Job Discussion Forums

[Nico123]

Hi there, i'm an Australian male who recently deferred my studies to persue a life of travelling round the world for a year. Over the course of my year I worked in a summer camp in the United States and met alot of people travelling also who had taught English around the world, mainly in Asia earning quite decent money. When I found out about opportunities to teach English in Brazil, i thought this could be a great way to really experience the culture, the people and a totally differen't lifestyle to what i'm acustomed. I'm looking for a job in Recife. I wonder if someone could give me some advice on what to do, whether to; obtain a position before I leave or would it be best to simply show up and try to find a job whilst in Recife.

I have no qualifications or certificates for teaching English except being a native speaker and my VCE education in Australia, which is the final year of high-school here. I do however have a very large understanding and grasp of the English language.

I've heard the CCAA schools are a great place to start and that jobs are frequently available.

So there's just a few things i'd like to ask;

- Advice on visa's and what i'd need for teaching for around 4 - 5 months.

- Would I need qualifications to show if teaching for most of the schools around Recife?

- Money, approx. how much is the pay for teaching and for accomodation in a non-dangerous area.

- Hours of the schools.

I'm also really interested in studying Portuguese at the same time in a language school, can anyone suggest a good cheap school?

Thanks in advance. Nico!

[Nico123]

Oh sorry, i'm also thinking about begining in August or late July!

[Aramas]

"Large understanding" notwithstanding, all I can offer is a link to a CELTA course in Recife for under $1000USD - the cheapest in the world.

MR RODDY KAY
SOCIEDAD BRASILEIRA DE CULTURA INGLESA - RECIFE
RUA MAMANGUAPE
BOA VIAGEM
5 RECIFE-PE
BRAZIL

Tel: +55 81 3228 6649
Fax: + 55-81-3445 8434
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.culturainglesa.com.br

An utterly insane message board:
http://www.brazzilforum.com/

And an informative web site by someone who is there doing it:
http://www.geocities.com/teachinginbrazil/

The bottom line is that foreigners cannot stay in Brazil for more than 180 days a year, and work visas are just not practical. Either bite the bullet and work illegally, overstaying your visa, or go somewhere else.

On the bright side, you can either marry a Basileira for permanent residency, or just work illegally until 2008 when the next amnesty is likely to be offered.

[Nico123]

Thanks so much Aramas, I've read up on the CELTA program and it's affiliated with Cambridge University, but I had no idea you could do it in Recife. Do you think if I completed this program that I would have a greater chance of getting a teaching position at an English school in Recife? If so, could you suggest any? Or does completing the CELTA program at this school garuntee you a job there, sorry i'm a little confused about how it all works. I'm not sure about the hiring seasons either, I would arrive in Brazil in late July, I think the CELTA program takes one month, so by the start of September should there be jobs available? Another thing, would it be possible to obtain a student visa with this program? Thanks in advance, Nico.

[Aramas]

I've never been there. so I can't really help. Read the Job Information Journal for Brazil here on Dave's (link at the top of this page), contact the school and read the rest of this forum.

If you want a student visa then you'll need to arrange it from your home country, and most language schools in Brazil are reputed to be tourist fleecing schemes ($500USD+ a week!??). Contacting the uni in Recife and enrolling in a part time Portuguese course might be an option.

If you only intend to stay for six months or less then just go on a tourist visa and work illegally. Brazil is not like Australia, but then few places are. Overstaying a Brazilian visa does not land you in a privatised concentration camp - it just results in a ($8BRL?) fine for each day you've overstayed.

By all accounts you must learn Portuguese if you hope to live and travel independently in Brazil. I have Sonia Celegatti Althoff's Portuguese course and grammar book and I can recommend them. She's a Brazilian (Paulista?) so you won't start out sounding like Poindexter the Anal Retentive Yank, as you would if you used Pimsleur - and it only costs a fraction of the price. Her site is at http://www.sonia-portuguese.com/. It's worth a look, at least.

[Nico123]

Could somebody offer some insight into begining or hiring dates in Recife and Brazil? I'm planning to arrive in late July or very early August, would this possibly be too late for finding work?

[fragganika]

July/August is perfect. The scholastic season ends in July & begins a new term in august, then ends in December for holidays and begins again in February. It wouldn't make any sense to go ahead of time for the February semester cause of the long break. I'd suggest go in July rather than August to get a head start on all the other job seekers.

[Nico123]

As it stands I have no formal qualifications for TEFL, do you guys think it is important for me to obtain a CELTA qualification or even the bridgelinguatec online 40 hour TEFL certification before coming over? The CELTA program here in Melbourne beigns on the 15th of July and finished on the 8th of August. I could then come over straight after that, perhaps the 11th. I'm not sure if it would be worth it completing the CELTA course and risk missing out on a job or heading over to find out that I can't obtain a job without some form of qualification.

Nico!

[Aramas]

I don't know what the CELTA costs in Melbourne, but it's $2700AUD in Cairns. That's nearly $2100USD. If you only intend to teach for six months to a year, then it's hard to see the value of it. Teaching in Brazil will only pay enough to barely get by, and that $2k represents about four months of your entire paycheck at a language school.

If you're a self-starter then you shouldn't have any trouble getting privates, and they pay a lot better than a language school. Bear in mind that Brazilian language schools pay less than half of what you would get for flipping burgers in Australia. Would you pay $2700AUD for a Certificate of Burger Flipping? You're sure to be able to find some hours at language schools without any qualifications anyway. Your presentation, manner and fluency in Portuguese would have more bearing on your employability than a CELTA.

Incidentally, most of your questions would have been answered at the link I gave you earlier (http://www.geocities.com/teachinginbrazil/)

[Nico123]

I speak very little Portuguese, but I do speak quite alot of Spanish. I was planning to learn Portuguese while there. I wasn't sure it was needed in the language schools. I intend to find some private's as well and do them on the side in my free time. I'm not so concerned about the money, as long as it pays for my accomodation. Do you think speaking almost no Portuguese could affect my chances of finding employment?