# Finding work



## yossarianb52 (Dec 27, 2012)

Hey all, 

I am an American seeking work here in Mexico but having some significant trouble doing so. I am in the process of receiving my Permanent Resident visa (I have a son born here) and now need to do more than just teaching English to pay the bills. I have muddled my way through ZonaJobs with little effect. I have heard of something called American Chambers but I understand this is distinct from American Chamber of Commerce (which is all I can find when I google it). If there is anyone who knows a good headhunter or any other sort of lead I'd very much appreciate it as I'm sure would anyone else in a similar situation reading this. Thanks all.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

yossarianb52 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I am an American seeking work here in Mexico but having some significant trouble doing so. I am in the process of receiving my Permanent Resident visa (I have a son born here) and now need to do more than just teaching English to pay the bills. I have muddled my way through ZonaJobs with little effect. I have heard of something called American Chambers but I understand this is distinct from American Chamber of Commerce (which is all I can find when I google it). If there is anyone who knows a good headhunter or any other sort of lead I'd very much appreciate it as I'm sure would anyone else in a similar situation reading this. Thanks all.


Congratulations on getting your Residente Permanente visa. This should make your job search easier because it lets you work legally in Mexico. Apart from English teaching positions, I'm afraid I can't help you with job leads. What sort of work are you looking for? Do you have any friends here, Mexican or otherwise, who might be able to help. In Mexico, personal connections can be crucial to finding work. Good luck.


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## yossarianb52 (Dec 27, 2012)

Thanks for the congrats, but I'm keeping my hopes firmly on the ground for now. Counting chickens and all that. I have no qualms teaching English, I teach it here now and dabbled here and there back in the States before re-locating. I'd keep doing so if i could find a company/ school that wouldn't offer one thing, train me and then drop the final salary to much much less (ahem! Harmon Hall! Berlitz! etc!) 

I've been trolling my wife's freinds and former co-workers but it seems even with the visa many companies are loath to hire foreigners (especially ones with foreign parnet companies)


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

yossarianb52 said:


> Thanks for the congrats, but I'm keeping my hopes firmly on the ground for now. Counting chickens and all that. I have no qualms teaching English, I teach it here now and dabbled here and there back in the States before re-locating. I'd keep doing so if i could find a company/ school that wouldn't offer one thing, train me and then drop the final salary to much much less (ahem! Harmon Hall! Berlitz! etc!)
> 
> I've been trolling my wife's freinds and former co-workers but it seems even with the visa many companies are loath to hire foreigners (especially ones with foreign parnet companies)


Oh, God, HH and Berlitz are not places I would want to teach. Have you thought about going free-lance and teaching business classes? It would take a lot of hustling, but in time you could work up a group of faithful students who will stick with you through thick and thin, or least for a few months. You might ask your wife's friends and former co-workers if their companies are interested in having you give classes to their employees. It could be a place to start. Wish I could be more help . . .


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## yossarianb52 (Dec 27, 2012)

I have, in addition to private classes (doctors and such through my wife's work as a pharma rep) I worked for a British company doing just that. Great job only problem was, with all the travel back and forth from the client's offices, i was only pulling 2 or 3 classes a day. good work if you can get it consistently though you're right


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

yossarianb52 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I am an American seeking work here in Mexico but having some significant trouble doing so. I am in the process of receiving my Permanent Resident visa (I have a son born here) and now need to do more than just teaching English to pay the bills. I have muddled my way through ZonaJobs with little effect. I have heard of something called American Chambers but I understand this is distinct from American Chamber of Commerce (which is all I can find when I google it). If there is anyone who knows a good headhunter or any other sort of lead I'd very much appreciate it as I'm sure would anyone else in a similar situation reading this. Thanks all.


You are going to have to present some extraordinary credentials, talent not already present in that area, in order to be hired, IMO. Also, many Mexicican employers apply various discriminatory filters when hiring. How do you appear? Attractive, or not. Overweight? Older? Many of the best employers, size wise, salary wise, do this ... from what I witness. And you will also need to have the ability to have a command of Spanish equal to the local workforce .... to get the good full-time jobs. Of course, there are exceptions. About teaching English: for people looking to that work to earn an income, Mexico isn't one of the favorable countries to do that. Over the years, wages paid to foreigners had not been good. 25 years ago you could earn more than you do today in a good English-language program. The hourly class routine can be grueling, because long travel is often required, time consuming and the total numbe of ours is typically not that many. You might knock yourself out ... just to earn the peso-equivalent of US$500 a month. Network, network, network. Have lots of patience. After all of that, you might get lucky.

Best of luck.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

In my experience, the only English-teaching positions that offer you an income that will allow you to support yourself and a family are jobs at private "colegios" for well-off Mexicans. To qualify you'll need a university degree related to teaching English and in some cases the equivalent of a teaching certificate, the kind that allows you to teach in public schools in the States. The downside of working at these schools is that many of the students tend to be spoiled brats who can make life miserable even for the most experienced teachers.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Isla Verde said:


> The downside of working at these schools is that many of the students tend to be spoiled brats who can make life miserable even for the most experienced teachers.


I taught at a well-known private college in Mexico City. University level. Not English, but a class on marketing ... conducted in English. Students enrolled were supposed to be at the advanced-English level. They'd been studying at this particular college for 4/5 years already. 

