Job Discussion Forums

[Rimbaud]

The recent discussions about Ecuador have been fantastic. I have been wanting to teach in Ecuador for quite some time so the other threads have been very interesting and informative. I decided to start my own thread because I have some specific questions that are unrelated to the other discussions. I'll try to get right to point.

I have a B.A. in English. I have have been working as a subsitute teacher in the U.S. for the past two years and I also have some experience working as a tutor. Within the past month I received my TESL certificate, and my savings has finally reached a level where I can comfortably fall back on it if need be. So I'm thinking it's time to start sending out applications. Ideally, I would like to have a job in either Cuenca or Quito that begins in July or August. Is it worth the time and effort to secure a job before I go?
I would really like to have a job waiting for me, but, based on the discussions on this forum, I might want to meet the directors, the other teachers, and see the facilities before I committ. I am also torn between living in Quito or Cuenca, so I'm thinking I will want to visit each city before I decide where to live for the next year or more.
Also, this will be my first TESL job, so how picky can I be when I search for a job? It seems to me that most first year teachers don't have a lot of bargaining power.
Is it realistic to think that I can get a full-time job at one institution or will I have to work part time with several different employers to make $500-$600 per month?

I'm sorry this is not concise. I thank you in advance for taking the time to read and respond/advise to this - I know there have been several threads asking you all to evaluate "marketability"

[naturegirl321]

Should be no prob with your experience. PM Justin Trullinger, he might be able to help you with the job part.

[rlloydevans]

We just finished the transition to Ecuador (arrived Mar 1) and it worked out well. We weren't able to obtain a position before we left. Most institutions are reluctant to do that because so many potential candidates end up going elsewhere. They much prefer to have you in-country before they commit.

Although, please note this doesn't apply to the high-level schools like Cotapaxi or Inter-American. These actually prefer to recruit from overseas. But they also pay the most, give the most holidays and other benefits and have the mosty competition for them.

So, the way we did it, we emailed everyone we could to let them know we were coming. For any who showed interest we sent resumes-CVs and in a few cases filled out applications on line.

When we arrived we started making the rounds. In five days we had four very nice job offers - two in Quito and two in Cuenca. We settled on the Quito jobs. I started the following Monday and my wife starts this coming Monday.

You should have no problem finding a job that pays $6 or more per classroom hour. Probably closer to $6.50 or even more. So $600 or more a month is quite reachable.

Good luck!