I have been looking into moving to Cancun / Playa Del Carmen for about a year now. I have been doing some research in the area of teaching. I am still unclear about a few things... 1. Is Spanish an absolute necessity in order to teach ESL? 2. What are some of the requisites for teaching ESL? 3. What are some of the schools I could possibly look into? Any help anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated!!! It's getting down to the wire... Thanks to everyone! Galina
Hi Galina, Let me try to answer to the best of my knowledge, I am a teacher of ESL here in Cancun. 1. No, Spanish is not a necessity but it is valuable. You will need it to live here for sure, it will make your life a lot easier. I have heard rumours that Immigration is asking people to take Spanish tests, but I have not heard that YET for ESL teachers. 2. I believe most schools will look for some sort of teaching experience, but not necessarily ESL experience. As a native speaker of English you have an advantage for sure and sometimes schools will hire a native with no experience. Most likely you will be asked to take a TOEFL exam but for a native speaker it's a no brainer to get the minimum requirement. Contrary to popular belief, having TESL or the equivalent is not usually necessary here. 3. The "big" schools are Harmon Hall www.harmonhall.com , Interlingua http://www.interlingua.com.mx/ , Berlitz http://www.berlitz.com.mx/ and Quick Learning http://www.quicklearning.com.mx/new/html/ffindex.htm . (As you can see from the websites, some Spanish is going to be necessary to live here). There are lots of smaller schools that come and go but those are the biggies. The toughest thing you will face is immigration issues. Each school has a limit to the number of foreigners they can have on staff, so if they have reached the limit they can't hire you even if they want to, you would have to wait for a foreigner to quit or get fired. I know the Harmon Hall in Cancun is at it's limit and has been for a while, but it's always worth a shot. Good luck, I am happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability!
Hey CancunCanuck, Thank you so very much for your quick response! I really appreciate it. I am starting to learn Spanish on my own...right now I am finishing up my last month of school (B.A.) and am pressed for time between work and school. But on my time off I try to pick up the books and teach myself. I have a few friends in Cancun who are willing to help me learn and help me practice from time to time...which is nice! If you don't mind me asking, what school do you teach at? Is there any availability? I am so determined to make this happen, that I will do whatever necessary. I have visited several website looking for lessons and possible activities to do with the kids to help them grasp English. If you hear of any openings or any new schools or anything at all that you think would help me. Please please please...let me know!!!! Mod edit to protect against spambots: galinab at yorku dot ca Thank you again for your quick response and all of your help. I really appreciate it! Sincerely, Galina
Galina, I edited your email a bit so it won't be picked up and hit with spam from everywhere. Anyone who wants to contact you will be able to decipher it. They can also use the "PM" or "email" feature to contact you without you having to expose your addy.
Hi Galina, I teach at Harmon Hall Cancun, and currently they don't have any spots for foreigners but you never know when that will change. I will certainly keep you posted if I hear of anything. I went to York U myself, though many, many moons ago. I'd be glad to help a fellow alum!
CancunCanuck, You graduated from York as well??? That's great! What did you take? I'm in Sociology and I have English as a teachable. I had previously emailed Lisa Hausler in January about a position, and she told me to get back to her in June. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! I am soooo determined...I have been thinking and researching this for so long now. This is my passion...there is nothing more rewarding than having such an impact on a child's life! Thanks again. I really appreciate any help you can give me! Galina
The Harmon Hall Lisa directs is mostly adult classes. They do have some children's classes, but only for a portion of the day.
Is there anyone else I should be looking to contact? Any particular people at the schools? What else do they like to see besides the standard resume? Thanks in advance!
Hi again Galina, I went to York 1990-94 for Fine Arts, Dance. Lived in Vanier and then over at Murray Ross Parkway. Ahh, the memories of youth. If you are really more interested in kids, Harmon Hall has a kindergarten here too, though they are under the same immigration umbrella as the adult school. Contact Lisa again closer to when you want to come down and feel out the possibilities. There are sometimes opportunities for English teachers at the "regular" (meaning daily math, geography, reading) private schools. The disadvantages to that are crazy full time hours and gigantic classes. Pay is often less than at the private English only schools like Harmon. Those opportunities usually arise in the summer. I only hear about them last minute, but you can check the classifieds in the local papers like Novedades. Some hotels have in house English teachers as well, again, check the classifieds when they come up. I remember my hubby saying they were looking for someone at the Royal Resorts, I will check with him to see if they filled the position, but that was a couple of months ago. Often these jobs come up when you make good contacts through living here. I have had offers because I know someone who knows someone who knows about a job that wasn't in the paper. You might consider saving enough money to come down for a few months to get some feelers out if nothing comes up while you are living in Canada.
