Job Discussion Forums

[apollolight]

Hello,

I am an experienced TEFL teacher and considering moving to South America to teach. I have two questions -

1. When does the new term begin in most South American countries?

If the term begins toward the end of February or early March I would imagine this is an ideal time to apply for work.

2. Which country has a lot of opportunities for English teachers?

I would like to work in a Spanish speaking country. Also, I am not expecting a big salary but at least enough to cover all the essentials without working more than around 25 contact hours.

I'd appreciate any advice in this regard.

thanks in advance!

[BadBeagleBad]

Have you at least narrowed it down to a few countries?

[MixtecaMike]

Early to mid January in Guatemala, but you only make enough to cover basic living costs. Most hiring was done last October or November, but there are lots of colegios (private schools) advertising now to fill in the gaps, at least in the capital.
Yes, I know it's Central and not South America, but someone might want to know.

Good luck in your job hunt!

[apollolight]

I have narrowed it down to uruguay, venezuela, columbia, bolivia, ecuador and chile....i need to narrow down even more...i can start work towards end of february or early march...is that too late for these countries?

[Guy Courchesne]

The term start also depends on the school as you'll find some that run a North American calendar even if the rest of the country starts in January or March.

[Kim Macintosh]

Specifically, what would be the optimal time to show-up in Colombia or Ecuador and land a job at a private school, as opposed to at a university or with kids?

I've two years experience with a CELTA, but without a masters or PhD this seems to be where I should focus. There are always the odd lessons that can picked-up once plugged into a given city, but when should I show-up for that first foothold?

My thinking is that summer is tourist-season and schools are out anyway, so there's little urgency on the school's part to hire. The more professional schools would presumably want to interview candidates in-person and late summer would be the optimal time for me to make an impression and close a reasonable deal.

January would appear to be best time to pick up the classes of the teachers who flake-out and leave mid-term (?). Then again, I gather THIS is really the formal start of the school year and in South America it'd be the true PRIME hiring time.

Any comments? Is my thinking on the right track here?

[wanderingxelmundo]

Your use of the word "term" and "private school" makes it sound like you're talking about a K-12 school (colegio), and that's what the answers given were responding to, but your latest post makes it sound like you're looking for an institute.

Institutes have prime hiring times as you indicate, and there are "sessions," but there generally aren't usually "terms," as in semesters or trimesters.

The answers are different for colegios vs. institutes, so you should clarify.

[Kim Macintosh]

Thanks.....nomenclature makes a difference. So, focusing a bit....

I don't feel my quals especially strong for universities and the kids drove me crazy when I did some work in a Turkish colegi, so I'm looking at INSTITUTES.

Hence, I'm looking for the best time to arrive and knock on Institute doors in Colombia and Ecuador. I'm thinking Quito or Loja, assuming that all the expats in Cuenca would make landing a job too competitive. If I'm selling myself short, let me know.

For these businesses and countries, when is the optima hiring time? Does it mirror the formal schools, with the terms presumable beginning in Sept and Jan? If not then, when?

There should always be room to get lucky, showing up after someone just up and quits, but I'm looking for odds.

[HLJHLJ]

For Ecuador it doesn't really matter, institutes hire all year round, though they are less likely to need new staff when there is a major holiday (Semana Santa, July/August, Christmas/New Year) though that's not set in stone either. There is usually work in Quito, not so much in Loja, and there have been problems with some of the institutes in Loja in the past, so check places out before you commit to anything (though you should do that anywhere really).

Be prepared to get your own visa as well. There are limited options for sponsorship with language institutes.

[Guy Courchesne]

Pretty much true everywhere for institutes, with down time around the holidays. For Mexico in particular, great times to start are January and September, but you'll find work at any time really.

[Kim Macintosh]

Thanks. You mentioned Quito and Loja, but what about Cuenca?

This reminds me of Turkey. Correct me if the parallels aren't the same:

Institutes really are ALL about the $, meaning that qualifications and experience are nice, but native speakers value is for their mktg, and everything else follows from that: being good-looking and otherwise attractive is what they really value.

