Feature photo by lachiquita Photo above by leomei

Study abroad offers insight not only into a foreign culture, but into our own. This is especially true for US students studying in Mexico. The two countries are connected not only by geography, but history – most of the southwestern US belonged to Mexico until 1846 – and immigration, which has given new vitality to Mexican culture within the US.

As you consider the many different study abroad locations, programs, and living arrangements in Mexico, keep this question in mind: How far are you willing to step outside your comfort zone in order to immerse yourself in another culture?

The key to a rewarding study abroad experience is finding the level of immersion that is right for you.

Choosing a location

Some locations in Mexico offer a greater degree of culture shock than others. In northern Mexico and many urban areas the pervasiveness of US consumer culture makes for an easier adjustment to life abroad.

This ease of adjustment, however, makes it more difficult to experience what is unique about Mexico. The same applies to coastal resort areas, like Cancun and Acapulco, where you often see as many foreigners as Mexicans.

Southern Mexico, on the other hand, is less economically developed, but rich in culture. Centuries-old indigenous traditions endure in the food, music, dance, and dress.

Do not be frightened away by reports of political unrest. The only Zapatistas you’re likely to encounter in Chiapas are the Comandante Marcos dolls for sale in the markets. While deep socioeconomic disparities make political unrest inevitable, it poses little danger to you as a traveler.

Like southern Mexico, Mexico City is a study in contrasts. It bombards your senses with dizzying extremes of high culture and abject poverty.

Unfortunately, Mexico City is as famous for its violent crime as its pyramids, murals and museums. For many students, the risks are far outweighed by chance to live at the center of art and culture, not only of Mexico, but all of Latin America.

But to put the crime rate in perspective, consider that many Mexicans have a similarly grim picture of violence in the US from watching news footage of school shootings like the one at Virginia Tech.

If Mexico City is too intimidating, consider Guadalajara, home of the Mariachi, or the equally lovely and more manageable sized colonial cities of Guanajuato, Cuernavaca, Morelia and Mérida.

Photo by leomei

Choosing a program

Almost all study abroad programs bill themselves as “immersion” programs; what this actually means can vary considerably. The level of immersion is determined by two factors: the type of school you will attend and your living situation.

Private language academies, such as Instituto Jovel in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas and the Ollin Tlahtoalli Spanish Center in Oaxaca provide a supportive environment, especially for beginning students. The classes are small and often held outdoors in scenic gardens or terraces.

Most schools supplement their language programs with workshops in traditional art, dance and cooking. Many also offer you the opportunity to volunteer with community organizations like Oaxaca Street Children.

The drawback is that you will be taking all your classes with other foreigners, which limits your opportunities to interact with Mexicans. As a way to compensate, most schools offer intercambios, or exchange programs, that match you with a Mexican conversation partner.

For students with higher proficiency in Spanish, I recommend programs like those offered by the Butler University Institute for Study Abroad which allow you to take regular university classes alongside Mexican students. Being plunged into an unfamiliar education system is bewildering at first, but your Mexican classmates will be only too happy to help you navigate the cultural differences.

This is also a good option for students of disciplines other than Spanish, as universities have more diverse course offerings. The National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City is the largest and most prestigious university in Latin America.

Also excellent are the Monterrey Institute of Technology and University of the Americas in Puebla.

Photo by lachiquita

Living Arrangements

The most common living arrangement for student abroad participants is a homestay. Some programs place you in dorms or other group housing. A few offer private apartments.

Programs build high expectations for homestays; students expect to be effusively welcomed into the bosom of their new Mexican family. Sometimes this happens. More often than not, host families treat participants with hospitable reserve. For most of these families, this is a business first.

You’d also be surprised how many participants find themselves speaking more English than Spanish at their homestay. This is because families usually host more than one foreign student at a time.

Even if you specifically request your “own” host family, your program may not be able to accommodate you; it just doesn’t make financial sense for the families they work with.

Dorm situations and other group housing offer a more independent lifestyle. You have greater freedom to come and go whenever (and with whomever!) you choose. However, you inevitably end up spending more time socializing with your foreign roommates (in English!) than with Mexicans.

Overall, if you focus on finding the right level and kind of immersion for you as an individual, these seemingly overwhelming questions about locations, programs, and housing will fall into place.

Community Connection

Connect with other travelers in Mexico as well as local experts, check out local orgs , read blogs about Mexico, and more, all at the matador community.

