Job Discussion Forums

[Gini-Bini]

hey!

i've read the threads in this forum concerning jobs and salaries and i'm a bit confused now because they seem to contradict each other.

as far as i gather, anything above 335'000 pesos should get you by in santiago or vina.
and some people say, there's plenty of work to be found in these places.

i'm 30 years old, a non-native speaker with a bachelor's degree, intend to do a celta course (no prior teaching experience) and afterwards i'd probably like to live and teach in vina or valparaiso. i lived in chile before and have a good command of chileno.

is there a celta course in chile? i only find bridgetefl and tefl academy and none of them offers celta.

in your opinion: what are my chances of getting jobs that allow me to live (and if i'm lucky even save a bit)?

i appreciate your comments!
gina

[Don Alan]

I would ask anyone in your situation: why do you want to teach English? And what do you feel you have to offer as a teacher?

Experience? Everyone has to start somewhere.

Non-native? No problem if you have a good command of the language.

You have the advantage of having lived in Chile and the ability to communicate in the language.

I would say: go for it but first get that CELTA.

Just by doing that you are showing that you are serious.

[Gini-Bini]

don alan,

thanks for your reply! i'll definitely get the celta. unfortunately, there's no celta-course in chile, so i might decide to go elsewhere to start off.

you seem to know the job situation in chile: is it true that in the beginning you most certainly lose money?

[Don Alan]

Make sure you have enough for at least 2 months, no less than a million chilean pesos

[spanglish]

Hello, could I hijack this thread and ask you a question don alan? From your experience in Chile, could you give us an idea of the pay range? Universities, institutes, colegios? Do any of these categories balk at hiring foreigners and helping you get a work visa? Would a DELTA holder stand a chance at landing a good uni job?

[Don Alan]

Hi Spanglish

Institutes vary about helping with visa requirements. Some pay your visa, the majority don't. When I came to Chile the first time I entered on a tourist visa and then applied for one sujeto a contrato when I got my first job there. I was getting paid 7000 pesos an hour in my first year in Chile in an institute - that's about six years ago. The institute I was with was quite decent and paid reasonably well compared to others at that time. Hours do vary and promises of full timetables are not always met.

I worked two years in colleges, the first was subvencionado and the second private. Muncipal or subvencionado both don't pay that great. Salaries would be similar to an institute and much more stress. Some private schools do however pay reasonably well, however, this varies, but you could be earning a million pesos a month. Having said this I knew gringo teachers who couldn't survive in schools - it's not easy.
University is the best place to work in my opinion, again pay varies and jobs are very hard to come by in this area unless you have good contacts.

Someone like yourself with a DELTA would have good prospects but you would probably have to start in an institute (one of the better ones) and take it from there.

[spanglish]

Thanks for the info don alan. I know about stress at colegios - I'm at one now, doing okay but it's tough.

I actually don't have a DELTA, but am thinking about doing one after finishing my current contract to help me out in my next place of employment.

[Don Alan]

DELTA is a good qualification and widely recognised but not very well known in Chile. I doubt it would make a big difference to someone's job prospects if they already had a degree and a TEFL or CELTA. As far as Chile is concerned, a Masters would certainly give an advantage especially for uni or school work.