Job Discussion Forums

[wckusa]

Hi, great post.

I've read that schools in Uruguay do not tend to discrimiate by age and will hire older - late 50's through mid-60's - teachers. Have you seen this?

[Caractacus]

I only have experience with a couple of institutes but from what I've seen there's no age discrimination whatsoever.

[wanderingsalsero]

Excuse me but I didn't understand the meaning of this statement;

The biggest tip I would give to newbies arriving is DON'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT! Sure, Berlitz and International House here will give you hours and hours and no money, if you start with them and then jump ship or just hold tight and give 200 pesos/hour as an absolute minimum to potential employers you'll gradually find yourself being paid more than that

Are you saying don't work for those big companies, or do and wait...or what?

Regards,
Art

P.S. Thanks for the heads up on MV though. I was thinking about Chile in Feb but MV is on the table now. I'm a salsa dancer. Have you noticed any salsa dancing there? or Tango? or Kizomba? or Bachata?

[Caractacus]

Hello

Yes, tons of salsa and tango, not so much of the other two you mentioned but I'm not really on the dancing scene here so there probably is!

What I meant by my statement is: if you want to work for IH or Berlitz then fine, you'll get a lot of hours and earn probably enough. But don't think that's all there is out there; if you make contacts and network hard then you'll find much better work for better pay and then you won't have to work as many hours and you'll have more time to dance dance dance!

u$y200/hour is the absolute minimum that I personally would work for; anything less isn't worth my time and I'm fortunate to be in the position that I've never had to work for less.

I hope that helps.

[HevC]

Hiya,

I previously lived in Uruguay for a year (2008-9), but didn't really have any quals at the time. I hope to go back to MVD in time for the next school year (prob early Feb) now armed with a Trinity TESOL, but I don't have a degree - will that make much of a difference when applying for teaching positions?
Alianza replied to me via email telling me that I needed to have the Cedula in order to work in UY, I was hoping to try without it - after reading your experiences, I won't worry about it too much, but I'll probably continue with my residency visa on the backburner.

I'm fairly confident with creating my own lesson plans, but just wondered if they usually have textbooks on hand or not?

One last thing (!)...did you find your flat share in El Pais? If so, I'll have a look at the online classificados

Thanks in advance!
Heather x

[Caractacus]

Hi Heather

I've never heard of anyone here being rejected because they didn't have a degree - one of my colleagues here doesn't and she works steadily.

Also, maybe before you arrive it would be a good idea to start the cedula process (getting police reports from your home country ratified by Uruguayan embassy in home country - process detailed in very first post) so that when you arrive you can get one and then apply to places like the Anglo.

And yes, I found my flat through El Pais / El Gallito. There are plenty of places to look once you get here but you could of course start the process online beforehand!

I hope that helps.

[dancorbett]

Please, Uruguayans, gauge for me the practicality of this plan:

Arrive in Montevideo in late January, find a job & apartment (preferably with Spanish speaking room-mates) to begin in March, spend the month of February traveling regionally, then work March-June, teaching English.

My specific questions:
1) When exactly would I be expected to start teaching? I'd love to be in Rio de Janeiro from March 5th-8th. Would this inhibit my employability?

2) What attire is expected of teachers?

3) Is there a music scene in Montevideo? Would I be able to find some people to play trombone with?

Thanks!

-Dan

[Caractacus]

Hi Dan

If you're looking for a shared apartment, it might be the way to go to arrange one before heading out for the summer, but I would have thought most places that want a roommate want one straight away.

I don't think it would be a problem to be away in early March, my schedule didn't fill-up til early April. But it doesn't seem like you want to be in Uruguay that long - keep that quiet at interview!

As far as attire goes, trousers and button-down shirt are fine, I never wore a tie and got away with trainers (sneakers) in every place I worked except one.

And I'm afraid I have no idea about the classical music scene here! Although there are lots of concerts downtown and there's an orchestra, I'm not sure about how to find fellow musicians.

[newdayrising]

Hey, I'm seriously considering moving to Uruguay after January and I wanted to share some questions and doubts:

-I'm in Peru now and I'd really like to travel overland over the course of 1-2 months instead of flying directly there. If I arrive some time in March would that seriously limit my employment prospects? Because I definitely can and am willing to show up in February if that greatly improves my chances.

-Is it a good idea to email employers before arriving or is that a waste of time?

-How hard is it to find a job if I have 5 months experience and a celta?

-So one reason I love living in LA is that it's different than where I'm from (east coast US). I enjoy the slow pace of life and the openness of the people. They say Uruguay is similar to Argentina, which is similar to Europe. Uruguay sounds awesome so far, but I'm a little worried that things I don't like about life in the US will be more present there than in a place like Peru. What do you say?

-On a related note, what kinds of start-up costs will I have before I find a job?

[Caractacus]

Hiya

I've now left Montevideo for a happy hunting ground so this will be my last post on the subject since pretty soon my knowledge will be out of date! But having said that:

I don't think your prospects will be too limited by arriving in March a/o/to Feb. I also think you'll have no probs finding work if you have a CELTA - most of the teachers I knew in Montevideo didn't have one.

Yes, I guess it wouldn't hurt to email employers beforehand but you won't be able to get much moving til you get there I don't think.

You weren't very specific about what you don't like about NA culture a/o/to LA culture but in Uruguay, as everywhere else in LA, there are a few people with lots of money and lots of people with hardly any. As an English teacher, you'll be teaching those who can afford classes or work for a multinational company - ie. those with money. It's also a very Euro-centric culture, with most people having relatives from Europe. There aren't any Indians and hardly any people of colour, so it's probably more 'Western' than most other countries in LA.

And before your schedule fills up I would advise having 1000USD to tide you over - Uruguay ain't cheap.

All the best!

[Steinmann]

[wckusa]

you made it sound great.

[Grumbletweezer]

I am thinking about heading to Montevideo to teach and I have a few questions.

1. How much will it cost to get my TEFL in Uruguay or Argentina? Does this seem like a practical option?

2. My plan is leave sometime late in the fall, get my TEFL, and work with a language institute for a while until the academic year starts up, at which point I'll try and find a position with a school. Does this seem like a realistic plan, or should I really just wait until January?

[bibliogeek]

This thread is great! One question: What is the best time of year to look for a job in Uruguay?

[timalex]

If you are asking the question, you must not be in Uruguay now, which happens to be the best time to pound the streets.