Mexico
20 English Teaching Assistant Award
Accepted Degree Levels
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Grant PeriodSeptember StartGrant Length9 Months |
Award Type
Award Profile
The U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (COMEXUS), along with the Mexican and U.S. governments, is interested in supporting English language teaching and learning in Mexico.
Fulbright English Teaching Assistants are placed in Mexican public institutions to support English language learning for 20 to 25 hours per week for nine months. In addition to assisting English teachers in their host institution, grantees are expected to serve as cultural ambassadors for U.S. culture, actively engage with their host community, and foster mutual understanding between U.S. and Mexican cultures. For grantees to further engage with their host community, they are expected to undertake a supplementary project for 10 to 15 hours per week.
Fulbright grants in Mexico are also known as "Fulbright-García Robles" grants.
Grant Length
Grant Period
Grant Length: 9 months.
Grants dates: September 2027 to May 2028.
Orientation
All grantees will be required to attend a mandatory Welcome Orientation in Mexico City during the last week of August 2027, organized and sponsored by COMEXUS.
COMEXUS will arrange international transportation for grantees, thus, grantees should not purchase airfare without first consulting their COMEXUS Program Officer.
Candidate Profile
All fields of study are welcome. Candidates are not expected to have majored in English or Education related fields.
Preferred candidates will be able to articulate their interest in Mexico as well as the importance of this program for their future career plans. Candidates should demonstrate leadership skills to actively engage with their host community, act as U.S. ambassadors and foster mutual understanding between U.S. and Mexican cultures.
Candidates must show adaptability, resourcefulness and resilience to thrive in a highly independent program.
What is life like for Fulbrighters in the host country?
Applicants are expected to research their host country. Application materials should indicate a clear commitment to the host country community and a description of how you will engage with it.
The close and dynamic relationship between the United States and Mexico creates abundant opportunities for students interested in university-level research on topics relevant to both countries. Mexico is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and long-standing tradition of academic excellence, offering U.S. citizens endless possibilities for exploration and discovery.
Mexico is the birthplace of major Amerindian civilizations, including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec, among others. It is also one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. Mexico boasts the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Americas, with 35 cultural and natural sites, as well as numerous intangible cultural heritages. Additionally, the country has designated 177 Pueblos Mágicos (“Magical Towns”)—communities that have preserved their original architecture, traditions, history, and culture—further enriching travel experiences.
Colonized by Spain in the early 16th century, Mexico gained independence three centuries later. In 2000, Mexico held historic elections in which Vicente Fox of the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) became the first opposition candidate to win the presidency since the 1910 Mexican Revolution, ending decades of rule by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). Fox was succeeded by another PAN candidate, Felipe Calderón, in 2006. In 2012, Enrique Peña Nieto returned the presidency to the PRI. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a left-leaning politician from the Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (MORENA), became president in 2018. In 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, also from MORENA, was elected as Mexico’s first female president. Mexican presidents serve a single six-year term and cannot be re-elected.
Education in Mexico has deep roots. The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), originally founded as the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico in 1551, is the second oldest higher education institution in the Americas. UNAM is recognized as one of the largest and most prestigious universities in Latin America, with a strong commitment to social responsibility and research that benefits society. All three of Mexico’s Nobel Prize winners—Octavio Paz, Mario J. Molina, and Alfonso García Robles—are UNAM alumni.
Mexico’s higher education system includes six subsystems: public universities, technological institutes, technological universities, teacher training colleges, and other public and private institutions. In total, there are 8,966 higher education institutions across the country, including 45 public universities that produce half of all academic research and nearly half of all undergraduate and graduate students. There are also 4,038 private institutions nationwide.
Mexico is home to several unique and innovative public higher education institutions that have inspired similar models abroad. For example, the Universidades Interculturales are designed for bilingual and bicultural environments in regions with significant indigenous populations. The prestigious Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo specializes in agricultural studies and attracts students from across the country. The Escuelas Normales Rurales provide exemplary teacher training in rural areas.
While Mexico City is the primary center for higher education, other important academic hubs include Puebla, Xalapa, León, Guadalajara, and Mérida in the Yucatán Peninsula, each attracting students from across Mexico and beyond.
