Chiapas, Mexico TEFL Location:

1. What kinds of teaching jobs are available in Mexico?

Most of the teaching jobs are in language schools, universities and hotels.

2. What is the typical salary for EFL teachers in Mexico?

Please contact us for updated information.

3. How do you help students with job placement?

Upon graduation we will assist you with job contacts worldwide as well as Direct Job Offers in Mexico, China, South Korea, Thailand, Spain, France, and Saudi Arabia.

4. What is the hiring season for TEFL teachers in Mexico?

Classes at primary/secondary schools and universities start in August so full-time teachers are hired before that time. Language schools open new vacancies all throughout the year for hourly-paid teachers.

5. Where do most TEFL teachers find work after completing the course?

Primary and secondary schools, language schools and universities.

6. What kinds of students will TEFL teachers be teaching?

You will be teaching students of all ages and levels.

7. What is your success rate for placing teachers?

95% is the success rate.

8. Can TEFL teachers do private tutoring on the side?

Yes, actually most of the teachers start doing private tutoring until they find a more stable teaching job.

9. How long does it take to find a job after completing the TEFL course?

Not long. Actually many of our graduates found a job a week after the course ended.

10. What documents will a graduate need to get a job (copy of degree, notarized copy of certificate, etc.)?

Copy of degree, copy of certificate, letters of recommendations, work permit.

11. Do you provide your own teaching curriculum, if applicable?

Yes, we do.

12. What makes the course so intensive?

For most candidates the Teaching Practice occupies a great deal of time; mostly in lesson preparation and liaison with colleagues. There is also a great deal to take on board during the course and written work to do at the weekends.

13. What is TP?

TP (Teaching Practice) is your chance to experiment with ideas demonstrated by your tutors during input sessions and observation. On the intensive course TP takes place daily and lasts for about two hours. You share the groups of TP students with colleagues from the course. They observe you when you teach; you observe them when they teach. One of your course tutors also observes you teaching.

14. Who do I teach?

Most of the students are NATIVE Spanish speakers. You will teach students at different levels including Elementary and Intermediate.

15. How long do I teach?

You start (on day 2 of the intensive course) with a 20-minute lesson. This gradually increases to about one hour by the end of the course.

16. Do I teach every day?

On average you teach every other day, although you may teach on two consecutive days at times.

17. What is “feedback”?

Detailed feedback on your teaching is usually held in the afternoon, after TP and input. You are encouraged to evaluate your own teaching and that of your colleagues. Your tutor will also provide oral and written feedback.

18. How long does the course take?

4 weeks. Each day is usually broken up into 2 hours of theory, 3 hours of lesson planning, 1 hour of getting familiar with material, and then homework time.

19. How is the course broken down on a daily basis?

Basically, you will be in the classroom seeing teaching theory and lesson planning for 2 hours a day in the morning. Then in the afternoon you will spend 3 hours observing and critiquing lessons taught by veteran and novice teachers. You will spend about an hour a day on your own, looking through material that is available to teachers and getting to know how to use it. You may have 1-2 hours of homework a day, as well.

20. What written work will I have to do?

Four written assignments are set, one of which is divided into two shorter assignments; that is five separate pieces of written work in total. The assignments are not long in terms of number of words, but you may be surprised at how thought provoking they are – consequently you may well find yourself taking some hours to complete each one.

21. How much do home stays cost?

Home stays are included in the price of all the courses that we offer. You do not have to pay extra. Keep in mind meals are not included, you must cook for yourself. Outside of these hours, and on afternoon break, trainees are involved in continued lesson planning alone or with colleagues, writing assignments, and observing classes, live or on video.

22. Who do I observe teaching?

You usually observe your tutors teaching on one or two occasions, and our experienced teachers on one or two occasions and/or experienced teachers teaching lessons on video. Observation of our teachers takes place outside normal course hours.

23. How do the families feel about us cooking in their homes?

Usually you have very different schedules, so there is no conflict of who is to cook or of anyone getting in each other's way. All families are experienced host families and have no problems with you using their kitchen.

24. I am not a native speaker of English – will this disadvantage me on the course?

No. As a non-native speaker of English it is highly likely that your knowledge of English language systems is more advanced than that of native English speakers on the course. It is likely that you will have studied English for some years and be conversant with a wide range of grammatical terminology. As a very successful language learner yourself you will also have insights into language learning that colleagues who have not attained such a degree of proficiency in a foreign language may not have. However, it must be noted that should your level of written or spoken English decline for any reason during the course you may be withdrawn from the Cambridge scheme. This means that you will be able to continue with the course but will not be awarded the Cambridge certificate. (Please note that this occurrence is extremely rare.)

25. What makes the course so intensive?

For most candidates the Teaching Practice occupies a great deal of time; mostly in lesson preparation and liaison with colleagues. There is also a great deal to take on board during the course and written work to do at the weekends.

26. What is the cancellation policy?

Please contact us to know our current policy.

27. How is the weather like in Chiapas?

February to May:

Spring is a beautiful time of year, with little rain and flowers everywhere. The sea is calmer and gets steadily warmer as temperature rises. Nights can still be cool, but a sweater is rarely needed.

June to August:

The summer in Chiapas is hot. The water is so warm you can stay in for hours. Blue skies prevail. There is some rainfall with short heavy showers in the afternoon or evening. Nights do not get much cooler.

September and October:

This is the season for tropical storms and the occasional hurricane. It doesn't rain every day for two months, but there could be periods of more persistent rain. It's still warm.

November to January:

These are the coolest months in Chiapas, which means it's very comfortable. There might be some rain, but it's not very frequent. This time of year nights can be cool - temperatures can drop to as low as 12C!