7 Reasons Why Mexican Students Choose to Learn English

English is the most commonly spoken language in the colourful Mexico, a Spanish-speaking country with a population of over 120 million! More than 350 000 people use English language within its borders. Nowadays, younger Mexicans are keen on obtaining higher levels of education than previous generations. And learning English is their top priority!

These are the 7 reasons that drive their motivation:

1)  Better job opportunities and better quality of life

Having a proper standard of living is closely related to the employment prospects. To achieve their career goals, Mexican students need to be competitive on the labour market, and knowing English on a higher than the average level is necessary. The National English Program in Mexican Education, funded by the Mexican Government, had already reached 6.7 million students. Its mission is provoked by the needs of contemporary society and the constantly changing world. Students are being approached with the idea of English teaching, using the message “Learning to know, learning to do, learning to be…”

2) Expanding of the economical market

Developing your business in Mexico, both nationwide and worldwide, demands being fluent in communicating in English, as this is the most common language for international communication. Being fully aware of this, 51% of the businesses in Mexico offer English language training and development for existing and new employees. The methods of teaching English are in-house training, hiring a private external company and providing funding for tutoring. This is also a key factor for Mexico in terms of international economic relations.

3) The need of proper education 

Based on national statistics, in 2015, around 66.1% of 15-29 year-olds in Mexico were not pursuing any education and 24.7% of them were neither employed, nor in education or training. The root of this problem is in the structural flaw in the Mexican education system. The British Council estimates that around 23.9 million people in Mexico (21% of the population) are learning English via all possible channels: public education, at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and private education institutions. It also includes individuals and organizations learning English privately or via self-access learning. It is no surprise that more and more young students are focusing their attention on studying English and Higher Education abroad. They are highly motivated by the possibility to travel abroad, familiarize with different cultures and obtain qualitative knowledge and skills.

4) Globalization

The National Development Plan of the Mexican Government includes improving the quality of education so that students increase their level of educational achievement and English proficiency with the purpose of acquiring better welfare and making a greater contribution to the national development. Stimulating English learning is formed by the need of developing individuals who will participate in the labour market in a productive and competitive way, with the necessary competences for the constantly changing globalized world.

5) The Government support

Many Mexican universities do not have an institutional English program, which pushes the students to look for other options. They must attain a certain level of English before they can undertake study abroad programs. At a national policy level, the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT) funds short-term stays for Mexican researchers and students at institutions overseas, as well as scholarships for master’s degrees, PhDs and post-doctoral positions abroad.

7) Labour market expectations

Prestigious professions that are requiring a high level of English knowledge in the country are Management, Physical and Social Science, Law, Healthcare support, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Business and Finance operations, Arts Design Entertainment Sports and Media and Architecture and Engineering. So for students who would like to develop professionally in these fields, it is obligatory to obtain and gain a strong command of English.

Are you interested in recruiting students from Mexico? Click here and learn more about our upcoming Language Learning and Professional Development Focus Agent Fair in Mexico City this fall.