Job Discussion Forums

[lehh]

Hello,

I'm interested in teaching English in Latin America next year, but I don't speak Spanish. (except some basic vocabulary from high school Spanish classes)

My question to anyone with experience is:

How fluent in Spanish were you when you moved to Latin America and how easy/difficult was it to acclimate based on your language skills?

How necessary are Spanish language skills (or lack of) to living in LA, and does this vary in different cities/countries?

Thanks to anyone who has some advice!

[keepwalking]

I was pretty much mute when it came to Spanish on my arrival. I'd taken some classes prior to arriving but didn't get far - once a week in an English speaking environment doesn't lead ot much progress.

I took classes here, a couple of months here and there, and have now reached a level where I can take part in conversations, do more than survive and watch a bit of TV.

I plan to take more classes to try and get even better - the problem I find is that as soon as people find out I am an English teacher they want to practice their English and my Spanish practice goes out the window.

It's worth getting a few classes before you arrive, just so you feel more confident and then try to find a teacher when you arrive to force you to learn the language.

[ls650]

Before I came to Mexico two years ago, I knew exactly two sentences of Spanish: Quisiera una cerveza and �Donde esta el ba�o? (Those two sentences go hand-in-hand.) My level of Spanish is now a strong preintermediate.

I found that while things were sometimes a struggle in the beginning I managed to survive. A smile, an easy-going attitude and a dictionary go a long way. If you don't know any Spanish, you're going to need help dealing with immigration and other bureaucracy, but I imagine a good school will likely help you out there.

[MELEE]

I spoke Spanish before becoming a TEFL teacher, but for a number of years I was hiring TEFL teachers for my school. Speaking Spanish was always considered a plus for applicants, but not a requirement. It makes the new teacher and our lives easier if they speak some Spanish. If you do not speak Spanish you will not be able to be as independent, but you can find schools that will help you out with things like immigration, finding housing, and even taking you to the doctor. In larger cities you will find, immigration officials, doctors, and even landlords who can speak some English so Spanish skills are less necessary. What is more important IMHO is the desire to learn, which you seem to have.
I assume you mean acclimate not accumulate? As I said, I spoke Spanish before I arrived, but I've seem many many teachers come and go over the years and I think other factors like personallity, general health, and open-mindedness among others play a bigger part in their ablity to acclimate than their Spanish language ablity.

[Guy Courchesne]

[ls650]

[matttheboy]

ls650, i was just wondering how much effort you've made with your spanish over the 2 years you've been in mexico (this is in no way at all meant as any kind of criticism by the way, i'm just curious)? Did you take classes? Did you speak any other romance language before starting to learn spanish? 2 years seems a long time to get to pre-intermediate level if you're immersed in a spanish speaking country, although i know people here who are barely past basic level after longer periods of time.

I think if you (the OP) make an effort you can get to a good level fairly quickly, depending on your aptitude for languages.

my experience was a little different; after 3-5 months i was definitely pre-intermediate level (where i remained for over a year, stuck at an annoying level of mis-understanding) and after almost 3 years i'm an advanced speaker, albeit one with a bloody awful accent (english, chilean and argentine all mixed into one big mess). I never took proper classes, i paid someone to talk to me and listen to me butchering her language for a couple of months at the start and then just made an effort to speak spanish to anyone who would listen. Mainly girls.

It's a major help if you've studied another romance language as you'll already understand the basic concepts that many spanish learners really struggle with (masculine/feminine, verb endings etc). I used to be pretty much fluent in french and have found spanish really pretty easy to learn. Much, much easier than french at any rate. Without french, it would have been a hell of a lot harder i'd guess.

Good luck.

[ls650]

[matttheboy]

I'd guess it's more because you didn't speak another latin based language before. It really, really helps especially if you actually studied the other language at school where the focus is usually mainly on the grammar and concepts parts of the language and less on the spoken part. These are the parts that most people struggle with.

Put another way, if you already inately understand that masculine and feminine must agree, verb endings change for each tense and pronoun and the other essential facets of romance languages then what you're pretty much left with is learning verb endings, vocab and word order (happily not too rigid in Spanish).

And yeah, i've found romance languages quite easy: Once you have a base in one latin language the others are easier to learn. If you were to start learning french now you'd find it less of a struggle. Other languages i've struggled with and given up on-mandarin i couldn't get and german just went straight through me.

[MELEE]

I know LS and his working situation, I think it has more to do with the fact that he spends 8 hours a day M-F with 15 other English speakers and less to do with the fact he didn't study French in school. It is really hard to pick up a foriegn language when you spend a significant part of your waking hours working in your Native language.
Now if we could just find him a nice girl...

[JZer]

[corporatehuman]

Depends on how you spend your free time. Can't agree more.

I came to Mexico real nervous that I couldn't speak a word. Classes have helped a lot. Espanol classes in Mexico are great, you can walk outside and go practice. A homestay helps a lot. I live with a Mexican family that does not speak English.

But more than all that, what helps the most, is that I simply refuse to speak English outside of class. I don't speak english with my students, or with the other english teachers. This has lead to some awkward times, with fellow english speakers frustrated at me, but its for the best.

I do, however, read a lot in English. I've had trouble giving that up.

Also meeting girls has been great practice. Really forces you to use the language for everything its worth.

There are times teaching english really frustrates me. When I had a vacation and spoke spanish straight for two weeks, by the end of it, I was -thinking- in Spanish. Thinking like a five year old, sure, but STILL, thinking. With English classes I've lost that super power and now continue to think in English.

One great thing about coming to Mexico, anywhere, and learning the language in the actual place, is that it discourages translation.

What I mean is, if you learn Spanish in an English environment you are constantly translating. I'm sure some people have had trouble, at times, first thinking in English, then translating it to Spanish. Not only would this slow down your speech, its a wretched way to learn a language. When I speak Spanish, I think in Spanish, with only an occasional 'translation echoe' (a few seconds later realizing what I said in English) but for the most part nothing else.

Anyway don't worry about not speaking Spanish. Just be prepared for some tough first months. take classes if you can. live with a family if you can. Family is the most important. At least in Mexico, living in a family has been great for me. I know their friends now, and after 3 months, am officially 'part' of the family. And family is all important round here. I don't know where the hell I'd be without one.

One thing hard about moving to a new place is not knowing anyone. So just having any sort of social network can really help. And having a social network that doesn't speak a word of English, helps the most.


- Chris

[JZer]

[lozwich]

[JZer]