Job Discussion Forums

Beija · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 3

Hi. I'm moving to Oaxaca in July with my five year old son to teach English. Just wondering if anyone can recommend any good kindergartens in Oaxaca or any tips on the school system or a similiar experience. Thanks!!!

MELEE · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:14 pm Post subject:

In order to give you useful information we need more information from you.

Oaxaca City or Oaxaca State?

Do you already have a job lined up?
Do you know your what your working hours will be?
Is anyone else comming with you?
How long are you planning on staying?
How much are you willing or able to pay for your son's education?
What are your educational goals for him, especially language wise?

Beija · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 3

Hi. I guess that was a bit vague. I'm planning in living in Oaxaca City, I don't have a job lined up yet. I'm thinking of a bi-lingual school for my son to help with the transition and I plan to stay for a year. I'm just concerned as a lot of ESL jobs tend to be evenings and Saturdays which are opposite of school hours which are from 7-1 I believe. I'm not sure how much education costs there but I'm thinking a kindergarten would be around 1500 pesos/month. If you could give me any additional info that would be great. Thanks so much!!!

MELEE · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject:

Pm the poster named NinaNina she hasn�t been around a lot lately, but she�d have the low down on Kindergardens in Oaxaca City.

You are right that if you are coming alone and you don't have a job lined up you will almost certainly need some sort of child care apart from kindergarten (which is 8:30 to 12:30) because it's highly unlikely that you will be able to work only during those hours. Unless of course you just worked at the school you put your son in and didn't work anywhere else.

You may also want to read these old threads

Children:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=61630&highlight=oaxaca
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=42818&highlight=oaxaca
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=48185&highlight=children++kids
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=37910&highlight=children++kids
Oaxaca:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=60135&highlight=oaxaca
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=60150&highlight=oaxaca
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=58277&highlight=oaxaca

MELEE · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:29 pm Post subject:

Beija

I just wanted to check in and see if you had gotten in touch with Ninanina?

I was also thinking, if you are going to come to Oaxaca City with your 5 year old for just one year (that's so short!) you'd probably just as well put him in a free public kindergarten. You want him to learn as much Spanish as quickly as possible. Why mess around with bilingual? (there are kinders with English in Oaxaca, but probably not any truely bilingual English-Spanish) You'd save that money (that you will need to put towards other child care for after school hours) and he'd come out of the experience with a lot more Spanish. But Ninanina has kids that age so she'd really know more about the schools in Oaxaca City.

NinaNina · Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Oaxaca

Greetings! Thank you, Melee, for thinking of me.

I've been living in Oaxaca City for a year with my 2-year-old (soon 3) and 6-year-old (soon 7) and I think you have some nice options.

One bilingual program at a lovely school is Federico Froebel, but it will cost you closer to $225 per month, plus registration, materials, uniforms, PTA fees, etc . More relaxed, but decidedly monolingual, is Teizcali, where my kids go (and love). There's always a few expat families there, but, for the most part, it's Oaxquenos. It's on the hippie/relaxed side of the Mexican private school system, which suits us well. It's project-based, offers lots of art, and has all sorts of special events through the year. Oh, and weekly swimming lessons and lots of field trips. It costs about $215 per month (but with the dollar ever slipping, it will be closer to $220 or so), plus all those set-up fees. I've heard Alacrim (am I spelling this right?) near Llano Park is excellent, and that there is a Montessori School near the Alcala. If you need more info, please write! Melee is correct in that free Kinder may be the way to go if you want less financial commitment. I heard Escuela Rufino Tamayo does a decent job in that regard. I can do more research, if you need it.

Your child will have so much fun in Oaxaca! The children's library is great, and I'm a big, geeky fan of the Stamp Museum and its activities for children. Buena suerte!

MO39 · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 4:44 pm Post subject:

NinaNina, I was wondering what the job market is like these days in Oaxaca City for someone (like me, for instance) who would want to supplement her modest pension with private students.

NinaNina · Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Oaxaca

Thanks for the question. One caveat: I'm not as qualified to answer the question as others, as I have recently changed from teaching to freelance writing.

That said, the job market is low-paying but happening. My school has high turnover, and my boss has asked me to return. Oaxaca City has abundant public and private K-12 schools as well, and I think if you have a TEFL or (like me) a teaching credential, you have a good shot at a job. In regard to private lessons, I've never done them, but a few people have asked me if I would. As others have said, the pay here is quite low. I earned 60 pesos per hour, which is (just) enough for a single person to get by. Telecommuting pays much better!

