Job Discussion Forums

thes80 · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 15 Location: Mexico

This questions is for anyone working at TEC, especially anyone who found their job after they were already in Mexico. I am in Mexico and trying to figure out the best way to apply there. If you were in Mexico when you applied, did you go to the campus, or did you submit your information on their website? Who did you talk to... the language department? the director of Prepa?

Any information you have would be useful.

Theo

chula · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 2:10 pm Post subject:

I sent all my materials to the schools directly. I found the emails for the English dept. on the websites and sent my info to them.

mex2005t · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7 Location: EPIK

How did you find the e-mail addresses on their website? I have tried looking at subjects taught, for an e-mail address for (idioma) English dep't
and etc. but it is futile.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

chula · Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 8:26 pm Post subject:

If I couldn't find the specific person, I would email a few differnt people at the campus and ask if they would be so kind as to forward the message to the English dept. Some did, some didn't. I also applied to the mail Tec page in the bolsa de trabajo thing. It was useless. You can try and fill it out, but most schools don't even look at those resumes when hiring.

mex2005t · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7 Location: EPIK

Thanks Ben and Chula for your help.

Finding the proper place at a university to send my resume' is quite frustrating. I have( almost, lol) enough knowledge of elementary Spanish for daily life but internet Spanish is something I must have missed out on.
As a U.S. citizen in L.A., I was always able to keep up with my basic Spanish vocabulary. After almost a year in China though, it is starting to slip.

Thanks for your help and your ideas on a difficult situation. I will try asking whatever relevant contacts at the universities (that I can find)
forward my e-mail on. Like most things, it is a learning process. True, there are a lot of dead ends such as "the page is under construction" and so on. I will try e-mailing a few resume's over the coming business week and see where it goes.

Hope to be in Mexico from China this August.

thes80 · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 15 Location: Mexico

ITESM in my town has a nearly useless website as well. It gives you the names of the department heads, but no phone numbers or e-mail addresses. One day I printed off some resumes and cover letters for specific people there. I went to Tec and the gate guys wouldnt let me in. I dont know if this is standard procedure, but the guy told me I had to leave my resume at the gate and that they would deliver them to the correct people. I have doubts about where my information went, and I have never heard from any one there. Its rather discouraging. Luckily there are other places to work...Ill have to start looking around.

thes80 · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 15 Location: Mexico

Here is my update on what happened at Tec. Maybe someone in the future will find it useful.

More than a month after I sent my information to ITESM, I got a phone call and had an interview. I wasn�t all that impressed with the place and some of the comments made were rather offensive. One person actually said "You (stupid gringos) bring your videos to use in class, and we only have DVD here." The way it was said was more offensive than the actually words. I think he was a gringo too (can�t remember). Forgive us for trying to use enrichment activities.

The typical Tec class has over 30 students. There is one computer laboratory for over 1000 students, so the chance you can get time in the lab are pretty low.

I was asked to come back to another interview (twice) during both of which the people I was suppose to talk to either weren�t there, were too busy to talk to me, or could not be found. Needless to say, none of the above made a good impression on me.

My main reason for wanting to work at Tec was I had heard (from my gringo friends) that it was a good school, a great place to work, and that the pay is well above average. Yes, money is a factor here since I am tired of scraping by like I have been doing the last few years in Mexico. When I finally asked them about money and a contract, they were not willing to discuss a contract with me, and the pay came out to about $7 an hour. Not too impressive. They also told me that if I wanted to work there I should cancel my summer vacation so that I could work in July for free!

In the end, I turned down the job offer that I thought was the one that would be perfect. ITESM does not seem to be very well organized nor do they seem to value the people who could work for them. I am sure it is good for some, but for me, no thanks.

In addition, the Mexicans have a mixed opinion of Tec. I have friends whose kids go there and, although it is very expensive, they think it is the "el mejor en Mexico". Other say it is a respectable instutition, but a cult nonetheless. One friend comment to me that they want to own you and control every aspect of your life, both during and after work hours.

I am sure not all Tec branches are identical, but I hope this will be useful to someone in the future.

Theo

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Yep--a politically incorrect employer--just like I have been saying. The gringo teachers there are nothing more than window dressing--some white faces to justify the truly outrageous tuition that they charge.

MO39 · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:08 pm Post subject:

thes80,

Last summer I had an unpleasant experience interviewing at an ITESM campus. I had to get up at 5 am to travel from the DF to get there for my interview at noon. When I arrived on campus, the HR person then called the English Department to see if anyone was there to talk to me and observe a practice class I was to give. Luckily, there were some teachers around! Unluckily, they were not impressed with my presentation though it was well-organized and lively because it did not fit in with the methods they were currently using. After all that, I was told that IF they were to offer me a job (highly unlikely by this point), it would only be a part-time position. I was really bummed out after the whole experience. Maybe I was lucky that they didn't want me in the end! Thanks for sharing your ITESM experinence with us.

thelmadatter · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:43 pm Post subject: variation

Sorry to see almost all negativity in the posts. As most of you know, I am happy with my job at Tec. Ive been here two years.

From the scuttlebutt Ive been listening to for this time, it seems that there can be quite a bit a variation from campus to campus, department to department and even director to director. While the "forces from on high" in Monterrey try very hard to standardize the system, how the rules and priniciples actually get implemented can vary widely. In short, like most major companies and institutions, some parts are managed better than others.

I wont get to specific here on this public board. However, thes80 it is possible that the issue was with that one campus/department. If you have to opportunity again for a job with a different campus/department, keep an open mind. It might be a very different experience.

MO39 · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:06 pm Post subject:

Thelmadatter, thanks for your comments. In spite of the unfruitful experience I had last summer at one particular ITESM campus, I will be interviewing at another campus when I return to Mexico in a couple of months. The e-mails I've exchanged with the Directora de Idiomas have been quite cordial, helpful and candid; I'm hoping that the good vibes will continue when we meet.

samizinha · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 174 Location: Vacalandia

I haven't started at the Tec yet, but was hired at an international teaching fair last February. This is one way to do it so that it's set before you arrive to Mexico. I've found it extremely well organized and the coordinator has beeen very helpful.
I also worked with another Tec last year. They set up a type of practicum for a group of my friends and I, and we all received offers at the end to come and teach- another thing that you can try if you want to get a foot in the door.
From what I've observed about the two Tec's I've been involved with, they run completely differently, especially with contracts. Shop around.

thes80 · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 15 Location: Mexico

Yes Thelma, I won�t rule Tec out completely in the future if I decide to change cities. I think the campus interviewed at is very disorganized. I was also a little surprised by the low pay they offered me. It was more than I made teaching kids, but I have already had another offer that pays almost double what tec offered.

thelmadatter · Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 6:04 pm Post subject: Tec

MO39... I will definitely keep my fingers crossed for you. If it means anything, the feeling I got over the Net with the guy that hired me panned out in real life as well. Communicate as much as you can and ask as many questions as you can (about the job, about the community, whatever). Ask to talk to your coordinator and/or another teacher teaching the course(s) you'll be assigned. (You can say its to introduce yourself if youre worried about it being impolitic).

Sam... I was hired outside of Mexico as well. It seems to me you can get a better deal this way, based on what youve said and what I have seen. If youre already in Mexico, maybe some think that they already "gotcha". When they come to you, they are a bit more gracious.

Salaries do vary. At a job fair, one campus that considered me offered 25% less than the campus I work at now. I think that had to do with the fact that the other campus was located in a prettier place to live.