Job Discussion Forums

Kath4444 · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 3 Location: London, England

Hi there,

I�m a 30 year old English girl who has just finished her CELTA course.

I want to teach in Ecuador (ideally Quito) but, having been monitoring the posts on this site regarding the visa situation, I understand it�s not the easiest destination to find work.

Can anybody advise the best way to get a work visa for Ecuador before I leave the UK? Am I right in thinking I need to first secure a job then apply for the visa? Can anybody recommend any schools in Quito that hire from abroad and are likely to assist with a work visa that I can send my CV to?
Would I have to pay for the visa myself?

As I said above, I have my CELTA (I got a B pass � does that help much in SA?) and a BA degree but I don�t have any real teaching experience (apart from 2 month volunteering in India � conversation classes, one to one tuition).

What are the chances of me being hired from abroad? Ideally I would like a 6 month contract but would be willing to commit to a year if that�s what�s needed to get the visa. I am hoping to leave at the end of June 2009, how soon should I start approaching schools?

Sorry, I know there are quite a few questions! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

Kath Smile

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I've heard you can get a cultural exchange visa. PM Justin Trullinger. Or try eilecuador.org

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 5:35 pm Post subject:

Hi There-

Actual work visas are a bit of a rarity in English teaching here- cultural exchange and volunteer visas are more common. (It's such a hassle to get work visas that most schools put their teachers in the category of intercultural participants or volunteers. If the school has the correct "convenio," this is perfectly legal.

You're right that you need to arrange a visa before arriving. Ecuador isn't at all hard to find work in, but it's extremely hard to "become" legal after getting here on a tourist visa. Much better to sort it out beforehand, and there's no reason why it should be that hard to do.

It gets hard because of a lot of information resources that tell people that "Latin American schools don't hire from overseas." Latin America is huge, and there's no reason to think it's all the same. Good schools in Ecuador do hire from overseas.

Email me. [url][email protected][/url]

Best,
Justin

Kath4444 · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 3 Location: London, England

Thanks a lot Nature Girl and Justin for your replies.

Justin I shall email you shortly, thanks

Kath
Very Happy

Basil Seal · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 27 Location: Tuxtepec, Oaxaca

Hi,

Sorry to glom onto this thread but I have some visa questions that somewhat dovetail with Kath's.

I'm going to be taking a CELTA course in Quito at the end of July (perhaps earlier to take some Spanish classes). I recently returned from a year teaching in Korea and my goal now is to find a somewhat stable job in somewhere in Latin America afterward. To get to the point, I was thinking of getting a 12-IX visa which would allow me to stay in Ecuador for up to 6 months (seems like the only option if one doesn't have a volunteer position, job, etc. lined up ahead of time). If I were to find a job while I was there on the 12-IX is it possible to get a work or volunteer visa without leaving the country/returning to the US?

Also I'd like to find a semi-cheap room/apt. for my stay there, are there any good sites or resources on the net? or would it be simpler to stay at a hostel for a few days initially and try to find something then?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any recommendations or advice.

Regards,
jm

Atlan Training · Joined: 02 Apr 2009 Posts: 76 Location: Spain

Hi Kath
According to a reresentative of the Ecuadorian Embassy in the US with whom I have spoken, you have three choices:

You can apply on your own for a Visa 12 IX, which gives you six months to work legally in Ecuador. During this time, you can find an employer that will sponsor you for a regular work visa, which you can get in Ecuador ( without having to return to the UK ) if you have the 12 IX.

You can find an employer in Ecuador who will hire you and sponsor you for the work visa. They will send you the documents you need to process your visa in the UK before you leave for Ecuador.

You can come to Ecuador on a tourist visa, find an employer who will sponsor you for the regular work visa, then return to the UK to process the visa application.

Note that you can only enter Ecuador with a return ticket ( or some sort of documentation of one ). Good luck!