Hi, I am currently finishing up my last year in college then upon graduation was thinking of heading down to Mexico to try my hand at teaching ESL. I will have my Bachelor's Degree in hand and plan on doing an online TEFL course in the coming months. I had a few questions I was hoping you could all help me with (I know the boards have a lot of info on them but I wanted to condense all the info right here)
1.) Is my best option to find a school and sign a contract before I come to Mexico OR just find a school there when I arrive? I am guessing there are a bunch of options, especially in DF. Also, should I stay away from the language schools? They seem like they'd be the easiest place to get a 1st job at.
2.) Is it easy to find work as an ESL teacher if your Spanish skills aren't the greatest? I can speak some Spanish but it is still very much a work in progress. Will this hinder me in my search or will I have no problem finding work?
3.) How much $$$ in US dollars should I plan on coming to Mexico with in order to cover start-up costs and to hold me over until I get on my feet?
4.) Will the school that hires you sponsor you and help you turn the Tourist Visa into a Work Visa in Mexico? Also do you have to apostille your documents before arrival? I have heard conflicting reports on this.
AND FINALLY 5.) Should I stick with my plan to come to Mexico? I am 23, (a soon-to-be) college graduate, and I am very well travelled (I have been all over Latin America and Europe as my passion is travel and I devote much of my extra money towards it)...I know this is a big step, moving to a new country, but the thought of staying in the US and becoming a corporate stick in the mud doesn't interest me much....life is about new adventures. So will I have success if I keep the right attitude?
Thanks everyone!!
1.) You will want to wait until you get here to find a school. Try Harmon Hall, Berlitz and Hamer Sharp. I know Harmon Hall will help you do the work to transfer your tourist visa into a work visa
No, do not stay away from the language schools. You can gain some valuable experience through them and learn some techniques that you can take with you if you ever decide to go to another school. They are good for experience and you may move up over time.
2.) I think it's easy to find work if your Spanish isn't perfect.I have had no problems. There are some schools that will not want you speaking in Spanish because they want the students to focus on the target language. You should have no problem finding work because of this.
3.) 3,000 to 4,000 dollars is what I would say to try and bring. Others may have different amounts,but I think what I mentioned is pretty average.
4.) Some schools may help you with the transference of your tourist visa into a work visa.I remember Harmon Hall does or at least they used to. I believe Berlitz does as well but I'm not sure about Hamer Sharp. I had my degree, EFL online certificate and my marriage license from the States apostilled before coming. Get the degree and EFL certificate apostilled beofre coming just to be safe. Some places may ask for that while others may not.
5.) Yes, stick with your plan to come to Mexico. You're young (23 you said) so the experience couldn't hurt. It may help your resume if you plan on going to graduate school for a Masters in International Business for example. The right attitude will carry you far in life. Stay positive. Being negative destroys your Ki.
If you have all your needed paperwork there is no way it will take a few months. I just walked two teachers through the process, one had everything and got her FM3 in 11 days, the other was missing something and it took 3 weeks. The law is, currently, that you have to have an answer within 30 days. From what I have seen, for people that are waiting months, it that the schools are turning the job over to a lawyer who takes his own sweet time about going to immigration. To answer your other quesion, most schools will allow you to start teaching while your paperwork is being processed, yes. You might also pick up a few private classes on the side to tido you over.
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
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
I teach high school at a colegio and would echo MotherF's pros with a few additons:
PROS
Hours - I can be home by 3pm and feel as though I still have a full day to accomplish what needs to be done, to enjoy my family or to do nothing at all.
Resources - My school is full of the basics and the extras; I have an apple laptop, a digital projector, and opportunities for professional development (some better than others, but at least it is there!).
Colleagues - I work with amazing people who help me to grow as a teacher constantly; we are all qualified and dedicated professionals who provide unlimited support to our kiddies and each other.
Students - my class sizes are (usually) a good size; this year I have groups of 17 (2) and one of 15; they have a great level of English; great resources at home and for the most part are competent and thus successful.
LOCATION - I do not have to travel far to get to work (or home) and best of all, I do not have to move around (like some language teaching).
Vacation/Holidays/PD - I have the norm but I also have days off that others do not, meaning I can vacation when it is off-season and thus cheaper and less crowded. We also have full days without kids (nine this year) dedicated to pd.
CONS
Admin is weak in leadership, positive modeling and general knowledge but for the most part (and this is a pro) they do not interfere in how I organize and lead my classes.
I too am stuck at a certain pay now, but my pay is good, as are the benefits. The school claims to be looking into how pay is determined and more importantly, how raises can be earned so perhaps this will be omitted in the future.
My first job here was in a horrible place, filled with horrible people and weak students. I followed that with another job that I enjoyed, but travel was time consuming, the hours longer, and less holiday time. Like all places, job environments vary but for now, I am quite happy.
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.
Hello,
I am planning on moving down to Costa Rica next summer to teach and, because I am a licensed high school Business/Computer teacher who'll have 2 years experience, I'd really like to teach in an international school. I have heard the pay in CR is low compared to other LA countries, but that life is better in other ways, is this true?
Are there a lot of international schools in CR? Do many of them offer visa assistance?
Any additional tips you'd like to pass along?
Thank in advance!
I have been there on vacation and would like to teach also. Basically, I would suggest you save up 12k to supplement and then enjoy!
International schools:
- Country Day School
- Washington School
- Falcon School (?)
There's a couple of others that I can't remember the name of right now, and probably more that I don't know about; small schools around the San Jose area. There are also several, including a Montessori school, in other parts of the country (Jacó, for example).
FYI: My fiance and I both landed jobs teaching at Falcon International School in Herradura. Let me know if you would like any info.
Oaxaca seems like an ideal place to live and work but it´s actually a very expensive city and wages are very low.
It sounds like other reasons than choice of work brought you to Oaxaca: I'm concerned about your having put yourself in one of the more difficult markets in Mexico as a first experience after your TEFL course when a big disappointment in work could sour you to the whole enterprise
These forums are full of warnings about the difficulties of finding any kind of work on reasonable terms in Oaxaca: now is the time to reconsider before you've signed a lease and get too deeply committed to what may prove to be a bad situation work-wise should you be relying on working to support yourself in Mexico
It's clear from the hundreds of posts on this forum that there are many perfectly good places to live and work in Mexico and make a start in TEFL: Oaxaca- for a combination of reasons- does not seem to be one of them
Articulated in a nice way. I was lucky to have a great TESOL program behind me and I made friends with a couple of wonderful people but the possibility of ending up with less than you came in with and some bitter experiences is a real possibility in Oaxaca. At this point in time for Oaxaca - not for the new or those with thin bank accounts.
Thank you all for the reply. I appreciate all the time that you have taken to help me. I did indeed find a decent job in Oaxaca. I am now working for Harmon Hall Oaxaca. If anyone has any real bad experiences there it would be good to know. I sign my 40+ hour contract in three weeks.
Also if there are any bad experience or suggestions with immigration here I will be all ears. Thanks again to all of you, especially about the school near Reforma. I nearly applied there.