Feature photo by akahodag. Mexico City, above. Photo by pulpolux

I was inspired to teach English after studying abroad in Mexico as an undergraduate. Learning a foreign language opened up my mind on so many levels that I wanted share the experience with others. Mexico, with its culture of hospitality, is one of the world’s most rewarding places to teach.

However, like most places in the developing world, it’s a challenge to earn a living.

Practical Info

Certification

Don’t be intimidated by all the acronyms for English teaching (TESOL/TEFL/TESL etc.) The skill-sets are mostly interchangeable. While some teachers do snag a job without certification, I strongly recommend having one.

Most reputable schools prefer to hire certified teachers. But perhaps most important: when you find yourself in front of the classroom, having training and a certification helps you feel less like a deer in the headlights!

Still, no four-week certification program is a substitute for classroom experience, but a reputable program (such as those offered by School for International Training, Trinity College, or International Teacher Training Organization will give you the basic tools to help you develop as a teacher.

Some of their courses are even offered in Mexico, with guaranteed job placement upon completion.

Photo by omar_eduardo

Pay

Average pay for English teachers in Mexico is less than you’d make flipping burgers home, about 50 pesos/hour (you may do a little better in urban areas like Mexico City and Guadalajara). In Mexico 50 pesos/hour is nothing to sneer at.

The problem is that few schools can offer you full-time hours. Most teachers cobble together a living by juggling classes at more than one school and giving private lessons on the side.

Migration

Foreign teachers in Mexico are required to have an FM3 work visa, which costs over 2,000 pesos (or 2/3 the average English teacher’s monthly wages). The visa can take months to process, and you can’t file for it without first obtaining a written job offer.

This is why most schools allow you to begin teaching as long as you’ve at started the FM3 paperwork (yes, there is such thing being as an illegal US worker in Mexico!). Sometimes it’s possible to expedite the process by getting an apostille stamp on your university diploma or TESOL certificate before departing for Mexico.

Photo by esparta

Types of Teaching Jobs

Never accept a job without first checking out a school’s reputation. If you can’t speak to current or former teachers in person, the best place to find the inside scoop on schools are Internet forums like the ones at Dave’s ESL Cafe or TESOL Worldwide. Another option is going through a job placement program like LanguageCorps, which I worked for in Oaxaca.

Private Language Academies

These small schools usually offer a relaxed (sometimes to the point of unprofessional) work environment, both in and out of the classroom. Pay is average.

Franchise schools

These include chains like Berlitz, Cambridge Academy, and Harmon hall. These tend to have a more regimented work environment (you might have to wear an unfashionable uniform) and teachers have less control over curriculum and methodology.

While they pay only a little better (or the same) as private schools, some offer contracts guaranteeing a certain number of hours in exchange for commitments of six months or a year.

Photo by cfrausto

Universities

In general, university classes are larger and students less motivated. Public universities are also plagued by bureaucracy and labor disputes.

Pay ranges from 50 pesos/hour to 12,000 pesos/month with benefits (especially if you’re experienced, or willing to work in a remote rural area). Universities are more likely to offer contracts and assume the cost of your FM3. On the other hand, most will not allow you to start teaching without a visa in hand.

Corporate Classes

Some schools and private agencies provide teachers to big- shot corporate clients who don’t have the time to attend regular classes. The pay is excellent, 80-100 pesos/hour, plus transportation, but hours are limited. My best teaching experience was teaching corporate classes at the Oaxaca airport.

Interview/hiring process

The interview/ hiring process in Mexico can be very informal by US standards, especially at small, private language academies. The most important factor is the personal impression you make on the director.

You may be asked to teach a class while the Director or EFL coordinator observes you. This can be nerve racking, but remember they’re probably more interested in how you interact with students than how well you can explain the mysteries of the past conditional tense.

They want to see that you care about students and teaching and not just looking for a way to finance a Mexican vacation! If the later is the case, forget: teaching is a demanding profession and at 50 pesos/hour you will not be able to afford the lifestyle you enjoy at home, much less that of tourist sipping tequila under the palms!

Community Connection

Matador contributor and podcaster Craig Martin has been funding world travels since 2003 using ESL. He explains more in his podcast How to Get Work Teaching English as Second Language.

For a complete listing of blogs, feature articles, and guides on Mexico, as well as local experts and travelers travelers to link up with right now, please visit the Matador Community.