Job Discussion Forums

[ontheroader]

yeah, yeah, im not a native speaker but i do have a masters degree in english teaching from back home plus 5 yrs experience(slovakia, finland and mainly taiwan).

i traveled around argentina 2 yrs ago but didnt really check the market. im going to guatemala, honduras and nicaragua at the beginning of next year to travel as well as to look for some job opportunities. i really loved argentina and i'd love to teach there. somebody before mentioned mendoza. is it worth a try? or any other places?

let me just get this straight before you reply. after spending 3,5 yrs in taiwan i dont really care about money anymore. if my paycheck covers my bills, beer money and if i could put aside some cash just to travel around the place that would be just perfect. thats why i wanna go there. not for money, for their culture and a great way how they deal with things in their lives. help me out guys! im open to any advices or comments.

cheers

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I don't know how it is in the Latin American countries you mentioned, but where I am, there are some language schools that offer classes in more than one foreign language. Locally, schools that cater to students wanting to get their state license in tourism usually provide classes in two or three foreign languages, for example. If you could teach English plus another popular foreign language -- your first language is -- perhaps it would give you a hiring edge as well as some extra teaching hours.

[Bubbly]

In Colombia there are many schools that offer French, German, Italian etc as the second language as opposed to English (English is sometimes the third language or just offered as an extra-curricular class). Just last week I met a Swiss guy who speaks German, French, Spanish, and English (in that order) who teaches at the Swiss school in Bogota, so I agree, depending on what your first language is (what is it btw?) you may even have more success than a Native English- speaker.

[joshua2004]

[Bubbly]

I actually asked "what is it btw", meaning what is his first language. Thanks though

[Phil_b]

At the school I worked at in Paraguay we had German, Brazilian, Spanish and Dutch teachers along with the contingent of natives and native-speakers - it wasn't a problem there...

And as others have mentioned there is always the possibility to teach your first language as well... depending on what it is. Major European languages go down well, at least in the cities. In Asuncion you could also study Japanese, Korean and Catalan.

[ontheroader]

my first language is slovak(i come from slovakia but i can also speak decent chinese as i used to work in taiwan for 4 yrs). my spanish is pretty rusty and never was great before. im really interested in colombia at the moment so if anybody can give me an idea on rough expenses on accommodation, food, going outs, etc(lets say in bogota) plus how much i can make a month.

ooooh, first i will have to talk to my mom and explain that not every colombian is gonna try to kill or kidnap me while im there

btw(by the way), there is a pretty good site about colombia if anybody is interested: http://poorbuthappy.com/

cheers

[Guy Courchesne]

On the original country in question...

Argentina is a bad example to answer this question. Normally, I would agree with all the other posts on being a non-native English teacher. However, you have to remember that Argentina is in dire straights economically. What this means is that while there will always be teaching jobs, the market has taken a big hit, as less and less and people can afford to enroll in English classes (private language centers I'm talking about here). Pay has dropped and it has gotten really competitive for the jobs. Argentines themselves are having a hard time...remember, there are always many, many more locas teaching English than foreigners.

If you chose another country, such as Brazil or Chile, you would have an easier time.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Guy Courchesne]

Cripes, now if that ain't a Freudian slip!

Locas...locals. Sticky L key gets me every time.

[shuize]

Just out of curiosity, if one were interested in relocating from Japan (I've been here a long time) to teach anywhere in Latin America as a native English speaker and very good (1st kyu) Japanese, where would the members of this board suggest?

Mexico would probably be near the top of my list, but I am open to other options as well. Would Japanese language ability even make a difference?

Thanks in advance.

[Phil_b]

erm.... not sure if it's top of many people's list... but if you went to Asuncion, it would be very easy to get a job teaching English, as a native speaker... there's also the Centro Cultural Paraguayo-Japones which might want you....

Another (and probably better) option that I can think of would be Sao Paulo, it has the biggest Japanese community outside of Japan - There are probably plenty of options there where people would be interested in your language ability. I can't think of any country any less like Japan than Brazil, but there is a huuuuuge Japanese community there.

Another option, and this is just speculations, but in Chile and maybe Peru there are ports on the pacific that import a lot of stuff (esp. cars) from Japan (Antofagasta springs to mind), possibly there would be openings in import/export companies etc... That's all just speculation though.. anyone else got any good ideas?

[shuize]

Thanks for the advice. I've been in Japan a while. Some days it's starting to feel like I've been here a bit too long. I'll probably stick it out here a few more years and then think about semi-retirement somewhere else. I'd still have to work, but not necessarily full time. In Japan, that might be cause for visa trouble. Any thoughts on Latin America part-time? Would it just mean having to make periodic visa runs or would it cause more headaches with immigration?