Job Discussion Forums

[ilovebdt1]

Hi Guys

Here in Korea I teach at a Public High School as part of an initiative by the Korean Dept of Education. The idea is to help improve Korean students level of English by having a native English teacher in all schools, Elementary, Middle and High School.

Do Mexican Public Schools hire foreign English teachers?

Ilovebdt1

[MELEE]

In this part of Mexico, a public school position would be less than desireable to put it nicely.

[ls650]

[Samantha]

The working class Mexicans strive to enroll their children in private schools. Public schools are noisy, chaotic places, to put it mildly. I always chuckle when I hear about a foreigner commenting something like this... "We are moving to Mexico and want to enroll our kids in a public school because we want them to learn Spanish".... Eeek. A walk past a public school during school hours is about all you would need to understand why you wouldn't want work in one, much less send your foreign child to one. My favorite is the school where the children jump up out of their chairs (well maybe only 30 or 40 of them) and climb the window bars, waving and yelling at passersby while the class is supposedly in session.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[cwc]

Good point, Ben. I wanted to say something, but I thought it would result in a riot. The public schools in the Yucatan and Campeche are not too bad, AND they ARE good places to work. The SEP positions are for life. It�s like being tenured from day one. You work 4-5 hours a day. There are a million holidays. An average retirement in Mexico is 4-5K, but the SEP pays double. Their union is formidable.
There are a lot of lower class families that really value education and human values. They see them as the way to a better life, which they are. The teachers in the small towns are seen as Gods because they hold the key to the door out of the field. If a kid has a problem at school, it is dealt with severely. The field hands recognize the price they pay for their lack of education, and are dead-set that their kids won�t suffer the same.
All that said, one would have to have extremely strong contacts and a long time in the community. There is a glut of teachers and the people would rebel at an outsider taking a position from a Mexican. I see it as almost impossible. However, I do have contacts and I am networking the school. I have been invited to work by the principal, but it�s not entirely up to her. I will let you know how it all works out. I intend to work at my private school during the day and the SEP school in the evening. The money is less, but the job security is unbeatable.

[FreddyM]

I'm with cwc and Ben on this as well. While the working conditions (facilities) at some of the poorest schools would not compare anywhere close to the nicer private schools, the positions themselves for teachers are pretty good. You don't work many hours, get tons of holidays, and the pay is actually better than average. In fact, if you consider private schools as a whole (not just the elite 50 or so), the public schools actually pay better.
I would assume that the higher the grade you teach, the better quality students you may get as well, as those who cannot cut it end up dropping out (unfortunately). By the time students reach prepa age, they have to pass an entrance exam, and from what I have heard, that's where you'll really find the hardest working, most dedicated students because they are working towards bettering their lives. That is quite unlike the private schools where you tend to get a lot of rich spoiled kids who know they've already got it made regardless of how much effort they put into their studies.

Good teaching positions in the public schools are however very difficult to get as the union is a very strong force. In fact there is actually a lot of corruption with the union, and many teachers and administrators sell teaching positions (plazas), sometimes for as much as 100,000 pesos or more. That is a lot of money for a Mexican, but many round up the money because they do know that is a good job, for life, and the retirement benefits are superb by Mexican standards. All that being said, even if you could find a way to get a teaching position in the public schools, I don't think it would be a good option for a foreigner who was not intending to stay in Mexico for a very long time. You might get a better deal income wise, with fewer requirements, at the private schools---but you'd also have to tolerate a lot of unruly behavior.

[Samantha]

No one has mentioned how difficult it would be in public schools and many private schools to function without being fluent in Spanish. I have worked for several co-ordinators overseeing English departments who didn't speak any English. Staff meetings are conducted in Spanish and so are parent-teacher meetings of course. It isn't easy.

The situation with schools must be different in each State, which would make sense. Public schools here pay terrible compared to private schools, and it is no picnic for the teachers either. I have Mexican friends in the system who work really hard for what they take home and don't seem particularly overjoyed with their jobs. They are, of course, happy to have one after years of study. (Our minimum-wage scale is the lowest in the country - there is a website available with this information) Holidays are honored the same by both public and private schools.

Most private schools are not mainly attended by rich kids. The working class, such as hotel employees, waiters, etc and other average workers put their children in this type of school. Not public but not elite or for rich spoiled kids either. We don't hang out with the rich, but none of the people we know would put their children in a public school here. There are 2 or 3 elite schools, one being Tec de Monterrey, and another being a prestigious Catholic school with class sizes of 50! No thank you.

Even the public schools here, as poor as most are, require the children to be dressed in uniform. No uniform, no school. I'm not sure if that is standard elsewhere or not. One local gringo charity group pays for uniforms and shoes every year for children attending one of the poor public schools so they can attend.

A Canadian friend put himself on a lengthy list to get hired as a teacher in UAS, the State run unionized "autonomous" University. He was convinced that he would be paid even if he didn't work! He also felt he had an "in" since he is trilingual, but he never did clear the waiting list before coming to his senses and returning to Canada to a good job in a College. Well that, and he had to heal his wounds from a new and exciting hobby he took up while here as a Forcado (bull-fighting).

[cwc]

[Samantha]

Yes, they gave us the SEP calendar at the beginning of the term, and teachers and students get all the holidays off including a full week for Carnaval. One school was a Kinder to High School, and the others were Universities. Holidays are astoundingly plentiful and I at first wondered when anyone spent time focussing on learning. Obviously each area of Mexico must be different.

[cwc]

You are confused. The private school holidays are BASED on the SEP, but the SEP takes a lot of extra unscheduled days. Did you get 2 weeks for Easter and 1 week for Carneval?

[Samantha]

Yes. 1 full week at Carnaval and 2 full weeks for Easter.

[cwc]

When was the Carneval holiday? NOBODY that I know of that works in a private school gets it off. You may be confabulating. Your school won�t have enough days to qualify unless they do some creative accounting. If you are telling the truth, PM me your school�s name so I can see for myself. I will take a non-response as admitting the lie. Talked yourself into a corner this time.

[Samantha]

Carnaval in Mazatlan is one of the largest in the world. ALL schools and several businesses are on vacation during this period and I don't really care if you believe me or not. Grow up and don't send me another private message EVER again. Keep your weirdness on the forum for everyone else (especially the moderators) to see too, and brush up on the Spanish spelling of Carnaval while you are at it.

Edit to my post for others. I said "one of the largest" meaning it has been deemed 3rd largest after Rio and New Orleans which is pretty impressive and is a darn good reason for yet another holiday from work!

http://www.2camels.com/destination5.php3

http://www.carnavalmazatlan.com.mx/inicio_en.php

[cwc]

Largest in the WORLD??? Mazatlan???? When was your vacation, that�s all I�m asking. You are a world-class confabulator.

WHEN WAS YOUR VACATION???? Information is all I want.