Job Discussion Forums

[ChrisH1487]

Hi everyone,

I guess I should start this post with my qualifications (which are admittedly sparse). I'll be graduating from a state university in May with a degree in Journalism and Legal Studies. I do not have any teaching experience however.

I'm interested in S. America (preferably Peru or Chile) and was wondering if its possible to do this without a TEFL certificate. I'd like to spend about a year or two teaching English, and was hoping to do so without having to acquire a certificate or pay someone to help me find a job. So I guess my second question is, how easy is to find work on your own? Can it be done before you embark on your trip, or is the only real option to search out work once you arrive.

[naturegirl321]

The fact that you-re a native speaker will help you. If you can get SOME experience, like volutneering, that would help. Same if you can do research via a local library or observation.

About Peru, I could help you, a lot. See my PM. It-s pretty easy here in Peru, jobs are easy to find. You-ll get about 6 dollars an hour, you get 183 days if you ask at the border. Then border hp and get 183 more. Though usually you get 180 days. If you don-t ask, you get 30 to 90 days.

If you-re interested in Piura, I know a university that hires, they get you a volunteer visa good for a year. For Lima, I know TONS of language schools that need teachers.

Finding work on your own, USUALLY you have to be here, though sending your CV and making contacts BEFORE you get here helps, a lot. For language schools, come without a job and you-ll get enough hours within two weeks, provided that you don-t come during a big holiday.

But, if you want a job beforehand in Peru, there are a couple of places, one I know in Piura, another in Trujillo, let me know if you-re interested.

The reason taht people are wary about offering a job before you arrive is because for lots of people teaching in Latin America is a pipe dream, the say they-re going to do it, but reality starts to set in. 6 dollars an hour, split shifts, cancelled classes with no pay, long hours of commute (I have 3 hours a day), border hopping, high cost of living, people just get scared off.

I-ve seen plenty of people come and tell me that oh yes, they want to stay in Peru FOREVER, and they-re gone within two months. Life-s just hard here, but with that being said, you can live pretty well here, eat out every day, have a maid and a decent flat and live a good life.

[Amani Renas]

[keepwalking]

Get your certificate, or at the very least some decent experience before you leave home. Your hard-working students who earn very little but sacrifice to pay for English lessons deserve nothing less than someone who knows how to teach and what to teach, not just the language. There are places that will hire you just because you are a native speaker but you will find it much easier to actually do the job and will do a better job for your potential students with a bit of experience before hand.

[naturegirl321]

[readytotravel]

naturegirl321, many years ago I took a job in Columbia. The teaching schedule was 40 classroom hours per week which I found to be absolutely draining. Is this the case all over South America or do most schools have more reasonable requirements for full-time teachers?

[john_n_carolina]

...40 hrs is not considered normal or even doable. unless, you're in S.Korea and you've got the $10k yearly savings pushing you into the class.

i myself have taught many 40 hr schedules and didn't find them all that hard. the were split shift though.

7-9 basic, 9-11 Int, 5-7 Masters and 7-9 conversation. in between i went for a run and slept all afternoon.

of course at this time i had literally thousands of photocopies to use whenever i needed.

however, in L.America it's not worth doing 40 hour schedules. live a little. enjoy the countries and do a lot of dancing.

[naturegirl321]

In Peru, unfortunately, you usually work for a couple of schools, or one school and do privates. YOu can get by on about 20 or 25 hours a week. If you work more it-s up to you. I don-t know any teachers that get 40 hours from just one institute. Schools are a different matter entirely.

The number of hours and classes also has something to do with it. If you have 20 hours, but each is a one hour class and each class is different, you-ll be more tired than if you were doing Johninmaine's schedule.

Also, material helps. I-ve worked in places with NO material, much harder than just teaching from the book.

[Amani Renas]

[naturegirl321]

I would argue against that. I-d rather hire someone with no experience that I could mould into a good teacher than someone who had been taught the wrong way and I-d have to not only undone all the bad teaching, but reteach them

[john_n_carolina]

....ITTT?
http://www.teflonline.net/online-course.htm

for the "backpacker"/"1 yearer" it's not bad....especially for L.America where we only get paid $4/hr.

i would do this one, and then head directly to Buenos Aires....

if you're staying longer than a year -- get the CELTA probably.

[just_a_mirage]

I currently am working at a high school, and an English Institute in Ecuador. I work about 25 hours weekly in each. (A lot of hours, but I am supporting a family) When I started working here, I had a BA but no TEFL. After finding work, I enrolled in a TEFL program here. It was beneficial not only in improving my teaching, but also in that I made many valuable contacts, not only at the university where I received my certification, but also with the other teachers in my classes. They are a great source not only for ideas, but also the networking is great for hearing about new opportunities.

[Justin Trullinger]

Mostly, online certs fall into the category of "a fool and his money." As do weekend certs. Do a topic search, and you'll see a lot already written on this.

It's not a question of "anything is better than nothing." Because the alternatives are NOT hiring a teacher with a minimal cert vs a teacher with none. From my point of view, it usually comes down to a choice between hiring more qualified or less qualified teachers. IF you start with a minimal cert, then I'll just choose someone who decided to put more into it.

Doesn't mean you won't find work. In Ecuador, at least, you WOULD find work with your BA, no experience, and nothing else.

But...would it be work with visa support? Materials? A decent working environment? Ongoing training? Decent wages? Who knows- it might, but when you're totally unprepared, it becomes less likely.

Also, I don't work for $4 an hour. Nor does anybody round where I work. (But we all have qualifications.)

In response to the "can it be lined up beforehand" question- give it a shot. But you'll find it harder than some would- Hiring a teacher you've never seen before is a risk. It's a rish employers take, in order to get the kind of teachers they want. What can you put on your resume that says "if you hire me, it will be worth taking a risk?" What makes you a better choice that 100 backpackers who knock on my door every day?

Most schools do at least some of their hiring from overseas, sight unseen. But they do it to get something that the local applications they get don't have. Whatcha got?


Best,
justin

[john_n_carolina]

...true, salaries vary widely. in fact, i even worked without a salary for a year...just bartered for fruits, vegetables, comestibles, etc.

but, take on average most schools like EF, etc....

30 hours a week in class time X 10 out of class = 40 weekly hours (that's low if you're doing high academic classes)

40 x 4 weeks in a month (some have 5 weeks) = 160 hours / month.

take your average Quito salary of $640 / 160 = ?

$4 an hour.

...even if you're making $1000 / mo...you're only making $6.00 an hour.

after a few years i didn't really pay much attention to what i was making...almost like like living in an existential bliss....just live for the moment and for the people and for the salsa...

[naturegirl321]

I'm not in favor of employers saying that you will make double or triple the local salary. Sure, that's true, but they speak the languague, often live with family, so don't pay food or rent, know cheap places to shop and have fun. So while you might be making much more than the locals, your cost of living will also be much more