Eligibility
7 Months
Must not be living or working in Mexico during the application process.
Dual citizens are welcome to apply.
Degree Level of Applicant
- Bachelor's
- Master's
Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) Form
If required, submission of the Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) form is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or are a native speaker of the language. Failure to submit the required FLE form may impact your eligibility.
Additional Information: Applicants should include in the Language Self-Evaluation form plans for language study (if needed) between the time of application and the commencement of the grant. A Foreign Language Evaluation by a college-level Spanish language instructor is also required.
Successful candidates must also be articulate speakers of English with native fluency.
Foreign Language Proficiency Level by Grant Start
If a Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) form is Required, applicants must have the following proficiency level by the start of the grant period. If a Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) form is Recommended, applicants are encouraged but not required to have the following level by the start of the grant period.
Additional Information: Spanish language proficiency is necessary, not only for the development of classroom teaching assistance, but to acclimate and integrate into daily life in host communities.
Placement Type
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- Secondary School
- Vocational/Technical School
- Teacher Training
- University/Post-Secondary Institution
Placements range from elementary schools to university settings, including "Normales" (teacher training colleges).
While candidates may express their preferences for their host institution's education level, they must be flexible as these are determined depending on Mexico's educational necessities.
Placement Locations
- Capital City
- Regional City
- Rural
Placements range from big cities to small towns, however, most grantees are placed outside of major cities, in locations ranging from remote or rural areas to small-to-medium sized cities. Please keep in mind that infrastructure in a rural city in Mexico is very different than in the United States.
While candidates may express geographical preferences for their placements, they must be flexible as these are determined depending on Mexico's educational necessities.
Award Benefits
- A stipend broadly based on the cost of living in the host country. These funds may be used by the grantee to support housing, meals, and incidental costs during the grant period.
- International travel benefits
- Accident & sickness health benefits
- 24/7 mental health support line for urgent and non-urgent situations
- 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government
- English language teaching preparatory course
Stipend Amount
This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.
Stipend for the ETA program is sufficient to have a modest lifestyle that meets basic needs, including dorm style housing arrangements, public transportation use, and limited to no travel.
One-Time Allowances
This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.
- Settling in allowance
One-time $400 relocation allowance to be paid in late August/early September.
Additional Grant Benefits
- Diplomatic pouch
- Mid-year seminar
All grantees will be required to attend a mandatory mid-term reunion in early January, organized and sponsored by COMEXUS.
Supplementary Project
Grantees are encouraged to develop a project related to their personal, professional and/or educational interests. The main objective of this project is for grantees to engage with their host community (e.g. department at host institution, larger academic community, community-at-large, etc.) through specific volunteer activities that should add up to 10 to 15 hours per week.
Grantees should show flexibility while planning their supplementary project as it may need to be adapted or changed once the grantee learns their placement.
Estimated Cost of Living
Consider using cost of living comparison websites to gain a better understanding of the potential costs in your host country.
Cost of living varies depending on placement. You may wish to visit this website to help estimate the cost of living, meals, and incidentals in different cities in Mexico.
Dependents
Housing Arrangements
Neither COMEXUS nor the U.S. Embassy/Consulate will assist in locating or helping secure housing for U.S. Fulbright grantees.
The host institution may provide temporary housing options. Nonetheless, it is the grantee's responsibility to find permanent housing. Although the grant provides a modest relocation award, the Commission recommends having sufficient personal funds to cover move-in expenses.
Visa requirement
COMEXUS will assist in a pre-authorization visa approval process for the grantees prior to their arrival in Mexico. Within 30 days of arriving in Mexico, grantees must exchange their visa for a Tarjeta de Residente Temporal - Estudiante.
Candidates must have a Visa Authorization from a Mexican Consulate before entering the country on a Fulbright scholarship. For this reason, and due to Mexican immigration laws, candidates with current legal residency in Mexico will not be considered.
Those candidates with a dual U.S. and Mexican nationality are required by Mexican law to enter Mexico on their Mexican passport and will not receive the visa.