Job Discussion Forums

[subemama]

Hello.
Was wondering if anyone knew about the employment situation in Medellin, Colombia? Are teaching jobs easy enough to find these days? I have a BA in English and 4 years ESL teaching experience in the US and Central & South America. I have no certifications. I would be looking for something in a language institute or univesity.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[M@tt]

Some folks in my dept put me in touch with the American Binational Center in Medellin last year. There are ABA's all over Colombia but I believe the one in Medellin is by far the largest and most active in terms of English teaching (i.e. thousands of students). They even have a brochure to recruit teachers which I probably threw away a year ago. Anyway, I dug up the US State Dept link to all binational schools and the one in Medellin has a page addressed to prospective employees.

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/
http://www.colomboworld.com/TeacherApplication.htm

It looks like hiring in Medellin is not limited to US citizens.
Best wishes.

p.s. Check the job info journal if you haven't already. There might be something in there too.

[subemama]

thanks M@tt! i appreciate the info...

[michaeld.chicago]

i just got back from vacation in bogota - i've been told by several different people there that the demand for english teachers is quite high and jobs are very easy to get even w/out a certificate.
not sure about medellin but bogota was very cool.

[khmerhit]

Can you tell us any more, Michael? I am fascinated by the sound of it.
I took this off a site:
Bogot�: Bogot�, the country's capital, is the quintessence of all things Colombian: a city of futuristic architecture, a vibrant and diverse cultural and intellectual life, splendid colonial churches and brilliant museums. It is also a city of Dickensian waifs, beggars, shantytowns, drug dealers and traffic jams. This amazing mixture of prosperity and poverty, Maseratis and mules, makes it one of the world's most chaotic, fascinating and aggressive metropolises. Sights to look out for include: Museo del Oro, which contains many relics of pre-Colombian history and is perhaps the most important museum of its kind in the world; Museo Nacional, which contains a wealth of exhibits ranging from pre-Columbian to contemporary art; Iglesia de Santa Clara, with its fresco-lined interior, images and altarpieces; Iglesia de San Ignacio, one of the most richly decorated churches in the country; the colonial barrio of La Candelaria, the oldest quarter in the city; Cerro de Monserrate, a peak flanking the city which is famous as a site of many miracles; and Jardin Bot�nico Jos� Celestino Mutis, a lovely botanical garden featuring a variety of national flora

http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:I1Fvlcwf-VsJ:www.donquijote.org/tourist/profiles/paises/colombia/+bogota+colombia+profile&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[michaeld.chicago]

everything you've read is true and more... it was such a great surprise what i saw there - the gold museum was incredible, the people were fantastic, the food was delicious, the women were beautiful (AND FRIENDLY!!!... you don't find that in the States!) and the scenary was amazing. The city is surrounded by mountains and on the east (?) side was Monserate - the church on the hill. I didn't get to go up there but will when I move there.
The church that i did see was the most beautiful one I've ever seen and that includes the churches I've seen in Italy and Spain.
It's hard to describe it any further - I think once you're there you'll know what I mean and feel the same way.
The city is very large - about 7 million people - so if you don't like large cities this isn't the place for you - maybe Cali???
I can not wait to get down there and start teaching. The people I met were so nice and really want you to have a nice time and they always are making sure you are okay, safe and have what you need.
If you're interested in going let me know - i'll be there in late september.
my email is [email protected]
michael

[shebab]

The friendliest people in Colombia are in Medellin. Bogota has a reputation in the rest of Colombia for being unfriendly. Although there are good and bad people everywhere you go, I found that Bogotanos were generally reserved and unwilling to open up to outsiders. You would never have that problem in Medellin. And while Bogota has some very nice areas, I felt for the most part that it was grey and depressing-definitely unlike the rest of the country.


Sorry, but that is my own personal experience. Private me if you have questions.

[jppu]

I lived in bogota for one year teaching at a colegio on the outskirts of town in 98-99. This was an exceptionally calm year also as far as the Civil War goes, so I consider myself very lucky. so I agree with the other comments. It is as Garcia Marquez describes as Magical Realism (or as I described in my book as Magical Surrealism - Im not as famous or as talented as the master mentioned above ). I can say that if you go to bogota you are in for the adventure of a lifetime - both good and bad and you're going to have an opinion one way or the other. You'll love it or hate it. For me, after one year, I was more than ready to go home and I don't ever want to live there again though I can surely use a long weekend there. Bogota assaults every single one of your senses and it just never lets up and after one year you just can't wait to get away from it all. I was really really burnt out on the city.

Teaching at a Colegio, you'll make more money. In fact, on the US$15G a year I made, I was quite comfortable. Plus, i had my own house, health ins. ect. The private language schools, from what my former collegues told me, you barely make enough to squeak by and you get an abundance of nothing as far as perks go which is why they ended up working at the school i worked for.

I have a love-hate relationship with Bogota. I suppose I'm not the only one either. It's just one of those cities that has that kind of affect on you.

My students used to tell me that Medillin was much more my style, apparently, it's more European as far as efficency, cleaniless and a damn fine subway goes. Of course, my students were probably just trying to get rid of me, but I am looking ffw to visiting there one day.

If I can be of any assistance on Bogo-hell (as we used to call it), PM me.