Teaching English in Mexico
Teaching English in Mexico offers an unforgettable experience, both culturally and professionally. One of the major benefits of coming to Mexico is that you can learn another language and travel round the country to experience for yourself the diversity and beauty it has to offer. Mexico's rich heritage is so different from anything you may have experienced elsewhere. There is something for everyone.
Professionally there are plenty of job opportunities to be had not only in Mexico City but in other parts of the country such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Veracruz, Cuernavaca and the enticing coast, to name but a few.
The teaching in Mexico is varied and challenging, from general English, to Business and ESP, and generally students are motivated, keen to learn and quite demanding. The potential is here if you are qualified!
What do you need to be able to work in Mexico?
In order to work in Mexico, you will need a work permit and this requires a professional, internationally recognized qualification and certificate such as CELTA.
Being trained as a CELTA teacher at International House is a hallmark of excellence and professionalism and will enable you to aspire to teaching positions in reputable language schools, private educational institutions and universities, although the latter would expect you to be a University graduate as well.
Both North Americans and Europeans have to follow the same procedure to get a Mexican work permit or FM3 immigation document. The same rules apply for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Everybody arriving by plane or overland to Mexico gets a tourist card valid for one month. You can ask for 3 months at the point of entry if you need to. Tourist cards can be valid up to 6 months and then you do need to leave the country, which could be for only a few hours.
Crossing to the USA is really easy and you can cross again into Mexico and get a new tourist card and start a new 6 month period. You do not go through immigration when you leave Mexico.
Working legally in Mexico: the requirements
It is important to work legally, or you risk deportation. To work in Mexico legally you need:
- To have a job. The Institution you are planning to work for has to apply for the FM3 and has to submit many legal documents which every single legal entity has to have.
- To demonstrate you have the skills needed to perform the activities you are being hired to carry out. And here is when you need CELTA, which is very well-known by the immigration authorities. If the course was taken outside Mexico, you need to have it apostilled by the UK, American, Canadian or Australian government. Then, the Certificate has to be translated into Spanish by an official translator.
- To demonstrate that the institution which is applying for the FM3 needs a qualified foreigner to carry out the activity, which cannot be performed by a Mexican. This is easy enough for language teachers. Mexican immigration is getting tougher since the USA do not want potential terrorists living in Mexico who could easily cross the border into the USA.
Contracts
Most contracts are for 12 months. Pay varies considerably from institution to institution but is generally adequate to live on and allow you to get away to explore.
The academic year runs from February or early March to November/December, the best time to arrive to look for work is a fw weeks before the end of the summer holidays, although work is available year round.
Cost of living
The cost of living in Mexico City is comparatively higher than in the provinces and not much cheaper than Europe or the US if you are looking for comparable products.
Finding a job as an English teacher in Mexico
Jobs can be found once in the country – look for language schools in the phone book, or through websites such as Dave's ESL Café or Tesol.net.
What to wear in Mexico
When not at work or formal activities, Mexican people will dress from quite casually to quite formal, or anything in between. Restaurants do not usually require a tie or jacket. Jeans, T-shirts, sandals and sunglasses are the usual clothing items year-round for casual wear. Although shorts are acceptable, most Mexicans choose to wear long pants for all seasons.
The weather is never very cold, so heavy clothing is not necessary, though long pants and a sweater are recommended at night from November to February.
Money and Banking in Mexico
In Mexico the currency is the Mexican peso. The symbol used for pesos is $. The exchange rate changes daily, but is approximately: $10 pesos to US$1. The only foreign currency that is easy to exchange is US dollars.
Other currencies, including Canadian and German, can be almost impossible to use or exchange, even at a bank.
Mexican banks do not accept personal cheques, money orders or certified cheques drawn from foreign banks.
Eurocheques are not negotiable in Mexico.
Credit cards such Visa, Master Card and American Express, and widely recognized Travelers Cheques are accepted.
Bank machines are also very common and most accept cards linked with recognized networks, such as Visa, Cirrus, Plus, and Red.
Foriegners cannot open bank accounts in Mexico unless they have a valid FM-3 working visa or if they are permanent resident of Mexico.
Further information
A Google search for "teaching English in Mexico" currently produces over 2 million results(!), including forums where teachers discuss all kinds of issues related to teaching English in Mexico.
