Mexico
55 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 CulturalExchange (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 15 to 20 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 2025 to May 2026.
Orientation
All grantees will be required to attend a mandatory Welcome Orientation in Mexico City during the last week of August 2025, 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?
The close, dynamic relationship between the United States and Mexico offers a plethora of opportunities for students interested in conducting research at the university level on issues of relevance for both countries. Mexico is proud of its ancestral cultural heritage as well as its long history of academic excellence. The opportunities for informed travel and discovery for U.S. researchers are endless.
The site of major Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec, among others, and home to one of the most biodiverse environments, it is no wonder that Mexico boasts the largest UNESCO world heritage in the American continent: 14 cities, 35 cultural and natural sites, as well as an important number of intangible patrimonies. Additionally, Mexico has designated 132 Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns), communities that over time have maintained their original architecture, traditions, history and culture, which enhance the richness of travel destinations.
Mexico was colonized by Spain in the early 16th century and achieved independence three centuries later. Elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente Fox of the conservative Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe Calderón, but Enrique Peña Nieto regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Left-leaning politician and former mayor of Mexico City (2000-05) Andrés Manuel López Obrador, from the Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (MORENA), became president in December 2018. Presidents in Mexico cannot be reelected after their six-year term. In 2024 there will be elections and the two strongest candidates are women, so Mexico will most likely have a female President for the first time!
Education in Mexico has a long tradition. The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), which started as Real y Pontificia Universidad de México (Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico), was founded in 1551 and is the second oldest institution of higher education in the American Continent. UNAM has been cited as one of the largest and most important universities, not only in Mexico but in all of Latin America. Its philosophy is closely tied to social responsibility, at the service of the country and humankind by educating academics and professionals to be of use to society, able to organize and carry out research on social and political issues that have vast cultural benefits. All three of Mexico’s Nobel Prize winners, Octavio Paz, Mario J. Molina, and Alfonso García Robles were UNAM graduates.
There are six subsystems of higher education institutions in Mexico: public universities, technological institutes, technological universities, teacher training colleges, and other public and private institutions. When all of them are counted, Mexico has 1,250 institutions of higher education. Mexico’s 45 public universities, generate 50 percent of all academic research and produce 52 percent of undergraduates as well as 48 percent of graduate students. There are also one hundred and sixty-eight private universities to be found throughout the country.
There are a few very interesting and original public higher educational institutions unique to Mexico that have been studied and reproduced in other countries. This is the case of the Universidades Interculturales, specifically designed for bilingual and bicultural environments in regions with a strong indigenous presence. There is a world-renowned prestigious agricultural university, La Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo, that boards students from all over the country. The Escuelas Normales Rurales (teacher training in rural areas) are also exemplary educational institutions. All combined, the opportunities for U.S. Study/Research Students to establish relationships with their Mexican counterparts are endless.
The education system is mostly centered in Mexico City, however, there are other important educational hubs that attract students from all over, for example, Puebla, Puebla; Xalapa, Veracruz; Leon and Guanajuato, Guanajuato; Guadalajara, Jalisco and Merida in the Yucatán peninsula.
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 Proficiency
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. 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.
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.
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 15 to 20 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.
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.
This is a cost-shared grant. The main stipend is provided by the Ministry of Public Education of Mexico, covering a set amount that is equal for all language Teaching Assistants from different countries. COMEXUS (the Fulbright Commission in Mexico) provides a top-off stipend according to each grantee's placement.
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 rellocation allowance to be paid in late August/early September.
Additional Grant Benefits
- Mid-year seminar
All grantees will be required to attend a mandatory mid-term reunion in early January, organized and sponsored by COMEXUS.
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 will 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.
Fulbright Program Management Contact
Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Website
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.