Job Discussion Forums

vivaBarca · Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 2:01 am Post subject:

Good stuff. It�ll be nice to keep this thread going...who knows, perhaps someday Dave�s will have a �Colombia� Teaching Forum (Ojal�).

Mmm...greasy roast pig with vegetables stuffed into the eyes...I take it
Thanksgiving wasn�t so good Justin?

Aramas - As Tony Soprano says, I was just �busting balls.� Glad you caught on and didn�t flip out...it�s just interesting how you mentioned the preponderance of �wife shoppers� going to Colombia...wouldn�t it be easier to just order one from a catalog - although I suppose these days the internet is the preferred medium?

Guys/Girls in Colombia - if I started making some serious inquiries through email right now, do you think I could have something lined up by January or February or so? The idea that a company/institute would actually plan that far in advance and procure a work visa for an employee - without meeting them, no less - is quite foreign to me, working in Argentina and all.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Will S · Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 9

Since you're all on the topic of teaching in Colombia...
Does anyone know the specific documents that are needed to apply for the working visa. I've been looking into it and think I know what is needed but if anyone with first hand experiance would like to confirm the validity of my info I would appreciate it. Am I correct in thinking that the documents that someone would need to bring to a consulate (that they would need to get in their country of origin) are:

one copy of any diplomas and certificates -notarized and appostilled but not translated.

A record of their criminal history -2 copies (one in English one in Spanish), both notarized and appostiled.

Am I correct in thinking that everything else needed could be obtained in Colombia?

A few other questions if anyone has the patience and is still reading this.

Does anyone know anything about needing to get paperwork regarding a clean bill of health?

How about the translations? How picky are they about who does them?

Thanks for any info.
Will

Euster · Joined: 11 Mar 2005 Posts: 12

Hi,

I'm currently working in Bogota. I've been here for about 6 months and have had a great time. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get my hands on a work visa as yet. Pretty much every institute I've been to has expressed a lot of interest in hiring a native speaker but as soon as they realise I'm on a tourist visa they lose interest. It's expensive and it can take ages to arrange. Although that said there's a chance that I may have finally managed to get a work visa for the Colombo in Medellin - fingers crossed! Having a tourist visa emans you need to go to the DAS office once a month to get it renewed. I had no problems until last month when they grilled me a bit about what exactly a tourist was doing in Bogota for 6 months. In the end they stamped my passport anyway.

The safety issue... as someone mentioned previously the better you know bogota (or any other city) the less likely you are to end up walking into problems. Although of course bad things can still happen (I was robbed at gun point a few weeks ago). But generally if you're sensible you should be ok.

Lozwich, where are you working in Bogota? And in what area do you live? I'm living in La Soledad near Crr 30.

Ewan.

MerM · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 7 Location: Chile

Hi,
Everyone is making Colombia sound so appealing I'm going!!

I am in Chile right now and pretty much showed up here without contacts, work visas or too much spanish (not that fluency would help with chilean spanish Wink

I just went door to door and got something within a week. The demand down here is crazy!!

Do you think I can do a similar thing in Colombia, I have have the CELTA, BA, and experience.

one more thing real quick, is march a good time to show up?

Gracia,
M

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

MerM · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 7 Location: Chile

Lozwich thanks for your response.

I'm now looking into plane tickets and want to get more specific, I would be in the country for less then 6 months, having a flight out on a specific date, so getting work wouldn't be a problem? I'm not too interested in getting a work visa.

What is it like living in Bogota, right now in Santiago I live in a shared house with internet and laundry, what should I expect up there?

Also, I don't know what your spanish is like but mine is not so great, the grammar is there but the use is nonexistant, I know everyones experience is different but is it easy to befriend locals, and I mean as friends not people to have an occasional chat with on the street. This was my problem in Guatemala.

thanks
M

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Hi,

I'm not sure of the connection with your flights and work, but I know a few people in Bogota who are working illegally, and they don't seem to have any problems. Since most of those jobs are paid hourly, you could just leave when your time's up and that's it.

The type of accommodation you would have would depend on the kind of job you got. Take a look at http://www.metrocuadrado.com for rental prices. Unfortunately the site is only in Spanish, but it'll give you an idea. Some apartments are furnished, and others not.

My Spanish is upper intermediate, but I have friends who have no Spanish at all, and they all seem to get by. That said, although its small, the expat community in Bogota is fairly strong, so its easy (sometimes too easy) to not speak any Spanish at all. Lots of locals also speak English to varying levels, so that can help too. As for making friends on the street and so forth, unfortunately I've only been in Bogota for 4 months, and two of those have been completely taken up with directing a play for the school where I work, so I haven't made many friends of any nationality at all! Crying or Very sad

Hope this helps,
Lozwich.

MerM · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 7 Location: Chile

Sorry I was sorta unclear, my connection with the flight and visas was that after reading a couple posts it seems that if you have a return flight schools will hire you illegally more easily because they know that you won't be staying and by that not needing a work visa.

As for the speaking english thing, I am looking for a place where I can immerse myself in Spanish and meet native speakers easily. One reason I'm attracted to Colombia is because they supposedly speak excellent spanish.

Any thoughts...

Hope you get some time off to go out!!

M

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Sparlita · Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Toronto, ON

Any one know what the city of Ibague is like? Everyone usually talks about the bigger cities or the more touristy cities, I haven't heard anything at all of this place. Comments?