Job Discussion Forums

[mexbori]

Hello everyone!

I just graduated two months ago with a B.A. in Linguistics and am planning on going to Mexico City this September to teach English. I will manage to save around $5000 (USD) before going, but now I have a dilemma: should I invest in the CELTA course in Mexico City?

As I have read in many of your posts, it is always a good idea to receive training, and I'm perfectly aware that having a B.A. in Linguistics does not automatically mean I'll be a perfect language teacher. I fear, however, that after investing $2000 for the course, the $3000 left would not be enough to live in the city while I find a job to sustain myself.

What do you guys think? How different would my job prospects be by adding the CELTA to my degree? Would a B.A. in Linguistics be regarded by employers as equal to a CELTA? If I were to take the course, would $3000 be enough for me to survive until I find a job, assuming I live like a local?

Thank you all for your help!

Additional Info: I have dual US/Mexican citizenship, and although I love languages and am genuinely interested in language teaching as a career, I would also be considering other job opportunities in Mexico City not related to TEFL. I plan to teach English at first to live while I look for other jobs, but if I find I love teaching I might also just stick with that.

[Guy Courchesne]

$3000 usd will hold you over at least 2 months in Mexico City, longer if you aren't a big partier.

I assume you have no classroom experience? The CELTA will be quite helpful to get you the in-class experience you'll want. You'll be able to find work without the CELTA if you really want to save money.

[Tretyakovskii]

In addition to getting the classroom experience under the guidance of an experienced trainer, you'd have the opportunity to take care of a couple of important details involved in getting started in a new place- finding a job, and a place to live that's convenient to that job.

The example of teaching style which is modeled in the typical university classroom (non second language learning) is not the way language classrooms should run, so this experience and training can make a huge difference to your comfort level, later.

[mexbori]

Thank you for your responses! I definitely see the value of getting trained. Although I've tutored before, I'm sure nothing will compare to actually being in front of a classroom. I guess I'm just worried about not having enough money afterwards.

Do you think two months is enough time to secure a job? How long did it take you guys to land a job when you first got to Mexico?

[Guy Courchesne]

Depends on the job. If you are looking to teach kids in a primary or secondary school, then you have to follow the school year with a mid-August start. There are often openings in early January that came up if people quit at Christmas.

If you want to teach adults at a language institute or teach business folk at companies, then hiring is done year round with slow periods at Christmas and Easter. It shouldn't take more than a month to secure a job with one of the latter types.

[mejms]

I recommend you get a job at a language school. Shop around. Many will hire without many qualifications. You'll be able to get some experience with running classes, get to know the city some, and see what working in Mexico can be like. After 4 months, if you feel like you could benefit from the CELTA, go for it.

[BadBeagleBad]

I would recommend you do a Teacher�s Diploma course that is recognized by the SEP. That, with a degree, will enable you to teach in public and SEP recognized schools. It is not a requirement at certain levels. Now is a great time to be looking for jobs, as many teachers who knew about the requirement didn�t bother to fulfill is and the SEP is desperately scrambling to fill many open positions. PM me if you want the name of a couple of good courses that are taught in English. With a good Teacher�s Diploma course you will pay far less than a CELTA (around 8000 pesos, or 700 dollars) and get a lot more opservation time, as well as more observed teaching time. And, you can do the course part time, so you could get some kind of job to tide you over while you are doing the (6 month) course and when you are finished you have both a teaching credential that opens a lot of doors and 6 months of local experience.

[Tretyakovskii]