Job Discussion Forums

[Samantha]

Some of the recent comments here have been thought provoking and probably educational to those thinking of packing it in and moving here for a bit. Obviously Mexico is not for everyone, as was pointed out by more than one poster here, and when reality sets in it can become an unfortunate place for some. So for those who have never set foot in Mexico what do you envision it will be like? What do you do to learn about this culture and country prior to arriving here with resume in hand?

I have worked with teachers who were educated in the very disciplined British school systems who were absolutely appalled at what goes on in Mexican classrooms at local University levels. Cellphones, lateness, cheating on exams, no-showing classes, and yet still being expected to pass their students to the next level. The great organizational skills these teachers possessed when arriving in Mexico, turned out to be their very undoing.

Things tick differently and our learned, well-intended advice is mostly not welcome in the schools. Some teachers come into Mexico thinking there will always be live internet computer access at school, photocopiers, overheads, whiteboards, and heck, even proper lighting and air conditioning. They get another reality check when sometimes having to design their own curriculums. (I've been there and it was lots of work for little pay). And this isn't even dealing with the different personalities of school coordinators and the internal games sometimes being played by unappreciative local fellow-teachers who would just as soon not have you there.

So as I said above, I guess I wonder how teachers prepare for this. What do you wish you had done that you didn't, prior to coming to Mexico? Gone are the old days of "I can teach English in Mexico because I am a native speaker and want to get away for awhile". It is a demanding job and you better be on top of your game. So, what is the secret ingredient to preparing for, and then making a happy life here (after the rose-colored glasses come off)?

P.S.
I, and others, would really like to see our old friend Ben Round de Bloc (Tim) return to weigh in on this topic since he is a seasoned veteran in the trenches of teaching English in Mexico. And he likes it!

[sarliz]

This is a good question/rumination, Samantha.

The first thing that I can pinpoint for myself is that I would have liked to have arrived (Jesus, is that an actual tense?) with a little more Spanish under my belt. Being able to hold my own in a conversation has made just about every aspect of my life here more comfortable and less isolated, but in the beginning I just didn't have it. However, going through the pains of Spanish classes has made me more empathetic towards my students (it's hard to slack on homework and then scold others for not doing theirs).

I think it was important for me to already know that I liked teaching and that I liked Mexico before I came. I think that, while basic, these are the two most important things to figure out before you decide to move to Mexico to start teaching, as both can be radically different from whatever rosy-Hollywood-induced picture you have in your mind. Volunteer teaching someone back home, and see if you're still down with it. Take a vacation to Mexico and see if you still want to go back. It would suck immensely to arrive and learn that neither were what you were imagining.

Personally, I have managed to achive a delicate balance of analness and laid-backitude (yes, I'm inventing words) that are serving me well here. I'm in the low-paying, making-up-my-own-curriculum job, and the analness is good for that aspect. I think I also hold myself and my students to very high expectations without being too overt about it (a well-played disappointed glance at a forgotten verb can work wonders), and they've responded well. But I try not to sweat the small stuff. If they come late but participate and learn the material, I'm okay with that.

But I'm trying to say that being responsible without being high-strung is important. If that's not you, I'd rethink Mexico.

Alright, going to think of more woulda/shoulda/couldas.

[ls650]

[geaaronson]

I believe the two biggest mistakes I made in not preparing for the transition were not getting the TEFL accreditation early in the game and not studying Spanish more than I did.
I did make 4 preliminary trips to Mexico to make sure that this was a culture I could live with. For the most part, I feel better adjusted to the looser lifestyle here in Mexico than what I have experienced in my native USA. I find Mexicans less liable to take offense, are not prickly in their responses to friendly suggestions or comments about personal tastes and mores, even more open minded and adoptive of the attitude of �Que Sera, Sera�. There�s none of the uptight politically or Biblical correctness
of the born again Christian mentality, nor the ridiculous adherence to a slavish leftist pablum of political correctedness.

In a very big way, I was tired of going to social functions and meeting the inevitable lay preacher who would rant and rave about the joys and imperatives of attending church on a regular basis, or the converser who would repeat �Praise be the Lord� every 7 minutes. Likewise, I no longer wince when an ingratiating Non-Jew (I am Jewish) would aver that he understood how important it was for Israel to continue its present policies vis a vis Arabs because he had visited Jerusalem and could almost see the Mediterrean, or when I joking emailed some friends stateside that if I went to the beach often enough I might �pass�for Mexican until I open my mouth, and an Afro American friend emailed me that comment smacked of racism.

I suppose living in Mexico, as an outsider to the racial, religious, and class struggles here, don�t directly affect me as they do in America as an American. And perhaps that is a joy;not being directly affected by prejudicial or seemingly inane remarks. No one has told me Yankee go home and if someone from the service sector is somewhat surly toward me while purchasing products in their store because of my national origins, it pales in comparison to the outright rudeness I had experienced in my 15 years as a resident of Boston.

Had I gotten my TEFL certification prior to coming to Mexico, I would now be living in Merida. I expended too much time there without the proper preparation of having the certificate in hand. There is far too much competition for ESL teaching in the Yucatan as it is so sought after as the first choice of many gringoes. In the Yucatan today, if you don�t have the certificate, forget it, you will only get the leftover courses. You will not get a full time gig, no way, no how.
The situation is completely different here in DF. There are so many job opportunities the certificate is almost never a necessity. Of almost a dozen interviews since I have been here, only one prospective employer asked about it, whereas in Merida, the question continually came up.

[thelmadatter]

geaaronson... interesting how you make the analogy between the PC and the Bible-thumpers, I always thought they were similar too... in the 'holier than thou" sense.

Where the heck have you been BTW! Dixie and I missed you this weekend going to the FONAES expo, even came to your place to see if you were OK. Hope whatever kept you so busy has something to do with the opposite sex!