Job Discussion Forums

LateStarter · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:08 am Post subject: Chile for a Newbee!

Hi out there,

I'm a recent CELTA graduate with a bachelors degree in english language and communtiation, experience as a business trainer, a tad over 55, and having little to no success applying in SE Asia (have I given up too soon?). I am thinking of just flying to Chile, with the hope that I will find opportunities to put my CELTA teaching skills into practice. I am fit, I am enthusiastic, and I am willing to teach anywhere or anyone. What are my chances of finding employment. I need to gain that first year of teaching experience. Hope you can help. Hope to hear from you.

JosephP · Joined: 13 May 2003 Posts: 445

You're having trouble finding work in SE Asia? Jeez, if you are vertical, don't smell bad, have a necktie and a degree it shouldn't be that difficult to find teaching work in Thailand.

LateStarter · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:33 am Post subject: Chile for a Newbee

Thanks Joseph - now I feel totally despondent......

I haven't tried Thailand yet, but I had thought of just landing in Bangkok with my resume in hand and knocking on doors aplenty both in Bangkok and out in the countryside.

Do you think that this would work? Someone else on Daves said that cold calling wasn't a good idea. No wonder I'm confused.

Hope you can help?

Dia · Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 92

Hi Latestarter,

As well your comment on having no luck in Asia surprised me, as the work situation is often regarded as better paying and easy to jump into. However, if that's the case luckily there are alternatives and I think Chile could be one of them for you.

I think your plan to fly to Chile and from there look for work could be successful, though probably necessary that you have a little bit of money to work with in getting settled and the time before you have enough work lined up. It wouldnt necessarily be easy to be paying off any previous bills etc nor save much additional to paying off living costs.

Most teachers find employment once they are already located in Chile. With your CELTA/speaking skills you should be on par or a step above all the others. With the enthusiasm you describe I think you'd be able to make it work.

My advice would be to analyze the money situation and read up more on the cultures to see how much you would seem to enjoy Chile over another place. Good luck!

JosephP · Joined: 13 May 2003 Posts: 445

mike30 · Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 67 Location: Santiago, Chile

Have you tried ILA in Vietnam? They are always hiring. www.ilavietnam.com

I worked there and it was alright...you'll certainly make more money there and live much more easily than if you try to start out teaching in Chile.

The easiest place to start teaching by far is in Korea....the best pay, free flights, free apartment.....but 90% of the jobs here are teaching children. To a point there is age discrimination in hiring (as well as racial discrimination and very serious 'ugly' or 'fat' discrimination) but you still see folk of all shapes and sizes working here. If you're just looking for a job you can get in touch with a recruiter and be in Korea working as soon as you can get your paperwork together.

If you have your heart set on Chile you will certainly find enough work to get by, but unless you've got a fair bit of savings from home to tap into you won't have a great time there (financially speaking) unless you work to set up your own gig teaching group classes directly to businesses and cutting out the institute. I worked there for about 5 months for an institute and then 1 year on my own and I literally made triple or quadruple working on my own. (And this isn't a typical Dave's ESL brag session, I am just saying that you can't REALLY get by on the salary from an institute unless you want to live in shared housing and never want to travel or go out or buy anything of real value.) But if you're fine making $500-800/month then there should be plenty of places willing to hire you.