Job Discussion Forums

[steinda]

I have a BA in History and Arabic, and I will soon have an M.B.A. I do not yet have a esl teaching certificate, but I plan to get one before I teach abroad. I was wondering how far these qualifications would get me. Would I be able to get a job? What are the potentials for my salary? Are there any good programs that set everything up similar to the Japanese programs? I can't do volunteer work since I have no money. I require enough money to live there, and hopefully some extra, but if I leave the country without having gained or lost any cash, that would be good too.

Thanks,

Daniel

[Dia]

Your qualifications will be great. a BA and teaching certificate are the things employers are mostly looking for. at some places, the mba might bump you up in the pay scale if its based on level of education. you should be fine getting a job, but will face the same setback factors as the majority of everybody else (scheduling, transportation, etc)...

I have no idea what you refer to with the Japanese programs but there are programs here, some of which you pay flat fee to join, which make sure you have everything in order, deal with placement, healthcare, payment, possibly housing, etc...

Some programs I know of that do some or all of that are CIEE, World Teach, Teaching Chile.... etc... make sure you've asked or learned about how payment works, check how much the fee you pay puts you back, etc..

You should be at least able to come even, or better, than before.

[steinda]

thank you so much for letting me know. that is a very encouraging thing to hear. I was first looking at the Middle East, but the standards there are extremely high in comparison. Now that I know this, I will have to start doing more research into various programs.

Thanks again,

Daniel

[Hugeshark]

MBA, ESL cert, TEFL cert, MASTERS DEGREE, 10 years experience in..... blah blah blah. Snore.

Sorry pointdexter.

From personal experience, I have learned that Chileans are very much into appearance.

I arrived in Santiago with only a meager BA degree and nothing else. While training to get my TEFL certificate, one of my Abercrombe Fitch-type male gringo freinds was offered a job at a good institute, and he had absolutely no experience or college degree. He just walked in, gave that million dollar smile and he was in, even though the institute had a one year minimum experience requirement. At the same time, another model-type friends with no experience, a tall skinny Russian beauty, had a similar offer.

So I thought nothing of this and went to an interview at Tronwell with my fresh TEFL certificate all neat in a binder under my arm. Tronwell institute has a lot of teachers and pays crap money, so I thought I was in for sure. Wrong.

I was interviewed alongside a fresh faced, leggy Midwestern princess. The interviewer was a weasily type older gringo that looked as if he spent hours with the youporn every night. He interviewed the princess first. WOW. Then I was next. SIGH. He could not wait to get my gringo butt out of there. I did not get the 5 dollar an hour job.

The next week I combed my hair nice, put on a suit, and yes, I also put on a tie and nice shiny black shoes. Im usually your usual traveling shlub of a gringo but I do clean up nice, and can articulate well enough as I read a lot. And at 6 foot 1, I am considered very tall here - a feature which the Chileans looooove, by the way. I was interviewing for a longshot, high paying teaching job way out of my league. The interviewer turned out to be a woman. I was offered the job on the spot. She barely glanced at my resume and did not even look or ask for my TEFL certificate.

I bumbled my through the first few weeks, managed to get a work contract, and now, two years later, I am still here and have a private office with a view of the Andes. Was just given a raise and I still wear that suit and tie every day.

Look your best, show it off, and you�ll do fine.

[aeb123$]

Hugeshark - How do you think a mid-50's, trim American woman in a nice suit and with a solid resume (B.S. & teaching license in El.Ed., graduate level TESOL certificate, and experience) would do in Santiago? Can I come down, knock on doors and sucessfully find an ESL job early in 2010?

[mike30]

I second Hugeshark's notion...your physical appearance is definitely a big factor in getting a decent job in Chile. Especially if you want to work with business clients you need to look the part.

[benfire]

How did you guys go about finding opportunities in Chile? Were things physically posted around town, or did you find jobs online? And Hugeshark, are you at a public university or an American school or what? Sounds like you did pretty well for yourself...

[Mbarbetta1]

Any chance I can jump in on this? I have a B.A. with honors in history and certification to teach the social sciences to adolescents in New York from NY's most noted public college. Am I qualified to get a job in Chile/ which kind of job if so? Also, how would I go about finding this job? I really appreciate any advice you can provide! Thank you so much!
Best,
Mike

[Max of SF]

Hugeshark; this is exactly what I want to hear!

How handsome do you have to be? I'm well past 40 and people tell me with no prompting that I look like that ugly bald guy on ER...