Job Discussion Forums

[ColinOKeefe]

Hi
Ive been searching and coming up short on info concerning Merida so I thought I'd throw up a post to get some basics. I have 3 years history teaching ESL at Uni, high school, elementary, and also some privates in Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. I'd like to be a lot closer to home in the US and had heard some positive things about Merida.

1) I believe basic pay to be about 7-10 usd an hour?

2)How difficult is it to find openings in the near future (September)

3) About how much is a normal apartment?

4)Merida is fairly safe?

5) I dont speak much Spanish. I studied for 2 years about 8 years ago but I'm rusty. Planning on taking some classes there. Will I have a hard time finding work because of this?

6) In Vietnam there were quite a few agencies which lined up teachers for high schools. Is there anything like that there? What is the best way to look for work?

7) I don't have much money 2k usd. If Im careful do yu think I can swing it? If it's really necessary I can maybe stay in my hometown and save up a little more.

Any other good tips are appreciated.
Thanks for anything

[geaaronson]

I would avoid Merida unless you have a masters degree in ESL and are a young woman under the age of 35 and with a vivacious personality. The jobs in Merida are far and few in between. The state university UADY has an excellent English program and is spewing out hordes of well qualified locals to teach the courses. Many people are coming here because it is a funtastic city with the greatest amoung of cultural events per capita in all of MX. I don`t know that for a fact, but it was voted the most cultural Latin American City by the OAS about 15 years ago. There are free dances, music ensembles movies, every night. The gallery and museum scene is incredible and I consider it superior to MX CIty. I`ve lived in both.

It is a safe city but you still need to lock your apartment doors. You don`t have to do that here in Valladolid, Yucatan, 2 hours away.

Much of the Yucatan is saturated with gringoes. I`m one of the fortunate few that made it. The first year I was in Merida and starved for work.

Pay is all over the place. The better language institutes pay 70 pesos an hour, but I had even been offered as little as 22 pesos for a collegio. One course at a private u paid 110 pesos but it was only one class. Nothing more.

I paid 800 pesos for a single cuarto with a bed and night table and a shared bath. A good friend paid 650 for his. Both were clean, but the accoutrements were monastic.

As for openings, all the good jobs have been already spoken for. If you come next June and made the rounds and introduced yourself to prospective schools you might luck out. But Merida again is a hard nut to crack. You best opportunities are in Mexico City.

As for agencies, that doesn`t work here in the south. Again, there simply are not enough positions to make it worth anyone`s while. Everything is by personal contact. Agencies work in the rest of the country, though. And remember to stay away from Laughing Coyote and the Canadian Center schools.

[New Haven]

Colin, I have herewith copied the text of a PM I sent to another individual asking similar questions about Merida. A caveat: I lived in Merida for three years, 2006-2009, though I have returned for visits 4 times since then and am returning permanently in a week. Some of my observations may be a bit dated. There may be other Merida-based teachers who will want to weigh in.

Merida is very safe...in fact it has adopted the slogan "la ciudad de paz." That said, no city of nearly 1 million is entirely safe, but Merida is not included in the turf being fought over by narco-trafficantes. Also, there is no problem that I know of with kidnappings.

Teachers here make around 60-80 pesos/hour at language schools -- more at public schools and universities, say 100-160 pesos/hour. The ESL/EFL job market is tightening here, due to the opening of ever more language schools and growth of teacher training programs targeting locals. Still, as a native speaker you will have an edge in terms of assignment to advanced classes. You are now at the tail end of hiring for public schools and universities; however, language schools have a rolling recruitment process, and you could probably find employment at one of those most any time of year.

You didn't ask, but you should know that it is nearly impossible to find full-time work with benefits. Most of us cobble together work at two or more schools.

I don't know what to say about what you'll need to start...I have my own home, so never paid rent. That, of course, would be your biggest expense.

I hope this helps.

