TESOL courses

timeforachangeofscenery says on Nov 19, 2007, 18:46:

kimanther,

at first glance, you appear to be labouring under the misconception that an english teacher in colombia is some kind of rare and valuable commodity.

I hate to be the one to break it to you but even with your TESOL quals, you're going to be struggling to make ends meet on an english teacher's salary.

I visited a UNI in Bogota that offered the TESOL course. They even offered me a job teaching english students in Bogota to 'tune' their ears into a foreign accent. Perfect.

Then I asked how much they paid...............oooops. The money was actually REALLY good by Colombian standards......but then I worked out how much I could afford to spend on rent, food, utilities and travel. It turns out that I'd be running at a loss right from day one.

To give an indication of what you're up against, a law graduate in Bogota earns around $US10,000 a year.

i guess you could also reverse the situation and ponder,

'how hard would it be for a colombian to travel to brisbane with no english, no formal qualifications and no job history, and get a job that pays enough to support a family?'

I'm not saying any of this to be negative or to rain on your parade.

I would just like to suggest that you to consider all the possible consequences of your move to Colombia.

My advice - and you have to remember that advice is generally worth 10 times what you pay for it - my advice is FREE by the way ......

Stay in Australia - earn, invest, or steal enough money to live on in Australia for a year. Do your TESOL course. Buy a RETURN ticket to Colombia. Arrive in Bogota with your Oz Dollars tucked in a bank account with a visa card access.

Get a job and work in Colombia. See what type of lifestyle you can afford on your salary and if it's the lifestyle you're looking for stick with it.

If you find yourself needing to dip into your Oz Dollars, then you're not earning enough to support yourself in the manner to which you're accustomed.

I lived in Colombia for about a year and a half. I can provide you with a few basic figures that will help you whip up a fairly basic cash-flow projection if you like.

You'll know where you can afford to live and how much you can expect to pay in monthly expenses.

I hope this helps....


Timefor.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Chriscan says on Nov 20, 2007, 16:09:

I want to do the same thing in Santa Marta. The money isn't a problem. I can spend a couple ofmonths a year earning Canadian money. I want to teach to make a little money but more to pass the time. How easy is it to get the proper visas?

************* WARNING ************* my words often come from my ass

0 funny, 0 helpful.

kimanther says on May 23, 2008, 19:46:

Hey, thanks for your advice Timefor. I definitely dont expect that being a native English speaker is going to be a huge stepping stone for me, I certainly understand that it is going to be an arduous undertaking. I have been told that i can also do tutoring - based on your experiences, how difficult would it be to pick up some students? Im assuming simply placing signs at the universities or shopping centre noticeboards (If there is such a thing), is not as simple as it seems.....?

Based on your experiences, do you think that taking a job (even though it may not pay well), and then doing tutoring on the side would be beneficial, if not just for the experience?

And sure that would be great if you could provide me with figures etc for living costs etc.....

Thanks in advance and have a great day!

:)

0 funny, 0 helpful.