Immigration

The police are friendly to peaceful Gringos.

In my recent-past three years in Quito, no police officer has so much as stopped me for an ID check.

They have been cheerful and responsive when I ask them about parking restrictions or the occasional demonstration in El Centro.

As far as I can tell, they have no motivation to hassle a peaceful visitor.  (Unlike the cops in metro Denver who -- I'm guessing by their behavior in recent years -- think they'll hit the police-jackpot if they can convince someone to allow a search of their car .. and find some type of contraband.)

cccmedia

no it does not happen, i am ecuadorian, if you need help with smth here i am

hello guys,can anyone list the document i will bring with me on arrival to ecuador,because am using gambia passport and gambia passport is visa free to ecuador,so i want to know any other document i will bring with me to  avoid delay from entry,thanks.

I'm planning to move to Ecuador. I have a master degree in English language teaching. Can I find a job easily. Also, how is education for the young children in primary schools.  I heard it is not good. Is that true?
What about private schools fees? Are they affordable?

Thanks a lot for your help.

a4Muna wrote:

I'm planning to move to Ecuador. I have a master degree in English language teaching.  Can I find a job easily?...

What about private schools fees? Are they affordable?

Welcome to the Ecuador forum, Muna.

1. Jobs....  Due in part to the recession, in part to language barrier, in part to the worldwide tendency to favor locals, foreigners who are less than fluent in Spanish and lack special professional skills are at a deep disadvantage in the Ecuadorian job market.  Available jobs go to locals if at least one local applicant is qualified.

Teaching English is an exception, since locals with excellent English speaking skills are rare.  Pay to start is typically low .. and entry-level positions may require split shifts, such as morning and evening.  Once you get established in English teaching with a good school and obtain full-time work there .. you can meet living expenses but not expensive tastes and hobbies.

2.  Affordability of private schools....  What do you consider affordable in dollar terms?

cccmedia

Thank you so much for your reply.  I mean are private schools affordable  to teach my children

a4Muna wrote:

I'm planning to move to Ecuador. I have a master degree in English language teaching. Can I find a job easily. Also, how is education for the young children in primary schools.  I heard it is not good. Is that true?
What about private schools fees? Are they affordable?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Finding a job in your field is in one thing but getting an adequate salary is another. If you read about how much English teachers make then you'll understand how little they make. As for primary schools there are basically several tiers:

1. Public schools
2. Private schools with Spanish curriculum
3. Private schools with English curriculum

Private schools taught in English curriculum can be very expensive especially for people who expect to earn an income from within Ecuador. Some of these schools are mostly for Ecuador's affluent class, and foreigners who receive expatriate packages that include education for their children.

If your children are young enough and you are desperate you can enroll them in private Spanish curriculum schools which are better than public schools but inferior in everyway to private curriculum schools that offer secondary students IB, A-Level, IGCSE, AP classes.

The best advice you'll hear is to contact ALL the schools and inquire about specific curriculum and costs.

All the best.

vsimple, you are correct with your information.  My wife and daughter live in the Quito area and my daughter is fluent in both English and Spanish and we have her is a great school.  One of the best in the country from what I am told, we spend around $200 a month but she is only in "Primero" which is Kindergarten.  The prices will escalate from there.

The problem I am coming in to right now is finding a good school in an area that we would rather live in.  I am currently in this process and it will dictate where we live to a certain extent.

I have done some research on this and unless the rules have changed then you are, as an Expat, allowed to home school your children and bring them in to an accredited school to complete their exams.  As my daughter is so young and I want her to have the experience of school mates I don't see this as an option for us right now.

Hi,

No, you don't get stopped often by police, but I would really recommend carrying color copies of valid passports around you if a police officer want you to "surprise you"

Regards.