| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
|
 Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 3:23 pm Post subject: Tri-Association Conference October |
 |
|
Anyone here attending this conference if you're with a Tri school?
I'll be in Bogota October 5-15 to go to the conference and visit some schools...would love to meet anyone working in the city... |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
PittsburghSound
Joined: 27 Aug 2014
Posts: 103
Location: Colombia
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 3:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Guy,
Have you ever been to Bogotá before? I'd like to hear your impressions of the city. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 9:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| PittsburghSound wrote: |
Guy,
Have you ever been to Bogotá before? I'd like to hear your impressions of the city. |
This will be my first time...and I get a full 10 days to explore. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rose Cohen
Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 43
Location: Mexico
|
| Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 1:40 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Be sure to take your umbrella. I've that it rains a lot in Bogotá. And please let us know how things go! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PittsburghSound
Joined: 27 Aug 2014
Posts: 103
Location: Colombia
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 3:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| PittsburghSound wrote: |
Guy,
Have you ever been to Bogotá before? I'd like to hear your impressions of the city. |
This will be my first time...and I get a full 10 days to explore. |
Do you think you'll be able to get a good picture of Colombia's ESL scene while you're there? Is there any chance you can find out accurate and up-to-date information regarding work visas?
There hasn't been much information posted here recently. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 11:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| PittsburghSound wrote: |
| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| PittsburghSound wrote: |
Guy,
Have you ever been to Bogotá before? I'd like to hear your impressions of the city. |
This will be my first time...and I get a full 10 days to explore. |
Do you think you'll be able to get a good picture of Colombia's ESL scene while you're there? Is there any chance you can find out accurate and up-to-date information regarding work visas?
There hasn't been much information posted here recently. |
I have a meeting with the Mexican embassy...hadn't planned on checking into other visas, but I can ask. I am staying on an extra 5 days in Bogota after the conference to get to know the city...if I learn anything new about the ESL scene I will pass it along here.
So, no one here going to conference? I'll be at the Hilton if anyone wants to hook up in the bar... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PittsburghSound
Joined: 27 Aug 2014
Posts: 103
Location: Colombia
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 12:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Thanks, Guy. Enjoy your trip! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 2:07 am Post subject: |
|
|
Greetings! So I have been enjoying Bogota for the most part...coming from Mexico, this is a very quiet town. I'm into exiciting cities but if you like quiet, you'll like Bogota.
I managed to speak with administrators and directors of several international and bilingual schools from around Colombia. Also met with someone in admin at the British Council, someone who runs a dodgy ESL outfit, and someone employed through the government sponsored volunteer program.
The visa situation strikes me as very similar to Mexico actually...if you are doing things above board with a proper school, it is handled for you upon arriving (or before arriving as in Mexico's case). The same goes for those working (or rather volunteering, considering the pay) through the government sponosred program that brings native-speakers into the country to work at the college level.
In a nutshell, if you are a qualified and experienced teacher seeking work in a proper program or school, it is like anywhere else in the world.
Now, if you are coming into the country with a TEFL or CELTA and looking for informal work, there is no visa for you...you'll be working under the table on the 90 day tourist visa and doing border runs.
I didn't get enough sampling done to say it's like this everywhere in the country but I got enough to see that it is like many other places in Latin America. You arrive, get the job, are promised a work visa and never get it. You do a border run if you want to stay longer, or you go elsewhere proud to have that new stamp in your passport.
Spousal visas I didn't look into...I do have an American friend with a Colombian wife and he's been sitting in New Orleans for over a year waiting for his spousal visa to come through so he can return to Bogota.
So that's my report...I really like this town. The food is ok, the people a little more standoffish than Mexicans but really friendly when you get to the know them, and the climate is interesting. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PittsburghSound
Joined: 27 Aug 2014
Posts: 103
Location: Colombia
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
Greetings! So I have been enjoying Bogota for the most part...coming from Mexico, this is a very quiet town. I'm into exiciting cities but if you like quiet, you'll like Bogota.
I managed to speak with administrators and directors of several international and bilingual schools from around Colombia. Also met with someone in admin at the British Council, someone who runs a dodgy ESL outfit, and someone employed through the government sponsored volunteer program.
