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

---

Google News Updated : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:55:12 GMT Target: Barack Obama. Strategy: What Day Is It? - New York Times ABC News Target: Barack Obama. Strategy: What Day Is It? New York Times - 19 hours ago By PATRICK HEALY Despite a three-month head start, Senator John McCain has struggled to solidify lines of attack against Senator Barack Obama for the general election, Republican operatives say and some of his own advisers acknowledge, running into ... US candidates practise their U-turns BBC News Obama Predicts Political ‘Realignment,’ Tries to Put Montana in Play FOXNews Baltimore Sun - Austin American-Statesman - CounterPunch - National Review Online all 1,829 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:37:50 GMT Barack Obama now wears his patriotism on his lapel - Los Angeles Times ABC News Barack Obama now wears his patriotism on his lapel Los Angeles Times - 12 hours ago Jae C. Hong / AP FLAG-WAVER: Sen. Barack Obama and daughter Sasha are onlookers at an Independence Day parade in Butte, Mont. Tired of having his patriotism questioned, the Democratic candidate has made Old Glory a major visual element of his campaign. In Montana, Obama Tries to Rally Support on Iraq New York Times In Montana on the Fourth, a Barometer of Obama's Chances Washington Post New York Daily News - Fort Worth Star Telegram - The Associated Press - NY1 all 700 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:25:05 GMT 2 fires still raging along Calif.'s Central Coast - The Associated Press The Associated Press 2 fires still raging along Calif.'s Central Coast The Associated Press - 54 minutes ago BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) - Cool, damp weather early Saturday helped crews gain ground on the huge wildfire that wiped out this coastal retreat's holiday tourist trade, allowing some personnel and gear to be shifted to a growing blaze farther south Nearly ... Video: Wind Keeps California Wildfires Raging AssociatedPress Gov. sending in troops to fight Cal wildfires Mercury-Register Lompoc Record - Santa Maria Times - The Santa Barbara Independent - New York Times all 1,471 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:01:11 GMT European Bonds Post Fourth Weekly Gain on Interest Rate Outlook - Bloomberg European Bonds Post Fourth Weekly Gain on Interest Rate Outlook Bloomberg - 11 hours ago By Anchalee Worrachate July 5 (Bloomberg) -- European two-year government notes rose for a fourth week, the longest winning streak since February, as traders pared bets policy makers will lift interest rates again this year after raising them two days ... Fighting Inflation, Europeans Raise Rate New York Times Bernanke's French Lesson Wall Street Journal International Herald Tribune - MarketWatch - Reuters - Forbes all 1,857 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:22:39 GMT African Union Weakened by Summit Inaction on Zimbabwe - Voice of America BBC News African Union Weakened by Summit Inaction on Zimbabwe Voice of America - Jul 4, 2008 By Peter Heinlein The African Union's reputation suffered a setback during the past week when its leaders faltered in the face of Robert Mugabe's blunt challenge to democratic norms in Zimbabwe. Q&A: Zimbabwe's disputed election guardian.co.uk Recognise me as Zimbabwe president or no talks: Mugabe AFP The Associated Press - Xinhua - Times Online - Reuters all 5,332 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:02:07 GMT Study suggests serotonin plays a role in SIDS - Los Angeles Times The Money Times Study suggests serotonin plays a role in SIDS Los Angeles Times - 11 hours ago Mice who overproduced the brain chemical showed symptoms similar to those of the infant syndrome before they died. By Wendy Hansen, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Mice genetically engineered to overproduce the brain chemical serotonin died at an early ... SIDS Linked to Brain Chemical Dysfunction Washington Post Chance discovery points to crib death cause Reuters eFluxMedia - WebMD - BBC News - The Associated Press all 260 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:03:56 GMT Obama and Clinton, Together Again - Washington Post New York Daily News Obama and Clinton, Together Again Washington Post - 1 hour ago By Jonathan Weisman BUTTE, Mont. -- Putting their money where their mouths are, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will appear together three times over two days next week, raising money for each other and further advancing the Democratic cause of ... Obama and Clinton Will Raise Funds Together Next Week in NYC ABC News Obama, Clinton to hold joint fundraisers in NY The Associated Press CNN Political Ticker - New York Times - CNN - Reuters all 565 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:26:50 GMT Rss Feed Reader Increase Web Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

English Language Sputtering Online Like an Old Ford!

Sad, but true. Just about everywhere you look online, the... Read More

How To Learn Spanish Quickly and Easily

Spanish is a very useful language to learn as it... Read More

Preschool Spanish

Why an EarlyAGE 2nd Language?Research indicates that from ages 1... Read More

Japanese Kanji Learning: Short-Cuts to Rapid Mastery (Part 1)

What? Kanji can be learned quickly? This seems an impossible... Read More

How Ronzoni Italian Foods Helped My Dad Learn English

My dad likes to say, he was made in Italy,... Read More

Show Me the Bunny: Language Acquisition

Some children are really funny about experimenting with speech. Nonetheless,... Read More

7 Words Americans Should Stop Using Until Further Investigation

Relationship: Here is a word that is used to qualify,... Read More

Japanese Kanji Learning: Short-Cuts to Rapid Mastery (Part 2)

In Japanese Kanji Learning: Short-Cuts to Rapid Mastery Part 1,... Read More

GROUSE ... GROUSE ... GROUSE!!!

I realize that we here in the United States consider... Read More

Teaching Reading to English Language Learners

There is an increasing amount of English language learners represented... Read More

Online IELTS Preparation - Why Does It Make Sense?

Because IELTS is a difficult test. While most agree that... Read More

Aphasia: The Cruelest Language Barrier

Imagine the following scenario: You wake up one morning and... Read More

Whats In A Word? More Than You Realize

What's in a word? Apparently more than we might want.For... Read More

Learning a Foreign Language: Why Should you Learn Words You Never Use in Your Mother Tongue?

Imagine a child sitting in front of a desk, his... Read More

Learn Korean: Part 1 - Asian Languages and Language Families

So, you have always been fascinated by Asian culture have... Read More

Learning a Foreign Language: the Ventriloquists Lesson

The main feature you have to master, in order to... Read More

Learn Italian in Your Hometown

Are you interested in learning the Italian language right in... Read More

English Has Come A Long, Long Way...

I often wonder what would happen if Shakespeare were to... Read More

Chinese Pinyin or Hanyu Pinyin Overview

Chinese Pinyin is the romanization of the Chinese "written sound".... Read More

Second Language Competence Beneficial but often Misunderstood

Second language learning has associated with it many types of... Read More

What Does an Interpreter Do?

Many people get confused as to the difference between an... Read More

Learn Italian for Free

Italian is one of the most widespread languages in the... Read More

English Slang For Perplexed Tourists

I watched the British version of 'Big Brother' recently. That's... Read More

Learning French in Paris

Nothing can be more frustrating than to be in France... Read More

Don?t Take The Romaji Short-Cut When Learning Japanese

This is an issue many Japanese learners come up against,... Read More