenes is just not worth it. Believe me. Since I don't like politics and all that goes with it, I will, from now on simply shut the computer off without a word when I see something that doesn't sound right to me. So let's leave it at that. Have a great day! 
Last edited by Samantha on Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:43 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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M@tt
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 473
Location: here and there
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:38 pm Post subject: NKOTB |
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THERE'S A FAN CLUB? I WANNA JOIN!!!
DO WE GET FREE STICKERS 'N' STUFF??? |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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In Mexico City, we try to calculate rent expenses at 25-35% of expected income. You can earn more in DF but your costs can be higher too as the cheapest rents available put you too far from work. Most teachers here are renting furnished rooms or small apartments, anywhere from 1000 to 3500 pesos.
Acapulco is tough. Lower earnings, higher cost-of-living...probably something more like Merida. Harmon Hall in Acapulco is paying 25 pesos per hour, last I checked! Guadalajara doesn't seem to bad. Smaller cities in the central states are between Merida and DF I think for renting, but with lower monthly earnings. I think you'd really have to hussle or luck out to make 10,000 per month in places like Queretaro, SLP, SMA, etc. thinking language schools here and not universities. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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Samantha, the problem here is that you make too many assumptions and almost always negative. First, let me correct you. None of the people who I sent to English Unlimited paid Teachers Latin America or myself to be placed there. They took TEFL courses and then went off to a placement offered them. In the case of the woman (from Australia) who wrote that feedback letter, she took our TEFL course in Acapulco, having lots of time to get used to Mexico. We set her up with two phone interviews with Michael Tan and there was a constant flow of information by email between EU and her. I've just sent her an email to get an update for my own records here.
You try to make it seem as if I've misrepresented the conditions at the school and sent her in blind. You assume that the teacher I sent didn't get more hours. You assume, but then don't come back to correct yourself or apologize when you are shown more detail.
If El Gringo hadn't come forward, yes, I would have continued sending people there based on the feedback I have and my own impression of what the school sent me for info and Michael's handling of staff. Clearly, this OP changes that.
I don't know why you characterize my comment as a glowing recommendation. I said...
| Quote: |
| I have helped arrange jobs for several people with them. I've heard nothing spectacular nor anything particularly bad about them. Michael Tan over there is a stand-up guy who will help out new teachers a lot. |
According to El Gringo, Michael Tan is this person, at first at least. My opinion and comments in the future won't be the same now, of course.
As for a fan club mentality...c'mon. That's childish. I recognize that being someone who posts a lot gives me a certain responsibility to weigh my comments. By that, there are far more times that I don't post something I've heard or know because a bit of gossip can be taken as fact if I post it. I think most of the veterans here are similar in this respect, particularly Ben round de Block.
What intimidates readers from posting is the flaming...I've seen many a first time post saying exactly that.
Tell you what Samantha. Don't stop posting. If you did, we would lose a potentially valuable voice. I only ask that you think about what you write and how it can be perceived. I'll do the same.
M@tt I ran out of free stickers, sorry.  |
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mariz
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:02 pm Post subject: El Gringo is a BIG LIAR!! |
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El Gringo wrote:
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| Unfortunately this typifies his attitude to all his employees; they are there solely for his convenience. He is not actually Mexican, but Filipino and has a Filipino maid he flew in to work at his house. He pays this woman so little and deducts so much money to cover the cost of her airfare that she is in effect trapped because she doesn�t earn enough to repay the air fair and return home as she desperately wants to do. She barely earns enough to be able to eat and is so malnourished her case has attracted the attention of a local human rights lawyer who is working on her behalf to improve the situation. |
WHAT A COMPLETE LIE!! I am the Filipina governess that El Gringo referred to in this post. I was recently informed by a teacher at English Unlimited, that El Gringo wrote all these lies about me. I would like to set the record straight and clarify things that concern me, something El Gringo should have done from the very beginning. Speak for yourself!
My main responsibility as governess is to care for and look after Mr. Tan's 4 year old boy. Mr. Tan wants his son to have the opportunity of getting to know both cultures - Filipino and Mexican. I am in charge of his informal education with regards to learning Tagalog (Filipino language), the Filipino culture, customs, food, etc.. I personally think that this is admirable of Mr. Tan to raise his son with sufficient knowledge of both cultures and both worlds. I know for a fact that it took Mr. Tan a lot of hard work and effort to be able to hire me and bring me to Mexico - all the documents, processing, cost of airfare, bureaucracy on both ends, etc.. You can't put a price for good education. I used to work for Mr. Tan's sister in Manila, I cared for Mr. Tan's nieces for 9 years and that's how Mr. Tan and I know each other. He knows my capabilities and capacity to work and he trusts me with his son's education. Here are the facts:
1) I am a Filipina, this was the only thing El Gringo got right.
