Job Discussion Forums

[TeresaF]

I'm hoping that all of you will give me your honest opinion. Muchas gracias!

My boyfriend and I want to teach English in a Spanish-speaking country (i.e. Mexico or Central America), beginning in the new year. We plan to stay for a year, then return to the states to go to grad school. We speak some Spanish, but want to improve our abilities and immerse ourselves in a new culture. I have about 150 hours experience tutoring Mexican immigrants in ESL. We're both interested in making teaching a career (but not necessarily EFL).

Here's my dilemma: should we get CELTA and try to get language school jobs, or should we just find volunteer positions? For what it's worth, I would go about finding a school in which to volunteer on my own, instead of paying someone a couple of grand to do it for me. Obviously, option #3 is to find a job without having any certification, but I'm not sure that that feels "right" to me. What do you guys think are the relative pros and cons of my Plan A and Plan B?

FYI (because I know this is an important part of the equation), I will have about 6 thousand dollars saved by January, and the BF will have about 4 (thousand, that is). I have student loans, but they won't eat up more than 1500 of my savings while I'm gone. Could we live off of this in a place like Honduras or Chiapas for a year if we decided to volunteer? Also, does anyone have any suggestions about finding schools that need volunteers in the spring?

Sorry this is so long-I'm just trying to give you something to go on! I will realllllly appreciate any replies!

Teresa

[naturegirl321]

Hi,
I know that Dunham Institute offer exchange of Spanish lessons, for teaching English.
http://www.dunhaminstitute.com Mexico
http://www.geocites.com/dunhaminstitute Mexico

If you want to make money, work, if not, volunteer. Check out the Links in the Mexico forum and the LAtin American forum. They are Stickys

You have some experience, so that;'s good. It's expensive to do a course, it depends how long you want to be in this game, if only for a year or two, then you could just go to the library and read up on it. That will give you some insite. Practical hands on experience, helps as well.

You don't need a teaching cert for many schools, the fact that you speak English and have a degree are good for most places, my advice, is just go there are look. Check out http://www.teachabroad.com and http://www.tefl.com, they have frequent postings for jobs in south america and Mexico.

Be sure to keep us posted on what happens!

[Guy Courchesne]

The unfortunate part of being altruistic in Latin America is that it often costs and arm and a leg! Too many volunteer program charge far more than you would pay for the CELTA course, though there are exceptions.

Honduras might be a better bet than Chiapas just for this...or, start applying for some paid positions. Competition is fairly tight in Mexico (too many teachers, too few jobs) but you might find something on a degree and that tutoring experience. Harmon Hall routinely takes people into their 4 week training session (which I believe is free) and hires from amongst the graduates.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[MELEE]

You should look into the organization Amerispan which has Spanish language schools with volunteer oportunities in many Latin American countries. Many of their volunteer positions are in English teaching and they often offer board in exchange.

I wouldn't recommend voluteering at a language school or any place where the students have to pay for English classes for the reasons Ben Round the Block mentioned. You could probably arrange a place for yourself at a public school or a municipal cultural center in which one of the directors might find you a place to live in exchange for classes (tell them you and your boyfriend are married--women don't generally change their names after marriage in Latin America so this shouldn't be questioned) The Rotary club in my town recieves a volunteer English teacher each summer, usually an MA student, and a rotary member hosts the teacher in his/her home.

IF you truely think you will do this just for a year or so, I'd skip the CELTA but you never know how things might work out. (8 years ago I went to Ecuador with my ex with plans to go back to grad school in a year or two) But I do think a CELTA is worth it for you and your future students.

And a word about organizations like World Teach that charge you two thousand dollars for a volunteer placement. Not only do they find you a job in a school where the students would never be able to afford to go to a private language school, they also find you a place to live with the local people. That gives you much more language exposure and an insight into how local people live. (My ex didn't learn much Spanish in Ecuador because I was always around to speak for us) They also give you a stipen while you are in country-that returns part of the money you paid to you. Another advantage is its all arranged. You just have to arrange and start your experience. If you try to just turn up and set something up, it could take weeks. You'd have to live in a hotel, and maybe try your luck in a couple of different towns--which would eat up your savings faster than moving into an arranged place and getting settled right away.

Best of Luck to you both.

[TeresaF]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughtful replies. I've decided to take the CELTA in Costa Rica, just in case this becomes a longer-term committment. I know its not a cost-effective decision, but its the one I feel most comfortable making. After more research and thought, I realized that I would need/want a much better grounding in Spanish before taking advantage of most of the volunteer opportunities out there.

Melee, thanks for the tip on getting "married." I had been wondering about that very issue, but felt a little funny about asking. I did check out World Teach. The costs are now between $3,900 and $5,000 for programs in Latin America. Airfare and living costs are included, so it sounds like it would be a great option for some people. For the more adventurous folks, World Teach has a fully funded (i.e. completely FREE for you) program in the Marshall Islands. I know the Marshall Islands do not constitute a topic for the "Latin American Forum," but it sounds like it would be a really amazing experience...