Job Discussion Forums

[solareyna]

The fabulous four:

Please keep me posted if you do try one of those places. (PM me if you prefer). My husband and I have one child and plan to leave in 2009 as well. We want Latin America but so far it is not looking so good for us unless we can get into an international school. I plan on working as well and putting my son in school, he is a bit older than your children (4.5 now). I only have my Bachelor's but my husband is finishing his doctorate and has teaching experience at UNI level and junior high. But good luck in your search and let me know if you come across something amazing! Thanks.

[naturegirl321]

I can tell you about Peru. UDEP pays about 700 USD, it's in Piura in the north. Fleming pays about 700 to 900, it's in Trujillo. Various places in LIma, but costs are higher. IN Arequipa in the south, try Prescott.

[Justin Trullinger]

To make a long story short- with entry level qualifications, not much experience, and limitations on where you can live...you're gonna due one of three things:

A) Starve

B) Spend more money than you earn

C) Both

The economy, most places in Latin America, simply doesn't have enough on offer to let entry level teachers support families comfortably. Sorry to be a killjoy. And it's worth mentioning- if you're husband is considering one of those $300 to $600 online certs, many reputable employers won't even consider him for entry level. (No observed teaching practice adds up to an "uncert" in a lot of places.)

If you have savings, come and enjoy. But if not, maybe asia. Maybe Korea? But to support a family at this, you'd need more resources than you're likely to bring in as an entry level teacher and a half, at least where I've been living.

Best,
Justin

[bdbarnett1]

Santiago, Chile, sounds like a good place to start.

[john_n_carolina]

...Santiago, Chile - hope you don't have asthma....i don't have time right now to look up the pollution indices, but check around on Google...Santiago has to be in the Top 5 in the World, as far as worst pollution.

[naturegirl321]

[bdbarnett1]

[MELEE]

I lived in Santiago for 9 months, granted it was in 1993, but I found it a vibrant, exciting city. I have two photos side by side of the same view from my apartment in Las Condes. One was taken in August on in December. In the December one you can clearly see the mountains that ring the city, in August you can just barely make them out.
I was very ready to leave the city by the end of my course there, but not because the pollution, I had gotten use to black snot, just because the general city things, traffic, noise, car alarms, crowds, had worn me down so much that I left town every weekend (I had 3 day weekends, no classes on Fridays!) It was very easy to get out of town and enjoy the country air, green places, wide open spaces.
John, I think you should let other people make the decision on where THEY want to go. You can certainly tell them they may be dealing with high levels of pollution, but let them decide if they want to deal with it or not.

[solareyna]

Can Santiago really be worse for pollution than Salt Lake City where I currently live? It is bad here, I am wondering if it could possibly be any worse.

[john_n_carolina]

...don't forget, the title of the post is regarding Teaching with 2 young children...

would you put your children in a city 100 X the sulfur level of NY?

cancer, bronchial diseases, asthma, lead poisining from the water, smelter, etc

"Chile has some of the world's dirtiest factories, belching sulfur dioxide, arsenic and heavy metals into the atmosphere. Many of its rivers are heavily contaminated with industrial and human waste and its natural resources, experts say, are over-exploited."

? ? i wonder why there is no cancer in the Mediterranean?

....that black stuff in your nose every day, it's not exactly herbal ginseng

i didn't say "Don't go there!"....but, mentioned to check around on Google and do your research...then, draw your own conclusions...

personally, with children...i wouldn't stay more than 6 months

[john_n_carolina]

...actually, after reading a little -- Santiago has improved (so they say) to about 500PPM sulfur, down from about 3000PPM 5 years ago. but, that's still 10X most large US / UK cities...

and, that's not measuring Ozone pollution, small particle pollution, heavy metals, arsenic, and drinking water pollution...just sulfur

[naturegirl321]

What about LIma? I vot it for being dirty

[keepwalking]

I agree with Nature Girl! I suffer from asthma and after more than two days in Lima I am wheezing.

I've lived in Trujillo for over 2 years and have had no problems at all. Sea air!

In regards to the original debate about bringing kids here, I know several people who have under 5's here and they are fine. There's plenty to do for little ones and Trujillo is well-served by a good hospital should they become ill.

Whether you can get a job which pays enough to support a family, without working anti-family hours (early mornings and late nights) is another story. At the very least it would be worth getting a TEFL cert that included time in the classroom. As a guide, the two biggest institutes here pay around $5-$6 an hour and usually offer around 25 hours a week contact time. You have to add travelling, prep and marking into that to get an idea of how many hours you'll actually work.

There are bi-lingual schools in Peru: Davy College in Cajamarca, one in Arequipa, 6 or 7 British schools in Lima and one here in Trujillo. They normally offer a minimum of two year contracts: the expense of getting working visas means it is not viable to employ people for a year.

Remember that if you don't get work with one of these schools (who ask for a minimum of a relevant degree, TEFL and experience), you are unlikely to be employed by an organisation that will give you a visa. This means trips across the border to Ecuador (if you are in the north) or Chile (for southern posts such as Arequipa or Lima) Either way this means long bus journeys with the kids on a regular basis.

Good luck with your plans.

[naturegirl321]