ITP - 79: Latin America – Where Dreams Are Made

Kent: Do not touch that dial. We are in charge of the podcast. When Greg's away, the cat and JP Mint will play. So hang on and get ready for the show. Hey, welcome to the International Teacher Podcast. I'm Kent, the host guy, and I'm here with JP Mint. And our special guest today is Mark Weber. Greg might be joining us. Matt's out doing his thing with his kids. Mark Weber, welcome to the ITP Podcast.

Mark: Woohoo. Okay. Well, I'm originally from the United States, but I've been out here working, teaching, and now recruiting internationally for international schools for the past 23 and a half years. Currently, what I'm doing is recruiting specifically for schools in Latin America. I've been doing that for about the past 12 years, and I also still do some teaching. I was a teacher and administrator for 23 years—11 of that in the United States and 12 of that internationally. I'm just living the life, man, having a good time like you good folks over there.

Kent: Can you tell us the name of your company, Mark?

Mark: Yeah, Weber’s Ed. We do a few things. As I mentioned already, we do recruitment specifically for schools in Latin America. We found that that was a niche market that a lot of people had a hard time paying attention to, simply because it's hard to make money in Latin America. But I also do teaching. I was a fine arts administrator, a theater teacher and director, and I also did debate and public speaking. Since the pandemic, I've been doing online debating—teaching kids in Asia and kids in Latin America. I actually discovered that I love online teaching. I did not think I was going to like it, and I’ve just had a wonderful experience with that. I’m going with that, man—we’re rolling.

Kent: Where did the two of you cross paths?

JP: Mark’s been on my radar for a number of years. I’ve always seen his posts on Facebook with Weber’s Ed. Then I would say this fall, I reached out to him and wrote a job search tip on Weber’s Ed. I reached out because I was curious for my clients if they would need to pay for his services, and lo and behold, I found out they were free for candidates. I told him, “You need to put that in bold print,” because I had no idea. I had to go through the webpage to find out. So he’s since really put that to the forefront—that he is free for candidates and works with schools to find great teachers.

Mark: Yeah, and I appreciate that because that was something I just kind of overlooked. I thought it was clear enough, but as you said, I put that in our newsletter and advertisements. I turned it into a slogan: we’re always free for teachers. We always have been free for teachers, and we always will be. That is our modus operandi. That’s how we want to work here. We feel like teachers deserve to be sought after, and schools deserve to pay.

Kent: Both of you are in Latin America, South America, and I think the ITP crowd would love to hear a firsthand account of what those markets are like. Can you describe what opportunities there are for teachers?

Mark: One of the things is I’ve actually lived in South America. I still live part-time in Colombia because we have a house there, and I go back to check on it. We’re in Costa Rica right now because of my wife’s job—she’s a head of school and she’s killing it over here. I can work from anywhere. What I love about the Latin American market is there are lots of good opportunities here for teachers. One important thing to know is people come here for lifestyle—they don’t come here for the money for the most part. There are a small handful of schools where you can make as much money as anywhere else, but those are very competitive. One of the challenges in Latin America, besides people’s perception from shows like Narcos, is that it’s harder to make money here. But schools are not going to put you in a situation that’s untenable. They will pay you enough and provide benefits like housing and insurance so you can live comfortably. You can travel around Latin America—it’s cheaper than other parts of the world. Inflation has hit everyone, but schools are adapting. I visited a school in Costa Rica last week that raised salaries 17% to keep up. Schools don’t want to put people in bad situations. The great thing about this market is it’s a great place to break into international curriculum. If you’re trying to learn IB or other systems and don’t have experience yet, this is a great place to start. Another big factor is lifestyle. One of the main reasons people go international is to experience other cultures, learn languages, and travel. You can absolutely do that here. The other thing I see is experienced teachers who want to move into administration. Because the pay is lower, it’s less competitive, so it’s an excellent place to make that transition.

Kent: So I want to unpack, Mark, I want to unpack what you've just said because you've run through so many good reasons why people need to start looking at Central and South America and Mexico. I'm including Mexico in there. So first you're saying—and you've said it a few times—that the pay is not what you would expect, but neither is the cost of living. So that's really important to keep in mind when you're looking at the salaries. You might be shocked by how low it is, but then when you realize that your housing is paid for and your groceries cost next to nothing, especially if you're eating locally, it balances out. So you've mentioned pay a few times, but you also talk about this being a great place to break into international schools—to get your feet wet. If you're a qualified and experienced teacher from your home country but you haven't been overseas yet, you don't know about IB programs or other international systems, this is a great place to come because the competition is a little bit lower. It's almost one of those things where people come to Latin America after they've already saved some money elsewhere. But you're also saying it's a place not just to get experience as an international teacher, but also to move into administration. From what you're saying, schools here are willing to work with new administrators who have credentials but haven't yet had that first leadership role.

