American School of Pachuca Mexico
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This post is tagged with: American School of Pachuca , Schools in Mexico
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23 comments
The school has a long history and is facing stiff competition, but it is working hard to do better every day. A school like this could just watch things slide and rest on it laurels as the only bilingual school in the area, but it has chosen to push forward. There are a few rough spots, but there is lots of hope here too.
I am currently going through the interview process with this school…could you give me some more insight about your experiences…
Thanks,
Chantal
It is a decent school with lots of pros and plenty of cons. Overall the experience is what you make of it. The administration is trying hard to make the place all it can be, and the teachers are hardworking and professional. The students are mostly eager to learn, but as a private school catering to the well off, there are some self entitled kids of course. The school is in the process of getting accreditation so it is working hard to meet high standards, and this can only mean things will get even better. I have never worked at a perfect school and this school is not perfect, but it realizes it has strong and weak points and is working hard to constantly get better. If you go down understanding it is a different culture, with different priorities, and you do not take your role as a teacher so seriously that youget bothered by small inconveniences, it can be a great place to work and you will learn and grow a lot. But if you want the US system and expect US priorities and resources, skip Mexico altogether and stay in the US!
Working at this school is certainly not for everyone and if you don’t form a love for the city and friendships you probably won’t even stay a year. This school experiences high turnover many teachers not even finishing out the year some leaving within months of their arrival. The school is controled by the parents and there are no consequences or disapline for the children. The facilities are o.k. and improving and the pay is reasonable. This school like a lot of Mexico operates by the theory that if you have money you can pretty much do whatever they want and they do!
I totally disagree with the last post. I have been at the school two years and of the 28 foreign teachers here this year, almost half will stay another year. 5 foreign teachers have been here more than 2 years, one 6 years and another 9 years! This is very comparable (probably much better in fact) to other schools that employ foreign teachers around the world, and things are getting even better with higher salaries and better housing. The control of the school is in the hands of the administration, and while parents have influence, this is not a bad thing. They are mostly involved in a constructive way. And they certainly do not control anything. When there is any discipline problem, students face consequences, and a new discipline code that is point based is going into effect next year. Even with that said, the only teachers who have discipline problems are the ones who don´t even try to understand the culture they work in or come unprepared to class with dry and uninevntive lessons that leave second language learners bored and antsy. The school, like any, is not perfect but it has amazing potential and is progressing in many areas.
I am curious about the state of politics in Pachuca. Would you say that it is a safe place for Foreigners? What are the accommodations like that the school provides?
Pachuca is a clean safe city. Politics are not an issue. It is quiet and relatively crime-free. There are occasional thefts of course, but that is about all.
I have been in 2 different places provided by the school. The first was so-so. It would have been fine for a recent college graduate. It was big and clean, but a bit run-down. 2 bedrooms, so so furniture, etc. I then chose to look for my own place, and the school pays the bulk of the rent for where I live now. It is cleaner, newer, a bit smaller, and more than adequate and I pay about 800 pesos a month out of my salary while the school pays 1500. If you decide to change where you live and find your own place, the school pays 1500 pesos per teacher for housing per month as a living stipend, so even if you donñt like what they give you…you can find something else.
Most of the housing is ok though. Depends on what your needs are.
I am going to through the interview process for this school and I am concerned about the living arrangements. I would like to talk to an employee and hear about their experience her is my number 804-304-8265 if anyone would like to give me a call. I would appreciate it.
Thanks
School is looking up- many problems with student discipline and unprofessional teachers who had no business being in front of a class last year. This year the staf is much more responsible, the school investing more in salaries and improving working conditions, and the students behaving better under a new discipline code. Long way to go still, but all in all not a bad place to spend a year.
I taught there recently. I am an experienced classroom teacher with lots of experience with Mexico and the Mexican culture. I have heard the excuse before about teachers who leave not being professional or not understanding the culture. This is simply not true. I am working at another school in Mexico now, and I absolutely love it. And to be honest, even the administrators at other schools (including the one I am at now) know and are embarrassed to discuss the situation at ASP.
