Different Types of Teaching Work Abroad

A discussion in the Mexico forum at Dave's ESL Cafe on the pros and cons of the variety of teaching abroad positions that are available out there.

In another thread there was some discussion as what consitutes a "better" job in English teaching in Mexico.

Obviously, what is best for one person is not best for another, but I thought this is a worthwhile topic and would be helpful for new teachers.

I work at a university. I have a full-time permanent position.

For me the pros are:
a comfortable salary
full benefits package
some nice perks like paid sabbaticals and options to take extended leave--I just got back from 6 months off to extend my maternity leave. a reasonable work load and a pleasent working environment
for the most part respectful students who recognize English as important for their futures

The cons are:
inflexibility in hours, as a mother, I'd like to be able to consider part-time work. (the hours most teachers work at colegios are very attractive to me)
vacations fixed into academic calander, the same times as sooo many other people.
a cap on my earnings, while I get nice cost of living increases and small antiquity bonuses, I can't work harder to make more like I could if I were doing private or free lance lessons.
my students are too busy to really commit the time needed to advance in their language learning
my class sizes are often near 30

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Thanks for having started this helpful thread! I'm in Oaxaca. Came here to teach English but now I'm trying to decide whether to stay or move on.

What would you consider "a comfortable salary" in Mexico? I keep hearing different things and am having trouble wrapping my head around it. Does the benefits package include any kind of pension plan?

One other question to which I'm having trouble getting an answer (possibly because the answer varies from place to place): I'm an experienced teacher with a masters degree in education, but I don't have a TESOL background. Would I need a TESOL certification course to get a university position here? If not, would such a certification course improve my odds of getting a better job, or would my other education and experience trump the TESOL?

Thanks again!

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Common to Mexico City is teaching English directly in companies, either yourself or through a language institute with a business focus. I've done a lot of this over the years.

Pros

Good hourly pay
Flexible hours, usually no Saturday work
Good stepping stone into other areas, such as translations, or into other fields
Small class sizes
Motivated students, for the most part
Independence

Cons

Usually no benefits
Difficult to maintain a full work load
Travel time a pain if not managed properly
Holidays and cancellations can cause havoc with a schedule if not managed

Teaching in Montevideo Uruguay, a Discussion

Ever wondered about teaching in Montevideo, Uruguay? A good discussion with participation from teachers on the ground in this South American capital is happening over at Dave's ESL Cafe.

Hello, since as far as I can see there's not an entry about Uruguay (let alone a whole country section!) I thought I would add my experience since Uruguay and Montevideo are both hidden gems and in my opinion well-worth coming to - and pretty straightforward as far as English-teaching goes, after the usual due-paying that seems to be the norm in South America.

I arrived in Montevideo in March 2009 after doing a CELTA in Buenos Aires and finding it impossible to get work over the summer. Not only that, a few mates who did manage to find some said that all the institutes wanted people with a legal work permit which is basically impossible to organize from within Argentina.

So, after getting fed-up with the hectic-ness of Buenos Aires and the lousy work situation, I made it over to M'vid to visit some friends and immediately loved it. It's small enough to get around easily (walking, bike or bus), faded-charming, but still enough of a city to have bars, restaurants, great cinema and theatre scenes and enough going on to keep you busy.

After several hours on Google, I'd sent my CV to about 25 English-language institutes and immediately started working for the London Institute (the International House affiliate here). I quit there eventually since I felt they were taking advantage of me and the organization was just terrible. But by then I'd found 4 or 5 other institutes all of whom have work for me either permanent or now-and-then. The reputable ones I would recommend approaching are:

Focus Inglés Empresarial (in-company stuff)
Eureka (a small institute owned and well-run by a great English guy who pays well)
Widd Professional (a small, new institute, again family owned-and-run and really friendly)
The Langland Institute (a very well-run and professional institute that does in-company as well)
The other big ones are the Anglo (an Anglo-Uruguayan cultural institute) and the Alianza (a US-Uruguayan venture) which never responded to my approaches.