Mark: Yeah, in some cases that is very true. In fact, we're working on a position right now for a vice principal for a school I mentioned earlier. It's a vice principal and IB coordinator position, and they're willing to take someone who has strong knowledge of IB but maybe hasn't been a coordinator before. That's a bit unique on the international circuit because higher-paying regions can demand more experience. But here in Latin America, schools are willing to work with you, train you, and provide professional development to help you succeed.

Kent: And finally, you mentioned lifestyle. Can we talk a little bit about that? What are some of the benefits of living in Latin America?

Mark: Well, as a fat man, I will tell you straight up that food is one of the benefits. The food is off the hook just about everywhere you go. As you know in Mexico, it's one of the best food cultures in the world. But also when I go to Colombia, I get fresh seafood and Caribbean-style cuisine that is just amazing. Then there are the travel opportunities—places you've only read about or seen on TV. Some of the finest beaches in the world, incredible mountains, and all kinds of terrain. There's also the opportunity to learn a new language. Most of Latin America speaks Spanish, though it varies by country. Brazil speaks Portuguese, which is also beautiful. And then there’s the artistic culture. As a theater director, I love the arts, and you can’t find many better places for visual arts than Mexico. The same goes for Colombia and Chile—there are incredible artists, writers, and thinkers. You can attend festivals, theater events, outdoor performances—there’s just so much to see and do. You really can’t run out of experiences.

Kent: So you really haven't thought about it very much, in other words?

Mark: No, not at all.

JP: You make me want to just move right now. I want to piggyback on a couple of those points. The beach—I'm not much of a beach person, but I've recently been to Puerto Vallarta and I'm heading back to the Pacific coast soon.

Kent: Sorry, JP, you sound like a salmon returning to the place of your birth.

JP: But what I want to say is that these holidays are so affordable once you're in country. I'm renting a beach bungalow—six rooms, boutique hotel, right on the beach—for $350 for four nights. That makes vacations incredibly accessible on a teacher's salary. Compared to teaching back home, where flights and travel costs are huge, here you can do it on a weekend.

Mark: Yeah, we can hit the beach in an hour and a half here in Costa Rica. And up near where you're going, Mazatlán is one of my favorite places—great value, great culture, live music in the streets. I love it there.

JP: Another thing I love about Latin America is the people. They are warm, hospitable, and welcoming. There's no “us and them”—it's very much a “we.”

Mark: Absolutely. Even in huge cities like Mexico City, people go out of their way to help. I've had strangers walk me to my destination or stop to offer help when I wasn't feeling well. It's incredible.

Kent: So before we wrap up, we’ve got to hit you with the classic ITP question. What are three things you need in every country?

Mark: Three things I need in every country? Well, first off, I need a good internet connection. That’s essential for the work I’m doing now. Second, I need access to good food—whether that’s local markets or restaurants, that’s a big part of my life. And third, I need a community—people to connect with, whether that’s colleagues, friends, or other expats.

JP: That’s a solid list.

Kent: And do you have a police or immigration story for us?

Mark: You know, I’ve been pretty lucky overall, but I will say that dealing with visas in different countries can always be an adventure. I’ve had situations where paperwork wasn’t processed on time or requirements changed unexpectedly. One time, I had to leave a country and re-enter just to reset my visa status. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it was definitely one of those moments where you realize how important it is to stay on top of your documentation.

JP: That’s a good reminder for everyone listening.

Kent: Absolutely. So, Mark, if people want to get in touch with you or learn more about Weber’s Ed, how can they do that?

Mark: The best way is through our website, webersed.com. We also have a very active Facebook page—just search Weber’s Ed—and you can find job postings, advice, and resources there. And again, everything we do for teachers is free.

JP: We’ll make sure to include those links in the show notes.

Kent: Mark, thanks so much for joining us today. This has been really informative, especially for anyone thinking about Latin America.

Mark: Thank you all. I really appreciate the opportunity.

Kent: And that’s it for this episode of the International Teacher Podcast. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.