Job Discussion Forums

[amyv12]

Hello everyone,
Im looking into coming LA mid April. I have a TESOL certificate, and I am volunteering at a local school to get some experience. I am just wondering where to go? I dont care to much about money, but I dont want to be just staying a float the whole time, Would love to learn Spanish, live in a smaller city if possible, and if there was a beach near by that wouldnt be a bad thing either. On a side note, this would be my ideal situation, if I dont get everything thats ok. Any suggestions to narrow down the field would be great!!
Also suggestions on cities or regions would be helpful as well....
Thanks a bunch!

[MELEE]

Why not go to your local library and skim so guidebooks/travel books on Latin America and see if anything jumps out at you. It's really hard for us to make these kinds of suggestions. Those of us who have been to several countries in the region know they are all great for different reasons.

Job wise the five biggest markets see to be (in this order based on MY observations--I'd love to see if the others agree)

Mexico
Coasta Rica
Chile
Ecuador
Peru

That's not to say there aren't jobs in the other countries, nor that you shouldn't go to another country if it interests you.

[nineisone]

Melee's list seems about right.

So many factors influence each LA nation's ESL marketplace. I believe Argentina likely has a great # of ESL positions but the demand to teach there as well as the high cost of living in the capital, should raise some red flags for a L.A. newbie. You rarely ever see schools in Argentina advertise abroad because they can always fill their positions in-country.

Peru has ESL jobs but not a lot of good ones. I fear Ecuador may be in the same boat. Mexico appears to have a lot of good positions but the need for better qualifications for the said positions might make it a tough entry for a newbie.

I always recommend Costa Rica for anyone interested in teaching in the region, who hasn't traveled there before. Booming ESL market makes it easy for a newbie to gain entry and gather fairly wide range experience teaching everybody from children to business professionals. Beautiful country, a bit Latin American-lite in its culture, friendly people, crime problems but not too bad for the region. Even living in the San Jose environs puts you fairly close to some nice beaches and some of the suburban areas have the smaller, rural feel. It can be a tough go with costs constantly increasing against wages, but it might be worth exploring.

[naturegirl321]

[amyv12]

Thanks for all the help... I must say Costa Rica is at the top of my list, while Mexico seems to be at the bottom. Im not to worried about the culture shock. I have travelled a lot and love new cultures, of course everyone is different. But I think I looking for a little less of the North American culture. If anyone has specific information on San Jose that would also be very helpful.

naturegirl I do have a possible contact through a friend in Peru, any more suggestions on the country? Does the wage generally cover the cost of living?

[MELEE]

Depending on the part of Mexico--you might find Costa Rica more like "North America" than Mexico. I've only spent a very short amount of time there, but San Jose and Monterry had a similar feel to me.



I debated about wether or not to put Argentina on my list. I agree that you could probably find a job in your first week there, but it seems just SOOO hard to make enough to cover your costs. It seems like you are more likely to break even in Peru than in Argentina. And I think there are also jobs in Colombia, but again, just from watching the forums, it seems harder to make it work there than in Ecuador and Peru.
Brazil is similar, but the OP mentioned a desire to learn Spanish, so I left that off the list.

Amy should post in the Costa Rica forum for specifics.

[naturegirl321]