Job Discussion Forums

[kosherpickle]

Would having only an associates degree in education and a tefl certificate do anything more for me job wise? I mean, would I be able to get a better job with those two things rather than with just a tefl cert?

[ls650]

Obviously two years of college is better than zero years, so if all a school requires is a TEFL certificate it'll give you a leg up on the competition.
Still, most of Mexico doesn't have the equivalent of an AA, so to most universities in Mexico it'll be an unfinished degree, and you don't have much chance of being hired at a uni.

[kosherpickle]

What about having a Bachelor in Spanish?I know that having a bachelors get you further, but do they care what they major was?
I am at a bit of a crossroads in my schooling, so I am trying to figure out what route to take, that's why I am asking these questions.

[ls650]

I imagine it depends a lot on the school. I taught English at a university. All the university cared about was that I had a bachelors and a teaching certificate of some sort; as a native speaker they considered it unimportant what the actual major was in.

I agree with them; temperment and personality factor into teaching ability far more than the words on a piece of parchment.

[MELEE]

I think a degree in languages would usually be seen as more relevant than a degree is say History or Biology.
But maybe I'm just saying that because I have a degree in Spanish.

[kosherpickle]

well, i am seesawing between majoring in Spanish and in Education. I know education might be the best route but I really don't think any of the classes, except for the two designed for teaching ESL which I plan to take no matter what, pertain well to want I want to do in English teaching. They really focus a lot on grade school children, and I'd really rather teach older high school kids on up, age wise.
They also focus a lot on teaching based around some stupid standardized test that Texas makes the kids here take, that just...gives me a headache even to think about.
Looking at the Spanish curriculum, however, gets me so excited I want to get my core classes done RIGHT NOW so I can get on to the fun stuff!

[GueroPaz]

As I understand/understood Texas, no university there offers a B.Ed. Those who wish to become licensed teachers major in both education (theory, pedagogy, etc.) and in a subject they will teach, such as Primary (which is very comprehensive, a little bit of every subject) or something like History, a language, science, math, PE, art, etc.

Perhaps a few Texas unis offer a specialty in ESL, or it can be added as an endorsement. From what I learned (my daughter was a Baumberger educational scholar at Trinity), you get your license that says what you can teach (e.g., she can teach middle and senior high science).

[kosherpickle]

I was angling towards a bach in interdisciplinary studies of education , while talking about it in this thread I was just being general.

[Linda T.]

I also have an AA degree (actually, a couple of them) and a TEFL Certificate. I was going to stay on in Mexico to teach immediately after getting my TEFL certificate, but decided to make myself more marketable by coming home and finishing up my BA and getting some ESL experience here first. Seemed to me that there was enough of a difference between the types of jobs advertised to make this worthwhile. Although I am getting my degree in Communication, the classes that are the most relevent to EFL teaching are my Spanish classes. Not only is it a wonderful review of all the grammar structures (some which I don't EVER remember being taught), but it is giving me great ideas for the types of teaching techniques which seem to work best (and the ones I want to avoid). My advice, without any reservations, would be to go for the Spanish . . . ESPECIALLY since you are so enthusiastic about it. (I also base this upon my experience of teaching ESL in the states these past few summers).

[MO39]

My undergraduate degree was in Spanish and Secondary Education, which included a semester of full-time student teaching in a local high school. When I decided to move to Mexico and teach English, I found that all I had to do was "reverse" the techniques I had learned and practiced for teaching Spanish. The most useful education course I had was in applied linguistics, which included a comprehensive comparison of Spanish and English phonetics and grammar. That really came in handy when I began to teach English at a now long-defunct language school in Naucalpan. I loved my Spanish literature classes and learned a great deal through them about Hispanic culture, which came in handy when I moved to Mexico the first time. So based on my experiences, I would suggest going for the degree in Spanish!

[kosherpickle]

Thanks for the advice everyone!
I have been a busy, decisive little beaver since I last posted in this thread. I find out next week if the university I want to attend will accept me and am going for that BA in Spanish. They also offer classes aimed at teaching ESL that I am going to take and I am going to see if they offer any certification for taking them.

My next question is this, i know it's been answered butI can't seem to pin down the right one with a search through the forums:
What could i reasonably expect to make in Mexico city with a TEFL cert of some kind and this BA in Spanish? Would I be able to work in a university level?

[Guy Courchesne]

Without experience, I think a university position would be a long shot. You're likely to have access to primary or secondary schools though. Timing will be an important factor, since such jobs hire on fixed dates, most often anyway.

Getting in with a decent school...you can expect anywhere from 8000 to 15000 pesos per month, before taxes, plus some benefits. The high end of that is very livable, the lower end can be more difficult if you aren't careful on expenses.

[raulyn]

Sorry to intrude on this but, I have a B.A. in Psych and teach at an English Institute here in NYC. My students range from foreign students on a visa to local Latino immigrants. I've been teaching for 3 years and teach everything from ABC's to TOEFL Exam Prep. Before that, I used to teach a very early morning class to employees at the hotels I worked at. I am not a certified teacher in the USA but I do have a TEFL certificate that I got from an on-line source. Would it be a stretch to apply to Universities there? I have Mexican friends that are taking English courses at UNAM and I must say that their professors seem rather lacking. I am really looking for a long term position in a more secure place. I'd like to live in D.F. I'm not wanting to work in a place that just wants volunteers or has a reputation for exploiting their workers. A public school or university seems more the route to go. Does it sound possible or feasible with my credentials?

[ls650]

[Linda T.]

Although Guy points out that it might be tough to get a university position without experience, it might not be all that difficult to get that experience before you go if there are any private language schools near you. If your summer is not otherwise occupied, you might want to start sending out resumes now to any schools near you that teach English as a second language. Even if you can't commit to their full schedule, they might be very eager to snap you up as a substitute.

Best of luck,

Linda

P.S. Very glad to hear that you decided to apply to the program where your passion lies.