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Tips for getting coveted jobs
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:44 pm    Post subject: Tips for getting coveted jobs Reply with quote

School jobs, those in Primary ad Secondary school, not only pay well,
but you get summer's off and bonuses three times a year.

Not everythig that glitters is gold though, you'll have plenty of
paperwork, admin stuff, and parents to deal with.

AS it is, there are LOTS of positions that open up in August, in the
middle of the school year. Some people get fired, others quit, and
others simply pull runners. Either way, that means that there are
positions up for grabs. DOn't wait for adverts, you'd better off just
emailing your CV. LOOk here for the best places to work and start
sending your CV!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/perujobbulletin/message/1097
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keepwalking



Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 194
Location: Peru, at last

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I work at a British-Peruvian school and I can support what naturegirl says - work does come up mid-year. Don't assume that you'll have to wait until January for the new school year.

One bit of advcie to add: take a lot of care with your covering letter and let your referees know you've used them. If schools are in the position of needing to hire mid-year they will be pushed for time. If you are not in the country then your covering letter will be very important. they will need to know quickly if you are a strong applicant, rather than someone who wants to travel and so is looking for EFL work. There's nothing wrong with the latter, but schools generally want someone who is as committed to teaching as they are to travelling.

In your covering letter explain how your experience is relevant to teaching in this school. Talk about the age groups you have taught and how you got involved in other events like clubs, staff meetings etc. You need to show yourself as a team player who will adapt quickly to a new school.

Also contact the people you name as referees. Make sure they are prepared to write a reference for you and can do so quickly. Give email addresses for them so schools can contact them easily. Once you know a school is interested, check with your referees yourself and encourage them to reply quickly.

There are opportunities mid year and often these can lead to an offer of a contract for next year - if that were the case you could end up being paid in January while school's are on holiday, thus getting a month's free travel!!

Get applying!
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john_n_carolina



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 700
Location: n. carolina

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

...good advice. also, when you are "in country" and going for interviews, etc....bring more than just a pen and resume. bring everything: infocus, board games, flashcards, list of activities, list of games, list of videos, etc

show them on your laptop (if you have one) all your exercises: punctuation, writing essays, pronunciation (very important), and practice exercises...

lug it all in and show them your whole treasure chest....

and, if you really want to impress them, bring a karaoke machine with CD's...

i did this once and the director couldn't believe it...she said, "Can you start on Monday?"

unless, you're "old-school" and go right from the book.
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know. I've never brought anything, well I being my CV and am usually told that they have it. Basically interviews here consist of tests: psychological, grammar, Maths, word association, and then tons of questions.

And lots of times, they don't care too much about your ideas. They want you to adapt to their ideas. At least that's what the 2 schools, 2 universities and 1 institute have told me.

And being old school doesn't work too well, at least in schools, here more and more places are ditching books in favour of research and pulling things out of the hat. I don however, see good things about following books. MAinly, a whole team of people write the thing and don't just come up with stuff on the fly. They can dedicate their WHOLE day to making materials. I have 45 minutes a day, plus having to get everything approved by my coordinator and the coordinator's coordinator, takes forever.
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john_n_carolina



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 700
Location: n. carolina

PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

...yes, i suppose it depends on the school. one private catholic school i was in "talks" with wanted me to scrap their whole system. give away the books, get new equipment, revise schedule, revise hiring, and put in place a new curriculum and method. i turned that one down, was too much.

then, like you said ive had some that just wanted me to use the books that they had. of course, the books had been written by one of their own MA students, so they wanted the copyright income.

however, the majority of institutes and places that i wandered around wanted to just use me as a "conversation" teacher and pronunciation. no books, no tests, no exercises, just talking.

so, the moral of the story is to research the school and talk to any of the teachers there. then, you'll have a good idea how to approach the interview. sort of as if you were applying for a job in the N.America. always, research the company first and you can find out a lot about them while also impressing them at the interview.

but, i would still bring my laptop and InFocus machine to any institute or school in S.America. both are extremely valuable. time-wise and interest-wise. it's a nice break during your class time to get out your laptop and Infocus to practice pronunciation.
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know what an In Focus machine is. But luckily at our school, all teachers are given Mac laptops.
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DrVanNostrand



Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you guys talking about language schools or public/private schools?

