PBH / Colombia / Start Forums▼ (active) Travelguide Cheap hostels Pictures

Teaching English and Work Visas

Hi, we´re two English teachers from the UK. We want to stay and teach in Colombia for a year. At the moment we´ve only got a one month tourist visa which we can extend until the 15th of January. We´ve started looking for work but to be honest we don´t know what to do with regards to visas. Does anybody know how common is it for schools to organise work visas? What might this entail? What are our options come the 15th if we can´t get one? Any advice would be gratefully received. Seems there are a few experts out there! Cheers.

By Ian Mathew on Nov 23, 2005, 11:57 in Visa & paperwork.

Hunter says on Nov 23, 2005, 14:29:

Ian Mathew Some schools/colleges will sort a work visa out for you presuming you can find a school to employ you.

As a British person you can spend 6 months in Colombia on a tourist visa in a year.

I would do some quick research on this forum regarding tourist and student visas then come back with any questions.

Hunter

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 23, 2005, 15:39:

Check out the "Teaching English in Colombia" guide at the left :) basically, you can teach English semi-legally.. without visa.. or you can get a "real" English teaching job, and you might be able to get them to get you a visa.. but it's not so easy..

Poor but snappy

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Ian Mathew says on Nov 23, 2005, 16:54:

6 months Tourist Visa - How? Friends, thanks for the help. But having re-checked the guide to the left I am still a little confused. Re the 6 month visa: am I right in thinking we´ll have to go out of the country every 2 months to get passports re-stamped - up to the 6 month limit? Assuming we don´t get lucky and happen upon employers willing to sort out a work visa before the 15th January, there´s nothing we can do inside Colombia to extend our tourist visa?

And, by ´semi-legal´ is it meant people outstaying their tourist visa cos you´ve got a job but no work visa? Is this common? How do you explain it when you finally come to leave?

Questions, questions! Sincere thanks for any help offered.

Ian

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Hunter says on Nov 24, 2005, 03:39:

Ian You can get monthly tourist visa extensions at some DAS offices.

Hunter

0 funny, 0 helpful.