Teaching English in Mexico
Graduate Luis has been using his TEFL certificate to explore South America, most recently teaching English in Mexico.
My name is Luis Sousa and I am 27 years old. Before teaching English I studied Art and Design at Leeds University. I also completed a TEFL course with TEFL England which started my career as a teacher abroad! The course was great, really informative and interactive. I met some nice people and learnt a lot. The TEFL tutor was great fun and really helpful.
I decided to take the course because after my studies I went travelling for three months around South East Asia. I loved learning about new cultures and thought what better way to learn a culture than to work abroad. After this I began to become interested in the Aztecs and Mayas and decided to come and work in Mexico and South America.
At the moment I am teaching in Tepotzotlan, a lovely town just outside Mexico City. Its rich with culture and I get to experience the “real” Mexico. Cactus, cowboys, tacos and tequila! During my time here I have been lucky enough to have many holidays and visit the Carabbean Sea twice. The beautiful clear waters and white sand are very inviting. I also visited the jungle of Mexico, called Chiapas. This is where all the indigenous people come from. We saw pumas, crocodiles, and monkeys. We visited Palenque, an incredible archeological side set in the thick of the jungle and of course Chichen Itza! The first wonder of the world! Mexico has great weather almost hot all year round and one of the perks of being a teacher is paid holidays! Which there are many of!
I teach at a private school, secondary and primary students aged 6 to 15.I teach grammar games conversation and much more! The TEFL course prepared me for this experience in the way of giving me confidence in the classroom. It also gave me ideas on methods to teach grammar, how to make a lesson fun and different structures and methods of teaching particular things. It also prepared me for different situations with different children.
I get invited to the student´s social events such as their 15th birthday parties, which are very big here. We have had many interesting classroom experiences such as extra curriculum activities. We have designed English plays such as Beauty and the beast, and we have had days out with the students visiting factories, fun park days and museums.
As my year has been so successful I plan to stay another year teaching in Mexico. Overall it’s a great way to travel, to learn a culture, to make new friends, try new foods and earn a living at the same time! This time next year I plan to visit North America on my holidays.
If you plan to do a TEFL I recommend taking the course with TEFL England. The course was fun informative and diverse. Be prepared to stay away from home as once you leave you won’t go back! Have an open mind and prepare yourself for a great year, full of adventure! It’s also a fantastic way to learn a language, something you can keep with your forever. After one year I am now fluent in Spanish. I love to teach and knowing I am helping the students and teaching them a part of my culture is very satisfying.
Want to follow Luis' example?
Find out about: Teaching English in Mexico
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