Job Discussion Forums

[JonathanRossWC]

Hello, wonderful Latin America forum!

I posted a thread in the General Discussion forum a few days ago trying to come to a shortlist of countries to teach English in. After doing more research and looking hard at Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Colombia, etc., I think that I would be happiest teaching EFL in a nice Latin American city. My Spanish is decent and I can get it up to a near-fluent level by the time I land abroad.

I will be heading into the TEFL industry with an American Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Finance, and will be gaining a CELTA certification. I do not have any experience teaching English, and will not have any before getting this first job abroad.

Optimally, I am looking for a country/city to go teach English where I could earn a decent wage, live comfortably, not have legal issues regarding visas/immigration, and build up a career over time. I do not expect/need to land in a country and start raking in bundles of cash; I just need enough of an income to live comfortably and work my way up the pay ladder over the years.

I would like to TEFL as a career, not just as a short one-year stint filled with partying. I will continue to develop my skills and network, to seek out better positions as time goes on. I budget my finances well and will not be drinking or indulging in any expensive things.

So, Latin American TEFLers, what country would be best for me, and why? Thank you ahead of time for any and all comments to help me figure it out.

Jonathan

[HLJHLJ]

There are pros and cons to all of them, try and narrow it down a little:

Chile, Panama, Uruguay

Have relatively high cost of living, so you will need more money in the bank to see you through to your first pay cheque.


Colombia, Ecuador

Probably have the lowest, so your start up fund will last longer there.

The others probably fall somewhere in between. (These are gross generalisations, obviously it depends where in each country you are).

With the right job, you can get a visa in any of them, with the possible exception of Panama. However, in Peru you probably won't get a visa, and will just be expected to work under the table on a tourist visa and pay $1/day fine for over staying.

Other than that, what are you looking for? Rural, city, beach, mountains? What sort of climate? What sort of job? If it's your first teaching job you will probably be looking to cut your teeth in one of the big language schools.

Finally, have you already got a CELTA course in mind? For various reasons it's generally better to do your training in the country you want to work in. So the availability of a CELTA course might influence your decision.

[spanglish]

Colombia is actually at the upper end of cost of living. I read in a Dinero recently (a Colombian finance magazine) that Bogota has the 3rd highest cost of living in Latin America after Brasilia and Montevideo.

I can't vote in your poll because I only have experience in Colombia and can't compare. If you do end up coming here, get your SIT cert or CELTA and you'll get on easily enough with IH Bogota. After that, you'll either move up to better jobs or be burned for life on ESL (IH isn't that bad, but most of my fellow teachers really hated it, I thought it was quite an easy job but with a few frustrations and fairly low pay, all in all an OK starter job).

I'll tell you this about Colombia: I've got a great life and a decent income now. With over 3 years of steady work, networking, great Spanish skills and a B.A. and CELTA, I've managed to get one of the better (ESL) jobs in the country. Would I do it all again? To be honest, probably not. There have been some very difficult moments along the way, and I haven't exactly ended up in a very good financial situation. Living abroad as an ESL teacher isn't really my thing either, but that's my personal preference.

So, If you want to pursue a career in ESL in Latin America.....well, it's up to you. Weigh the information you receive and make your choice. And good luck; it sounds like you have a better chance of success than most.

[JonathanRossWC]

Wow- Thanks HLJHLJ and Spanglish for your helpful replies...I really appreciate it.

In response to HLJHLJ: I would preferably like to live in a city. Being a native of Philadelphia in the US and living in New York, I've kind of become accustomed to city life and prefer it to rural life. Climate-wise, I think almost anywhere in Latin America is warmer than Pennsylvania, and that's great for me. I love the heat. I'm sure as a first teaching job I'll be grinding it out at a language school like International House - as long as the pay keeps me afloat, I'm ok with that. Paying my dues, I suppose. I'm new, I don't expect to be paid like a veteran. I do not have a CELTA course in mind; I was thinking the same thing as you, that I'd take it in the country I decide to go to. I think that is the best thing.

In response to Spanglish: Thank you very much for your wish of good luck, and for your advice about IH Bogota - I was strongly considering doing the CELTA there and getting a job after. If I'm not mistaken, is there also a CELTA in Bogota being offered by the British Council? Even though it costs more, do you think it would be worth it to take my CELTA there if I decide to move to Colombia?

Thanks a lot for the comments so far...looking forward to more discussion!

Jonathan

[HLJHLJ]

I've only been to Colombia on holiday, but the costs there were not massively different to Ecuador. It was a little more expensive, but nowhere near the league of say Chile or Uruguay. So in terms of short-let accommodation and eating out, I'd still put Ecuador and Colombia in the same bracket.

Perhaps costs increase significantly once you become resident. I can imagine that things like gas and electric would be higher, as it's subsidized in Ecuador. I have no idea about rents in Colombia either. However, once you reach that stage, you would hopefully have a job with a wage appropriate to local living costs, so it's less of an issue.