richmx2
Jan 18, 2011, 1:16 PM
Post #7 of 13
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Re: [gpkgto] Recent graduate seeking to hide from economic reality; help!
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Not to highjack the thread (and perhaps we can start another thread on this topic), but SHOULD we be recommending English teaching as a means to survive in Mexico?
We have no control over the qualifications process, and, yes... a university degree of some sort and a native proficiency in English is sufficient for a position. Assuming, of course, there is a position, and a better qualified candidate isn't available.
I have both an undergrad and masters' degree in English... both from reputable universities... and really have to admit I was not a good English teacher. I don't think it's any reflection on me as a human being, just that my job skills set lays elsewhere, and I've been fortunate in finding a niche here in Mexico that gives me enough for a reasonably comfortable existence.
I'll give you that working as an English teacher (even a bad one) was my ticket into Mexico, but that was several years ago, and it appears that those minimally qualified, or just wrong for the job, are being weeded out much faster than in the past. I haven't kept up with that market, but it seems as if the Mexican schools — even the small for-profit English academies — are reluctant to hire those of us who just turn up here looking for a way to stay.
Two related questions:
— How much good does it do Mexican students to have teachers who aren't trained as teachers, and/or whose skills sets aren't those a teacher needs?
I don't pretend to know the mysteries of that honorable art, but there were a few students who I think learned from me, but it had to do with other factors (private students, where our personalities or interests just "clicked", or where the student's special needs were met by some outside skill... I was a whiz at coaching one business executive in English memo-writing!). It seems to me that ESL training, and/or more than a passing familiarity with Mexican culture (and Mexican learning styles) would be a minimum.
— Are we honest with people when we just say "you can always teach"?
I'm surprised more teachers aren't offended by the sub-text ("anybody who learns can teach" and damn few of us remember HOW we learned English in the first place). Not that some people don't discover they have a gift for teaching, and enjoy it, but I'm not sure how fair it is to people just to say "oh, you can teach English" and convincing them to move here (probably at great expense) without being able to honestly appraise their chances of a return on their emotional, physical, monetary investments.
http://mexfiles.net
http://voiceofmexico.com
http://editorialmazatlan.com
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