Job Discussion Forums

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

What's the best way to go about securing work for a husband and wife from two different countries? (US and Mexico)...

We are both fluent in the other's language, but not native speakers. She carries a passport from Mexico, mine is from the US.

I was offered a position at a McEnglish in Taiwan but my understanding is that she could have to stay behind a month while I get her paperwork in order? Seeing that the weddding is in July and the teaching/training begins in August... we don't really want to be separated for a month after the wedding/honeymoon.

Are there other options for staying together? How can we apply as a married couple? We don't need to work in the same school/company... but we (obviously) expect to live together.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject:

Let's hear about your qualifications- for better or worse, work abroad as a Spanish teacher is nothing like as easy to find as for an English teacher.

If your wife to be (congrats, by the way!) is well qualified and experienced as a teacher, international schools or universities would seem the obvious route. If her qualifications are lower level/entry level, I'm tempted to suggest Mexico...

Slds,
Justin

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

Me: BA World Languages and Cultures, TEFL Cert
6 months paid experience primary teaching in Northern Mexico
4 months experience volunteer teaching (4th grade primary) in Northern California
1 month volunteer teaching (primary-preparatory) Central Mexico

Her: BA Social Anthropology
MA Regional Development
1 Year experience teaching university Social Sciences
1 semester teaching history courses
several years of experience working with children in various arenas

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Where do you want to work? In Japan, not many places hire couples (married or otherwise). They are concerned about taking your problems from home to work, leaving them without two not one teacher during a vacation, and finding housing large enough for two instead of one. If you can swing it in the country of your choice, perhaps you could get the work visa, and your spouse could get a dependent visa at first (good for PT work with special permission), which would let her into the country for longer than 90 days as a tourist, and then later she could convert to a full work visa if she found an employer willing to sponsor the visa.

Is she capable of teaching English, or will her teaching be limited to Spanish? Think of Berlitz.

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

I think by the sheer nature of her being Mexican she will be limited in what she can and can't teach. While her English is excellent she does have an accent (hard to lose those, eh?) and does herself make the occasional error (not that a lot of my native-speaking friends don't). I believe she would make a competent and energetic kindergarten teacher.... and she's not too Mexican looking. What I mean is that she's not considerably dark and doesn't have indigenous features. While not blue-eyed, she is definitely of European bloodline... which seems to have some importance in East Asia for English teaching.

We really are open to teaching just about anywhere but part of the reason we want to do this is to save money AND have the experience of living abroad together. And realistically, we don't think we should be teaching in the same school... just to avoid drama, gossip, etc.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

A Canadian friend of mine and his Mexican wife went to Harbin, China some years back. They've both made a good living there, teaching English and Spanish. I imagine there are a green card issues, or whatever she would need to travel, but it can be done.

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

I know Mexicans that have worked in both Japan and Korea as English teachers - teaching kids. I don't know how you'd go about it though. Just make sure you're both where you want to be before you have kids!

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

MELEE · Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:05 am Post subject:

A while back my husband and I were looking at the possiblities of a brief interlude in Thailand. Thailand because I noticed from watching the jobs boards that a lot of schools there have bilingual programs and were looking for subject area teachers, not just EFL teachers. He's a highly qualified Maths teacher (and Mexican, and VERY Mexican looking!) And quiet capable of teaching math in English. The good folks on the TEFLwatch.org forum seemed to think he could find a job if we went there, but that he'd have to go through quiet a round of interviews to find a school that would look past the Mexican thing. Some of the forum members also suggested that saying he was from Central America might confuse the schools into not noticing he wasn't American, or hoping they'd mistake Old Mexico for New. Laughing

You're not going to make anywhere near the money of Taiwan, but it might be worth looking into--we were looking at it as a vacation from Mexico, while I was on sabbatical--so money wasn't an issue.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

It'd probably be easier for her to tag along on your visa, then pick up work or privates where you go. COngrats on your upcoming marriage. And how did you become flunet in Spanish? After 13 years, I'm still not there. Rolling Eyes

There are some countries that she could enter as a tourist, then leave to get her visa, that might work out.

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

we are currently under the impression that HK Taiwan and China are most open to Spanish speakers.

Thanks for the input... we'll keep looking and see what we can make happen.

As for the language... I got started at 14 and it always just seemed really easy and natural. No special tricks. Just took classes, made verb cards, listened to the music,watched the movies, etc. Eventually it lead to majoring in Spanish, traveling in Mexico and meeting my (almost) wife.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Mike if your wife is young she can teach children in Taiwan. Of course if she gets caught she will be deported but at least you could risk it and see what happens if you want. I know foreign students from various countries that teach English as well as Japanese who teach Japanese. I know some French and Polish students who teach English to elementary students.

blackmagicABC · Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 68 Location: Taipei

I know this is on the other forum but the visa info is as follows.
As soon as you have an ARC, you apply for a "Joining family" visa for your wife for which you need to produce proof of relationship and some other things that you can get by phoning a toll free number. As soon as I get the number (my friend will forward it to me) I will PM it to you.