The visa situation strikes me as very similar to Mexico actually...if you are doing things above board with a proper school, it is handled for you upon arriving (or before arriving as in Mexico's case). The same goes for those working (or rather volunteering, considering the pay) through the government sponosred program that brings native-speakers into the country to work at the college level.
In a nutshell, if you are a qualified and experienced teacher seeking work in a proper program or school, it is like anywhere else in the world.
Now, if you are coming into the country with a TEFL or CELTA and looking for informal work, there is no visa for you...you'll be working under the table on the 90 day tourist visa and doing border runs.
I didn't get enough sampling done to say it's like this everywhere in the country but I got enough to see that it is like many other places in Latin America. You arrive, get the job, are promised a work visa and never get it. You do a border run if you want to stay longer, or you go elsewhere proud to have that new stamp in your passport.
Spousal visas I didn't look into...I do have an American friend with a Colombian wife and he's been sitting in New Orleans for over a year waiting for his spousal visa to come through so he can return to Bogota.
So that's my report...I really like this town. The food is ok, the people a little more standoffish than Mexicans but really friendly when you get to the know them, and the climate is interesting. |
I want to ask about a few points to get your thoughts on each, Guy!
1. Quiet? How could a city that big in Latin America be quiet? Maybe it's just quieter than what you are accustomed to in Mexico. I'm sure it also depends on what part of Bogotá you are staying and what's going on that particular day.
2. No visa for regular TEFL jobs, eh? Well, that's a lot different than what has been reported on here before. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying it's very interesting to read such conflicting information. It seems as though Colombia is no different from any other country for ESL work. There's no uniform standard that everyone in the country adheres to in terms of employing ESL teachers.
3. When you say standoffish, what do you mean exactly? When I think standoffish, I think of the average US citizen. I'm sure Bogotanos are much more welcoming and friendly than people here in the States. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 3:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| 1. Quiet? How could a city that big in Latin America be quiet? Maybe it's just quieter than what you are accustomed to in Mexico. I'm sure it also depends on what part of Bogotá you are staying and what's going on that particular day. |
Bear in mind I've spent a lot of years in Mexico City. This will always be a matter of perspective I suppose.
| Quote: |
| 2. No visa for regular TEFL jobs, eh? Well, that's a lot different than what has been reported on here before. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying it's very interesting to read such conflicting information. It seems as though Colombia is no different from any other country for ESL work. There's no uniform standard that everyone in the country adheres to in terms of employing ESL teachers. |
Relatively recent changes to visa policy were described to me which I found similar to Mexico. I get the impression only the most organized and established schools and language institutes will sponsor for a visa.
| Quote: |
| 3. When you say standoffish, what do you mean exactly? When I think standoffish, I think of the average US citizen. I'm sure Bogotanos are much more welcoming and friendly than people here in the States. |
I'm told this is typical of South Americans - more reserved. By standoffish, I mean people didn't seem to go out of their way to strike up a conversation as I have experienced in Mexico, or the southern US. Totally friendly people in Bogota, but they didn't seem as outgoing as what I've experienced elsewhere. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
spanglish
Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 742
Location: working on that
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| Quote: |
| 1. Quiet? How could a city that big in Latin America be quiet? Maybe it's just quieter than what you are accustomed to in Mexico. I'm sure it also depends on what part of Bogotá you are staying and what's going on that particular day. |
Bear in mind I've spent a lot of years in Mexico City. This will always be a matter of perspective I suppose.
| Quote: |
| 2. No visa for regular TEFL jobs, eh? Well, that's a lot different than what has been reported on here before. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying it's very interesting to read such conflicting information. It seems as though Colombia is no different from any other country for ESL work. There's no uniform standard that everyone in the country adheres to in terms of employing ESL teachers. |
Relatively recent changes to visa policy were described to me which I found similar to Mexico. I get the impression only the most organized and established schools and language institutes will sponsor for a visa.
| Quote: |
| 3. When you say standoffish, what do you mean exactly? When I think standoffish, I think of the average US citizen. I'm sure Bogotanos are much more welcoming and friendly than people here in the States. |
I'm told this is typical of South Americans - more reserved. By standoffish, I mean people didn't seem to go out of their way to strike up a conversation as I have experienced in Mexico, or the southern US. Totally friendly people in Bogota, but they didn't seem as outgoing as what I've experienced elsewhere. |
I concur with Guy's points. Also, Bogotanos are famous for their relative formality. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
