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General Advice for a Specific Situation: South America

 
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SmithJones



Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 10
Location: Canadar

PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:59 pm    Post subject: General Advice for a Specific Situation: South America Reply with quote

All input and advice welcome here:

So, I am strongly considering undertaking a M.A. Applied Linguistics online. This would permit me to both live anywhere, and allow for me to apply what I'm learning in a job situation as I go. All good. I have always wanted to learn Spanish and experience life in S.Am/Latin America, so I'm targeting the area (yes, I know it's a large "area") as a place to live and work while I do my M.A. So far I am narrowing in on one of Ecuador (Guayaquil) or Colombia (Cali or Medellin), but am uber open to other suggestions. Uruguay would be cool, and it's a dream to live in Argentina, but these seem costly.

My ideal scenario is to focus mostly on school while working part-time, preferably around 15 hours a week, and to make enough money to pay for living costs + a bit more if possible. There are a few hitches, though, not least of which is that it would be best for me to have a job in place before I left, and I know that's not the ideal scenario here.

So in order to simplify, maybe I can enumerate a couple of my questions. Feel free to pitch in while I attempt to peruse the wealth of information on these boards and beyond.

1. Is it possible in places like Guayaquil, Cali/Medellin, Santiago, Buenos or Montevideo to pay your expenses on 15 hours a week?

2. Is it likely that one would find a scenario like that before leaving, or how long after leaving?

3. I know each country is different, and I am trying to get a grasp on each, but would visa issues complicate such a plan?

4. Do people think it would be best to advise potential employers of my intent to study, or keep this secret?

5. Is this plan a pipe dream or a reality?


(Just FYI, I have a B.A. and CELTA equivalency with 4ish years of teaching.)

Thanks a ton. Hopefully this thread can be useful to others, too.
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HLJHLJ



Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

1) It would be a struggle in Quito, so I assume it would be hard in Guayaquil, where wages tend to be lower. In theory, it would work on paper, for example you might find a job with 15 hours paid teaching, but because of the way part time work here is organised, you would likely be expected to do at least the same again unpaid. So if you only wanted to actually work for 15 hours, you'd only be able to do about 8 paid hours and you couldn't survive on that.

2) You'd have to be here, and how long it would take would depend on many factors.

3) You'd have to get your own visa for them to even consider hiring you.

4) They wouldn't care either way.

5) I don't think it's very realistic in Ecuador.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 1:14 am    Post subject: Re: General Advice for a Specific Situation: South America Reply with quote

SmithJones wrote:
My ideal scenario is to focus mostly on school while working part-time, preferably around 15 hours a week, and to make enough money to pay for living costs + a bit more if possible.

I can't specifically address SA, but I've worked abroad full time while taking courses for a grad degree. It can be done if you're focused and organized.

Are you concerned you'll get overwhelmed with your studies if you took on more than 15 hours of work? Plus, trying to find employers who meet your specific scheduling needs might be challenging. And as HLJHLJ pointed out, you'd be struggling financially (unless you have some funds socked aside to draw from).
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Guy Courchesne



Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My two cents..

Don't forget that 15 contact hours is actually quite a bit more if you are doing a) prep and grading and crucially, b) if you are teaching English in companies, adding much travel time.
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would echo what several posters mention - it would be difficult to pay off your fees and make money on 15 hours a week while in South America. I lived in Cali, Colombia, and I can't think of many worse places to go in order to study in a focused manner!! It is a party town and the internet isn't that great, either, for online studies.. A lot of the work in Bogota and Cali also involves you running around the city and wasting a lot of time and energy during the day.

If you have some savings behind you, and just need some cash to keep you going then it may be possible. Medellin might be somewhere to check out.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 6:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SmithJones wrote:
My ideal scenario is to focus mostly on school while working part-time, preferably around 15 hours a week, and to make enough money to pay for living costs + a bit more if possible. There are a few hitches, though, not least of which is that it would be best for me to have a job in place before I left, and I know that's not the ideal scenario here.
....
Is this plan a pipe dream or a reality?
(Just FYI, I have a B.A. and CELTA equivalency with 4ish years of teaching.)

I don't normally suggest this, but another more viable option is to head to Saudi Arabia, where you can either 1) study and work for a year while saving; or 2) work solely to save money before heading to South America to start your studies online. (Not to mention that your airfare to/from KSA, housing, and transportation would be covered.) Obviously, there's a compromise, but if your education takes absolute priority over learning Spanish and living in a "cool" country, Saudi Arabia is an option to consider.
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SmithJones



Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 10
Location: Canadar

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks all for the input.

