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Colombian work visa with CELTA and no Degree?

 
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Woodman09



Joined: 24 Mar 2009
Posts: 23
Location: Los Angeles

PostPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:17 pm    Post subject: Colombian work visa with CELTA and no Degree? Reply with quote

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 Smile
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spanglish



Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 742
Location: working on that

PostPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:12 am    Post subject: Work visa issue Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:27 pm    Post subject: Ditto for Spanglish Reply with quote

...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

PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:38 pm    Post subject: Further to that... Reply with quote

...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

PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 11:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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