Job Discussion Forums

[MarazitiBN]

Hi all! I was wondering if could get some info/advice from you guys.

A friend and I are finishing our last year in college, and we both are very interested in teaching English for at least a year, starting around June/July/August. She will have a B.A. in Anthropology, and has studied in Argentina for a year. She also speaks pretty fluent Spanish. I will have a B.S. in Allied Health, and I have studied in Costa Rica for a summer. Unfortunately, my Spanish is regulated mostly to being able to read it fairly well, but I'm lacking in the conversation department. (I know that many of you will say that since we are going to teach ENGLISH, we shouldn't expect to improve on our Spanish, but it sure would be nice!)

I'd like to think that we aren't too picky on where we will be, but it would be nice to be in a country that is safe (especially since we are both girls!), and where we could make enough money to not only pay the bills, but have some extra to explore a bit. From the research I've done so far, it looks like Ecuador may be the place for us, and we are specifically looking into the CELTA certification offered through Southern Cross, as well as the SIT TESOL certification program in Quito. (Since she has tentative plans to pursue TESOL as a life-long profession, and because I am unsure about my life plans at the moment, I think it would be best to obtain certification from the most reputable programs should we decide to continue with our own education, or move to another country.) So, this leaves me with the following questions:

--Do you think Ecuador is a good place for us, or do you have other recommendations?

--Is it true that these certs would give us a "leg up" on both competition and salary? (And what is the average salary vs. cost of living ratio for the country you are suggesting?)

--How much money should we bring with us to "cushion" for about a month or so (while we are searching for a job after completing our cert. program)?

--Are there any institutions/people you think we should get in contact with?

Thanks so much for reading this and (hopefully!) responding. I really appreciate all of your time and help.

[spanglish]

You've obviously done your research. Yep, I'd say definitely get the CELTA or equivalent. Ecuador sounds like a good choice. You might also check out Colombia, though it takes a bit to get started here. I'd want to bring minimum 3K USD with me (not counting CELTA course fee).

[MarazitiBN]

Thanks for the reply, Spanglish.

I don't know too much about Colombia besides its highly stigmatized reputation as "unsafe" and "full of drugs." I've looked around very briefly and have seen a few comments which say that things have changed quite a bit from that outdated stereotype.

Would you agree that it is safe enough for us to live in? What areas would you suggest looking into? How much would be a decent amount (as neither of us has teaching experience)? And what makes it so hard to get started?

Thanks again!
-Brandie

[spanglish]

Check out colombiavanillaforums and the old poorbuthapppy site for more Colombia info.

Lots of places to live here, depends on what you want. I'd suggest coming with a minimum of 3K apiece plus course fees (so 5K apiece total plus airfare, more would be better).

Decent money in Colombia - it all depends on work conditions and where you're living. A native speaker with a CELTA, B.A. and no experience should be looking at starting salary of 1.5 - 2.5 million pesos/month, possibly a bit more.

I guess it's tough to get started cause you generally have to know somebody to get a good job and that takes time along with Spanish ability.

[labomba]

Colombia and Ecuador are different but in terms of being robbed etc the dangers are very similar so don't let that put you off Colombia. In Quito or Guayaquil you have the same problems of any big city and there can be problems, IMHO I would say there will be.

Ecuador may certainly pay more, particulary in Guayaquil.

Have you visited any of latin america? I would prefer Colombia over Ecuador.

As for countries with jobs, Mexico has many opportunites.