jobs in colombia for english speakers?

adrimm (Moderator) says on Jun 17, 2005, 12:44:

Get a TESOL certificate I think the course is only 1 month long and costs about 1k. Then you'll at least have an easier time picking up work.

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Colombiche says on Jun 17, 2005, 12:50:

I think if.. You learn spanish you will get a job.

;)

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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Caballista says on Jun 17, 2005, 13:37:

JOB in Colombia Why are you thinking about a job as a teacher? why don't you go there thinking to find a job as a truck driver? If you do not have the skills, how are you going to teach??
If you do want to learn Spanish, why don't you go and pay to a Spanish Speaking teacher? Or take a college degree first.

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Dan says on Jun 17, 2005, 13:37:

TEFL This one based in the UK is USD $295 and UK £195

I've been looking into it considering it as a possibility if I end up leaving my current employment.

http://www.onlinetefl.com/viewPages.php?pageid=60

God Bless America!

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mranderson says on Jun 17, 2005, 18:22:

thanks for the response so far. I'm not necessarily looking for a teaching position but I want to keep it a posibility if I can get certified. I would like to move there very soon, like within another year and I'm going to try to take more spanish lessons before I go. I wasn't sure if anybody knew of other jobs that english speakers only can get. My spanish is coming along very slowly because I don't have much time to study it here in the states. I don't know about a truck driving job in colombia. I wouldnt feel very safe driving from city to city. Although I have given a little thought to a bus driver, possibly a school bus driver. anyway thanks for the response so far!

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ColombiaBoard says on Jun 18, 2005, 07:53:

Jobs Unfortunately you don´t have a degree so you can´t apply at several companies that look for english speaking workers, mostly in the IT sector. Your easiest option would be to get a certificate as an english teacher, you need a TESOL or TEFL certificate.

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utopiacowboy says on Jun 18, 2005, 14:14:

Are you serious? They want English-speaking IT workers? You've got to be kidding - bring in a few Indians - everyone else is.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Dan says on Jun 18, 2005, 14:19:

UC I think I did find something on elempleo.com for english speaking positions not entirely in the teaching field.

God Bless America!

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utopiacowboy says on Jun 18, 2005, 14:24:

That kills me. I've never been anywhere that had less use for the English language than Colombia. And why should they? The Indians are using English against us and the Chinese work for nothing so there's not much left.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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ColombiaBoard says on Jun 18, 2005, 17:03:

Jobs Well, a friend of mine, who works at a colombian software company, has been interviewing english speaking programmers, they need some for their international projects, they already have some europeans working for them, so yes, there are companies in Colombia who hire english speaking professionals.

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Dan says on Jun 19, 2005, 08:38:

Just looking at elempleo.com and did a search for "ingles" and came up with these results with a majority looking for 100% Bilingual:

RECEPCIONISTA
INGENIERO MECANICO Bilingüe
SECRETARIA BILINGUE
Analista Contable
Estudiantes de Ingenieria para semestre de practica
Ingeniero Programador
ECONOMISTA
INGENIERO INDUSTRIAL
SECRETARIA DE VICEPRESIDENCIA/INGLES
PROFESOR DE INGLES with: COLEGIO AGOSTINIETO
ingeniero Calidad
TECNICO DE COMUNICACIONES
INGENIERO DESARROLLO MICROSOFT.NET
Digitador Bilingüe
INEGENIERO DE SISTEMAS
CONTADOR BILINGUE

God Bless America!

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utopiacowboy says on Jun 19, 2005, 08:39:

I don't doubt that you are correct. It just blows me away that somebody would be looking for people who speak English in Colombia. I still don't understand why they don't just bring in a boatload of Indians.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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adrimm (Moderator) says on Jun 19, 2005, 09:48:

UTC Culture. The in-house Colombian obsession with all things gringo. (Has cachet ya know). Pride beats out economy.

Seems to wear off a a few years after they leave Col.

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N2Aquatix says on Jun 20, 2005, 08:13:

Smuggler Why don't you just smuggle drugs? It's much more profitable than actually working for a living. :)

Jay

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marylandfrank says on Apr 24, 2009, 17:54:

Without getting into the pro's or con's of why Colombians would search out English speaking professionals, the actual description in your case should be "native speaker". Many people in Colombia now speak English, and some quite well, so your real selling point is the "native speaker" niche. It comes down to the desire of many Colombians to learn English from native speakers which can teach the eccentricities of the language, common terms and their use, and the most important part - pronunciation. Your goal should be to concentrate on finding colleges and private schools where the students can afford to pay the higher tuitions required for these positions. Colegio de Americas in Bogota for instance is just such an example of a private school. Then there is the British School for learning English. Keep in mind that you will be competing with many people, and if you are fortunate enough to get a position it will be for a pay rate you will not be accustomed to. It is likely you will need to work another job to supplement your income.I am only addressing the specifics of working in the English sector, and there is much to consider before you make this move. Lifestyle, social life, just about everything. Research well and do not make the move lightly without considering all aspects of life. I have a friend who moved there against my prodding and even though he is skilled and fluent he is having a very difficult time finding work of any kind. His only saving grace is that his girlfriends family took him in until he can find something. With no support or network making this move must be considered very heavily. I hope this helps.

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