Joep van der Werff

I’ve had teacher, trainer, and other ELT positions in Mexico for 30 years. In comparison to 1989 when I arrived, teaching jobs have professionalized a lot. You used to be able to get a teaching job just because you spoke English, but now many schools require some kind of EFL/ESL certification. On the other hand, in the past, many schools would arrange working papers for foreigners, and nowadays fewer schools do that for you.

Teaching is a great job. You get to meet lots of interesting people. However, the pay is not great when you’re just starting as a teacher.