Job Discussion Forums

williejean23 · Joined: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 20 Location: Canada

I am planning on moving to Mexico end of January or beginning of February. Can someone tell me how hard it will be to find a job and maybe where I should look. I would like to live near the ocean if possible but will go where the jobs are. Thanks for any help.

Williejean

J Sevigny · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 161

Williajean,

Jobs are everywhere. I think it's safe to say that you can find a job teaching English in almost any part of Mexico. The question is the quality of the work and the pay.

You don't offer much information about yourself but I will tell you this. If you've got an ESL certificate and a college degree, you can get a decent job. Experience helps, too.

If you've got a specialized degree and/or a masters, you can get very good work at a private university.

As for the beach, I've come to the conclusion that that's the English teacher's wet dream. Yes, a few people live out their fantasies. Far more are left deciding between 40 pesos an hour in Acapulco and 100 or more in Guadalajara with occassional trips to the coast.

Good luck.

williejean23 · Joined: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 20 Location: Canada

Thank you for your reply, I just finished a 3 month course and should get my certificate in CTESL in a couple of weeks. I also have a diploma as an Administrative Assistant which I know has nothing to do with teaching.

housed · Joined: 13 Apr 2003 Posts: 9

I found this web link for ASOMEX (Association of American Schools in Mexico) that provide in pdf. form some comparable benefits of these kinds of schools nationwide. This particular site is for a 2007 recruiting fair and I don't know how long it will be up. It's the only place I've found this information. Even the schools don't tend to give you their salary scales.

WEB LINK: http://asomex.org/recruitingfair/index.htm

I hope this helps.

business2300 · Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 60

I'm finding with only an esl certificate, that people shy away from the lack of esl teaching experience

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

business2300 · Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 60

I have lots of teaching/training experience in the business world... but no academic teaching experience... Maybe starting at a lower point might be necessary.

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:46 pm Post subject:

Finding work depends on what you are looking for/are willing to do and how desperate the school is. A higher end private university or high school is able to pick and choose a lot more than say, a language school. Uni's and private primarias, secundarias and prepas have a lot less teacher turn over and more staff loyalty than most of the language institutes. If a person is willing to work the long hours, split-shifts and almost always mandatory Saturdays, finding work in a institute shouldn't be a problem.

Teaching business classes is always another route to take. The main advantages being no Saturdays and the students tend to be better educated and more mature than in many schools. The main disadvantage being the time spent in commuting.

After a person has some experience, has gotten their feet wet so to speak and demonstrated that they are going to be here for a while in Mexico, then you can usually give the better jobs a shot.

It's very tough for a school to have to hire a new teacher in the middle of a semester because the Mr/Ms Native Speaker got homesick, a dear John letter, found out that they weren't in some kind of Peace Corps charity program, or just decided to "head somewhere else for a while".

I know that some directors and people in charge of hiring prefer Mexican teachers because they are usually more stable than non-Mexican teachers.

cangringo · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 327 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Bus,

Hubby and I only have a TEFL cert but are finding at least here in Monterrey that it's more how you sell yourself...especially in person. If you are at the school with cert in hand it's much easier than emailing a resume for instance. Also as mentioned, build up your other achievements, all of your business experience comes in handy as well. I guess it depends on the demand for teachers but here it's not too bad without a degree.

willie,

Monterrey has lots of opportunities but it's a big city and is very fast paced. It's a good start to get some experience but we are planning to leave at the end of June or thereabouts. We prefer small town living but we are not sorry we came here.