I'm a middle grades Social Studies teacher here in the States and am certified to teach middle grades and secondary Social Studies. I'm a 26-year-old male, decent looking, presentable, professional, etc., have a BA in history and minor in political science. One year of teaching experience in the States.

What kinds of jobs could I expect to find in Peru or Latin America in general?

Personally, I have no interest in working for language schools and that's primarily what you read about on these forums (which is understandable considering its nature). Are there opportunities for public or private school positions, universities, or the like?

What kind of pay could I expect to find at these places if available and how does it compare to the standard of living in LA?

Any feedback or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Private primary and secondary schools.

You cuold find jobs at international schools, look here for links.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=4556

Do you have two years experience? With international schools, you're likely to get the same pay as in the US, BUT, cost of living is much less, so you can save more. Plus, you'll get perks, like flights.

Here's an idea: My husband and I live off of 500 USD a month, the rest we save. BUT, we don't live like gringos or expats. You could probably live off of 1000 a month, and you'd prpobably get around 2 or 3K a month.

Check your PM as well
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john_n_carolina



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 700
Location: n. carolina

PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

VanNostrand,....i have lots of contacts for you in Ecuador, regarding private K-12 schools. many are paying $13-18,000 / yr or more...let me know by PM...

your K-12 cert is worth gold in L.A....if i had mine finished, i'd be out of here day after tomorrow
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john_n_carolina



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 700
Location: n. carolina

PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

....Naturegirl....and InFocus machine projects your laptop onto the whiteboard / wall / etc....like an overhead machine

in L.America they cost 2-3 X what they do in the U.S. on Ebay, you can pick one up for $900 or so....
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

johninmaine wrote:
VanNostrand,....i have lots of contacts for you in Ecuador, regarding private K-12 schools. many are paying $13-18,000 / yr or more...let me know by PM...

your K-12 cert is worth gold in L.A....if i had mine finished, i'd be out of here day after tomorrow


Here in Lima, you could easily pull in 36K a year, plus flights. And that's middle grounds. Some pull in double that, outside of LIma, expect 900 USd a month.

Honestly, 13K a year isn't very good for international school standards.
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DrVanNostrand



Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks guys. Sounds like I'd have some options if LA seemed like the place for me.

Naturegirl, thank you for the PM. Very good information there.

Are international school jobs easy to come by in LA?

Also, is the crime as bad as people claim? I'm sure it varies depending on city, economics, and political situation, but from everything that I've heard, many parts of LA suffer from moderate to severe levels of crime. Is it that big of a risk living there and do you feel safe walking down the streets or using public transportation?

Thanks again for all the help.
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home

PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

International jobs are pretty easy to come by if you're qualified and have the experience. ALso as in every place, ther'es a top notch school that's hard to get into, but the other schools are acessible.

Crime isn't that bad, just have common sense. I have no porblem walking around and using public transport, go to markets as well. That being said, I know plenty of people who always take taxis, can't speak Spanish, and wouldn't dream of going to a market.
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keepwalking



Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 194
Location: Peru, at last

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Something to consider when you are looking at wages etc. If you work for an international school/private school they are likely to offer a 2 year contract and to get a work visa for you. That is a plus because you don't have to go across the border every 3 months to renew your tourist visa. However, it is also a minus as you then have to pay tax.

For the first year on a working visa expect to pay almost 50%. Add in the pension scheme the school probably offers (and is compulsory!) and the salary is less impressive. In my first year here, earning $900 a month, I saved nothing but did do a bit of travelling around Peru in the holidays. I'm doing better now but I'm not saving massive amounts.
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Gialloerosso



Joined: 02 Jul 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

naturegirl,

Do you know if it is possible to get a U.S. teaching certificate without having to go back to the states?
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