Teaching English in Mexico
Posted by Erin MacKenzie - 16:55 on 16 February 2010
Finding Work
Across Mexico over one million North American, British and Australian people live and work, therefore finding work is perhaps not as difficult as you imagined.
A TEFL certificate is required in order to teach English in Mexico and occasionally a university degree in any subject is asked for. The majority of language schools, however, will accept any teacher with only a TEFL qualification.
If you are looking to find employment in Mexico there are two possible routes. Searching online and confirming a place in a school means that you won’t be worrying about having to find work when you arrive. However, if you have a bit of money saved you may prefer to find work while in the country. This way you can have some time to get used to the country and a face-to-face interview is favoured by schools as it is often the case that those arranging positions online don’t turn up.
The Teaching
The main employers in Mexico for those who are TEFL qualified are languages schools and universities.
Working at Universities can be more lucrative as they tend to pay more and often offer benefits like paid holidays and health insurance. Additionally, obtaining a working visa is easier. It is important to properly research this, however, as the pay can range from up to 15,000 pesos a month (£685) to 4,000 pesos (£180).
On the other hand, finding employment at language schools is easier as there are usually jobs available throughout the year. Experience is not as necessary for teaching in language schools and there are many more of these schools than universities.
Living
Any foreigner arriving in Mexico should expect to experience many cultural differences. Here are some tips.
Arriving late is very much the norm as time keeping is very relaxed so you shouldn’t worry if people are regularly 15 minutes late for appointments! Just take it easy and allow yourself to get used to this more laid back attitude.
It is important that you respect the law as foreigners are more likely to get into trouble than locals if they break it. Corruption is widespread amongst police and public figures but Mexico recognises this problem and is attempting to fix it.
Remember good manners! Mexicans are proud people and you are a guest in their country, therefore they won’t think too highly of you if you were to criticise they way their country functions. Just remember that while their way of doing certain things may be different from the way you’re used to back home it doesn’t mean it’s the wrong way!
Follow this advice and you’re set to have an amazing time in Mexico. The weather is fantastic, the people are kind and there will always be something for you to do.
Cost guide
Renting apartment – 1.500 – 3.500 MXN per month
Litre of milk – 12 MXN
Loaf of bread – 12 MXN
Pint of beer in bar – 25 MXN
Cigarettes – 22 MXN
Meal in restaurant – 50 – 100 MXN
Bus – 4.50 MXN
Taxi – 30 MXN per Km
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“I liked the simplicity of the teacher's explanation, very informative and accepting of all the answers. Very participatory.” Juan Blanco, Unemployed, London
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