A friend of mine worked there. She broke contract after the first year and moved to Mexico City as she hated living in Torreon.
She stayed in Mexico City for several years.

I think I know where aussiechick is coming from. In other countries, B.Eds can't be completed the way described above and can only be done as a full 3 or 4-yr degree.
What you describe is called a Diploma of Teaching. I have one of those. After completing my undergraduate degree, I then obtained my Dip Teach which qualified me to be in the classroom.
So the statement above which specifies that people must have a B.Ed in order to get hired in decent international schools, is incorrect. Other countries have different systems. In the UK, what I call a Diploma of teaching is a PGCE - postgraduate certificate of education.

I lived and worked there for over three years. I did everything that the guidebooks say not to do, often had cause to walk around with large sums of money in my pocket yet never once felt unsafe. I really miss the place, the music, the colours, the food, the festivals, the history.... but it's not for everyone. Lots of interesting places to visit in the rest of the country and great public transport.

By the way, I am a 5'2" female, so not some big, tough guy that no one would mess with.

I'm a bit intrigued about this idea of breaking even. How do they figure that out?
Presumably they put a monetary value (above what they pay them) on the teacher's services. Is it a function of a proportion of the fees paid by the teacher's students?