One funny thing. I was hanging out in front of the house we just moved into, and the neighbor approached me. He's the head of an English department at a nearby prepa. He asked about my credentials, had me come and observe his class (which was, by the way, extremely charming and relatively polite, if not all that attentive), and tried to hire me on the spot (80 pesos per hour). So I think the opportunities are there, even if they're not posted on Dave's or some other website.

If I can answer any other questions, please let me know. I love Oaxaca dearly!

--NinaNina
http://mexpop.blogspot.com/

MO39 · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:10 pm Post subject: Re: Oaxaca City's job market

[quote="NinaNina"]
That said, the job market is low-paying but happening. My school has high turnover, and my boss has asked me to return. Oaxaca City has abundant public and private K-12 schools as well, and I think if you have a TEFL or (like me) a teaching credential, you have a good shot at a job. In regard to private lessons, I've never done them, but a few people have asked me if I would. As others have said, the pay here is quite low. I earned 60 pesos per hour, which is (just) enough for a single person to get by. Telecommuting pays much better!

If I can answer any other questions, please let me know. I love Oaxaca dearly!

--NinaNina

I love Oaxaca too and have spent several memorable vacations there over the years. As I had thought, English teaching jobs didn't pay very well there compared to, let's say, Mexico City, where I am right now. How would you say that living expenses compare to those in the DF? For example, I pay $3500 pesos to rent a very small one-bedroom apartment in a pleasant, centrally-located neighborhood. How do rents run in Oaxaca City?

Do you have any idea why the school you used to work at has high teacher-turnover?

NinaNina · Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Oaxaca

Good questions.

My school's high turnover is mostly due to the low wages, I would surmise. Or the fact that teachers arrive to work and start exploring the local job market and find other opportunities. I will say this: they always paid, and right when they were supposed to.

The living expenses in Oaxaca. This is my favorite topic! I spend very little, am a vegan(ish), and a cheapo traveler. For my family of four (including two private school tuitions and traveler's insurance for four), we're spending $2300 U.S. per month. This does not include vacations to the U.S., though, because (as you know) flights to Oaxaca aren't cheap. This figure does include a rental that had its own guest house, once-a-week cleaning (included in the rental), high-speed internet, a landline, a cell phone, gas for the vocho, entertainment, groceries, utilities, diapers, etc., and I think a single person could live even more cheaply. In talking to teachers at my school, they got by on $600 per month, but most rented a room rather than an apartment, or had roommates. They also went out to clubs and dinner and did more shopping than I do.

I see rents around here as cheap as $350, but I haven't seen the inside of the places! I'm fairly certain that, with digging around, you could find what you're looking for, both house-wise and job-wise. I will also say that if, like us, you decide to buy a place, the prices are higher than other parts of Mexico. Why? I do not know, though some tell me it's due to much of the land being designated as communally owned.

Feel free to ask anything else...

Que le vaya bien,

Serena

MO39 · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:53 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Serena, for your prompt response to my questions. It's not that I'm planning to leave Mexico City in the very near future, but I've always had living in Oaxaca in the back of my mind. Once I've taken care of some impending expenses (like paying my lawyer for my FM3) and visited my parents back in the States in early September, I may bus down to Oaxaca City for a little vacation and take a look around with the eyes of a future resident instead of tourist.

Beija · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 3

Hello NinaNina.
Thanks for the info, I will look into the different schools. I'm arriving mid July so I should have enough time to sort something out. Is around 2500 pesos the average price for a private school? Have you heard anything abour Garabatos Montessori Kindergarten?
Thanks again for the advice!!!

NinaNina · Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Oaxaca

Sorry for the delay in responding--we were traveling.

I must admit I did very little primary primaria research, relying instead on the advice of those who had gone before me. From what they told me, $225 U.S. was on the lowish side for a private school (but not a Catholic school, which could be cheaper if the classes were enormous, I think). That's the other issue, which may not be an issue for you: religion has a way of popping up all over the place in the curriculum so if you're not into that church/state thing, ask about it. I'm pretty comfortable as an atheist parent at my son's school, though I wouldn't say my beliefs blend in with those of the other parents.

I will email one of my friends who was looking at Montessori schools to see if she has more info on Garabotos.

Take care,

Serena
Mexican Pop Spot
http://mexpop.blogspot.com/