2) My occupation is a governess/nanny, not a 'maid'. I went through years of preparation and studies to be a certified governess. I also have the legal documents to prove this together with my FM3 (Mexican work permit) that attests to my line of work and that I am working legally in Mexico. Note: Mr. Tan has always had a maid, who's been wih his family for years. El Gringo made it sound like Mr. Tan had to 'import' a maid from the Philippines. I'm sure those who've been to Mexico know how easy it is to find domestic help.
3) I make good money and I'm able to help my family back in Manila and still manage to save with what I earn.
4) Mr. Tan paid for my airfare and DOES NOT deduct a single peso from my earnings. My airfare was his responsibility, which was stipulated in the contract that we both agreed to and signed.
5) I am not desperately wanting to go back to Manila and I'm not trapped in Mexico, as implied by El Gringo . Don't get me wrong as I do miss my family a lot. However, I intend to respect the agreement that we have and work until the duration of the contract. In fact, I am talking to Mr. Tan about the possibility of renewing my contract with the condition that I bring my family (we are a small family of three) to Mexico. I feel that Mexico is a nice place where my family can settle down.
6) I am not malnourished. There's enough food at Mr. Tan's house all the time and I can get whatever I want. I may have a small body frame but I received a clean bill of health 2 months ago when I went to have my regular check-up at the Social Security and Health Services. This is also being paid for by Mr. Tan.
7) There is no human rights lawyer working on my behalf. I am investigating if this type of slander and malicious lie is sufficient cause for me to proceed with legal action. I would also want to know if ESL cafe would provide me with information regarding El Gringo, if this happened.
I came forward to speak for myself and let the truth be told. Instead of posting blatant lies and speaking for people without their permission, El Gringo should have stuck to his/her own experience at English Unlimited. After all, this was what the orginal post was about - a teacher who was interested in English Unlimited. Everything was a bad experience and eveything was negative for El Gringo - he/she didn't like Mr. Michael Tan and how he ran the school; he /she didn't like Mary the coordinator and how she carried out her job either; he/she didn't like working for English Unlimited; he/she didn't like San Luis Potosi and didn't like how the Potosinos lived their lives either. A bit too far you would think... In short, nothing was ever good for El Gringo in Mexico. Any reader of this post would NEVER in their sane mind, think for a minute that this is normal!
What teachers could do if they were interested in teaching at English Unlimited is to contact the teachers placed by Mr. Guy Courchesne and get their comments about the school and their experience when they were there. I would like to add that Mr. Couchesne's first impression of Mr. Michael Tan is correct, he IS a stand-up guy and he has helped me and others a lot. Ask me, I know. Please contact me if you need a personal reference.
As for El Gringo, I hope that you find the ideal job,... and place, ... and people,... and the way of life that will make you contented. Here's a sound advise: Do not lie, God is watching you. Remember, I have all the proof that what you said about me were all LIES! |
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Cdaniels
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 663
Location: Dunwich, Massachusetts
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| Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:45 pm Post subject: through the looking glass |
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Curiouser and curiouser! |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 339
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:37 am Post subject: |
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I never worked there, but I know several who have........of course this was 5 - 6 years ago. Looks like things haven't changed that much.
I used to work for a place called MCCI (which no longer exists) and we used to get all these teachers fleeing the clutches of the aforementioned individual and his school.
Sadly, MCCI wasn't much of an improvement (if any), but the change of scenery was nice.
Somehow we all survived. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:50 am Post subject: |
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deleted
unrelated to TESOL
Last edited by Dragonlady on Sun Sep 26, 2010 7:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
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grahamcito
Joined: 11 Sep 2004
Posts: 90
Location: Guadalajara
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:12 am Post subject: An ESL cafe? |
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Interesting - as fascinating as Mariz' post (and this entire thread) is, I thought you had to be an ELT student or teacher to join up to Dave's... 'Dave's ESL and home governess-ship cafe' has a certain ring to it, though.
OK, I'll stop being facetious. Real question is, if Eng Unlimited in SLP know about this thread, why haven't we heard from Mr. Tan? |
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grahamcito
Joined: 11 Sep 2004
Posts: 90
Location: Guadalajara
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