Job Discussion Forums

[WAustralia]

Hi everyone,

Just a couple questions for you guys.

I plan to go to Mexico around September this year, after (hopefully) working at a Summer camp in the States before hand. The idea is i'll fly across the border from wherever i'm working into Mexico, and then take it from there, whether it be staying there for a while, or moving my way down through South America.

Now where does TEFL fit into all of it? I'm just considering all options to prolong my stay, and with money being the catalyst for this, it's a possibility.

My biggest concern at the moment is my inexperience, and I don't doubt i'd have trouble finding a job, let alone a sustainable paying one. I've always had a strong grasp of English, but teaching it is another thing. I'm 18, finished high school last year, tried university for a couple months, but decided Engineering wasn't for me. I don't have any certification (it just keeps getting better and better, huh? :p) either, and will be entering Mexico with a grand total of about $1500US.

Anyway, getting back to the topic title, my options as I see it, are as follows:

1 - Forget teaching English and just do the tourist thing.

2 - Roll the dice and do a (cheap) certificate with decent job placement possibilities, keeping in mind people would be, I imagine, reluctant to employ someone so young?

3 - Take whatever job I can get, and try and make a go of it.

Any thoughts on these ideas would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Matt

[MELEE]

Hi Matt,

There is a chain of language schools in Mexico called Harmon Hall. Most of us here tend to bash it, because we are experienced teachers. But it can be good for some people. You just might be one of them. They have a mandatory prehire training program that all their teachers have to take, whether they've never taught a day, or whether they've been teaching for 10 years. Harmon Hall, uses a specific method in its classes and they train the teachers to teach in their style. Why not give it a shot? They will probably take your camp councilling experience that you will have just finished as a plus. Their pay is not fabulous, but doable, for a young single person. If you find you like teaching English, great, later you can go back for a relavent university degree and/or a TEFL certification. If you don't, you haven't spent your hard earned money on a course to do something that you don't enjoy doing.

Your biggest concern should be, how will you get back to Australia in an emergancy situation? 1500 US isn't enough to get a last minute ticket.

[WAustralia]

Thanks for the reply Melee, sounds like Harmon Hall might be the go

Oh yeah, I should have mentioned the $1500 doesn't include the return flight money, that's waiting in a bank account back over here. :p

Thanks,
Matt