Teaching English in Mexico

[SummerSeeker]

I think I was careless when I wrote that moving to Mexico would be "pretty easy". What I meant was it seems that the immigration process here is less cumbersome than other countries I have looked into. Mexico seems to welcome English teachers. If this is not the case, please let me know. Of course, moving to a new country and establishing yourself is not easy. I do enjoy a challenge and am attracted to Spanish culture, hence my desire to move to Mexico. Of course all advice is appreciated!

[Isla Verde]

Originally Posted by SummerSeeker

I do enjoy a challenge and am attracted to Spanish culture, hence my desire to move to Mexico.

If you are interested in Spanish culture, then you need to go to Spain .

[SummerSeeker]

Originally Posted by Isla Verde

If you are interested in Spanish culture, then you need to go to Spain .

I agree, but it is not so easy to immigrate to Spain if you don't have an EU passport.

[Longford]

Originally Posted by SummerSeeker

Mexico seems to welcome English teachers. If this is not the case, please let me know.

"Tolerates" English teachers, who are expats, might be a better word to use. There are pleanty of Mexicans who teach English who are under-employed. We foreigners have the advantage of being native speakers of English and, therefore, are welcome in many instances. Probably most. But you'll have many things to comply with before receiving permission from the government to live/work in the country. And unless you have a special skills set that'll set you apart from others competing for work or working already that'll get you a full-time job in a good school you may find that it takes time and a lot of effort to earn what you need to support a lifestyle you want to maintain ... during the first 6 months to a year. That's why I suggested you have at least 6 months worth of funds to tide you over ... just in case. I don't know how the Mexican requirements differ from other nations, when it comes to transient teachers.

[TundraGreen]

Originally Posted by SummerSeeker

...
I do enjoy a challenge and am attracted to Spanish culture, hence my desire to move to Mexico.
...

Before I came to Mexico, I had spent some time in Spain. I naively expected Mexico to be similar to Spain since they had a common language. I was wrong. The two countries are very different.

[norocysuerte]

I've just gone through the process of relocating to Mexico and finding an English teaching job. I ended up with two jobs here in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. From my experience, a couple of schools wouldn't consider you without a TESOL certificate or BA in education. Others are more flexible - I have many years of english teaching volunteer experience from the states. Two questions I received during every interview were "Why are you in Mexico? How long are you staying?" I believe it worked to my advantage that I am not a transient and that I have roots (fiance and his family) here.

I received my FM3 work visa last week - the process was time-consuming in the sense that I had to make 5 separate trips to the immigration office, but pretty painless especially if the school that is sponsoring you knows what it is doing. My school submitted a letter/petition, I filled out a form online, handed over infantil sized pictures, my tourist visa and my passport, paid about 3k pesos and had the visa in about a week. In my case, the school is reimbursing me for the cost of the visa.

If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer them based on my experience here in Chiapas - I can't speak to how it works in other schools in the rest of Mexico. Good luck!

[SummerSeeker]

Thank you Norocysuerte, what you wrote was very helpful. It's interesting that a person can find work without a TESOL certificate. I am planning on taking a TESL course (maybe CELTA) then try to find work. The immigration process seems pretty straight forward. Another question I have is about safety. I am female and would appreciate any feedback on that topic. I also love fresh produce, is that easy to find?

Thanks so much!

[norocysuerte]

You're welcome. Also, I just re-read your original post and wanted to mention that a lot of the teacher recruiting for fall has already happened or is currently happening (here in Tuxtla, at least). While I was doing my job search when I arrived, we literally drove around to every university and language school and talked to the directors in person to ask about opportunities. It's not an approach I would take in the US, but it definitely worked here.

Once you know which city you'll be living in, you'll be able to ask specifically about safety. I'm happy to tell you about my experience here in Tuxtla, but it might not be relevant if you're living in DF or Monterrey. I will say that I feel safe here in Tuxtla and haven't had any issues. I don't go to bars or clubs but if I did, I would go with my fiance. I take public transportation pretty infrequently, but the times I have taken it, it has been a good experience. There are not so many gringos in Tuxtla (that I've seen) so I thought I would attract more attention, but I don't.

Regarding fresh produce, YES! Here in Tuxtla, there is a lot of amazing fresh produce. We are fortunate to live within walking distance of one of the large markets. It's also very economical and excellent quality - definitely a stark change from the produce I would find in the grocery stores in NYC.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

[mickisue1]

Originally Posted by TundraGreen

Before I came to Mexico, I had spent some time in Spain. I naively expected Mexico to be similar to Spain since they had a common language. I was wrong. The two countries are very different.

My daughter in law is 100% Mexican descent; my mother in law lived in Spain for 6 years when my husband was a child.

When they first met, MIL started talking to DIL to be as if her relatives were intimately clued in to Spanish culture. To her great credit, my DIL was polite in expressing her puzzlement as to why she'd think that.

That would make as much sense as assuming that Brazil and Portugal are culturally related.

Or Argentina and Mexico, for that matter.

[009]

mexico city is very easy