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pies_flotando
Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:10 am Post subject: Colombia this Summer |
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Hola!
My name is Jessica Ortega and I am very new at this. I have my B.A. and experience teaching English to English learners, but don't have a TESL/CELTA. I am looking to move to Colombia this August, and completing the certification there. I haven't found too much information about Colombia, so far. Does anyone have any advice? Is it likely that I will find a job soon? I would love the Atlantic Coast. Any info.? anyone? I hope someone can answer my questions! Gracias! Does the fact that I'm fluent in English and Spanish help at all? |
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MNguy
Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 129
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:24 am Post subject: |
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Good Spanish is a definite plus. I don't know much about the Atlantic coast, the Caribbean side is by far more popular. There are jobs here and if you take a CELTA course here you should be pretty good to go.
Feel free to PM me with anything further, also:
http://colombia.vanillaforums.com/
is a good source for information. |
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CountBassD
Joined: 08 Feb 2010
Posts: 33
Location: Bogota, Colombia
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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| MNguy wrote: |
Good Spanish is a definite plus. I don't know much about the Atlantic coast, the Caribbean side is by far more popular. There are jobs here and if you take a CELTA course here you should be pretty good to go.
Feel free to PM me with anything further, also:
http://colombia.vanillaforums.com/
is a good source for information. |
The Atlantic coast is the Caribbean coast.
Is the CELTA a waste of time if you plan on teaching kids? |
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MNguy
Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 129
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| Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Lol. Yeah, my geography is excellent, that's why I teach English. I don't know, Celta is probably a good idea if you want a working visa, but you will likely find work without one as long as you have a BA or BS. |
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windowlicker
Joined: 05 Jun 2008
Posts: 183
Location: Bogot�, Colombia
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| Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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CELTA really helped me score a job. Both teaching at an institute in Bogota last year and with my current job at a high school on the Caribbean coast, employers saw the CELTA either as a requirement for hiring or a huge plus. There are a couple other native speakers here who got jobs at high schools without experience or certification, but depended heavily on personal connections to get those jobs and they're making substantially less than I am. it will very likely be difficult to get a work visa without either personal connections or certification.
I'm currently at a high school in Valledupar (technically part of the Caribbean region, but actually about 3 hours from the beach). If you're thinking of teaching at a high school, I would think your spanish would help quite a bit...after teaching here for a while, i can't imagine how a high school could hire someone without a functional level of spanish with all the communicating with parents, attending staff meetings, and general communication with non-English speaking staff a teacher has to do.
let me know if i can provide any other info. |
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MNguy
Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 129
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| Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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Windowlicker, where are you from? Just curious. I have a TEFL cert. that seems to work ok here, do you have a university degree also? In what?
I have a degree in Journalism from a small school in St. Paul, MN.
Do you get health benefits?
How long have you been here? |
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CountBassD
Joined: 08 Feb 2010
Posts: 33
Location: Bogota, Colombia
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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| MNguy wrote: |
| Lol. Yeah, my geography is excellent, that's why I teach English. I don't know, Celta is probably a good idea if you want a working visa, but you will likely find work without one as long as you have a BA or BS. |
I decided to get the CELTA. Can work be had easily in Colombia without a degree with a CELTA? |
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windowlicker
Joined: 05 Jun 2008
Posts: 183
Location: Bogot�, Colombia
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| MNguy wrote: |
Windowlicker, where are you from? Just curious. I have a TEFL cert. that seems to work ok here, do you have a university degree also? In what?
I have a degree in Journalism from a small school in St. Paul, MN.
Do you get health benefits?
How long have you been here? |
I�m from Washington, DC. I have a B.A. also...double major in Economics and International Affairs. You�re TEFL probably has worked fine, but because the CELTA is affiliated with Cambridge and the British Council, and because the British Council is by far the best recognized place to learn English in Colombia, it carries a lot more weight in my opinion.
Jobs in Colombia are required to give you health benefits if you�re working legally.
I�ve been in Colombia a year and a half. |
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pies_flotando
Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 3:15 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the responses! I will be arriving in Colombia in August. I will be completing my TEFL certificate with ISSO...has anyone heard anything about them? |
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