Job Discussion Forums

Silence820 · Joined: 17 Aug 2009 Posts: 35

i am moving to mexico city. is it important to know spanish, to teach english?

Professor · Joined: 22 May 2009 Posts: 449 Location: Mexico City

Not really. If you work for one of the language institutes for adults, they will most likely want you to NOT speak Spanish in the classroom. It seems like that's a policy here in Mexico City at least. The same is true for privates as well.
I teach privates also but only people who can speak and understand English and they want to IMPROVE their ability to understand a native speaker. I talked with one lady who was interested in improving her conversation,but she couldn't speak or understand spoken English enough.
Knowing some Spanish couldn't hurt though. If you can try to learn some before coming.

notamiss · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:42 am Post subject:

Consider, though, that if you are teaching English in Mexico City, you are also LIVING in Mexico City. Renting a place to live, eating, going out, making friends etc. is a lot easier if you can speak some Spanish.

Spector · Joined: 23 Oct 2009 Posts: 66

Professor · Joined: 22 May 2009 Posts: 449 Location: Mexico City

You can use body language also. For example you can point at a food that you like if it's a buffet style setup. You can do the same with menus. Vips has menus in English which is good to know,but it's also bad because you won't really learn Spanish if you're constantly looking at English.
But it's good to know when you first arrive. Your Spanish won't have to be perfect to live here. You can get by on very little for a while.I'm LIVING PROOF of that.

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

There are enough people in DF who speak English so you will manage to get by. I never had a course in Spanish in my entire life and started to autodidact as soon as I got here. If you live in better neighborhoods with better educated professionals you will not have much of a problem as you will find many people with some English training who will help you out. But should you move to a poor neighborhood, you will be lost.

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

Only thing is, we're all different in our learning abilities and if you are the analytical type, as I am, classes are very useful. But for sure, I agree that speaking the language is pretty essential to live a full life here, and it is amazing how fast you learn when you are living it day in, day out.

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

This is just my opinion but if you're going to teach a language and go on about how important it is to speak a second language, how to study, what to study, etc etc then at least (try to) learn one yourself.

If your Spanish is good it opens up a lot more possibilities, on every level, especially financially. I find people take you more seriously as you actually bothered to learn the language of the country you live in.

Just can't sit through another one of those courses on CLIL, VLEs, Blended Learning, language acquisition et al given by a native speaker who hasn't learnt a second language.

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:03 pm Post subject: Re: is spanish important

wildchild · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 519 Location: Puebla 2009 - 2010

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:16 am Post subject:

wildchild · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 519 Location: Puebla 2009 - 2010

lisa1968 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 52

prof, isn�t your wife Peruvian? How does she feel about you not wanting to make friends that don�t speak any English?

Professor · Joined: 22 May 2009 Posts: 449 Location: Mexico City

How many Mexicans who don't speak English try to be friends with us?? Few if any I'd say.

Professor · Joined: 22 May 2009 Posts: 449 Location: Mexico City