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Woodman09
Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 23 Location: Los Angeles
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:17 pm Post subject: Colombian work visa with CELTA and no Degree? |
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Anyone have any current experience getting a work visa with just a certificate? I'm thinking about going through the CELTA course training in Bogota.
ME; I'm male/46, I speak Spanish.
Current occupation; Photographer.
I just started volunteer teaching ESL to Latino immigrants in Los Angeles, California.
Thanks for reading |
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spanglish
Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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I've got a co-worker with a CELTA, no degree and a work visa. Lack of a degree seemed to pose no trouble at all in getting the work visa.
I can recommend the course in Bogota, though it is a expensive and they seem to run a lot of students through at a time. You could also check out Southern Cross' course in Ecuador, which is a fair bit cheaper.
If you want, you can also pay a lawyer and get an independent work visa so you can start your own business. The normal route seems to be to get a job with an employer that will help with the paperwork. |
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Woodman09
Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 23 Location: Los Angeles
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:12 am Post subject: Work visa issue |
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Hey Spanglish -- thanks for the info-- I guess it is a gray area since the Embassy website says they require a degree.
About the Southern Cross' course in Ecuador --- Did you go there? |
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spanglish
Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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No, I did my CELTA at the British Council in Bogota, so I'm quite familiar with them. The head trainer for my course had just finished doing a course at Southern Cross. I also knew a couple of guys who did that specific course at Southern Cross. I can't vouch for the quality of the course now, though. But a CELTA is a CELTA...I don't really think this is that big of a deal, but one key question you could ask is how many students a course will accept and how many tutors they have. |
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Woodman09
Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 23 Location: Los Angeles
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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Hey thanks for your quick reply-- I actually just went through the phone interview and was accepted for October. They said they take 18 max in groups of 6. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet.
According to the Southern Cross website ; I can use the Bogota acceptance to get into their program.
I really have not made any decisions yet-- It is a big step for me I have an apartment here and alot of stuff and I would have to decide if I want to get rid of apartment/stuff and stay down there or take the course come back to the US. I'd be interested in any thoughts you had about this. Also What is the current employment situation in Colombia? |
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jacobfrank
Joined: 30 Aug 2009 Posts: 17 Location: Wenzhou, China
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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Does anyone know for sure whether a B.A. is required for work visa in Colombia? The embassy website says it is required but there are posts in the forum from people who say they are working with people without a B.A. who got a visa.
Anyone have any hard info one way or the other? Thanks. |
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spanglish
Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:09 am Post subject: |
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Hard info certainly isn't the way Colombia works. I can only repeat that I know 2 people who are working without B.A. degrees. One for a university and the other for International House - I know for sure the one at IH has a work visa and am almost entirely sure that my friend at the university also does. |
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jacobfrank
Joined: 30 Aug 2009 Posts: 17 Location: Wenzhou, China
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:38 am Post subject: |
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Spanglish -- thanks for the info about the people you know in Colombia. I understand about the lack of "hard" info, I've been working in Mexico and Costa Rica the past year and it's the same situation. There's what the law supposedly says and then how it's enforced, or not enforced, in any particular locale. |
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berraquita
Joined: 05 Oct 2009 Posts: 3
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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If you have a teaching certificate from a known company, you are not required to present a degree or any evidence that you have one. |
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Daddyo
Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 89 Location: Bogota, Colombia
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:27 pm Post subject: Ditto for Spanglish |
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...yeah the answer to what is and isn't required is pretty much the same throughout Latin America, and can be summed up in two words: 'It depends'... In my own experience, you can go about as far as you're willing to push it, providing you use the right diplomacy and know when to keep your mouth shut. You can go a long way on charm down here... |
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Daddyo
Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 89 Location: Bogota, Colombia
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:38 pm Post subject: Further to that... |
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...the other thing to consider, and this is very important, is the effect your social skills can have. This applies to just about everywhere in Latin America. While in North America things like degrees and credentials play a major role, here they are far less important than your willingness to follow certain protocols. Management is more or less vertically integrated. In fact, it's really a kind of serfdom. Show respect to the higher ups, be polite and acquiescent, don't kvetch or whine or ask hard questions. Don't bust anyone's balls, or confront them, or gossip about people. Keep quiet, stay in place, do what people ask you, be around when they need you, return phone calls, attend all the little social functions and 'training sessions' and avoid yawning or looking bored or asking questions management can't answer. Wear a tie. Be warm and friendly. Don't treat it like a business, consider it a social club. Don't ask for anything, much less a contract, (they're useless anyway, and in my experience you can go a lot further with a verbal contract, which is legally binding everywhere). Be meek and mild.
Degrees don't mean anything compared to your willingness to play ball and kiss the boss's posterior. Seriously! |
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norwalkesl
Joined: 22 Oct 2009 Posts: 366 Location: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-China
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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spanglish wrote: |
Hard info certainly isn't the way Colombia works. I can only repeat that I know 2 people who are working without B.A. degrees. One for a university and the other for International House - I know for sure the one at IH has a work visa and am almost entirely sure that my friend at the university also does. |
What sort of salary do they earn? |
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spanglish
Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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At IH on a full time contract, you'll net 1.2-1.6 million/month depending on how many hours you're willing to work. I don't know how much my friend at the university makes. |
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