Cannot make my mind up...a little help!

A long time forum member, WJ Woodward, who lives in Brazil will probably answer your query soon. He will offer you good advice so heed what he tells you.

In case you didn't get the PM I sent in response to yours, here it is again.

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Hi HB,

Rio or São Paulo really is just a matter of choice and personal preference. Both cities have their advantages and disadvantages. The obvious advantages of Rio are that it's right on the coast, a "beautiful" city, one where you will find it very easy to meet other expats. The disadvantages are the expense which will only increase exponentially as the World Cup and Olympics get closer.

São Paulo is much larger, probably will be much better for working since you'll have a larger pool of potential students. The city is cosmopolitan and you'll find anything and any lifestyle you could possibly want there. The disadvantage is you have to travel a great distance to get to a beach, the cost of living is extremely high and the rat race is incredible.

Both cities are experiencing extremely high crime rates, but I can tell you from my own experience of eleven years here, if you don't involve yourself in criminal activities and drugs, don't hang out with the wrong people and take reasonable precautions to NOT make yourself a victim, you will probably never have any problems. I sure haven't.

Finding a job at a language school is just a matter of walking in the door and dropping off a CV or talking to the coordinator, you will write a very juvenile test, and probably walk out with a job offer from the very first place you go into. I'd recommend that you apply in several locations, take all their job offers and give them your availability. Let them fill your available hours and just go back and forth between schools. Pay is really low compared to the amount of work you will do.

Your best bet is to start recruiting private students, who will pay much more than you get in schools, and slowly wean yourself off the dependency on schools for your work as your own private student roster grows. Obviously you're going to take some time to do that and even once you're fully into private teaching you will need to keep recruiting since student turnover is usually pretty high.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Hi there!
From someone who came to Brazil to live in Fortaleza on the Northeast coast...beautiful and much less expensive...and I taught English here as well...both for a small school and with private students, I can tell you that the above post is exactly the way it is.
I know people on the outside nad only ever really heard of Rio, SP and the Amazon, but there are so many diverse areas of this great country that you should not limit yourself.
The Northeast coast, where I have spent the entire time I have been in Brazil, is indeed one of the most exceptional areas.
We have probably the best beaches, the most wonderful climate and the cost is less than the big cities in the south.
Fortaleza, where I live, has 3.5M people so there are possibilities for you to teach here and the conditions are about the same for finding work as has been already described.
I am Canadian but I also have American friends who work as teachers here...they make probably less than you have been told but if you work the extra hours and can find some private students over time, you will be OK.
Andy Neill
Fortaleza, Brazil