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TEFL Chiapas | TEFL Mexico
The TEFL International course in Mexico is located within the historic southern state of Chiapas. Chiapas is nestled amongst the Mexican states of Tabasco, Veracruz, and Oaxaca. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and the southern coastline flanks the Pacific Ocean.
Our TEFL training center is in Chiapa de Corzo, an often overlooked, but attractive colonial town in the west central area of Chiapas. According to the 2009 edition of the Mexico Lonely Planet, it's a town with an easy going, provincial air. This sums up the place, and being often overlooked is what probably makes Chiapa de Corzo so special.
There really is a lot to do in the town and surrounding areas, and yet so few people know about it. Many bus-tour companies have Chiapa de Corzo on their route, which gives it quite a bit of day tourism during the high seasons, but as a result of being seen more than 2 days in a row, local TEFL teachers and volunteers are quickly recognized as part of the community.
The TEFL training centre in Chiapa is about 20 minutes away from the capital of the state of Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, which is where the closest major airport is located. Weekends can be easily spent exploring the surrounding countryside and other nearby towns.
Situated at the mouth of the Sumidero Canyon in the Grijalva River valley, Chiapa has plenty to offer for both short term and longer term stays. Just an hour and a half up the mountain you can get a welcome break from the heat in the quaint colonial town of San Cristóbal. Not far from San Cristobal is Comitán, with ruins and lakes that can be easily visited in a weekend. If you want to make a longer trip, the world renowned Mayan ruins of Palenque, an unforgettable experience, are about seven hours from Chiapa. Easy day trips to waterfalls such as El Chorreadero and El Chiflón, are also well worth a visit for TEFL trainees. Days can also be spent taking part in many of the traditions and traditional handicrafts, by enrolling in the free workshops that the Cultural Center, Casa Escuela de Tradiciones, has to offer.
Weeknights, and night life in general, tend to be fairly relaxed in Chiapa. There are a few cafes and bars in town where you can enjoy a nice laid-back atmosphere after a long day of teaching, but if malls, discos, big screen movie theaters, etc are what you want, they're easily reached by taking a 20-minute hassle-free bus ride to Tuxtla Gutierrez. Realistically, night life isn't what Chiapa's about, but culture is. Every single Chiapacorceño will sit down with you for as long as you like and talk with pride about the traditional Feria de Enero, and all the other days commemorating battles, saints, the dead, etc... scattered throughout the year.
With direct flights to Tuxtla Gutierrez, getting to the TEFL International course in Mexico is simple. If you are unable to find a reasonable flight directly to Tuxtla (the closest major city to Chiapa de Corzo), look for flights to Mexico City and from there it is another 1.5 hour flight. There are also direct flights to Tuxtla from Cancun. If you enjoy taking your time savoring a journey, there are countless buses that arrive in Tuxtla.
You are welcome to take advantage of our free airport and bus station pick up in Tuxtla Gutierrez by paying your course fee in full prior to arrival.
