Job Discussion Forums

[Sushi-Q]

Hello.

I am writing because I wish to obtain information about working in Central America. Quite honestly, the country in which I would prefer to find work is El Salvador, but Honduras and Guatemala are good too.

I have been sending out e-mails to different schools that I have found on-line, but most have not replied. I have a BEd and will be qualified to teach ESL in just a few weeks.

Should I keep looking for jobs on-line from Canada or should I just go down there and see what I can find? I'm thinking that the second option is best because that way they can assciate a face to the CV.

Any information or advice anyone can give me about finding work would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

[nineisone]

I would suggest going there. Living is real cheap in the countries you mentioned, so you won't need a lot of start up cash. El Salvador will likely be a little bit more costly, especially certain areas of San Salvador. Alas, it appears the ESL market in these countries also pays very little and is not very well developed. You could also consider a career in Real Estate as many gringos are starting to buy up land in Central America at a rapid pace.

[Sushi-Q]

Thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate your advice. What you say about starting a career in real estate is interesting; I never would have thought about it.

Any ideas, however, on FINDING a job? Should I go there or keep searching from Canada?

Thanks

[naturegirl321]

There's a list of schools here, look at my signature, try emailing them. But here in LA, most schools want to meet you first. I would suggest, due to the low cost of living, to simply go to the country of your choice and look for work there.

[nineisone]

Sushi,

I did the e-mail thing you are doing now on the countries your interested in minus Guatemala. I was surprised to hear that you are not getting replies back. Possibly you are e-mailing to old advertisements? I would use naturegirls list if you haven't already. Expect to get many offers of Room and Board or a living stipend in place of a paycheck.

Even if you do get replies and even offers, I would still recommend going there first. My impression traveling in the region is that while there are probably many good schools, there are also many poorly managed and maintained schools.

The region between Costa Rica and Mexico tends to pay ESL teachers quite low, even by Latin American standards. This should not deter you from going. Being there in person before giving a commitment to a specific school would be very beneficial. And if for some reason your search comes up empty, you are still in close proximity to Mexico or Costa Rica, countries with plush ESL markets where you should be able to find work with ease.

Central America is serviced by some pretty good bus lines and the size of the varying nations makes travel time brief and easy for you to explore all the nations you have an interest in. Good luck and let us know how your search goes.

P.S. Many North American Real Estate conglomerates run offices in Central America. Coldwell, Century21, etc... While most of the action is east of your target in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Honduras' north coast and Guatemala's interior are gaining in popularity as many Gringos look for cheap real estate to retire or vacation on. American TV's nightline recently ran a series on this. You can probably internet search for more info.

[Sushi-Q]

Naturegirl and Nineisone-

Thanks so much for all the info with which you've provided me. I've looked at a part of the information you posted, Naturegirl and it's amazing; you must have worked very hard at putting that together!

I was already thinking about going to El Salvafor in the fall because I can't this summer. I was thinking about going at the end of September as I know school finishes by the end of October. What do you think are the chances of me getting hired for the 2008 school year if I go then? ( I know you're not psychic.... haha)

By the way, I was wondering where the two of you are currently teaching (just out of curiosity).

[naturegirl321]