That being said, if you have no experience as a teacher and would like to teach in a foreign country for a year, you will make lots of friends and can learn issues that all teachers must learn regarding lesson planning, discipline, parent meetings, and extracurricular activities. You will also enjoy Pachuca itself. It’s a wonderful town and perfect for a first experience in Mexico.
If you are an experienced educator, you should not consider this school in my professional opinion. For many classes, there are either outdated or worse, no textbooks, as was the case in middle school English. ESL is not supposed to be taught, but rather Language Arts. Despite your level of creativity, when one must teach six classes a day with two grade levels and one or two novels (of which, there are not enough for every student), you will find that students find the material unimportant and therefore become disruptive. One solution is copying, but as is true in most schools in Mexico, you have to ask for the copies three days in advance, and at ASP in particular, it was policy to only make two copies per child per week maximum.
In addition, I know that things are improving with the “new” discipline code, but it will take time for its full effects to be felt, if the administration decides to continue with it (in previous years the code was thrown out). The very fact that there is a “new” discipline code and that teachers, once again are being blamed for student behavior, is an indication that in the past discipline was seriously out of control and things are still not that great in that area. Moreover, teachers who have students at the school have complained that their children often receive harsher punishments than the children of wealthy parents.
The school is seeking accreditation from SACS, but has been doing so for several years. It is not currently accredited by any agency outside SEP.
There are many issues to teaching, and especially teaching in Mexico. In this case, you will find several positives and negatives at ASP. My recommendation for “newbies” is to come on down and enjoy it. My recommendation for experienced teachers is to pass it by and try elsewhere, because most experienced classroom teachers have not been happy here.
The school has made great progress over the last few years. Teacher rotation is down by 50% during the school year (it should be zero, but things do come up and people do have to go home), salaries are up 12% on average over the last year, housing is better, discipline is notably better, morale is notably better, SACS accreditation is on course, and most importantly things feel like they are moving ahead.
There are lots of challenges, and I would disagree that this place is good for young teachers. I think the place is excellent for teachers who have had 2-3 years of international teaching experience, and are ready to be given 100% say over what they do in their classrooms. This is a school (like most Mexican schools) where kids will challenge and debate you. You have to make classes lively and dynamic or forget it. A new teacher, with no experience, would have a 50-50 chance here. A teacher with a year or two under their belt would actually be able to thrive and learn a lot here. Older teachers, seasoned pros, don´t really belong here unless they are really modern thinkers and proactive educators. Older folks get tired too easily, and expect things to be a certain way. One thing about ASP…it never stops challenging or surprising and I have learned more here than in the 6 years before when I was teaching in other places.
I will stay another couple of years here because I think this school is on the cusp of really coming into its own. Resources are improving, facilities are improving, and this school has awesome potential. When teachers cut and run mid-year like the person above, they do themselves and the kids here a huge disservice. That´s where the school´s problems come from, people with inflated egos and or expectations who see American School in the name and expect it to be an international school. It is not. Its a cozy, hometown bilingual school with lots of room for improvement and creativity for people who are looking for more than just another day at the whiteboard with a Mexican twist. If coming to Mexico for a year long vacation, go elsewhere. If coming to Mexico to make an impact and progress professionally and personally while also making some good friends and getting a great chance to experience real Mexico, Pachuca and ASP can´t be beat.
By the way, just to counter one point - the most successful and well liked teacher here is a seasoned professional who has been here 11 years and just signed on for a twefth, so who knows?
I am interested in a recent post to teach at Pachuco for 2008/2009. I have a hubby and three kids that would be coming along with me if I were to take a position, are there other teachers with families or are the teachers singletons? I am wondering how to find out if this is a safe, good place to take my kids and if there are schools there (this one?) that my kids could attend. Any help appreciated!