Sharon

[geaaronson]

Yes, that`s exactly my take on Merida.
I cobbled together an income from 4 different schools, but when one went out of business and the other lost more than half its students to a teacher who stole them to start his own school, I saw the handwriting on the wall and moved to DF. You want starve for the lack of work in DF, but living there is inferior to living here in the South. Even the cultural events don`t match.

[Guy Courchesne]

Merida is all about the connections you can make in town. Great place if you know someone, hard to break into if you don't, following New Haven's local experience. In this country, Merida is something of a cultural backwater in Mexico, sort of in between what Mexico shows in Cancun for gringos and what Mexico gives in Ajijic, Jalisco for retired folk. Teaching work follows that line.

It is really hard to find good full time work there without a connection. My cousins moved there this year from Mexico City and landed decent jobs through connections in DF. The jobs are there but you really have to get through the local chieftains...imagine a shop that has been union since JFK and the guy interviewing you is named whoever Kennedy. That kind of tough..

[Isla Guapa]

According to geaaronson:

Many people are coming here because it is a funtastic city with the greatest amoung of cultural events per capita in all of MX. I don`t know that for a fact, but it was voted the most cultural Latin American City by the OAS about 15 years ago. There are free dances, music ensembles movies, every night. The gallery and museum scene is incredible and I consider it superior to MX CIty. I`ve lived in both.

According to Guy Courchesne:

Merida is something of a cultural backwater in Mexico, sort of in between what Mexico shows in Cancun for gringos and what Mexico gives in Ajijic, Jalisco for retired folk.

So what is M�rida, a cultural feast or a cultural backwater?

[New Haven]

It's a cultural feast...but in a very, very traditional way. How's that for clarification?


Sharon

[Guy Courchesne]

I'm just having fun with our Merida friend with some civic rivalry, Isla. The city where things-go-to-expire has lots to see and do.

My cousins having moved there now gives me a place to stay in Merida! Looking forward to visiting them early next year. They are loving the move and have set themselves up well there.

[geaaronson]

Yes, MO39, I took offense at Guy`s remarks about Merida. His humor is a bit misplaced, but speaks much of his attitude towards those who live in smaller but more liveable cities. I`ve received virulent complaints from mutual friends about his strongarming Merida residents to move to the big enchilada. I don`t miss DF at all. I do Boston, where I lived in the 70`s and 80`s so it has nothing to do with the size.
The galleries are mediocre in DF. So are the art museums. They`re showing way too much crap and giving people one person shows who don`t merit it. Connections-same in DF. In a competitive world like the art world, it`s who you know and in DF it works the same. The only reason that it doesn`t work that way, fortunately, in the EFL field is that there are so many opportunities. But then again, that let`s in a lot of chafe.

[Isla Guapa]

So Geoffrey are you saying that art galleries and museums in Merida only show artists who are of the highest quality and that connections have nothing to do with who is given a show? That seems hard to believe. And how many top-ranked Mexican and international artists show their works in M�rida? I�m not trying to put down the cultural scene in M�rida, but your post does give one pause.

[geaaronson]

