Job Discussion Forums

[Traveller84]

I work at a private university in Bogota. I earn around 4.3 - 4.7 per month depending on the month, and I'm contracted by semester.

I have friends who work at the Externado and I know they're on mas o menos 4 point something (4.2/4.3?) on a full-time contract. Obviously less for part-time and casual staff. The main problem is finding the right contact and making sure your CV lands on the right desk and the right time.

Try British Council as well. They are going to open an office/teaching in Medellin. Also with your qualifications you'd be looking at 4.5 - 5.5 a month.

[spanglish]

[kona]

[spanglish]

double post

[spanglish]

A lot of second tier universities seem to be opening up for foreigners and offering better pay and benefits while pay and benefits at the elite universities has either been cut significantly or remained stagnant relative to cost of living (and they are beginning to place greater demands on teachers).

In my opinion the British Council is still the best gig in town, no comparison. Even there though, I've heard complaints about budget cuts. And, according to their last vacancy opening, they are now only hiring those with a UK passport.

4.3-4.7 is a good salary, fantastic in fact if you only have a CELTA, but I'd be curious to hear what kind of work load that entails.

[kona]

Well, its good to hear Sabana still pays pretty well; I really like their campus location out in Chui, seems like a really nice area of bogota (this is just what I've seen from pictures; haven't been there yet).

[travelNick]

Spanglish is right with regards to second-tier universities opening up a bit and really going for foreign teachers. One reason for this is that many so-called garage universities are wanting to get accredited and improve what they're offering (their words). One part of that accreditation process is an academic staff consisting of foreigners. Most will be aiming at 40% foreign university-wide.

Working at a university (second tier) and them sponsoring your visa should entail around 16-24 hours of classes at 40.000COP minimum per hour. This is part time and you can work additional classes as you please wherever you wish. In many cases, part time university work will get you around 500.000COP / month more than full time. But of course full time pays 12 months of the year. Full time you're going to need at least Master's or possibly get away with a Postgraduate Diploma, both in TESOL or Applied Linguistics.

[JacobTM]

I have friends who got jobs at various Universities in Bogota, such as Universidad Andino, with a BA in whatever, a CELTA, and some experience in Colombia at highschools and institutes.

So you can do this, but being on the ground seems to be key, and basically you need to just find someplace that has an opening at the right time.

Americans get 6 month tourist visas when they arrive, so if you have the means to support yourself, or the inclination to get a temporary job at an agency, you should be able to get a University job with just a little bit of hustling in any major city.

The only people I knew teaching in Universities who had it pre-arranged were through programs such as Fullbright or the like. I never heard of anyone arriving in Colombia with a University position independently procured.

[torentosan]

So what is the prevailing wisdom...Get a MA in TESOL or get a teaching license? The goal of course being a top paying position.

[kona]

[The Internationalist]

International Schools pay the most, but its also alot more work.

University jobs are really nice in terms of hours and work load.

Uni gig making 4mil is not bad at all if you don't have many bills and obligations.

What I would do is get a teaching license first and spend some time making money and building contacts in the academia then get an MA TESOL and weigh your odds.