Job Discussion Forums

[Beth]

Hello all,

I've been reading so many informative and generous postings so I thought I would find out if anyone has any advice on teaching jobs in Cancun.

I'll be getting my M.S. in TESOL and my K-12 ESOL teaching certificate in December. I have a year of ESOL teaching experience at a language school, a B.A. in English, and 3 years of high school teaching experience. I'll actually be heading for that area at the beginning of October and completing my last elective online.

Any advice or suggestions or tips or places I should try?

Thanks,
Beth

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I was hoping someone with firsthand experience in Cancun would reply to your post. I'm located in the same part of the country, 3-4 hours by bus from Cancun, but the differences between Cancun and Merida are great.

I'd guess that your MS in TESOL should go a long way in your job search, especially if you lean towards schools that don't particularly cater to students interested in English for the tourist trade. There are lots of language schools that focus on "tourism English" with low pay and lots of competition from teachers far less qualified and experienced than you. Your qualifications won't mean much when competing for jobs in those schools, where they want to hire the cheapest teachers rather than the best teachers, unless you're willing to work for very low wages, of course. However, there are a number of private schools patronized by the wealthy and their children. Read that to mean higher qualifications required to teach in those schools, better pay, better working conditions, and a more academic environment.

Your ESOL state teaching certificate probably won't mean much in this country unless you apply at an international school. It never hurts to have more certificates and credentials, of course. However, when I applied for my university EFL job, I had to explain the whole concept of state teaching certification, what my state ESOL teaching certificate was, what my state certificate in adult education ESOL was, etc., because the interviewers weren't all that familiar with the education system in the USA. All they really cared about was that I had my MA in TESOL, several years of teaching experience, and planned to stick around indefinitely.

One of my co-workers recently went to Cancun to help give Cambridge oral exams, and he was amazed at the advanced skill level of many of the younger students (teenagers and younger) who took the First Certificate Exam, probably due to high quality English instruction in their private schools as well as ample opportunity to travel in countries where English is the main language.

Keep in mind that Cancun is a tourist city, so cost of living is much higher than in non-touristy areas of equal size. With the high tourist trade comes a high demand for English instruction, but also there's usually more competition for EFL jobs. In the tourist trade, lots of people who work in hotels, restaurants, night spots, etc. -- people who need English in order to get work -- tend to migrate with the prime tourist times, so they don't stay in Cancun year around. Therefore, enrollment and need for teachers in many language schools tend to fluctuate depending on time of year.

[Beth]

Ben,

Thanks so much for your response. You mentioned:

"However, there are a number of private schools patronized by the wealthy and their children. Read that to mean higher qualifications required to teach in those schools, better pay, better working conditions, and a more academic environment."

I have a long list of schools for the area but I don't know which of them would fit under the above category. You wouldn't happen to know which ones cater to the folks you mentioned?

I am also planning to stay indefinitely. I am looking at Merida as an option too.

Thanks again,
Beth