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Teaching English in Mexico: A Decent Living?
What's more disappointing than a person who makes a promise he
can't keep? A person who makes a promise that is a lie. Many
promises to make a "decent living" teaching English in Mexico are
just that-a lie.
If you do a phrase search on Google, "teach English in
Mexico," you will get almost 900,000 hits. Some of these sites
are filled with tantalizingly appealing phrases like,
"For only a few dollars a week you can have_____in
Mexico".
"First-class bus travel to such and such a place is
only____".
All are allurements trying to sell their how-to book, tapes,
seminars, or placement service for teaching English abroad. They
give the impression that you will be able to make enough money to
live a life of luxury and ease with all that money you will make
teaching English in Mexico.
We've met many young women who come to Guanajuato with the
hope and dream of getting a teaching job making a bundle. The
word "shock" is putting it mildly when they find out what their
salaries will be in some of these private schools. A good pay
scale would be less than $3.00 an hour. I know of some schools
that pay even less than that amount.
Can you imagine how many hours you would have to work to make
ends meet? Minimum wage is about $400.00 USD a month. Granted,
many Mexicans live on that. But could you-an American? Could you
downscale to living on so little?
Four types who come to Mexico to teach English are:
1) Someone who wants a new adventure-something different.
2) Someone who wants to build a resume, no matter the
salary.
3) Someone who wants to earn a little traveling money.
4) Someone who thinks they can earn a decent living. Groups 1
through 3 don't care what the dollar sign is in their salary.
They have other sources of income like savings or parents who
help support them while they are in Mexico. These are the most
transient. Here today, promising their employers a year contract,
and gone tomorrow. Some employers will not hire these "floaters."
Schools would love to hire those with ties to the community but
they are rare.
Group 4, people who think they can make a living, do not
accept the reality that you can rarely make a living at teaching
English in Mexico. They are like those who go to Hollywood with
the delusion of becoming an actor, "Oh, it's a long shot, but
maybe I can do it."
In an informal e-mail survey I took of Mexican schools that
offer ESL classes, the overwhelming majority agreed that it is
rare for anyone to make a living at teaching English in Mexico.
One called it "an unrealistic expectation" to believe
otherwise.
"...the pay is very low and it is difficult to imagine how one
could live on it."
Another source told me that unless the teacher had signed a
contract with a large established organization before departure
to the country, it was unlikely that a good salary would be
waiting for them. Countries like Japan or China offer a
competitive salary with benefits.
Mexico does not.
Most of the available jobs are with small private schools that
pay little.
Some told me that those who do not fulfill their teaching
commitments no longer surprise them. They've grown accustomed to
this unethical practice by North Americans.
Some have come to Mexico and made a living teaching ESL. But,
that is all they can do-work until they drop. They usually have
to sign on to teach with at least three schools to get enough
hours to earn enough to pay for cost-of-living expenses. There is
little time to anything else.
A life of luxury, excitement, and adventure? Hardly. But they
keep coming, filled with the delusion that perhaps they can make
it work.
Sad.
Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His most
recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
The Houston Chronicle, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and
Transitions Abroad. He lives with his wife in Guanajuato, Mexico.
His new book, Mexican Living: Blogging it from a Third World
Country, can be seen at http://www.lulu.com/content/126241
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