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TEFL Bogota, costs versus wages. Health

Hi,
I'm am considering moving to Bogota in October. I haven't been in Colombia since 1993. I have teaching experience, a TEFL certificate and a Master's degree. I was wondering how hard it is to get by on the salary you make at insitutes. I don't need to blow a lot of money in the zona rosa--or any, I dont even drink. I want to live modestly but I would be picky about housing, I was thinking of living in the candelaria--I know it gets sketchy at night but I love it there. (I am a woman and I'll be alone after the first month though, and I'm american, even worse). Also, how long could it take to get a job??? I mean, how is the availability of TEFL work.
Do you have to work really hard to get by? I have lyme disease and can't work super hard. I will come with my medicines and have phone conferences with my doctor at home. However, how is the health care there? What diseases can you catch? Of course I'll have all the immunizations. Due to the altitude I am asssuming all you need to worry about are the usual intenstinal problems. Am i overlooking something?
I hear that there is a lot of holistic medicine there...Is there yoga there? How expensive is it?
Thanks,
Leila

By Leila on Aug 14, 2004, 22:45 in Friendly Talkzone.

poulet says on Aug 15, 2004, 09:52:

I think you would be better off finding a job as a teacher before moving here, the school i went to (anglo-colombian school) is one of the best in Bogotá and they are always in need of teachers. It obviously depends in where you are from, but in my school life I had teachers not only from the UK, but also from Australia and New Zeland, I even had a math teacher from Romania. The homepage is http://anglocol.edu.co maybe check it out and see what you can find.

Healthcare here is excellent, if you have a job that will all be taken care off. You don't have to worry about any diseases in Bogotá, it's just a mayor city, but if you travel to the coast you will need a yellow fever shot.

There are lot's of Yoga teachers that will go to your house and also quite a few gyms that offer it. A regular yoga class will be around U$10, for an hour.
cheers.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 15, 2004, 11:38:

Health care great Health care here is great, though they may not have experience with Lyme disease. But the doctors here are very well-trained and caring. Candelaria is super romantic but before I committed to living anywhere I'd nail down the job. You don't want to be commuting longer than necessary if, as you said, you can't work super hard.

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Leila says on Aug 15, 2004, 14:14:

apt prices Thanks,
How much are studio and/or one bedroom apts in the candelaria? I heard you could get a place in the north for $300, is this true? I definitely wouldn't get a place before knowing where I'd work.
Leila

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Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 15, 2004, 17:55:

apartments go to www.metrocuadrado.com to get a sense of apartment prices in different neighborhoods. That's the rental site run by El Tiempo. In saying that, I'm assuming that you have at least passable Spanish skills, otherwise it's going to be tough to navigate.

$300 in the fancy neighborhoods of the north sounds optimistic, but the north of Bogota is a big place and I'm sure there are many neighborhoods that are perfectly nice without the high prices of Rosales, Chico and such.

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poulet says on Aug 15, 2004, 18:20:

These are the apartments for rent downtown.
remember U$1 is roughly 2600 COP. I would recommend parque central bavaria, it's a nice neighbourhood right downtown plus the "Transmilenio" is really near so transport would be easy.

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British Paisa says on Aug 15, 2004, 18:23:

I would suggest having a search on the internet for efl schools in the city you want to visit and sending e-mails to them about available jobs prior to going, also make sure that all of your work permit is in order, otherwise it will be hard, if not impossible, to get a job in one of the top paying schools.

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william_andrew_channell says on Aug 17, 2004, 12:11:

La Candelaria First of all, why does everybody think that La Candelaria is so great? There are a thousand other living options in Bogotá, but all the foreigners seem to love La Candelaria. La Candelaria is ugly, old, dirty, and not so nice at night. I would rather live in Kennedy or Bosa than the Centro. Honestly, if you want to live well without spending alot of money and have a conveniently located apartment, I suggest Cedritos or Caobos. As for making enough money as a TEFL teacher, don´t worry about it. Being teacher pays very well and it's easy to find work.

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