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

working visa for meeee!

Hi

Sorry...I know this may have been done to death, but I am just getting so confused.

I've recently come back from 6 months in Colombia, Im Australian and my boyfriend is Colombian and still there. He has just been rejected for permanent residency here. I am planning on going back after finishing my degree in Dec and want to get a working Visa and prob teach English in Bogota or Cali. I am doing a TESL course in Oct.

How do I go about getting a working visa before I leave?
How long can I then stay there and is it on the condition that I have work before I get there?
Will I therefore be able to go in on a one-way ticket?
Should I do the TESL cert ($1595) and quick or the Cambridge certified one ($2500) and 2 months to complete? I am finishing a degree in Business (marketing) does this help?
My Spanish is.......average, yet passable

Thanks guys, and I hope by asking all these anal questions I may help others. :)

By emilyh on Aug 8, 2004, 02:06 in Friendly Talkzone.

ShazCas says on Aug 8, 2004, 04:25:

Visa You have to get a job before getting a working visa. Working visas only allow you to work for one company. The school you're working for has to come up with all the papers, of which there is a long and complicated list. You can do two different things: either get your job in Colombia while still in Australia, get the school to send over all your papers for you to get your visa from the Colombian consulate before you go, or go to Colombia on a tourist visa, and when you get a job, you'd have to go to Ecuador / Panama / Mexico, to get your visa. However, flights are cheap, and this means you also get a fun trip in another country. Of course, most people want the security of a job & visa before they go.

Your visa lasts a year. When your year is up you'll have to take the big pile of papers the school gives you to the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores for them to renew it. Take your degree certificate to Colombia with you as well as your teaching one.

Your degree certificate will help you to get a job for a big prestigious university, instead of a language school, and the pay is much better.

You need to take lots of Spanish (and salsa!!) classes before you go, as you need to be able to stand up for yourself when needed.

You can't go on a one-way ticket. See this thread:
www.poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/view/3828

Going on a one-way ticket is a silly idea anyway, as you need to be able to get home at any time, for emergencies, and it's much cheaper.

Buy the Lonely Planet or Footprints guide - they'll give you a good idea of what goes on in the city you want to go to, and of the country in general.

The Cambridge CELTA is better than the TESL, but any teaching qualification is good.

Hope this helps!

0 funny, 0 helpful.

emilyh says on Aug 9, 2004, 00:59:

Thanks heaps,

this has really helped to clarify things for me!!

16 weeks to go!!! :)

0 funny, 0 helpful.

ShazCas says on Aug 10, 2004, 09:35:

Good luck! Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask any more questions you may have in the meantime, and I'll do my best to help you out! You can also e mail me at ShazCas1 at yahoo.com

0 funny, 0 helpful.

LarsBrink says on Aug 11, 2004, 04:56:

Cucuta To change the visa I went by local airplane to Cucuta and took a 20 minute busride to Venezuela. There they can make the visa in a few days. Nothing special but cheap with the local transport.

I got a job teaching english with Berlitz without any teaching experience/classes. They prepare you for a week and then you are working.

~ Lars Brink ~ www.colombia.dk ~

0 funny, 0 helpful.