Because I turned-up right at the start of the academic year (beginning of March) a lot of places had already organized teachers for their classes for the entire year, so arriving beginning of February might be a better bet to get in on the ground floor with the bigger institutes.

As far as work visas are concerned, a couple of places asked me to become legal - but I've been working for them no problem in the meantime. As a Brit, I've had to get a police check from the UK, get that and my birth certificate legalized by the UK Foreign Office (which is the stage I'm at now), after that I have to get them both legalized by the Uruguayan embassy in London, then sent here, translated, legalized AGAIN by the Ministry of Immigration here, and then along with a local police check and medical certificate I can get a year's work permit. It's a long process and to be honest I'm not sure if I'll get to the end of it before I leave Uruguay (at the moment, December). But it's worth doing if you're planning on staying longer than a year and it allows you to get free medical treatment here.

The pay rate is good, after about 3 months sorting myself out and getting to know the right people, I'm up to a full timetable of 25 hours teaching a week which is more than enough to pay my way and save some too. I was lucky enough to be able to stay even when the work wasn't coming in, but now it is I should be able to recoup the money I spent during the fallow period. Foreigners are definitely more of a rarity in Montevideo than in Buenos Aires, so the novelty-factor (and native-speaker thing) goes a long way. People are definitely Anglophiles here, but I don't think that would affect getting work. And no-one's asked to see my CELTA certificate, even though I do have one!

Apart from that; renting a place has been no problem - sharing is pretty rare for young people since everyone lives with their parents til they're married, and students are normally in dorms (foreigners can live there too, but they're pretty student-y and at least 4 people to a bedroom). I managed to find a shared apartment with my own bedroom from a classified in the newspaper so they do exist. Renting an apartment by yourself is possible with just a passport as proof of identity, but the estate agents ask for 6 months' rent as deposit.

I can't think of much else but if you're thinking of coming to Uruguay - do! And contact me if you have questions.

I've been living in Uruguay for the past almost 5 years now.. its great.. although i hate Montevideo.. too many ppl.. the coastal towns are where its at..
there are many options down here.. its a great place to live and rock out.

its funny that they are making you get a visa.. most places are ok with just a passport and you can get the socidad free still...
but its only like $50/month.. and honestly if you calculate all of the costs for translations and legalizations it may not be worth it so much..

if you need a translator let me know i have a great one who is fairly cheap and close to the migracions office. on missiones.

more discussion at the link above

TEFL Job Alert - Mexico

Several job postings at a language school in San Luis Potosi, Mexico have come up for starts in January, February, March, and April 2011.

National. Punctuation; "Day"

September 24th is National Punctuation Day. Period.

http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com

Now get out there and punctuate something!

Happy 200th Birthday Chile

Chile, like Mexico, is this year celebrating her 200th year of independence.

Happy birthday Chile!



http://www.kentucky.com/2010/09/17/1439585/chile-celebrates-bicentennial.html

SANTIAGO, Chile -- The miners who have been trapped under northern Chile for over a month are set to play a major part as the country celebrates the bicentennial of its independence on Saturday.

The 33 miners - 32 Chileans and one Bolivian - are set to mark the bicentennial 700 meters underground by hoisting a flag and singing the national anthem at noon.

Their families outside the mine plan to do the same simultaneously on the surface above. Relatives of the miners will hoist a flag that has the signatures of those who are trapped underground.

The miners are to be sent festive food complete with the traditional meat pies, called empanadas. They are also set to eat meat with salads and fruit compote.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera is to visit the mine Sunday, to honor not just the trapped miners and their families but also the rescue teams that are working to get them up to the surface in an effort that is expected to take at least until late October.