Actually our galleries have international connections, but not with those blessed by mention in Art America, Artforum or others. We have connections both with Spain and Cuba, the latter whose work is outstanding. I have been watching the Cuban scene for years now and am truly amazed that not only are they creating good work despite a restrictive Communist dictatorship, but the work on the whole is outstanding on the world scene. Once Fidel dies, and the US recognizes Cuba, their artists are going to get publicity worldwide from the American art mags, the work is that good.
I first saw Cuban work back in 1995 on a visit back to my home area. There was a start up gallery in New London CT that was showing about 12 Cuban artists. How they managed to avoid the boycott, I don`t know but my jaw dropped past my navel, (images of Jim Carey in the Mask). Again, here in Merida, a wealthy collector who owns two local hotels and a gallery had a 6 person show of Cuban art. Again, I was salivating, but despite having sufficient savings, was nervous to purchase as I had so little income. When he died, the Cuban connection got transferred to two small independent galleries in town and the work is outstanding(Tattaya and the Havana Gallery I believe their names).
We also have the Contrares gallery, affiliated with the municipal theater, which is large enough to hold several hundred paintings. Again, the work has been first rate.
In addition, there`s the MACAY, a private museum, whose work is again amazing, with showings of the Mexican biennal, as well as Aznar`s work, Pacheco`s work, and Fernando Ponce`s work, the latter three with large holdings in the private collection.
The Museum of Modern Arte in DF has an excellent permanent holdings, but the contemporary showings leave much to be desired. The same for the TAMAYO. I only saw one good contemporary show at the TAMAYO over the course of 2.3 years of my living there and I went there religiously every show, sometimes several times if I was somewhat interested.The curators suck. I don`t know how to get around saying what I think about the work at both places, other than to be that crude. The work generally sucks. The art world is going through the same reactionary obsession it did with the 1950`s obsession with abstract expressionism(AE) which left the public cold. The work was too experimental, hadn`t gelled.....the same is happening today with their obsession with minimalism, conceptualism, and post-modernism. Very bad art is getting shown that has no right being in a museum. There is too much "shock of the new" and too little substance.
I don`t mean to disparage AE because by 2011, work created in this movement is exemplary, but the work created in the 50`s was boring and still is, despite its cutting edge experimentation.
And this is what the problem is with so many contemporary museums worldwide. They are showing too much of this work that hasn`t "gelled". The artists haven`t resolved their artistic issues to the point that merits its showing in a major venue.

[Isla Guapa]

Thanks for your comparative analysis of the contemporary art scenes in M�rida and Mexico City. I value your comments since you yourself are an accomplished photographer. While you were living in Mexico City, did you have occasion to visit the MUAC? It's a new UNAM museum featuring the latest in cutting-edge contemporary art, both Mexican and international. Here's the link: http://www.muac.unam.mx/webpage/index.php .

Of course, there's a lot more to the world of museums and galleries than the contemporary scene, and that's where Mexico City has an advantage over any smaller city in the country, including M�rida.

[geaaronson]

Yes, I did go to that museum. It was extremely difficult to get there but I spent an entire Sunday trying and succeeding.
No, I was not particularly impressed with the exhibitions other than one room in which a BABEL TOWER of radios about 25 feet high were all blaring music. It was entertaining but again, hardly worthy of a museum. Very bad social commentary.
I decided not to go back but would have loved to as the campus was beautiful and there was an excellent movie theater.
Again, thinking back on the TAMAYO and MODERNE ARTE, I don`t believe there were any international artists showing(artists from abroad). I did see Francisco Toledo`s insect painting, (breathtaking), but then again we have had Cuevas work here in Merida so that balances out. No, I would say as far as reputations of exhibiting artists is equal between those shown at MACAY (MERIDA), Tamayo and Moderne Arte, museum permanent collections aside.

[Guy Courchesne]

See, even humour wilts in the Merida heat. Tsk, tsk.

How is the work scene there for jobs this year? As I mentioned, my cousins were both able to get jobs at private colegios, one coordinating a department, the other with primary aged kids. We were all rather surprised they landed jobs so quickly since as noted Merida is a tough place to crack.

[New Haven]

So maybe it's time to chill out...

For me the job situation is looking pretty good considering I am not there yet. I have 2 classes at Marista and possibly 2 at a language school. But these are places I worked before. The folks in charge were happy with my work, so were glad to have me back.

I can't relate to the discussion about Merida being a difficult place to find work. I had no connections, but I found work almost immediately at a language school, with a full load of classes in the evening, Saturday classes and business classes in the morning. My method of attack was to get my foot in the door of every language school I could find. I also connected with Merida-based teachers whom I met through this site. After a semester at the language school I moved on to teach at a performing arts school and a visual arts school, as well as two universities. I have a master's (in an unrelated field), a CELTA (but any cert would have been fine, I think), and was willing to go anywhere the buses went. I don't know, maybe I was more persistent and luckier than most.

Sharon