Job Discussion Forums

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I"m currently looking at a position in Venezuela, with Inlingua.
HOw are things in Venezuela now? I've seen the news, but would like to hear from people who have been there recently.
Also how is Inlingua?

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Venezuela is a great place to visit--I have been there 3 times in the past year--in support of the Bolivarian Revolution, mainly, but also spent a couple of weeks in November in Ciudad Bolivar and in the Gran Sabana. If you can avoid air-conditioned buses you will be able to travel without getting pneumonia!

Caracas can be a tense place--especially if you respond with horror to the 24/7 exhortations to kill president Chavez that are on t.v. The mass media is one of the most savagely politicized in the world. But movies are cheap, as well as other cultural events. My main complaint besides the mass hysteria that the "escualidos" try to generate is the insipid food--especially yucca and those grease-laden billiard balls called arepas. (I have been in Mexico for 10 years--where it's difficult to get a bad meal.)

Salaries are low--but that's the case for all over South America. If you have dollars saved to supplement your income, you can change those on the black market for 2800 bolivares instead of the official rate of 1920.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Hi,

I was thinking of applying with Inlingua at one point and did a search on the whole of Dave's to see what came up. I know each school within a franchise or network is different, but I got the impression that they're the kind of work you into the ground and pay you nothing type of setup.

But, I haven't ever spoken to anyone who's worked for them..

Lozwich.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

It might be a clue that they don't hire anyone over 35....

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I told them no. The pay is about 375 a month. rent costs half that. You have to go to the company to give classes and classes can be anytime between 7 in the monring and 8 at night. Yuck!

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Good thinking! Sounds like a typical Venezuela language school scheme, all right. My comment about not hiring over 35 was not frivolous. When I was actually thinking about trying to work in Venezuela instead of just visiting and soaking up Chavez' energy--this was a couple of years ago--the owner of one school said he couldn't see someone my age hanging off of buses and "parachuting" down (buses in most of South America don't really come to a full stop to let passengers get off)--another joint that expected teachers to run all around the city to teach clients....Sounds like one needs to go to marines basic training first.