Job Discussion Forums

[WandererSteve]

The Basics: My wife and I just completed a TEFL course. We are newbie teachers. I have undergraduate and graduate degrees (not in education), and she is about 1 1/2 semesters short of a BA in English.

Our Plan: We would like to go to Chile as soon as possible and look for teaching jobs there. We are fascinated with many parts of Chile, but are comfortable with the notion of settling in Santiago, where we are assuming teaching jobs are most plentiful.

Our Questions: (1) Is it possible to find teaching jobs in August? (2) How long might we expect it to take for us to get a livable number classes and private tutoring? And the biggie: We are middle-age and, hmmm, how to get in trouble here, we are overweight, or maybe one might say fat. (3) Will age and size be held against in looking for a job? Should we try and get a job online before we leave or is it worth a try to through caution to the wind and head south now?

Any and all comments, opinions, and insight will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

S

[Brynita]

Hi Steve, good questions.

1) It is harder to find teaching jobs in August than in March, but it's not unheard of, and it's certainly better than trying to find something in December (right before summer vacation). I would say, if you cast your net widely, you'll find something.

2) Again, because you'd be starting August or September, it will take a little more time to build up a schedule. You should also remember that companies in Chile usually pay you only once a month, so if you start your job in mid-August, for example, you may get paid at the end of the month, but you won't be getting a full month's salary until the end of September. However, I think if you go in with a plan, and work hard at building up a class schedule and a bunch of privates, you ought to be earning a living fairly quickly, as long as you're not expecting to be living large right away.

3) This is a tricky question. Unlike in the US, it is expected in Chile to include one's photo on one's CV. Yes, Chileans can be ageist and prejudiced toward people with "buena presencia" (translation: extra good-looking people). Nevertheless, I think that your degrees will help you, as will the fact that you're not Chilean. I encountered plenty of non-skinny teachers when I was there, and they didn't seem to have any problems getting jobs, keeping jobs, or relating to the students. So I would say, don't worry.

[evansmith]

Hey Steve,

I wouldn't worry about the weight or age issue. If an institute needs teachers, and you have the qualifications, they will hire you. I wouldn't say that Chileans are any more discriminatory as far as physical appearance goes, than (north) Americans (although it's not supposed to be legal in the U.S...)

Like brynita said, it is tougher in Aug than Mar., but not impossible by any means. Keep in mind the Festivas Patrias around Sep 18th though, that's a pretty big down time for Chileans and classes get cancelled and such. It can take a while to build up classes, but that depends a lot on how much effort you put in, and how picky you are (or can afford to be).

Personally, I think it's better to just throw caution to the wind, but if you want to contact some institutes before hand, it is possible. I think there's actually a post from Curtis on the job board. From what I know about them, they're pretty decent...not great, but won't screw you over...which is nice. Your wife not having a degree yet could pose a problem at some institutes, but not most (and I only had 1 actually ask me for a copy of mine...hint hint).

All in all, I think you and your wife should do fine in Chile. Have fun