Time came for the first exam in my class. I gave failing grades to 23 of 25 students. They were graded on their abilities to communicate their ideas, in written English and I felt their level of English and inability to express themselves was at a lower intermediate level. The day after I renturned their exam papers the director of the school called me into his office. Parents of some of the students had called him to complain. Their children had never received a failing grade. Why, he asked, did I not provide the students with the exam the day prior to the date it was to be given, so that they could practice it? I replied "What?" "That's what we do here," he came back with. 

I explained to him that when I was hired I was told I should be firm, fair and that there were no preconditions to my hiring or lesson plans. Follow the text. Test on the text. I was the only native-speaker of English on the teaching staff at the time. 

He then told me that it was the policy of the college to allow students to take the test, in preparation, one or two times ... until they reached a passing grade, before the "real" test was given. I told him that's not something I would be doing ... now or in the future. I rose from my chair, reached across the desk, shook his hand, thanked him for the opportunity and said I would not continue the deception of the school telling these students they were at an "advanced" level as they prepared to enter the job market ... where they would have to demonstrate their language abilities. His jaw dropped and he was speechless. 

I did return to the class one last time, though. Even with a substitute teacher there. And I told the students they had been deceived by the school. That most of them were not even at a 50% level, that they should not have been allowed to get to an advanced level with the thinking they were prepared for jobs they were going to apply for at international companies where a higher level of English would be expected. And that they should seek either a partial refund or the opportunity to take some additional classes at no further cost.

This is illustrative of how bad the Mexican education system is, generally. Corrupt. It doesn't prepare students for success. And the HR staff who will interview these types of students, the uppity folks passing judgement on the job applicants and who profess to be fluent in English? I don't think I've met but one or two out of maybe a 100% companies I dealt with in Mexico City who I would assess as being beyond 50% themselves. So when they assess the applicants they're looking for 50-60% of the 50% they possess. Pitiful.

There are schools with higher standards than the one I'm referring to - and I've taught at some. But, I know of others where the same 'wink-wink' policy is in play. What they're interested in is getting the money from the families of the students. They have a reputation for passing for payment.


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## yossarianb52 (Dec 27, 2012)

Longford, I have heard this both from other teachers and especially from students themselves. In most cases, anyone who has at least a semi-proficient level of English attained it via either private classes sought out on their own, self-study or classes provided by whatever company they are hired by. 

Also, as to the level of most teachers themselves, the Mexican or other Latin American born instructors often have horrendous pronunciation and then pass this on to their students. I've interviewed (never accepted, partly for this reason) with several in senior positions in their schools who either could not understand me, were themselves unintelligible or both. I don't claim to be Mr. Perfect when it comes to grammar or other more technical facets of the English language but if I'm going to teach something, I make damn sure I have a firm grasp on the subject.


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## cuylers5746 (Mar 19, 2012)

*All too true*

University level Education in Mexico.


I have to generally have to agree with you on this subject, and I commend you for your action not putting up with it. Some student of yours should know that what he was sold on was taught and that he understood it enough to have a command of the subject matter. Anything less is cheating the students.

Anyone here can prove me wrong, but I think there are a few very good Universities that don't operate this way? Like Institute Technologico de Monterrey.

I do have a few bones to pick on their detailed subjects in some of their course material though.

They only have (1) week of instruction in Bidding and Cost Estimates! No, wonder most of the construction in this country (at least Residential Construction) never gets beyond three quarters built! Architects are so used to working on projects until the money runs out, then when they have money again they return. If not, the building never gets completed the way it was designed.

That and the instruction is very detailed in Architecture but quite lacking in over all subjects to make the Architect a better individual in his profession. Meaning a lot of the basic subjects in the first two years of College in the USA is just lacking. Really, I have no problem with that, but at some time the student should go back for their own well being in life and study those subjects.

Interesting my niece a hot, top Architect here in town went back for her Master's in Architecture. No Thesis was required just a year of study. Some of the subjects we would consider in the USA as part of the first two years in College.

Medical Degrees? You can start in Medical School right out of High School – or Prepa. Which is just fine with me. What a complete utter bad joke it is on Society in the USA and to the students to have your Doctor first take a four year Under Graduate Degree before entering Medical School. Then a year or two afterwards for a Specialty, then Internship. By the time the Doctor actually stars practicing on their own their almost 30! Oh and then cough up $250K minimum for Mal Practice Insurance for the first year, then maybe another $150-250K for Medical furniture, rent and pay a good Medical Receptionist. Well you see with that and say another $100k for paying off his Medical School Tuition. 

So after beginning practicing their lucky to pay this all off with interest before their in their 40's. Want a nice home and fancy car to keep up with the life style? Maybe it will take another 5 years to pay off all that school and setting up a practice expense. No wonder Doctor's have a such a high incidence of Drug Addiction and Suicide in the USA. It's not unheard of them ending up in Bankruptcy Court. Remember the Doctor that administered the risky drugs to Michael Jackson? He was out to shore up his failing (Financially) Medical Practice back home.

No, I'll take the Mexican of educating their Doctors way over that any day. Anyway in the USA they are only glorified corner Drug Dealers for Big Pharma, and mainly only treat “the symptoms” and do very little curative work. Just a total sham on the American Public and the bright people that go into “Practicing Medicine” in the USA.

Let' face it. Doctor's anywhere are only glorified Technicians, so why make them go to University Training for 10 years or more before they can start practicing in the USA?


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