Pachuca is very safe, but three kids on the salary here is tough. The salary is competitive with most other schools in Mexico, but I would not advise bringing three kids down on one teacher{s income of 13,000 pesos or so a month.
I am interest in a recent post to teach at Pachuco for 2008/2009. Please inform me, if the living quarters are affordable, reasonable, and safe. In additional, please tell me about your experience at American School of Pachuca. Also, please recommend if you need fluency in the Spanish language.
Thank you- Andrew King- Email: andrewwesley@yahoo.com
I am currently applyng to this school. How long after i’ve submitted an application should i expect a response. I have excellent qualifications (professionally/academically) but also have Mexican citizenship. Is there any way to contact someone directly?
I applied to work in the preschool. Does anyone have any comments or anything I should be concerned about? I have ten years experience teaching in Canada and none in a foreign country.
Housing is safe and clean, though modest and sparsely furnished. But it is fine. The school seems to be getting better and better every day. It ihas rough patches, but it feels like things are progressing. As for contact from the school, you won´t be contacted if you are not short-listed.
Also, Spanish is helpful but not essential. There are lots of people at school who are bilingual wgo are more than willing to help. Wages have gone up about 20% on average here the last 2 years. Retention of teachers during the school year is up to about 80% whereas last year it was about 60%. And retention from one academic year to the next is up from 35% two years ago to 65% this year (meaning nearly 7 of ten teachers are coming back next year). This all shows people are more satisfied with the working conditions and more people are staying around longer, which means the school is doing lots of things right.
Hi,
I am currently in the process of applying for a job here. What is living like with the salary they provide? Also, I just graduated from college, and this would be my first time living abroad alone. Is it easy to meet people? Is there a close community at the school? Any other information that you could tell me about what it’s like living in Pachuca and what the school is like would be wonderful. Thanks
The salaryis ok, kidn of depends on your background. The school pays about 9,500 monthly for people just starting ($950 US) out like yourself. If you have debt, it would be tough to live on that. But remember, you´ll have no rent payment or other major expenses - just food and transportationa nd whatever you do on weekends. So without debt, it is perfectly fine. More experienced teachers or folks with a MA get more…as much as 12 or even 14,000 a month. All depends on how many years you have taught and what kind of degree and certification you have. 12 or 14 a month is pretty comfortable in Pachuca…unless you are paying off major debts!
Teachers get along well at the school and it is a pretty young group…mostly people a few years out of school. Lots of evening activities together and even travel together some on weekends. And Pachuca is nice, clean and friendly….not many tourists or foreigners. It isn´t like being in a beach town or a large city, but lots of the teachers here like it that way. We can always get on a bus and go somewhere for a long weekend…
Hello again everyone!
I was offered a job teaching preschool at the American School of Pachuca. I am wondering what people’s prior experiences have been like. How is the support for teachers? What were the positives and negatives of your experience? Was the school honest in their representation? And I would love to find out about your experience living in Pachuca and Mexico in general. I am really excited about this opportunity and want to learn as much as possible from someone who has already experienced this. Thanks
American School of Pachuca is basically the school for the local rich kids who are discipline problems and can´t go anywhere else. There are other schools in town that are much better.
Hence, it is possibly the most disfunctional organization on the planet. The kids run wild and are entirely disrespectful. The posts that say teacher retention is up are misleading. Almost none of the teachers there this year are planning on returning.
Also, regarding Ana´s comment about the discipline code being thrown out in past years, it was thrown out again this year and there is no discipline code. It was based on a series of points accumulated for bad behavior and so many kids accumulated enough to be expelled within the first bimester that they just scrapped it instead of following through.
The school has a lot of good teachers this year but that is all it has going for it - and very few of them are coming back. The primary office is so disorganized it is really hard to believe until you see it. BTW - the person who keeps making positive posts about the place on this board is a paid by the school to do so.
And as Ana said it is not cultural, I have been teaching in Mexico for years and have never seen anything like it. I suggest staying as far away from the place as you can.
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