Job Discussion Forums

[AdrianG4]

Hello, I'm a 21 year-old U.S. citizen (the first in my family!) from Texas with just some college credits -- when I think of notable highlights in my life young life, the first ones that often come to mind are when I'm abroad. Well, specifically, in Mexico. Not just for the fact that my whole family's from Cananea and Hermosillo, Sonora. I suppose, what attracts me to this country is how people incorporate time into their lives: There seems to be a lot of it. I love big cities where people take a small-town perspective on life. Heck, I rarely recall anybody in Mexico ever wearing a watch and if they do, they are often so relaxed that they do not constantly look at it as if their life is about to run out. Love the culture. Love the food. Love the ladies :O

I speak both English and Spanish fluently and have been considering - for over a year now - to start being able to teach English in Mexico. I feel like I would've been further into the process if I knew exactly how to approach this goal, but now, after enough research, I feel it'd be best to actually obtain my TESL certification IN Mexico. Now, over a year later, I've saved up quite a bit to get into a good school. I hear so many opinions though ..

Has anybody gone to the school in Guanajuato ? This town looks so up my alley to stay at for a month while I get certified, but of course, it all depends on what I hear about the school.

http://www.intesolinternational.com/mexico.shtml

Any others you guys might recommend ? Very cheap housing accomodations would at the top of my list.

Does it matter where I get my TEFL certification ? Would an employer think, "Oh, he got his certification in Guadalajara, that's a much better location to earn this education than in Chiapas!" or anything to level ?

How difficult would it be for a 22 (by then,) year-old TEFL certified teacher without a B.A. to obtain a job with at least a livable wage in Mexico -- towns I'm *most* interested in would be Mexico City, Guadalajara, Hermosillo or Monterrey ?


Hopefully my biggest dream becomes my most exciting reality .. by responding, ya'll can only help !

Thank you !

[Prof.Gringo]

Hello!

Life is an adventure or nothing at all...

There are several low cost TEFL schools in Mexico:

http://www.colegiodeprofesores.com/

Teacher's College, Mexico City is a great school. It's run by a very nice lady from Texas. The school is registered with the SEP (Sec. of Public Education). They offer a TESOL cert. for about $5,000 pesos and it's done at home. They also have a diploma for teaching Spanish to foreigners.

http://www.dunhaminstitute.com/tefl.htm

Dunham is an OK school. MOD EDIT, but the price is cheap, $1,600 USD and that includes housing.

Yes, you can get a job teaching English in Mexico without a BA/BS, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Bueno suerte!

[AdrianG4]

Thank you so much for responding ! I feel pretty confident about not having the B.A. now -- as much as I'd like to finish my schooling here (less than 21 credit hours to my name ..) I've had this itch to teach English since I spent a few weekends in hermosillo when I was 19 and had some magical experiences with a lot of the locals. I figure, it's time to get down to business so I'm gonna go get my certification

I appreciate the recommendations ! I was actually looking to get certified in a town that's not Guadalajara or Mexico City though. Since, I plan to HOPEFULLY live in one of those cities for a few years shortly after my TEFL cert .. I really wanted to get my certification in a place I probably wouldn't work in.

I decided to go with the course hosted by INTESOL in Guanajuato that I mentioned earlier -- also, since they were the first to respond to me to snag my money

http://www.intesolinternational.com/mexico.shtml

I'm still giving it a few more days before I commit with the deposit, so I'm just wondering if anybody has been or heard about this school.

[Samantha]

It appears they operate by a different name as a language school. The website spells that out. The TESOL training course is something new for them, so that's probably why no one has come forward. See if you can get the phone numbers of two or three who have attended and speak to them directly about the course, instructor, and lodgings. It's well worth the investment in a phone call or two.

[AdrianG4]

I guess the reason I'm so attracted to the school is because of its location -- seriously, Guanajuato looks amazing. That weather couldn't be more perfect !

I'm gonna do some intense research on some alumni from the school

[Samantha]

Guanajuato is beautiful. I've been there. But I would choose the course based on reputation (track record) and quality first, and destination second. You can always visit any time. If you are in an intensive course, there won't be much free time to enjoy the scenery. Incidentally, the weather in winter in GTO is chilly for us wimps from the tropics.