Job Discussion Forums

srp · Joined: 04 Dec 2004 Posts: 30 Location: Buenos Aires

I'm getting ready to graduate college (in the US) this May, and I'm planning on teaching english in a spanish speaking country so I can improve my spanish (my spanish is already decent, but I have some work to do to get fluent). I'm finding tons of info online, but I'm having trouble sorting it all out.

Do I get certified in America before I leave or do I do it once I get to the other country (right now I'm looking mainly at Argentina and Chile)?

How do I get a work visa? Is this taken care of before I leave or once I'm there?

Do I need a work visa? I've been reading that a lot of people just keep renewing the traveller visa by leaving the country every 3 months - what would be the advantage to this?

Thanks for any info anyone could give me.

lucy k · Joined: 06 May 2003 Posts: 82 Location: istanbul, turkey

You can get certified either in the States or once you get there (depending on where there is!). But, I have seen posts on the International Job Board for getting certified in Chile through Bridge-Linguatec. You might want to check them out. I got my CELTA in San Francisco, but doing it in the country where you want to teach might help you find a job there.

It's better to have a work visa. It just makes things easier and more legal. But, depending on where you are, it might not be necessary. I worked in Chile, and my school got the work visa for me. I believe that the school has to arrange it. I don't think you can just get one yourself. I also knew people working in Chile on tourist visas, and it didn't seem to be a problem. They just hopped across the border to Mendoza, Argentina every three months to renew it.

If you have a job arranged before you leave the States, then your work visa will most likely also be arranged before you leave the States.

Hope this helped some. Good luck!

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

srp · Joined: 04 Dec 2004 Posts: 30 Location: Buenos Aires

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

When I teach, I speak 98% of the time in English to my students and outside of class on campus, I also speak English. I figure they pay me to TEACH English, not try and learn Japanese from my students even if it is after class. That's not to say I never ask them questions about different words or how to say different things in Japanese because my students usually find that interesting. When it comes to staff at the university, I try to use Japanese, they can't speak Englsih anyways.

lucy k · Joined: 06 May 2003 Posts: 82 Location: istanbul, turkey

I really think it depends on you and your motivation to learn the language. It's true that lots of people wherever you go will want to practice their English with you, but you just have to make your own opportunities. It also depends on where you teach. I worked at school that hired all Americans. Naturally, my co-workers also ended up being my friends, even though I didn't go to Chile with the intention of hanging out with Americans! I also had Chilean friends and went out occasionally with my classes (I was teaching adults). They enjoyed it when I tried out my Spanish. I really think it just depends on you. Don't worry, if you want to speak Spanish you will!

And one of my friends went to Chile knowing very little Spanish. She got a Chilean boyfriend who knew no English, and after one year, she was more or less fluent, Chilean accent and all!

Phil_b · Joined: 14 Oct 2003 Posts: 239 Location: Back in London

Lucy's right..... it depends a lot on you... in a lot of places it can be very easy to stay inside an EFL/expat bubble... if you know enough of the language to feel vaguely confident using it, use it as much as you can (outside class), if not - look for a course....

Just try to have a life outside of your school... it can sometimes be too easy to slip into that bubble, and the language thing can be a big part of it.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

My first 18 months in Turkey were spent living and working in a village of 2000 people. I was the only foreigner and in the 18 months I was there I never had a class higher than pre-intermediate. So if I wanted a decent conversation I had to learn fast. Now? I live in an English speaking Ghetto in Istanbul.

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

[quote="srp"]

srp · Joined: 04 Dec 2004 Posts: 30 Location: Buenos Aires

Thanks for the clarifacation shmooj. I know exactly what you mean about the conversations where you speak one language, and they speak another. I spent last summer in Puerto Rico, where everyone and their dogs spoke English, and it was definately frustrating to have everyone respond to me in English when I would speak in Spanish.

Regarding the current state of my Spanish, I am good enough to hold my own in most conversations (depending a lot on the accent of the person I am talking to), but I still stutter a lot and have a somewhat limited vocabulary.

I think that I am definately motivated enough to seek out people to speak Spanish with while teaching English, but if anyone has any ideas for options other than teaching English as a way to sustain youself in a foreign country, I would definately be interested in hearing them. Just in its nature, teaching English can't possibly be the best way to learn another language, so I would like to hear if there are any other realistic alternatives.

Thanks again everyone for all your helpful replies.

SueH · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 1022 Location: Northern Italy

If they reply to you in English just purse your lips, shrug your shoulders and say 'pardon' in your best French accent.. something on those lines might help in these situations!