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mbthomas
Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 9:14 pm Post subject: Searching for jobs? |
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I'm looking to teach ESL in Argentina. However, I'm not TOESL-certified. I do, however, have a BA in English. What are my prospects?
Also, is there a good site to search for jobs specifically in Argentina? |
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eo-nomine
Joined: 24 Nov 2004
Posts: 72
Location: Berlin, Germany
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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| There's no good site for EFL jobs in Argentina. For other jobs, I don't know, but as far as EFL is concerned, the yellow pages and a phone are all you need. Phone institutes and language schools, don't just send your CV and hope they'll contact you. |
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mbthomas
Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info.
Any tips on what to look for, what they respond to best?
I appreciate the replies. |
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Alex42
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 77
Location: Salta, Argentina
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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| mbthomas wrote: |
Thanks for the info.
Any tips on what to look for, what they respond to best?
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I work for a few institutes and by far the most important thing was just to be a native speaker. They weren�t even interested in my qualifications. You�ll be fine!
Best way to get jobs is to visit the institutes in person. |
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mbthomas
Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm limited in my Spanish-speaking abilities, but I know enough to communicate and understand. Is fluency a pretty standard requirement? |
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eo-nomine
Joined: 24 Nov 2004
Posts: 72
Location: Berlin, Germany
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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I didn't speak any Spanish at all when I first got here, and that didn't keep me from getting interviews. It's not a requirement to find some work, nor is it a requirement to teach... but I can think of several situations where, had I spoken more Spanish, things would've been a lot easier. Now that I can speak some Spanish, I find people to be much more ready to help me, take messages, etc.
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| I work for a few institutes and by far the most important thing was just to be a native speaker. They weren�t even interested in my qualifications. You�ll be fine! |
I second this, most people I've dealt with didn't give a rat's arse about my qualifications. The two important things for them were 1) being a native speaker, and 2) having experience.
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| Best way to get jobs is to visit the institutes in person. |
I get better results when I phone them first. Maybe that's because I'm really a 3-foot gnome with a glass eye and no toes (but with a voice Elvis would be jealous of)... I'd love to hear more people on this, though. |
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Alex42
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 77
Location: Salta, Argentina
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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| eo-nomine wrote: |
| The two important things for them were 1) being a native speaker, and 2) having experience. |
And if you haven�t got experience, tell them you have anyway. Very likely your first class will only be a couple of hours a week, so you�ll have plenty of time to learn on the job. 
Speaking spanish is a real help, as the staff at the institutes often don�t speak english - but the person interviewing you probably will. I don�t speak spanish in class, except when it�s more difficult to explain what a word means in english than it is to just tell them the spanish word. |
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Sydgirl
Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Posts: 5
Location: Sydney
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:12 am Post subject: |
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just to clarify...they're looking for native English speakers to teach English...they're not looking for native Spanish speakers...but it helps to know some Spanish just to get by on a day-to-day basis.
Good luck |
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eo-nomine
Joined: 24 Nov 2004
Posts: 72
Location: Berlin, Germany
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:57 am Post subject: |
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| I meant Spanish to get the job... not to do the job. ; ) Sorry if that was unclear! |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:10 am Post subject: |
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| For the vast majority of jobs, you will conduct your interview in English, so no Spanish is needed for this part. The only exeption I can think of is if you were to apply to a bilingual school where you would be expected to teach in Spanish. |
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