Job Discussion Forums

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

Ok, so i'll actually comment on the topic this time.

I assume that CEC is the politecnica. It would certainly appear so from the info that's been shared so far on the post.

Working on this assumption, and understanding that i left Quito a little over 2 years ago, I can say that i knew 5 or 6 teachers working there and not a single one had any complaints (except for the odd nightmare student, but that can happen anywhere). Steady pay, steady hours (3 in the morning 3 in the afternoon is what i remember my friends working but i can't be sure) and a pretty decent material bank for Ecuadorian school standards. They paid $1 less than EIL and KLS (see below) but the guaranteed hours and pay made a pretty attractive offer.

I had an interview with EIL (not with Justin) and was offered a job on condition of a observed lesson. The school itself appeared to be very well run, new classrooms, new materials, an excellent set up. I didn't take the job (and i assume i wouldn't have had any problems with the observed lesson as i never had done before) because i was offered a job with KLS (Key Language Services), who offered me the same money, the hours i needed (i was taking spanish classes as well so didn't want a full schedule) but without the weekend volunteering stuff. I think the volunteer work is a great idea and some people really enjoy it, but my weeks were pretty busy and i preferred to keep the weekends free for hangover recovery and/or travelling.

KLS was a fantastic place to work with 3 brilliant bosses. They really made the whole experience. I know that they don't bother looking at CVs sent in by email so don't be surprised if you hear nothing back from them.

So, basically there are 3 places i would recommend. KLS, EIL or the politecnica. The first 2 are very well known and respected in Quito. I am still in touch with a couple of Ecuadorian friends who have told me those 2 are the best schools in the city. EF, i have heard, is also pretty decent with good wages.

Anyway, as i mentioned, my experience is of Quito from late 2003. I would guess it's changed a bit since. My friends even tell me that la casa de la felicidad (where i lived-L Garcia between JL Mera and Reina Vic) is no longer so feliz, which is a shame. We used to have some cool parties there. Maybe the neighbours got tired of it all...or maybe the police arrested everyone...anyone know what happened to Forrest, a tall American guy famous in Quito for his, erm, dodgy business. Or Nick, the American who owns/ed G-Spot burger bar on Calama?

A quick question...what's Quito like these days for a foreigner? More dangerous (it certainly wasn't safe when i was there...as a 'gunpoint' mugging showed me)? Wages gone up? What are costs like now? I remember arriving in Buenos Aires straight from Quito and being amazed that Quito was more expensive and the quality of everything (food, transport, restaurants, cultural life etc) 100 times better in Buenos Aires. It's still dirt cheap here but not if you're living on local wages. You need some other form of making money (see the link below!).

As a final point, i'd say that I really enjoyed my time in Quito but i don't think i would ever go back.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 9:32 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the kind words, Matt. And I still wonder if you and I ever met. Some of the parties my first year in Quito, when you and I overlapped, aren't the clearest in my memory.

And yeah, CEC is the politecnica. The English program is now run as part of a semi-separate entitym called the Centro de Educaci�n Continua. But it's still the same place, and basically the same situation you describe. And yeah, everybody I've known there has been fairly happy. Those who have been less so have been those who had a bit of a hard time with the curriculum, which is good for Ecuador, but far from perfect. (Mine is far from perfect too. Ecuador has a way of making things harder...)

About volunteering stuff- I don't know how it was when you interviewed, Matt. (Karenne and I overlapped rather briefly. She hired me, then flew off a few months later.) But while teachers are required to do some form of volunteer work, the question of what and when is extremely flexible now. Most of us do it in the form of an English class or two for one community organisation or other during the work week. The weekend stuff I mentioned in my previous post is social- something I do because I've become very close to the students, and enjoy spending my time that way. It isn't required. (And I don't do it when I feel like travelling.)

Your question about minimum guaranteed salaries, MO- Regrettably no. But I find this is only a problem if you think about earning fluctuating in a downward direction. I sad some lean months my first year. (Earned $300-$450.) I can live on it, but I'm cheap to keep. But remember, I also earned $900 or a little higher in that same year. Where the cushion of a little savings is a big help is in the set up period, though I don't think that's dissimilar to a lot of countries. A new teacher won't earn enough to cover deposits on apartments or new furniture, and all the costs that come up when you relocate.

