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Is Latin America What I'm Looking For?

 
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allgetabong



Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 15
Location: Butler, Alabama

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 12:04 am    Post subject: Is Latin America What I'm Looking For? Reply with quote

Hi...

Let me get straight to the point: American, 22 years old, Undergraduate (no degree, no experience), and I do intend to get a decent TEFL or TESOL before I depart to anywhere. Along with my frustration and exhaustion of American society/politics, and my love to travel, I'd like to seek decent oppurtunities to teach abroad either in Latin or South America, or Asia. I've heard Thailand is easy to land a job in (aside from the work permit flaw), and I've heard a good bit about the ease of finding job's in Indonesia and Mexico. I'm actually looking for something different, and exciting. And by exciting I don't necessarily mean teaching in some urban concrete jungle and whoring around drinking booze, rural would be prefferable to me, but I'll take whatever of course, considering I have no college degree or teaching experience. I'm not in it for the money either, not that I expect alot with my lack of credentials. What do you all recommend?
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you are really all that fed up with the country you're living in, I recommend that you save some money and spend 6 months traveling around the area that interests you. To be perfectly honest, the type of school that would hire you with no degree and no teaching experience probably is not a place where you'd like to work. Think it was Groucho Marx who said "I wouldn't want to join a club that would have me as a member"....I am not trying to hurt your feelings, just connect you with reality.
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chula



Joined: 11 Nov 2003
Posts: 65
Location: Culiac�n, Sinaloa, M�xico

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

good message, but i thought most of us were in mexico to disconnect from "reality" Very Happy
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 1:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some of us are in Latin America because we want to change reality (I didn't say Mexico because although I work here a fair amount of the time, I also do projects in Venezuela-, where reality IS being changed), because we do believe another world is possible.
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allgetabong



Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 15
Location: Butler, Alabama

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:47 am    Post subject: Not convinced.. Reply with quote

I'm not convinced that any school that hires me will treat me unbearably unfair and rip me off. I've heard the horror stories, and I'm well aware that you have to watch your back and make sure you dont sign into anything foolish, but then again thats the same with basically any job in any career field. I've had conversations with MA English majors who have gotten ripped off, and I've talked to high school dropouts that have great contracts are treated very fairly and respectively by the school's they work for. I don't expect some faux-reality to where I can strike it rich in some exotic land simple because I speak english. I just want to live a modest lifestyle outside of this goddamn capitalist mess. Can anyone sympathize and give me some tips where my best starting point would be? Mexico? China? Anywhere?
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmmm. Thought I already mentioned VENEZUELA....
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allgetabong



Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 15
Location: Butler, Alabama

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:18 pm    Post subject: I saw your message... Reply with quote

Yeah I saw both of your messages concerning freelance travelling and the fact that you do projects (what kind of prjects, by the way?) in Venezuela. They must have been intended for someone who was posting questions concerning "Hey where can I travel with my shitload of cash and encounter a new reality"...

I don't have money to simply purchase a few airline tickets and back-pack my way through a continent or two so I can find my ideal spot.
If I could, then I definetly wouldn't be posting my questions on an ESL board, as opposed to the hundreds of forums that travellers and back-packers conversate on. I'm sure 90% of the alreadsy-hired ESL teachers in this world didn't know exactly where they wanted to go either, and just tried it out in the first interesting place that seemed do-able. I'm a modest and open-minded guy, any place interesting and different will work so I can get my feet in ESL, like anyone else.
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I suggested Venezuela to you because you indicated you were fed-up with the capitalist/imperialist model of the US. If you do a little reading about where different models are being developed, you will discover that Hugo Ch�vez has been developing--for the past 5 and a half years--a model of participatory democracy in which the priorities are social justice and endogenous development, and is now unifying various South American countries economically (Venezuela has just entered Mercosur) as well putting in place a South American t.v. channel to go head to head with CNN in Espa�ol (which only presents the US imperialist viewpont.)

My project in Venezuela is called Revolutionary Theater, and its process is including all elements of the society in recovering and maintaining historical consciousness.

Guess that's it for my suggestions. Good luck!
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allgetabong



Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 15
Location: Butler, Alabama

PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 12:55 am    Post subject: reply Reply with quote

How high is the job demand for ESL teachers in Ven. ? What are the mininum qualifications desired?
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are quite a few language schools in Caracas. They would prefer that you have some kind of TEFL certificate, especially since you indicated that you don't have a degree. The various universities are usually looking for ESL teachers--though not too actively. It's the kind of place where you need to be there--in most cases--to get hired, although there are two or three schools (a couple in Caracas, 1 in Valencia--2 hours west) that hire through the Internet. In the case of the school in Valencia, it is one of those live with the owner's family, learn Spanish and receive very little pay while you run around the city giving classes in companies and people's homes--I don't think it's worth considering. In any event, you won't make much money in Venezuela--but it's a fantastic country to travel around in--lots of great beaches, the northern section of the Andes, and the Gran Sabana--an absolutely magical area that's like walking around in a real Jurassic Park. And the most exciting social process anywhere in the world.
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:42 am    Post subject: Studying spanish Reply with quote

I'm thinking about going to a Latin American country after I finish in Peru and studying spanish as a foreign language for a semester or two. I studied it for years and lived in Spain, but would like to do it again, in Uruguay, Argentina, or Paraguay, or Bolivia.
The thing is I don't want to go through a study abroad program, because they charge heaps of money, like 1000 USD a month or so. I'd ratyher pay that much for a semester than a month. I'd rather apply directly to the university.
Anyone know of universities or language schools in Latin America that have this option?


Last edited by naturegirl321 on Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:13 am; edited 1 time in total
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MELEE



Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland

PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 4:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Studying spanish at a university Reply with quote

naturegirl321 wrote:
I studied it for years and lived in Spain, but would like to do it again, in Uruguay, Argentina, or Paraguay, or Bolivia.
...
Anyone know of universities in Latin America that have this option?


Not the countries you mentioned, but...

UNAM (Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico) in Mexico City has an excellent program for foreigners that has all levels for Spanish learners and Latin American studies classes in Spanish for advanced levels. Students come from all over the world to study Spanish there. Here's their web site
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MELEE<
Thanks a bunch, I will look at the school!
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Paulie2003



Joined: 29 Mar 2003
Posts: 541

PostPosted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Probably not!!!!
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Carina_Cisneros



Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 30
Location: Honduras, Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica

PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:47 am    Post subject: Travel first...? Reply with quote

I second the bit about doing some traveling first. No unrealistic expectations, and an incentive to keep moving, so you see more before you make a decision - no matter what that deicision might be. A lot might depend on your definition of "rural", too, and what you expect to find/do there when not teaching (Rural Honduras/ElSalvador and rural Argentina/Chile are very different). Also, a lot would depend on your non-English skills. If you want or prefer rural, and are looking at Central America, have you considered volunteer work (much comes with room/board, just no salary)? Often, these positions get you contacts, and sometimes paid positions within the organization.
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