Job Discussion Forums

[sperling]

Hi everyone!

Well, I feel like I've been here long enough to be able to contribute something to those of you thinking of coming to Ecuador to teach (either from personal experiences or friends' experiences). I used Dave's as a research tool too before I came. So basically the first thing I need to get off my chest, is that Ecuador (Quito specifically) is not as cheap (dollarization), and jobs are not all that plentiful as we heard before coming (influx of foreigners looking for work). My point is, come with a little more money to use as a safety net in case it takes you longer to find a job than you think. My boyfriend and I did not come with very much money. We volunteered for a month, naivelly thinking that we would find a job immediately after our volunteer stint. As much as we loved our volunteer teaching job, that decision almost forced us to go home early.

First of all, if you are curious of my current situation, here it is. I am working at three different institutes (all different pay rate) and am starting at a private university here next week. All of my jobs pay decent, but trust me it took a long time to find them. My advice would be not to give in to the first job offered to you at $4 or less, because other schoools do pay more. You can always go back to the $4 schools if you need for a few extra hours a week (as I did). Also, if you are looking for 5 or more hours a day, you will probably be working at atleast 2 different schools like me, because not many schools will offer you this many hours consistently. They will have to share you!

If you are on a tourist visa, check out some intstutites like Key Language, The Experiment, Illingua, Berlitz. All of these pay above $5, a couple paying $7. Berlitz is a new school in Quito (just over one year I think), and even though there are some problems, they don't allow you to work at other schools, they dont necessarily offer a lot of hours, and the training is a week long (no pay), its a pretty professional place to work (compared to most other Ecuadorian establishments). Some schools that seem professional and legitimate, but only pay $4 are Cambridge, Benedict, Wallstreet, APF and Fulbright (you need a full visa for fulbright anyways). I can't remember the rest right now, but email me if you want about a specific school. I might have visited it once. You can work for $4 (since most of the schools pay this much, and jobs at the higher paying schools are slim pickings most of the time), but Quito is very expensive, and you might want to look around before committing yourself 100% to a school that pays this little. Definitely, don't work for less if you are on a tight budget.

If you are on another type of visa that allows you to work officially and don't mind committing for a longer period of time, definitely check out the private collegios and universities (some might hire with a tourist visa). Some friends work at the collegios and are just raking it in. Like Colegio Einstein, Alleman, Cotopaxi (need a lot experience for the last one). Private universities will pay more as well.

There is always the option of private lessons, for which you can charge $10 and higher (especially if you make a house call). Advertising in the newspaper, or giving your name to the private colegios will do the trick to get students. The problems with this I hear, is the fact that you have to plan every lesson on your own, cancellations occur more often than not, and that getting paid on time can sometimes be an issue. The third problem can be solved by asking to pay in advance for a certain number of classes, or for a certain level.

As for visa situations here. You can keep extending your tourist visa in one month increments for up to three months within Ecuador at the migration office. So, you can basically be a tourist for 6 months without leaving the country (depending on the mood of the migration official the day when you go in, of course). After that, its off to Peru (expensive) or Columbia (cheap and easy, but maybe a little sketchy). A friend of mine just did the latter, and he said it was fine, no problems in Columbia. Changing your tourist visa to avoid the constant trips to the Migration office and Columbie is a bit of a hassel, and can be costly. But worth it if you are going to be here for longer than a year. The best option (never heard of it until recently) is an Investors Visa. This option requires you to place around $1000 (or a little more) in an Ecuadorian bank for a minumum of one year. After the year you can get this full amount back, plus accumulated interest. The only other fee is for the lawyer. you can work and live legally here with this, no hassel. The second option is a work visa, but is very costly and confusing to get under way. the last estimate from a lawyer i got was $800 ($200 for visa, $600 for lawyer fees)....completely ridiculous! Or, according to a friend, you could get married to an Ecuadorian and stay indefinitely!

As for renting apartments, its seems the going rate for furnished apartments somewhat decent start at $200, and nicer places can take you around $300 / $350. I've met some people that pay less, but either their places are not that nice, in an unsafe area, or they have been renting them for a couple years and haven't been subject to serious price change (or they just know where the really good deals are!).

Well, I think I've covered almost everything I can think of that might help. This has gotten far too long, even if I did have more to say.

Good luck, and have fun!

Posted: October 15, 2002

[duder_1]

I Just thought I would note that a lot of the information in the above post is out of date, especially with regard to the so-called "Investor's Visa", which now requires a minimum investment of $25,000.00 USD.

[bh_daddy]

I also wanted to add that the rules for the tourist visa have also changed. While it was once the case that a tourist visa could be renewed for almost a year, the current situation is a one-time, 90 day tourist visa, per year.

[ClaireGolding]

Is it still the case that Latin America, Ecuador in particular, has a top limit of 55 years old for teachers? We are considering making a permanent move not coming on tourist visas, so does that make a difference?

[naturegirl321]

[just_a_mirage]

There is no age limit for teachers, curently in Ecuador. Retirement visas are an option if you are receiveing pension or social security funds of at least $800 monthly for a single person, $900 for a couple.