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