Job Discussion Forums

[si-sewell]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any advice...

I'm planning to teach in Brazil (either Rio or Sao P) come January or February and I'm at the point now where I would like to get something sorted for next year.

I'm finding it very difficult to find legitimate websites online that have vacancies for Brazil; there seems to be a lot for other parts of the world.

I've read that a lot of schools in Rio mostly hire teachers that are already living in Rio...

If anyone there is already teaching in Brazil, how did you get started?

Thanks for your help!!

[Ariadne]

You might get more specific information by posting on the Brazil forum.

.

[mmcmorrow]

Hi Si,

here are some thoughts on teaching in Brazil:

Yes, most language teachers are hired locally in Brazil.
It helps to know some Portuguese - so it's a good idea to start learning before you go.
You can always contact schools in advance - googling, getting lists of schools through Yellowpages.com etc. You can send your CV and phone too.
Some well-known national chains are Yazigi, Britannia, Cellep, Wizard, Alumni, Cultura Inglesa etc - there is a huge range from excellent to abysmal.
Many of these schools employ local teachers. There is a large pool of well-educated Brazilians with excellent English and overseas experience.
Generally, I would guess your chances are greater in SP - far greater demand, especially in business etc (eg over 500 private English language schools) and fewer overseas teachers around
In my experience (I taught there over 5 years ago), schools were reluctant to sponsor teachers for the rather expensive visas - and if teachers had gone there on a tourist visa and were employed legally there, then to get a working visas, teachers had to return to their home country to pick it up.
If you do go to SP, I would recommend you to search for accommodation near a metro station - possibly somewhere like Jardins, Paulista or the Centre. It's a huge sprawling city and EFL teachers often have to teach split shifts (early morning / late evenings). Also, a good location will help you to pick up private lessons.
Very few schools are open in January, so no point trying to contact them then. Schools begin to open after summer vacation in February, but don't really get going fully till after Carnival.
The EFL market in Brazil is highly segmented. There are various schools which specialise in specific areas - eg Teaching Children (eg national chains such as Pink & Blue etc), Business English etc - as well as schools offering a bit of everything.
To increase your chances of employment - be qualified, have other skills and experience to offer (eg in Business etc) and look smart!

Martin McMorrow, TESOLANZ, New Zealand

[si-sewell]

Hey Martin,

Thanks for getting back to me.. your post is massively informative!

I suppose Brazil differs from other ESL locations; in the fact that other countries have loads of agencies that place teachers is schools with accommodation etc... I am not deterred however!

Although not ideal for me, I kind of like the fact that schools in Rio only hire local Brazilians. Rio is my first choice and I'll still send my CV to every school there on the off chance.

Was it SP where you taught for 5 years? Did you get a working visa while you were there? (I'm guessing it isn't like Sri Lanka where I just paid the guys in the Visa office a little bit extra to give me a working one quickly)

SP is definitely my second choice, I have a degree in business and I've also completed a module in teaching Business English so I think I'll be alright with that! My third choice is Salvador.

I'm going to start sending my CV now to try and get it all finalised before new year.

Thanks again

[mmcmorrow]

Good luck with your plans, Si. There may be some more information on the Brazil / S. America board. This site has some useful general information about living / working in Brazil as a foreigner. As I mentioned, few schools are prepared to sponsor an overseas teacher for a working visa - it's simply too expensive (ie up to $1000 to pay the agent - despechante - literally 'hurryer-upper' - to get the process done in a month or so) and also, risky, in the sense that they won't know if the overseas teacher is going to be a success or not. Anyway, it won't be difficult for you to do some ground work. I do recommend that you phone, rather than depending on just sending your CV. Do your homework first - check out the website of the school etc and try to find out the name of the director. Then phone up and ask to speak to the director, using his or her name - have your one minute spiel ready. Start off by saying something positive and actually accurate about the school. Be enthusiastic and make sure you include your USPs.

You have to start by asking yourself, what is it exactly that you have to offer this school and their clients? Assuming that you are a complete stranger to the school, do not have flawless Portuguese or in-depth knowledge of Brazilian culture, have not learnt English as a foreign language up to advanced level, and do not already have the right to work in Brazil, you are already a long way behind all of the other local candidates whose CVs etc they receive every week - in fact, some of the best teachers are simply their ex-students. So, what is it that you can offer that is going to make a Brazilian school interested in employing you despite these obvious drawbacks? And what evidence are you going to provide to prove your USPs - eg videos of you giving a business presentation, a website you've developed etc etc. After providing your direct intro and sales pitch, then it's time to follow up by sending your CV and covering letter, with the relevant online links to you in action.

The message above is just intended to be a reality check - not to discourage you in any way from going to Brazil. But don't raise your hopes too high about being offered a job in advance and having the school take care of your visa, accommodation etc. Even if you don't get anything in advance, you can still go there as a tourist (you get a 3 month stamp which can then be extended at the Policia Federal for another 3 months), travel around, visit schools, learn some Portuguese etc.

If you are thinking of doing the Celta over there, or just want to look at an example of a good Rio school, Britannia have a lovely premises at Ipanema. There may be other centres too. By the way, many schools will insist on teachers taking their own training courses in any case - most of these would be better called inductions, as they focus on the systems, materials etc. Often they'll run one of these in February.

Cheers,

Martin McMorrow, New Zealand
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