About the "non-profit" issue, Cynical Loz. Yeah- it's not easy. And being a non-profit regrettably does not mean we don't worry about money. Much the opposite, in fact. But it does affect our margins. And it affects our ability to offer special projects where I feel they matter. (Some of our projects are run at or near zero margin. The majority have to break even, or we will disappear. But if it seems like a good thing to do, we can do it as long as we can find a way to make it work.)

For me, part of it is philosophical, as well. I have to work Saturday this week. It's not usual, but it does happen. I'd resent it more than I do if I felt like an owner was making me work that hard to pay for his or her Mercedes. But it's different because there's no owner, and no Mercedes. Nobody's getting rich, and my hard work contributes to the success of things that I believe in.

Do I really believe this? Hell yes. Since I've been here, I've had job offers from chain schools, and from private high schools. For 150% to 250% of my current salary. I'm still here. I have no desire to return to the business sector, ever again.

I know that a lot of NGOs pay first world salaries and rake in the bucks, using clever accounting to protect their director's massive benefits, hiding behind their non-profit status. I've worked with some, mostly teaching English to the aforementioned directors. An organisation's status as nongovernmental or not for profit doesn't guarantee anything good. (Any more than all businesses are bad, though many are, and the bigger the badder, in general.) But it can be a very good thing in some cases.

You have to evaluate whatever you're going to do, and where you're gonna work, in a lot of ways, at a lot of levels. But for me, while I have to make a living, I didn't come to Ecuador to chase the almighty dollar, and being involved with the non-profit side of things has opened some doors to see another Ecuador for me.

Regards,

Justin

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

MO39 · Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 10:52 pm Post subject:

A quick question...what's Quito like these days for a foreigner? More dangerous (it certainly wasn't safe when i was there...as a 'gunpoint' mugging showed me)? Wages gone up? What are costs like now? I remember arriving in Buenos Aires straight from Quito and being amazed that Quito was more expensive and the quality of everything (food, transport, restaurants, cultural life etc) 100 times better in Buenos Aires. It's still dirt cheap here but not if you're living on local wages. You need some other form of making money (see the link below!).

Justin,

I'd like to hear your reaction to matttheboy's question. I spent a few weeks in Ecuador a few years ago, some of it in Quito, which did not make a really great impression on me, except for the startling view of El Pichincha from my hotel's patio. There was a definite sense of danger in the historic center of town. That was disappointing, since I'm a big fan of colonial architecture and didn't explore that part of town on my own as much as I would have liked to because of warnings from all sorts of local people to be careful and keep my camera out of sight and so on.

Mil gracias.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 11:14 pm Post subject:

MO39 · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 2:28 am Post subject:

Justin,

Thanks for your nuanced description of Quito. In your opinion, how careful would someone like me (middle-aged female, not into getting drunk in public places, not too obviously a foreigner, fond of wandering around cities alone in a sensible fashion) need to be to take advantage of the pleasures Quito has to offer?