I had figured 15 hours since I know there's always prep time and travel. Thought process is something like this: 15 hours teaching, 10 hours prep + travel leaves me with 15 hours of study (total 40 hours, according to the most up-to-date calculators) plus a ton of flexibility come assignment time, or hiccups with work, practicing Spanish, or just my hyper-focusedness (taking me beyond 40). So, as you can see, 15 is ideal if I want to put my attention towards studies, but it's not an upper limit.

HLJHLJ, you suggest that 15 hours teaching would only equal 8 hours paid. What do you mean by "the way part time is structured here" ? Is prep in Quito particularly rigorous, the students extra demanding?

I prefer second cities for many reasons, but also because they're smaller and require less travel to get across the city. So, that was my logic there. And in terms of finances, I can get minimal funding if I prove I have work, which is why I'm just looking for enough to cover expenses. But no, unfortunately I don't have a magic stash somewhere. Powerball didn't work out as I had hoped...

Nomad Soul, what was the most challenging thing about juggling work and study while overseas? And yes, I will absolutely admit that being in a "cool" country is one reason for wanting to go to S.Am Wink The idea of going to Saudi has been in my back pocket for a while now, but I had been hoping to keep it there...

Anybody with experience in Montevideo able to comment?

As this is a S.A. forum, I didn't want to bring Turkey into it, but I will. If S.Am wasn't a real option, according to my math Turkey might be. I was thinking Izmir (or perhaps Antalya, but I think plausibility goes downhill with that option). Anybody with thoughts on that?

Again, thanks everybody for sharing your knowledge on this one.
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MotherF



Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSZsmG7Lil0

The answer to almost every question. Laughing
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HLJHLJ



Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are only certain types of contracts here. You can be employed full time (40 hours, in ESL your prep time will usually be included in that), half time (20 hours per week, which may include prep time, but might just be a way of having you work full time without the benefits you would get on a full time contract).

Or you can be paid hourly as a contractor. If you are working hourly you are usually limited to a max of 40 hours per month with 1 employer. In that case you are usually paid a higher hourly rate but are only paid for contact time. The better language schools generally won't hire you on that basis. So either you look at university work, roughly $15/hr but at least 1 hr unpaid prep, grading and admin for each paid hour. Or low tier language school work which will pay $8-$10/hr. But if you want 15 hours a week, you will have to have 2 jobs, because you will be over the 40hr/m limit.

Either way, you are talking about significantly less than $800/m. It may be possible to live here on that, but I wouldn't want to try.

Also, if you are picking Guayaquil as a second tier city, you would probably want to reconsider that. Guayaquil is a bigger sprawl than Quito and you will spend a lot more time travelling there. Although Quito does extend far north and south, most of the work is in cento norte which is fairly compact.
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am in Saudi Arabia now and it is a good place to save and study. The work at universities is fairly light and you have lots of time on your hands.. I would invest in your own router as most of the free wi-fi offered by employers is quite slow.

It can take ages to get here, though. If you are interviewed in March/April you often don't get to the country until October or November! It can be a long, long -unpaid- wait.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 3:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

SmithJones wrote:
In terms of finances, I can get minimal funding if I prove I have work, which is why I'm just looking for enough to cover expenses. But no, unfortunately I don't have a magic stash somewhere. Powerball didn't work out as I had hoped...

Nomad Soul, what was the most challenging thing about juggling work and study while overseas? And yes, I will absolutely admit that being in a "cool" country is one reason for wanting to go to S.Am Wink The idea of going to Saudi has been in my back pocket for a while now, but I had been hoping to keep it there...


I didn't have any issues working and studying. I decided to start another master's program (educational technology), so I wasn't new to grad coursework and the level of work required. I completed one course while in KSA and then waited until I was settled into my next country location and things were somewhat stabilized before resuming my classes. (I was on a special start-up project in a volatile environment --- studying was a good diversion.) I finished my MET last year while stateside.

I suggested KSA because it offers one of the best situations for both completing a degree and adding to savings. (I didn't have a long visa wait like currentaffairs.)

But regardless of where you go, if you're organized and can manage your time, you should do fine working and studying. Either way, make sure you have a stable, quick Internet connection and a VPN account. More importantly, choose an MA program with asynchronous courses so that you don't have to be online at the same time as your classmates. Lastly, check if your course books are available as ebooks; it eliminates the need to lug around physical books, plus, they're cheaper.
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