Philip Kirkland gave up the delights of Radstock nearly 4 years ago and, - with his mexican wife - Margarita - went to live in Mexico City. He has agreed to share some of his experiences with us on these pages.

*(For the younger readers, a paraphrase of a line from a Joyce Grenfell film)

When I arrived in Mexico, I really had no idea how I was going to make a living. As, at that time, my Spanish was very limited, so were my options so I settled for the path chosen by many people in my situation, teaching English. It is interesting to reflect now on some of the does and don’ts of teaching in Mexico, or any other country for that matter, and I hope that some of my experiences will be useful for others thinking of doing the same thing.

First there are many pitfalls. Many private institutions employ native speakers purely for the fact they are native speakers. Students in general prefer natives as they trust their knowledge more than a local and they find that a Mexican, no matter that he has spent most of his life in the USA, too easy to understand. Many of these people are high-ranking executives in multi-national companies and need to speak with their colleagues in English-speaking countries. Having said this, many of the best teachers I have worked with are Mexican, with perfect accents. Just because your mother tongue is English doesn’t mean you are an expert – how much do you know about the subjunctive? Could you explain the future perfect? Why DO some questions use an auxiliary and others not? - and also, if you don’t have the presence and charisma (tautology!) to stand in front of a class, you are going to be, at best, embarrassed and at worst totally ineffective and unpopular.

Secondly, many schools employ these teachers without needing a degree or teachers certificate and make great promises about the hours and pay. Many fail to give enough hours and pay late.

Having found a good company, as I was lucky enough to do, the next thing is to decide on your approach to the job. Many teachers are the archetypal back-packer just passing through and wanting make enough money to move on. If your house, car and most importantly, wife, rely on it, then a more serious outlook is needed. Due to this fast turnover of teachers, the ones that stick around and do their job well get noticed. I’m not boasting when I say I am proud of the introduction I am given in new classes – “This is one of our best teachers” – I am, because I have to be!

Doing this job has also given me a lot of benefits. There is a lot of job satisfaction in taking someone from zero to reasonable fluency. Also I have always been interested in the workings of the language and I have learned a lot along the way. The other point is that, despite the humble image of the English teacher abroad, the working conditions are good. You walk into the inner sanctum of large corporations, in ultra modern office buildings, saying that you have an appointment with the director of this or that, and you are even dressed like him! This isn’t in the least bit daunting, as, for those couple of hours, you are in charge and he is your obedient student. Imagine telling your bank manager that he has to do an exam for you next week, and you get the idea!

Working with these people has another advantage. Many of your students become your friends and friends like these are great for networking, which is big in Mexico. One of my students, a director of HSBC bank knew everyone. When we started classes in Wal-Mart, he told me he knew someone in the company, who turned out to be the top man in Brazil. While trying to set up an export business he offered the services of a friend of a friend; the second friend being the ex-personal assistant of President Fox, whom my student had met!

The final benefit I’ve had is that I am about to complete three years of studying Spanish in my company; the equivalent of doing a university degree. I have been able to choose my teachers and haven’t paid a single peso! A great example of going from zero to near-fluency!

In summary what are the advantages of teaching English in Mexico? You don’t need qualifications or the necessity to speak Spanish. Jobs are easy to find as the country is crying out for native speakers. The responsibility is good for personal growth and you mix with the right kind of people. It will be fine for me just now…while I wait for one of my contacts to offer me that high-flying position that requires a bilingual native speaker!

Philip Kirkland