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pak
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 5
Location: Ankara, Turkey
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 Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 7:23 am Post subject: Summer Jobs in Latin America??? |
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I am starting to research summer jobs in Latin America, although I wouldn't be able to go until 2007 or 2008. Can anyone recommend any reputable programs for summer jobs? They could be paying jobs or volunteer, even "pay-to-volunteer" if the cost is not too outrageous. I am open to any country. I do speak some Spanish, but would like this as an opportunity to improve my command of the language. I am an experienced teacher; I teach ESOL at a public high school in South Carolina.
Thanks for your help!
pak |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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sonia12
Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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| I am writing in response to the search for summer jobs in Latin America. Although OptimalEnglish requires an 8-12 month stay, it is a great program for recent graduates looking to explore options abroad. Check out the recruitment website at www.coachenglish.com, and the home webpage at www.optimalenglish.com. |
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sonia12
Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:54 pm Post subject: Coach English in sunny Caracas, Venezuela |
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| I am writing in response to the search for summer jobs in Latin America. Although OptimalEnglish requires an 8-12 month stay, it is a great program for recent graduates looking to explore options abroad. Check out the recruitment website at www.coachenglish.com, and the home webpage at www.optimalenglish.com. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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Would you all think I'm shameless if I recommend the Experiment in International Living, Ecuador? It's a nice place, and has a really wide variety of programs, both paying jobs and volunteer options. (Or frequently, some combination of the two.)
The only drawback is that I've heard that the director of English is a little weird...
Anyway, check it out on www.eilecuador.org.
And good luck,
Justin |
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RyanS
Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 356
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:34 am Post subject: |
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| And that it is insanely expensive is another drawback. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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| And that it is insanely expensive is another drawback. |
I really feel that your tone here is unjustified, Ryans, but as you are a poster whose opinions I frequently respect and agree with, I thought I'd do a little research before responding.
I will freely admit, that as director of English, my connection with the pay to volunteer section of our organisation is largely coincidental. I'll even admit that I didn't know specifically when I posted my link how much those programs cost, although I had a general idea. But honestly, I don't know what the OP considers to be "outrageously expensive," so I figured it was fair to offer him or her the information and let that person come to their own decision. (What's cheap to you may be expensive to me, and vice versa.)
But to try to see where you're coming from, I followed the other links on this thread, and also did a google search on volunteering in Ecuador. What I found was a fair few volunteer programs, 1 to 4 weeks in duration, in the same price range as our three month program. It is also true that some programs were considerably cheaper, but given that they didn't include housing, Spanish classes, or a lot of other costs, I expect that to obtain comparable services, the costs would equalize somewhat.
Having just checked costs on more than a dozen volunteer programs here in Ecuador, I feel I can confidently say that in our 3 to 6 month programs, we're in the middle of the range. Programs of one month or less, which we do not offer, seem to be disproportionately expensive. In longer programs, up to a year, we seem to be cheaper than anything I could find, although there are probably some cheaper ones out there.
In any case, pay to volunteer is only one of the services we offer. I currently have a staff of a dozen English teachers, the majority of whom, me included, are also active community volunteers. As these people came to Ecuador, and to this organisation, as teachers, not paying volunteers, they have paid no program fees whatsoever. They do, however, receive a good local salary, plus Spanish classes and health insurance benefit. Is this insanely expensive?
Please pardon the rant, everybody. I use this forum primarily for entertainment, and secondarily to offer and receive information that may be useful, which is what I was trying to do in the first post I made on this thread. But I felt, Ryans, that your post called for some clarification on my part.
Regards,
Justin |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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Justin,
I want to congratulate you on your very reasonable response. Most people on this board have always belittled the pay to volunteer programs, but I feel that for many people they are a great option. You get a lot of support and services that you wouldn't get if you just came and got some bottom rung teaching job.
Way back in 1995, I worked in Cuenca, fresh out of university with no formal training and no previous experience. I was there for 6 months and even though I was getting paid, I spent 2000 dollars that I had saved before the trip. The pay I recieved ofset my expenses a little. I travelled all over the whole country, ate out a lot, drank a lot, and learned a lot. When I took the job, I didn't think I'd still be teaching English ten years later. I just wanted to improve my Spanish and get more international experience under my belt. I managed to arrange it all myself, and I took my boyfriend along with me. There's no way he would have been able to arrange everything by himself, if it weren't for me, he would never have gone, unless he went on a pay to volunteer type program. These programs are not for everyone, but they definately are good for a lot of people out there. If they didn't have their place they wouldn't exsist. I don't think its fair for anyone to insinuate that they are a scam.
Justin, Keep up the good work. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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