Teaching English in Mexico
Finding Work
Finding work in this incredible country is not as hard as you may think. Over one million North American, British, and Australian people living and working here shows this.
To teach English in Mexico, you will need a TEFL certificate and sometimes a university degree is needed too. It is not important what it is in. However in most language schools, they will take teachers with just the TEFL qualification.
There are two ways to gain employment in Mexico. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. You can search online and try to confirm a place in a school before heading out there. This is good as you need not worry about employment when in the country. Otherwise, going out and looking for work can also be done. This is for the more adventurous types and it is worth saving some money before heading out just in case you are searching for work for a while. Looking for work this way is good as you will have a face to face interview with your potential employer and you will gain a good perspective on the type of work you’ll be doing. The schools do actually prefer interviews face to face as they will know exactly who they will be employing – often people arrange jobs with institutes online and don’t actually turn up.
The Teaching
The two main types of employers for TEFL work in this country are language schools and universities.
Universities tend to pay better than language schools and usually offer benefits such as paid holidays and health insurance. It is also much easier to obtain a working visa with a university. However, be sure to research this. Some may pay up to 15,000 pesos a month ($1,130 or €780 or £685), when others can pay as low as 4,000 pesos ($300 or €210 or £180).
The advantage with working at a language school is that it is a lot easier to find employment. Jobs tend to be available all year round. There are many more language schools than universities and they do not require as much experience.
Living
There will be a lot of cultural differences for any foreigner travelling to Mexico. A lot of these will have to be discovered upon arrival. Here are a few pointers.
Like many other Latin American countries but differing from most western countries, time keeping is relaxed. Arriving 15 minutes late is often considered the norm. You will just have to relax yourself, it shouldn’t be too difficult!
Although corruption may be common in the country among the police and public figures, it is a recognised problem and one which the society is trying to fix. Respect the laws, foreigners are likely to get into more trouble than locals if they break a law.
Do not point out flaws in Mexico’s society. The way things are done in the country may differ greatly from yours; however, Mexicans are proud people and will not take kindly to your views on how to run the place.
If you follow this advice, you’re on your way to having a spectacular experience in Mexico. The people are very friendly, the climate is great and you will never be at a loss for things 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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