Job Discussion Forums

[bluebonnet]

Can someone give me an idea about this program for entry into Colombia or is it better to come in and hit the ground looking? I have no experience in Colombia, but I am educated, know spanish, and already have experience teaching TEFL. The pay (1,500,000 month) seems low, but it does come with some initial accomodation, and insurance. It seems like it wouldn't be bad for a start in the country.

I've searched in this forum but haven't seen much posted. maybe i'm using the wrong search terms.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[currentaffairs]

1.5 mil plus accommodation doesn't seem bad as a way in. If they won't pay for your accommodation for the duration of your contract then I would look elsewhere..

[D. Amokachi]

While I don't know anything about this particular programme, I have dealt with ESL Starter and they were extremely professional and helpful.

[bluebonnet]

thanks for the insight. yeah the free accomodation is only for the first month and unfortunately you don't get to choose your city either. I guess it isn't the best deal but maybe for a 6 month term it wouldn't be bad and it could provide contacts down the road.

[wanderingxelmundo]

There are different organizations recruiting for these positions. If you search for Greenheart travel, SENA, heartforchange (or heart4change?) or simply "education" in the Colombia forum you will find some info. Greenheart Travel has a FB group you could join if you're on FB. Current participants obviously aren't going to say very bad things about it, but you may see some questions and answers that are useful.

You have basically laid out the pros and the cons. The pay is bad, but you would have something already set before leaving whatever country you're in now, and the first 6 weeks' accommodation is already paid (2 weeks orientation plus 4 weeks at destination). They also pay for and provide a visa, and pay for local health insurance, though they require you to have some sort of major medical for big emergencies. They pay a 500,000 peso bonus for completing the program. In my opinion there's no reason to do this in Bogota unless you have such limited savings that you really want that cushion, since there are apparently many jobs in Bogota, but if you want to experience another location where the costs and typical pay are less and where it might be harder to find work, this might be a good option. Another reason to do it is if you have no experience with high school age students, for example, and wanted to do it for that reason. One reason that appeals to me is that I wouldn't be teaching only the upper middle class and above, and corporate students, but would be helping regular Colombians. Anyway, there are numerous reasons to choose to do it, but pay isn't one of them!

They have 5- or 11-month courses -- the 5-month doesn't sound like a bad idea to get going in a new country, but with Spanish and experience it certainly isn't necessary.

[currentaffairs]

To provide a comparison: I was offered 2 mil pesos a month at a decent Colegio in Cali. No accommodation offered. The 5-month contract sounds like a pretty good deal if you only have 3 months of rent to find. It will give you time to find work and make contacts.

I actually did something similar when I went to Japan. I worked for Westgate on a 3-month contract. The organisation and pay was quite crappy but it got me into the country with a one-year work visa. I had time to find work and I ended up staying for six years.

[Guy Courchesne]

I met someone in Bogota earlier this month working under this program...mixed review. The pay was low, but the teacher's expectations weren't very high either. The work is in a technical college with little materials but again, little expectation.

[wanderingxelmundo]

Yes, I'm sure in Bogota the pay seems especially poor since Bogota is so much more expensive, and there are other possibilities.

There are two jobs -- one is in technical colleges, and the other is in public schools (I think just high schools), where you're technically a TA, but to a Colombian teacher who would typically have a pretty low level of English her/himself. They ask you which you prefer. In both cases the students would normally never have an opportunity to have a native speaker as a teacher, which like I said, for me is a plus, but the situations might be frustrating for others because of lack of supplies and support etc. (I have applied and been accepted -- not surprising since I speak Spanish, have experience and have lived in Colombia), but I haven't decided whether to accept it or not. I'm not even sure if I'm returning to Colombia or to Ecuador.

This past year they had a separate program run/funded by the government of Antioquia (but not in Medellin -- in smaller cities and towns) called parques educativos. The pay is a bit more (1.7 million with same perks plus 100,000 monthly for materials) and it involves more responsibility and therefore it seemed a bit more interesting. It involves teaching not only community members but also Colombian English teachers. The government of Antioquia hasn't confirmed anything for this coming year, but heartforchange expects they will have the program again. That pay along with the perks isn't too bad for those more rural locations in Antioquia.

http://www.heartforchange.org/index.php/es/programas/the-english-at-the-park-volunteer-program-epv/what-is-the-program-about