Kate
- 2009-06-01
Well Trish, this 'Kate' person has something else to say too. My experience there was great, everyone was really hospitable. Did you really think that insulting your boss was going to make them treat you better? If so, it's the dumbest thing I've heard. I think you have a problem and you should get professional help.
This 'Kate' person is real and so my testimony. Nothing she said it's true or accurate. I was there, I know the place and the people.
Trish
- 2009-05-29
Yes "Mark", why don't you contact the school? You go right ahead.
This is the last time I'm going to post on this. All I will say is this: At no point did I say ANYTHING which was UNTRUE regarding MY personal experience with Colegio Mexicano. AT NO POINT DID I EVER SUGGEST THAT THEY MISTREATED ALL THE TEACHERS THEY HAVE EVER HAD WORK FOR THEM.
If you want to believe this "Kate" person or this "Mark" person (Who I personally suspect are not even real people but just pseudonyms of the administration... since I did warn them I was going to give them a poor review), go right ahead! Believe them! I honestly hope you have a better experience than I did!
If on the other hand you think I might be telling the truth, I can only say this: Make sure you are fully, completely aware of EVERYTHING ahead of time and NEVER think for a second that these people are your friends. They aren't. They are a business and they will do anything to make an extra buck, even if it means screwing someone (their employees) over.
Randy
- 2009-05-28
I think you are mistaken the schools. I worked there for two school years and they always honored their word. I had a really nice fully furnished apartment which was within walking distance to school. They told me that over the phone and that's what they gave me . Also in the years I worked I remember I there were more than 10 teachers who have worked there for over 20 years and as far as I know they're still there. That shows that Colegio Mexicano it's a serious institution and has been around since 1974 as the best one in Reynosa. The people there were always kind and respectful. Going to work there was one of the best rewarding decisions I've made.
Kate
- 2009-05-28
Hey Mark! Good to see ya around! It's been a long time. You should have replied to this post, why reply to lies. You and I know this post is not true. Remember all the times we went walking downtown, all the funny things you said! Let me tell you that I got in touch with our good friends at Colegio Mexicano because I told them about this and they didn't know anything 'till yesterday, and they told me that this 'Trish' only worked there 2 DAYS! Can you believe? How can you know or even make your mind about a place in just 2 DAYS!!. You are right, this informations in absolutely FALSE. And not only that they told me that this person personally INSULTED HER BOSS using swering words. You should get in touch with them Mark and ask them what really happened so you'd know I'm not telling you lies. I'll get in touch with our other friends that also worked there so they can come and post their experiences.
You taught 2nd right? Yes I remember I was teaching in kindergarten and you know that it has grown a lot! All the teachers and principals were sweet to me and Ms. Mirna is darling! I remember that when I got sick she immediately called her husband who is a doctor and prescribed me something. So yes Mark, email the coordinator you'd know the true story.
Trish
- 2009-05-22
Actually, Mark, this review IS completely accurate. After all, I was the one who experienced it. I think you mean you MAY have had a different experience, but I can assure anyone that what I wrote is not both truthful and accurate as per my personal experiences.
I can also tell you that the woman who hired ME was new to the job (she had been there for less than a year). Perhaps you had a different experience because you dealt with a different administration?
I find the fact that you did not provide ANY additional information regarding your experiences suspicious.
BEWARE THIS SCHOOL and the recruiter Becky!!
I made the mistake of going to Mexico to work for these guys. Here are some of the problems I encountered:
1) They will tell you that your airfare is reimbursed upon completion of contract - they neglect to mention that this reimbursement is capped at $400 US.
2) They will tell you that all you housing expenses are covered by the school. They will actually only cover rent and up to 100 pesos for gas. YOU must pay for drinkable water, garbage collection, cable & internet (whether or not you want it, I asked to have it disconnected and they never did get around to it, and I ended up pay 400 pesos a month for it anyway). Small surprise expenses popped up all the time! I was losing nearly $100 a month in these extra housing expenses which they neglected to mention were no covered under their "all inclusive" policy.
3)The apartment was sub-standard. While it was a nice design and had lots of room (3 bedrooms), it was extremely sparsely furnished, and had only 1 broken old air conditioner in the back. As you can imagine, this DID NOT cool the apartment very well. My living room, some evenings, was about 30 degrees celsius, at 8 or 9 o'clock at night IN APRIL. The entire time I was there, I had no hot water. Even though I asked nearly everyday to have it fixed, I never did get hot water before I left. Most of the time the apartment was so hot that I didn't mind showering in cold water. Except half the time there was no running water at all and I had to shower at my neighbour's house. And I also am not a very big fan of cockroaches, though they were a very big fan of the apartment.
4) They will tell you they have a curriculum and materials to teach with. THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE. The "curriculum" was a page and a half of loose topic ideas - such as "Art" - with some simple suggestions for conversation topics. There were no materials at all - the library was filled with catalogues for ESL workbooks, and a few beat up old English novels and story books. This is what I had to work with to develop classes for grades 1-6 (a total of 13 different classes, being taught 2 or 3 times a week depending on grade).
5)When I became ill, I missed three days of school. When I asked to be taken to the doctor, the person who was in charge of this - Becky- said she would come by at 10 to take me. She finally showed up at 2:30. I was so angry that I refused to go. But since I got sicker I had to go a few days later anyway. I had to cover all medical expenses myself (though I know they do have medical insurance to cover me, as I was told by other teachers at the school. I suspect they were committing insurance fraud by having me pay for it and then using my receipts to make a claim with their company. I have no proof of this however... it is just speculation on my part). I felt that Becky was annoyed and didn't really care that I was clearly sick (the doctor confirmed I had a kidney infection) and later on it came up that she thought that I was "just feeling sorry for myself".
6) When the school closed due to the Swine Flu outbreak - which was just after I was ready to return to work from my kidney infection - they decided that they didn't have to pay me for the days the school was closed. However, all the other teachers got paid. Why didn't they pay me? I still don't know, but I suspect it was some sort of punishment for missing classes. I can't confirm this though. All I can confirm is that for all the time I spent there, for the days of actual teaching (2) and all the prep work I did put in - including developing lesson plans for 6 grades for 1 month, as well as finding my own materials and preparing my own powerpoint presentations - I got paid a total of about 752 pesos - or approx. $55 US.
WHEN I COMPLAINED THAT THEY LIED ABOUT THE CONTRACT DETAILS, (i.e. the airfare and household expenses not being covered when they said they would be) they told me I should have asked. When I told them I was angry about not being taken to the hospital when I asked, they told me I was just feeling sorry for myself.
THESE PEOPLE ARE LIARS WHO THINK THEY CAN TREAT YOU LIKE SCUM AND GET AWAY WITH IT! COLEGIO MEXICANO IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE SCHOOL IN REYNOSA, ALL THESE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT IS MONEY. THEY HAVE NO LOVE FOR EDUCATION, AND VIEW THE STUDENTS ARE CASH COWS, THE EMPLOYEES AS SLAVES.