boxcarwilly · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 85

I worked for CEC EPN and lived in Quito. CEC is the brainchild of Henry a retired import export fellow from Alabama. He married into a somewhat wealthy Ecuadorian family and had an idea about setting up a language school on the grounds of a university. Good idea. It's a money maker but that does not mean the money will trickle down. He was able to bring teachers in under a 12-8 cultural exchange visa as volunteers. The pay is meant to cover living expenses. Bring extra money as the pay at CEC will not cover your real expenses especially if you want to travel about. Just remember, not all slaves were unhappy. Think of Quito as a working holiday where you have contribute some of our own money.
Quito is not what it used to be. Do not believe the BS that the town is safe, it is not. The unusually large influx of Colombians and their violent ways has helped destroy the country. The Ecuadorians learned from the Colombians about taking crime to the next level. If you look like a gringo it's like painting a bullseye on your back. Don't expect any help from anyone if you are being robbed; they turn their backs as if you somehow deserve it. You have a very good chance of being robbed. These folks work in groups; it's rarely one on one. They work a seemingly endless array of distractive schemes until they get you. The cost of living has skyrocketed over the past few years.
On the other hand the country is one of great beauty. Banos is lovely and worth frequent trips. The Cotopaxi train ride is not to be missed. The fresh fruit juices are beyond compare as to any other place I have lived. The women are wonderful so much so that I married one. Between the coast, mountains and jungle there is much to see. Cuenca is a city you must visit as it looks like the city you thought you were moving to when you came to Quito. Puyo is another fun place to visit with it�s zoo. Go to the coast and visit Isla de la Plata, the poor person's Galapagos. If you like the outdoors, there may be no place better. Try the coca tea if you feel the effects of altitude. I could go on and on about the places as I was always on the move.
The beauty of Ecuador is matched only by the ugliness of many of its inhabitants. The Spanish came many centuries ago, screwed it up and it has been screwed up ever since.
I would not tell anyone not to go but if you do get robbed or murdered let it be known that you had the evidence you needed to avoid it. Quito is the most unsafe place I have ever lived and worked and I travel the globe. If I was planning of moving there for the first time I probably would not want to read this so just be ever so careful and maybe, just maybe you'll be smiling when you leave.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 7:51 pm Post subject:

Hmm. I guess, boxcarwilly, we'll have to agree to disagree. And I'm glad you got your opinions on here, as I previously mentioned that I would not presume to consider mine to be typical or all encompassing.

I'd like to respond to a few of your points, though, as I don't feel that your opinions or experiences are typical or all encompassing either.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

boxcarwilly · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 85

Time will tell who had the most accurate description and prediction. I gave enough information to let the readers know I am a bona fide responder to the OP. There is much, much more I could have said. If you are dropping into a hot LZ you have the right to know the situation on the ground.
I showed your response to my Ecuadorian wife this morning. She laughed and said you must be a newbie.
My wife and I both love Ecuador it's just that we stopped looking at it through rose colored glasses a long time ago. Best of luck to the OP.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 8:16 pm Post subject:

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

Crime. Drugs. Prostitution. Blame the Colombians.

The hookers and trannies along Reina Victoria, the guys that robbed me and my friendly weed provider all looked and sounded remarkably Ecuadorian to me. But hey, it's all the Colombians' fault.

Muppet.

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

Crime. Drugs. Prostitution. In Buenos Aires blame the Bolivians. They're all the same-drug pushers, violent criminals, whores. Dirty people. Beat them all with a stick i say.

Tool.

boxcarwilly · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 85

Travel Advice
Ecuador
Ecuador overall This Advice is current for Tuesday, 07 March 2006.
Be alert to own security Exercise caution High degree of caution Reconsider your need to travel Do not travel
North-east border region
Be alert to own security Exercise caution High degree of caution Reconsider your need to travel Do not travel
Antennas of Volcan Pinchincha via Cruz Loma
Be alert to own security Exercise caution High degree of caution Reconsider your need to travel Do not travel

This advice has been reviewed and reissued. The overall level of the advice has not changed.

Summary
We advise you to exercise caution and monitor developments that might affect your safety in Ecuador because of the risk of terrorism and civil unrest.
Pay close attention to your personal security and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks.
We strongly advise you not to travel to the north-east border region of Ecuador because of the high threat of terrorist and criminal activity by groups based in Colombia.
We strongly advise you not to hike to the antennas of Volcan Pichincha via Cruz Loma, west of Quito, because of the risk of criminal activity.
Australia does not have an Embassy or Consulate in Ecuador. The Australian Embassy in Chile provides consular assistance to Australians in Ecuador. The Canadian Embassy in Quito can also provide consular assistance to Australians.
Be a smart traveller. Before heading overseas:
organise comprehensive travel insurance and check what circumstances and activities are not covered by your policy
register your travel and contact details, so we can contact you in an emergency
subscribe to this travel advice to receive free email updates each time it's reissued.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S. Sure is easy to get you guys wound up. Maybe you are too sensitve for this profession?

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 12:46 pm Post subject:

Who's wound up? I'm quite enjoying this!

I assume that your source for this info was one of the embassy/consular service travel advisory sites, no? Could you post the link?

In the meantime, hope all is well with you guys.

Justin