Except for big chains (eg, Wall Street) they will duck the expense/issue of visas, telling any number of creative and straight-faced lies in the process. They MAY provide a gofer to translate and facilitate finding a place to stay or to help deal with visas issue or other flakey issues. They may even have a company apt for foreign teachers to share, administered at arms length by the school's lawyer.

Native speakers are hired to round-out a faculty of local teachers who are usually paid a lot less and teach the lower levels. There's a degree of pedagogical justification, but the upshot is that a native speaker is expected to contribute conversation practice, clarification and experience with idioms, and maybe a bit of advanced grammar.

There is no assumption of prep time. Full time is based on 40 hrs of face time. You are expected to mix socially and give counseling between and after classes.

Working from a standard text you have to move VERY fast, following a plan developed by some mktg guy for a unit per day. Forget all that stuff you learned in school or for your CELTA: just lead the class through the drills, monkey see, monkey do.

Pay is in-cash, and the entrepreneurs running these places will pay out of their petty cash (eg, off the books) for (often illegal) foreign teachers as well as private discretionary spending such family gifts, etc. The upshot is that they often don't have the money on pay-day and you have to suck it up for up to a week until they sign up a few more students who are paying in cash.

This should go in another thread, but I got carried away. Thanks again for your help. My approach here would be to use such a place to get situated and oriented, develop a reputation for the private tutoring they provide, and transition to totally private.

[HLJHLJ]

You've already answered your own question about Cuenca, it's pretty much impossible to earn a decent living there teaching English. There are too many retired ex-pats who will teach for free or below-subsistence wages for something to do. However, Guayaquil is also an option.

There are 2 basic classes of visa here, immigrant or non-immigrant (temporary). Schools can only sponsor a non-immigrant visa, and the government are pushing hard to get people who are working onto immigrant visas. So it's getting very difficult and very expensive to sponsor non-immigrant visas.

Immigrant visas are personal, they aren't tied to an employer or even a job, you have to apply for it yourself. An employer could help you with some of the paperwork, but most won't, because it's nothing to do with them. Most people who come to work apply for a professional visa, the basis of which is a BA degree or higher (bricks and mortar, not online or distance).

There is a huge variation in language schools, some will take any native speaker with a pulse, some want experience and qualifications, plus everything in between. That's usually reflected in pay and working conditions as well.

In Quito at least , nobody you would want to work for would hire you illegally.

[Kim Macintosh]

Thanks again!!!

I really am angling for cool altitude. With my goal/strength ultimately being private students for Business English, Quito seems to bekon.

I'm also 62 and just started US social security, so according to what I read, acquiring a 9-I Pensioners visa should be relatively straightforward. The professional visa I'd also qualify for as my school shows on the gobierno list of those pre-approved. But, this still appears to be a more arduous visa in terms of apostillizing, translating transcipts, etc, etc (?).

ALSO, there seems to be a divergence in opinion and recent experience re whether it is genuinely kosher to work on these visas. I cannot imagine the professional visa would prohibit it, but what's the best and most current thinking of working on the 9-I?

ALSO>>>>One of the more informed posters here seemed to suggest that with the above visas I'd qualify for or the (IESS?) government Health Care Plan. This would be a detail I wouldn't expect anyone to know who hadn't worked it through personally, but do you know if there an angle on these visas for health care?

[Kim Macintosh]

PS----When is Semana Santa (Xmas week maybe)?

[HLJHLJ]

In most cases you will need to get your diploma apostilled and registered with SENESCYT (the government education agency) anyway. You don't *have* to register for institute work, but you do for universities, and private companies hiring you directly often want to see proof that you are properly registered as well.

At the moment you can work on any immigrant (9 series) visa including the retirement visa. In the past, you couldn't. However, things can and do change. It's hard to imagine a situation where you wouldn't be allowed to work on a professional visa, but you never know.

Anyone on a 9 series immigrant visa can register with IESS.


EDIT: Semana Santa is Easter.