Job Discussion Forums

[taylor74]

I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice about finding an english teaching job in Rio de Janeiro. I am a 28 year old engineering student at the University of Washington who will be in Rio for six months later this year. I do not have any formal teaching experience; however, I have been told that that does not mean I will not be able to find a job. Any advice you may have would be greatly appreciated.

[sperling]

Hi Taylor,

I've never taught in Rio, but I did give some Internet presentations there in 1997 ... wow, what a great place. I have lots of great info on Brazil at:

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobinfo/latinamerica/sefer.cgi?Brazil

Here is a post Rio post from there:

As someone interested in teaching in brazil for a few years, particularly rio, i have encountered a lack of good information on the city. I therefore decided to take a vacation from my current job to visit the city and speak to the schools down there. Heres what I have determined from my trip about working in Rio.

Without a working visa, which is impossible to get, be prepared to make very little money. I would say that at least 80 % maybe 90 % of the language schools will hire you without a visa but the pay is around 6 dollars an hour and privates once you get them will pay 8 maybe 10 at the most. But prepared for lots of travel time between classes and sometimes several weeks of forced unpaid training. It will also take months to really get going, assuming you come at the right time of the year.

Times are very difficult now with the real hitting 3 to the dollar and the economy weakening . . . people are spending less and less on language courses . . . I think everything depends on the election . . . if lula wins it will be a disaster for the economy.

The other problem is the visa. With a tourist visa you pay 65 dollars to get in and another 40 or so to extend for another three months. They are serious. They dont want you there for more than six months. Now one can get a student visa or if you plan to stay an arranged marriage would work best for obtaining papers and legal residence. Getting married will get you working papers in 1.5 to 3 years, depending on what kind of bribes you are willing to pay. (with working papers and native speaker can live very very well)

Its true that one can live cheaply in brazil but to have any kind of fun and any kind of life (Rio is an exciting and wonderful city full of inumerable distractions) I think one must either have savings or income from abroad, at least at this poing. In my opinion to live comfortably though not luxuriously one needs about 600 or 700 dollars a month. That would not be an easy sum to fall into teaching english. This is perhaps why there is a pretty strong demand for english teachers in rio (though again wages are low): there are few tourists that go down there to teach part time bit other than that, there are no native speakers around.

Rio is a great city but the reality is that anything other than a short term stay requires planning and resources.

Feel free to write me with any questions at [email protected]
July 25, 2002
Posted: July 25, 2002