Job Discussion Forums

periodista-masajista · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Texas, USA

So, I�m corresponding with this potential employer, and here�s the scene�

For one thing, he�s totally manic that I get to his school as soon possible, meaning that he literally wants me to head for the local bus station the second I get out of the final class of my training program and go to the town where the school is, even though that would put me in his town late on a Friday night. When I suggested that it made more sense for me to arrive on a Sunday so that I could tour the facilities and meet the staff Monday morning, he repeated that he�d prefer to have me there �ASAP.�

Back in the States, no business would be this blatantly desperate except for a fast-food joint or a convenience store. Also, no place would be this pushy with someone they haven�t even hired yet. This guy is definitely coming across as pushy.

So am I just a na�ve gringo or what? My question is: is this guy�s somewhat hysterical professional style a standard practice in Mexican schools, or is it an aberration? I�m wondering if this fellow is just under a tremendous amount of heat from his supervisors, and that�s why he�s so intense�or if his communication style is an ill omen of bizarre, authoritarian practices to come. Naturally, I don�t expect anyone on this board to be clairvoyant about this specific situation, but a little general cultural context would help.

As a side note, his emails are full of random insertions of ALL CAPITALS and gratuitous use of underlined words, so much so that the effect is somewhat like a ransom note....

thelmadatter · Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:48 pm Post subject: reading right

P-M

Nope... I think you are reading this guy right. Run the other way!

Ms. Atondo · Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:53 pm Post subject:

I think you should follow your gut on this one. It is possible that this guy is totally on the level but if you are uncomfortable with him now imagine having to work with him. On another note... I think the first thing that you have to realize (as I believe you are just entering the profession) is that you need to leave your ideas about the way things are done in your home country behind you. You will read many posts on this forum from people saying that "this would never happen in [insert home country here]" but that is because you are not there. When I came home from Mexico I found myself saying "this would never happen in Mexico" too. Trust your gut but be open to new ways of doing things too. That is part of the whole experience.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

If your intuition says 'no', don't go. It sounds like a nightmare in the making. There are plenty of other teaching jobs available, so don't settle for this one.

periodista-masajista · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Texas, USA

Thanks for your replies. I understand the silliness of saying "this would never happen in the States" because this isn't the States. But still, there are some practices that are wacky in any context. Anyone else with thoughts please add...

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Don't go there. The guy is clearly a fruitcake. How many nuts he has in the cake is irrelevant.

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

Take a deep breath and then take a "breather" after your training program. There's absolutely no need to take the first job that comes knocking on your door -- especially if the knocking is as incessant and annoying as this guy's seems to be.

periodista-masajista · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Texas, USA

Thanks very much...actually I am under pressure to start working very soon because I�m almost out of money...but if I end up having to take a lame job, I can do that here in GDL...don�t need to go out of my way for that. As the Brits say, "I�ll give that one a miss."

miss_betty · Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 41 Location: Hermosillo, Mexico

okay, this is what I think this guy looks like

He is short ( no offense to the height challenged people) and suffers from a severe, incurrable case of Napolean's Syndrome

It is also my hypothesis that he is balding rapidly and compensates by wearing a toupee and bolding and underlining random words.

I think he has malodorous breath and wears shirts that are too tight to show off his muscles ( since he can't grow in height, he can grow in girth)

Hmm, let's see. On the day you arrived ( Friday night lol) you would find out the he was universally despised by all of his employers and they were stuck in that locations for reasons that were far to deep and complex to discuss upon first meeting.

Oh yeah, his wife probably nags the sh*&t out of him and work is the only place where he feels he can have control

Sadly, I could go on for another page. One last thing, he is probably an only child who's parents didn''t really want him and therefore, filled their time with work and activities that did not involve him.

Buenos Noches Maestros
j.

MixtecaMike · Joined: 19 Nov 2003 Posts: 643 Location: Guatebad

Maybe he's just got fat fingers and keeps hitting the <Caps Lock> instead of the <A> key. Likewise, <ALT N> instead of <SPACE> <N>.

Shake a leg, periodista, it's Friday and you don't even have your bus ticket yet.

Chris_Crossley

periodista-masajista · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Texas, USA

The school is Wall Street in Metepec, outside of Toluca. It�s very TEMPTING to go freeze my huevos off this winter in a DULL, EXPENSIVE bourgeois pottery mecca, but for whatever reason, I just don�t seem to be headed for the bus station.

Instead, I found a job in Campeche. So even if I live in a place with no hot water, it really shouldn�t matter.

By the way, how �bout those Leones de Yucatan! They were down 0-3 in their playoff series with Tabasco and won four straight to advance...

Not that 99.9% of the people using this board care, but still...

miss_betty · Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 41 Location: Hermosillo, Mexico

Hot water or not,
Bourgeois or ghetto

I wish you the best in your new endeavour

Saludos
miss betty

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

This is the time of year in which Directors of small language schools in Mexico are past the point of panic, especially the sane ones! I have a friend doing this job. She has been in panic mode for about a month now. Maybe she never gets out of panic mode, because her job hinges on the comings and goings of foreign language teachers. (Whole other story)

School starts Monday and she hasn't slept in 3 days. Her Director thinks they will need a teacher at location A, but won't know until the enrollments are complete. Sometimes the enrollments continue well into the first week of school, since everyone is in vacation mode, and maybe some haven't come up with the inscription fee yet, etc. She better have a teacher waiting in the wings (what teacher will wait in the wings?) because once the tuitions are paid and there is no teacher in the classroom all hell breaks loose with the parents.

Then there is the foreign teacher who arrived on Wednesday to location B, only to turn around on Thursday and announce that she missed her fiance and was going back to the USA. Gone. No teacher for her class on Monday. At location C another teacher broke her contract and demanded to be moved because "they don't speak English in this town", oh and "its too noisy with all those parades going by the school". What's that about? I love parades, and they are a great excuse to stop for a little break! What was she expecting when she accepted the job? I thought everyone did at least a little research before travelling abroad to teach? BTW they (incredibly) agreed to relocate her.

So you see, (in defence of panicky Mexican teacher recruiters everywhere), I sympathize after hearing stories like this time and time again. There are two sides to this coin.

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