Guadalajara is known as a relatively safe city to visit and live in. Even though we are a big metropolis our citizens hold a lot of the values that people hold to in a small town. Not one of our foreign students have had an incident involving crime. Our city can be as safe and unsafe as any other large city. Obviously you need to take certain precautions, as you would in any big city. In most countries, travelers are seen to possess great wealth, regardless of whether or not this is true. Here are some suggestions that reduce the chances of being harmed.

• Keep your luggage in sight at all times.
• Make a copy of your passport and visa and carry them with you.
• Do not accept a ride from a stranger.
• You must be careful with the traffic.
• Do not pay attention if a stranger talks to you.
• If you want to visit the Mexican beaches, we can give you full orientation about them.
• Avoid dark streets and beware of crowded situations.
• Do not be ostentatious.
• Make sure you have small change (10 pesos or less) before getting on the bus.
• Be prepared. Have your student ID with you at all times.
• Keep some money with you in case you need to take a taxi.

Teaching English in Mexico - Guaranteed Paid Job Placement in Mexico

Our TEFL course in Guadalajara includes guaranteed paid job placement in Mexico upon graduation. During your 4 week program, we will work with you to prepare your resume/CV for your new teaching career. This paid job placement is lifelong and includes networking with our TEFL graduates all over the globe.

Teaching opportunities abound in Mexico. Fully certified individuals can make from $600 USD to $900 USD per month. Cost of living is fairly low especially outside Mexico City.

After graduating from the 4-week program in Guadalajara, you will have a guaranteed paid teaching position in Mexico and direct employment contacts worldwide.

If you are a graduate from another location we will provide you with direct employment contacts for virtually any corner of the world.

Salary & Benefits (in Mexico):

• Salary ranging from $600 USD to $900 USD.
• Housing Assistance.

Qualifications (in Mexico):

• 4 Week TEFL Certification.
• Native English speaker or Near Native fluency accepted.
• Teaching experience not required.

We are frequently asked the following:

"How many times will we provide paid job placement in Mexico or direct employment contacts worldwide?"

Our answer is:

"As many times as you need us to." The only condition is that trainees have not been fired from their previous teaching positions due to causes imputable to them. All of the above would not be complete if we did not teach you effective job searching and interview techniques. 

The course is divided into six areas:

Classroom Management

• The role of the teacher with regard for promoting effective learning. To consider ways in which we can maximize student interaction in the classroom. Effective strategies for Classroom Management in relation to eye contact, gesture, voice, student grouping, pre-lesson preparation, rapport with students, using the board, behavior management. Skills needed in the presentation of materials: the board, the flip chart, prepared cards.
• Maintaining discipline
• Giving Instructions

Teaching Skills

• The essential ingredients of a well-planned lesson
• The relationship between language structure and vocabulary
• Strategies for teaching vocabulary
• Effective strategies for correcting students mistakes
• Specific issues concerned with teaching beginners
• Ways to introduce and use a variety of language games
• Ideas for oral communicative language learning activities
• Ways to present a methodological model for teaching receptive skills
• Ways to present a methodological model for teaching productive skills
• Models for introducing new language structures
• Specific issues involved in teaching Business English
• The principles underpinning good assessment

Language Awareness

Unknown Language

Trainees are put into the position of language students and will be taught an unknown foreign language class. This gives trainees an opportunity to view lessons as a student and note techniques used by the teacher when teaching beginners.

Teaching Practice

The most practical and important element of the course. Trainees teach genuine EFL students following an official curriculum, the latter is extremely important, since many other training centers around the world recruit volunteers for trainees' teaching practices. All teaching practices 10-hours minimum, (six are the international standard), fully observed, constructively critiqued and graded by our trainers. The emphasis is on progression and trainees are expected to address issues raised during feedback.

The TEFL course in Guadalajara is very intensive. The course is composed of 140 hours, which is well over the international standard. The following is the composition of the observed teaching practice:

• 10 hours of live teaching practice (constructively critiqued by a veteran trainer).
• 6 hours of classroom observation.
• 2 hours of conversation class instruction.
• 1 hour of peer observed teaching practice.
• 1 hour of one to one teaching practice.

The teaching practices are not consecutive from 3:15 to 6:15. The trainee may have only one practice in between that time frame however, he/she is encouraged to use this time to complete assignments or prepare for the next day’s lesson. Saturdays and Sundays are free for the trainee to enjoy the multitude of activities the city of Guadalajara has to offer as well as outlying areas detailed further down in this manual.