The miners have been trapped since the shaft they were working in collapsed on Aug. 5. After 17 days of isolation in which many believed the miners had not survived, rescue teams on the surface reached them through 4-inch-diameter shafts drilled after the accident. Through those ducts, the workers are receiving water, food, oxygen and messages, as well as telephone, power and television lines.

In Santiago, an ecumenical service at the cathedral is set to mark the bicentennial Saturday. At night, there is set to be a show to honor Chilean music, while a military parade is to take place Sunday.

Some relatives of the miners will be special guests in these celebrations.

An assembly of illustrious locals declared Chile's independence from Spain on Sept. 18, 1810, independence was later secured at the Battle of Maipu, on April 5, 1818.

In 1810, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico also started down the road that would end three centuries of Spanish rule in the Americas. Ecuador in 1809 and Uruguay and Paraguay in 1811 were also part of this trend.

reposted by Guy Courchesne

Today and tomorrow, Mexico celebrates its bicentennial - 200 years of independence and 100 years since the Mexican revolution. Parties abound throughout the country.

Having a 15 month old daughter means I won't be able to join the evening festivities, which culminate tonight with el grito - the president of the country reciting the famous cry of independence that started this whole Mexico thing. It's at 11 PM so Stella will be fast asleep. We've decided to spend the evening at home with friends and drinks, but we're taking in some daytime activities today and tomorrow as there is much music, dancing, and fiesta-making all over town.

Here's how we celebrated a few years ago, back before I became a father.

TEFL Courses - Online on In the Classroom?

These days, there are many choices on TEFL courses. You can take them abroad or in your home country. You can now also choose to take them online or to take them in a class with other students.

Which is better? -by Guy Courchesne, Teachers Latin America instructor

Online TEFL courses tend to be much cheaper. This is simply because the course is very easily delivered via the internet, without the overhead costs of a bricks-and-mortar school. But, it is difficult or impossible to include observed teaching practice into this form of training.

In-Class TEFL courses, abroad or at home, are more expensive than online courses. For these courses, you have access to other students and a variety of teachers and instructors. Most courses will include a block of observed teaching practice hours.

So how to decide?

I am in the position of being a TEFL course instructor in both media. I have about 8 years experience teaching the in-class TEFL course in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Acapulco and almost 6 years as one of the instructors for the online version of the same course.

In many ways, they are incomparable.

The intensity of the two-week course here in Mexico City is, well, intense. In two weeks, we cover so much ground that there’s barely time to catch your breath. Both the student teachers and I feel drained afterwards. It’s a tonne of information to absorb and apply in such a short span.

The online course is interesting in that it can be done over an extended period. There’s more time to research references online and as the instructor, I get the opportunity to take my time in offering theoretical feedback.

But, it’s the actual teaching practice that makes all the difference. Often, TEFL course participants show a strength in theory and a weakness in practice. The reverse can often be true as well. Making the leap from class discussions and theory to application in the practice class with real Mexican EFL students is the most important step of the program, and shapes the future for the person looking to go out and actually teach later. Experience is truly the greater teacher in such a program.

The online medium is catching up...slowly. Using technology such as rapid distribution of video over the net, Podcasts, and teleconferencing, there is a bright future ahead not only for online TEFL courses, but for all education in general.

I’ve recently added some of my own personal reference material to the TEFL online program I instruct and it has made a large difference. I’m also experimenting with bringing a ‘live discussion’ aspect to the course, whereby certain Internet forums that feature TEFL debates and discussions can be linked into the course material ‘on the fly’.

How should you decide?

In most cases, a TEFL course is the first time a person is exposed to the methodology and the experience of being in the classroom. In these cases, I’ll most often advise an In-Class TEFL course.

Others may already have classroom or tutoring experience. An online TEFL course may serve these people well.

Funny School Answering Machine Message

We find this quite amusing.

A school in Australia, apparently fed up with ridiculous calls from parents, decided to add an interesting message to the school answering machine. Give this a listen.

Answer Machine Message