Job Discussion Forums

sdhanel · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Iowa

My wife and I are moving to Ecuador later this year, probably in September, and hope to settle in a small city such as Cuenca or Ambato, for example. I have an MBA in International Management and by then will also have an MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics. I speak some Spanish and my wife, none.

Several years ago I taught English in Cali, Colombia and while I know you can't revisit the past, teaching English again is more attractive to me than the accounting that I've been practicing for the last...several years.

We are looking for a place to call home that's comfortable and relatively quiet.

Does anyone have any suggestions, recommendations, advice or warnings?

Mil gracias por todo.

ajmci · Joined: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 27 Location: Edinburgh

Hola!!

Respect to you for your bold decision to forsake the wacky world of accounting and head to Ecuador!!

I recently returned from 1 year teaching in Piura, Peru and had the pleasure of visiting Loja & Cuenca - both of which seemed to be fantastic, tranquil, green and friendly places.

Cuenca is the larger, more spectacular and (far) more touristy.

Loja is more provential and, for me, looked a better place to live & work. I heard good things about the university there....

In return, could you give me some info about Cali - I've nearly been offered a job with British English there.

cheers amigo!

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:39 pm Post subject:

Cuenca is pretty, friendly, and quiet. Loja and Vilcabamba also fit the bill. Rio Bamba wouldn't be a bad option.

Feel free to PM me if you're coming...

All the best,

Justin

nagilluc · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Oregon, USA

I have also been considering a move to Ecuador, and am looking to find a place that is relatively quiet, green, and relaxed. Cuenca is definitely of interest, as well as smaller towns/cities. I'm wondering if anyone could shed some light on the cost of living in those areas- what would I need to get by? I'm not trying to save- just support myself while I'm there. I saw a posting for a job in Cuenca- it sounded appealing but I wasn't sure about the wages. Any thoughts on about how much I'd need to support myself?
Thanks!

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

In general, in LA, you should be fine with 500 USD a month

MELEE · Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:15 pm Post subject:

I'll refrain from commenting on prices, since I was in Ecuador long before dollarization.
I lived in Cuenca and loved it. Many on this board have said it's dull and boring. I didn't find it so, but maybe I'm dull and boring? It's very very beautiful. It has two seasons that I would call, rainy and not so rainy. I had some friends who were biology students studying Las Cajas national park, and we joined them there many weekends.
I also visited Loja, and was not particularly impressed by it. I loved Vilcabama, and my x and I hatched a plan to work in Asia for a several years to save up enough money to buy property there and open a English for locals-Spanish for tourists school there. But Alas we broke up in Japan and nothing ever came of it. At the time I was there, in 1995 Shocked

, there were no English schools or any schools apart from the government primary school so moving there would probably mean giving private classes. I'm not sure how much it has grown in the past 12 years but back then it was really just a village with like 10 streets. I'm sure the surge of ecotourism has meant some growth.
I also loved Rio Bamba. I foundly remember a bar with a very yummy house co c ktail called Bamba Rio, Wink

. It's on the one of the train routes to the coast, pleasent, small, but we did spot a few English schools way back then.
I didn't visit Ambato.
Another small city that I have very pleseant memories of is Ibarra. I did have my watch stolen right off my wrist there, but other than that is was nice, near a lovely little lake, near Otavalo, if you have a weakness for textiles like me, that could be dangerous! and it might of just been the season, but I remember it being extrondinarily green!

MELEE · Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:21 pm Post subject:

Hey, I just saw this deal http://vacations.travelzoo.com/south-american-vacations/296127 maybe you and your wife could do something like that before you take the plunge to give yourselves ideas about what the different cities are like?

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:44 pm Post subject:

The "Bamba Rio" coctel is still alive and well, MELEE.

And Cuenca is still very pretty, and still not overly urban.

$500 a month is surviveable in Cuenca, but with rents moving up, it's not lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Wherever you end up, I would try to get in touch with teachers who are already there, and ask them what you need to live on.

I know Cuenca well enough- I was there once this week, and my work takes me there with some frequency. But I don't live there, and never have... MELEE has, but costs can change so quickly...

Best,
Justin

MELEE · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:39 pm Post subject:

yeah, when I was there 500 a month would have been flash! We paid the equivalent of 90 dollars a month for a sweet funished apartment in a 300 year old building with a view of the river right in the center of town--and that rent was split 4 ways! The largest bill at that time was worth 5 dollars, when we rented that place we paid first and last month's rent plus a deposite on the furniture, had to hand over a huge stack of bills.

Inflation was crazy Currency Exchange Houses updated their signs 4 times a day. After six months our furniture deposite was only worth half as much. And if you were going to change a large amount of dollars to surces you could actually negociate a rate with the bank, they just had to hold the money for a week or so to make up the difference.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject:

Those were the days, MELEE!

But now, my friends in Cuenca have a smallish, unfurnished 3 bedroom in a not 300 year old building for $240 a month. It makes $500 a fairly necessary minimum...

slds,
Justin

ajmci · Joined: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 27 Location: Edinburgh

Just saw this :
http://www.tefl.com/jobs/job.html?jo_id=27740

Hope it's useful!!

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

MELEE · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 3:26 pm Post subject:

Nope. Justin is in Quito. But I used to work at CEDEI, many many years ago. I loved it, but the oragnization have evovled a lot since then, so I can't really comment on what it's like to work there.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

BUt he works for the same organisation, right?

MELEE · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 4:39 pm Post subject:

No, Justin's with that orignation with many names. Or maybe just many partnerships. Experiment in International Living, School for International Training, World Learning, etc. Etc.