How to get teaching jobs in Colombia

***

kennethrobinson wrote:

I am looking to make at least 10 millones pesos per month at the minimum.

Please let us know if you get any legitimate offers for even as much as one third of that 10 million COP.

OsageArcher wrote:

kennethrobinson wrote:

I am looking to make at least 10 millones pesos per month at the minimum.

Please let us know if you get any legitimate offers for even as much as one third of that 10 million COP.

Is that impossible in Colombia? What's a good (more than average) salary for teaching English in Colombia?

Thanks, Glen.

I won't be available until I complete my CELTA course at the end of October. Do you also assist in university jobs?

kennethrobinson wrote:

if anyone had advice for how I can gain employment teaching English in Colombia?

I have an associates degree in liberal arts, a bachelor's and master's degree in Communication from a university in the Cal State system in Northern Californa (I finished a 2-year masters program in 1 year with a 3.97 GPA.)...

I took a teaching course in graduate school, and I was a teaching assistant for the entire year of graduate school to a visually impaired professor. I also taught an interpersonal communications course for one quarter to undergraduate students.
I have an online 160 Hour TEFL certification, and I am currently here in Bogota about to begin the CELTA program.

Does anyone have any advice for how I can gain employment teaching here after I finish my CELTA? I am looking to make at least 10 millones pesos per month at the minimum. My preferences are private bilingual school, private universities, and private corporation teaching. Is this impossible? If not then how can I approach looking for employment teaching here? I

Dear Kenneth,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of expat.com ....

Starting at the top if you're new to Colombia is unrealistic unless you have heavy juice.

Glen evidently has jobs, but not at your desired price range.

Here are some things to do to improve your chances....

1.  Focus on Bogota.  The capital has the most jobs, the most potential employers, international companies and agencies where you could eventually make a difference.

2.  Compile a list of prospective schools and employers in the capital.

3.  Show up in person with your credentials, a large photo marked on back with name and credentials and experience, contact information and a recommendation two sentences long.

4.  Ask to see the decider.  Meet in person even if you have to come back another day or wait two hours or navigate your way through bureaucracy to get to him or her.

5.  Be persistent.

6.  Meantime, work on your Spanish skills, not for your ultimate classroom, but to communicate with the decider(s).

7-   Be prepared mentally to start at a less than ideal position .. split hours, morning and evening, less money than your desired pay grade, possibly teaching small children or low-income adults, less than full time.  Several months of showing up in a classroom regularly demonstrates your consistency and gives you demonstrable in-country experience to start working your way up to the corporations or other 'sofisticado' teaching opportunities.

8.  See if you can legally teach private sessions .. and get recommendations in either language from your students.

9.  Be persistent.  A lot of Expats would love to reach the pinnacle you aspire to.  You have competition that is already inside the country, and with experience.

10.  Do what Brother Archer asked ... and tell us as you start advancing to your goals. He mentioned advising us when you get one-third the salary or income you stated you desire.  That's a fair number for 'este proposito'.  Good luck.  By staying in regular communication with us, you enable yourself to be held accountable for progress .. you memorialize your progress .. and you will be acknowledged for your progress.

cccmedia

cccmedia wrote:

kennethrobinson wrote:

if anyone had advice for how I can gain employment teaching English in Colombia?

I have an associates degree in liberal arts, a bachelor's and master's degree in Communication from a university in the Cal State system in Northern Californa (I finished a 2-year masters program in 1 year with a 3.97 GPA.)...

I took a teaching course in graduate school, and I was a teaching assistant for the entire year of graduate school to a visually impaired professor. I also taught an interpersonal communications course for one quarter to undergraduate students.
I have an online 160 Hour TEFL certification, and I am currently here in Bogota about to begin the CELTA program.

Does anyone have any advice for how I can gain employment teaching here after I finish my CELTA? I am looking to make at least 10 millones pesos per month at the minimum. My preferences are private bilingual school, private universities, and private corporation teaching. Is this impossible? If not then how can I approach looking for employment teaching here? I

Dear Kenneth,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of expat.com ....

Starting at the top if you're new to Colombia is unrealistic unless you have heavy juice.

Glen evidently has jobs, but not at your desired price range.

Here are some things to do to improve your chances....

1.  Focus on Bogota.  The capital has the most jobs, the most potential employers, international companies and agencies where you could eventually make a difference.

2.  Compile a list of prospective schools and employers in the capital.

3.  Show up in person with your credentials, a large photo marked on back with name and credentials and experience, contact information and a recommendation two sentences long.

4.  Ask to see the decider.  Meet in person even if you have to come back another day or wait two hours or navigate your way through bureaucracy to get to him or her.

5.  Be persistent.

6.  Meantime, work on your Spanish skills, not for your ultimate classroom, but to communicate with the decider(s).

7-   Be prepared mentally to start at a less than ideal position .. split hours, morning and evening, less money than your desired pay grade, possibly teaching small children or low-income adults, less than full time.  Several months of showing up in a classroom regularly demonstrates your consistency and gives you demonstrable in-country experience to start working your way up to the corporations or other 'sofisticado' teaching opportunities.

8.  See if you can legally teach private sessions .. and get recommendations in either language from your students.

9.  Be persistent.  A lot of Expats would love to reach the pinnacle you aspire to.  You have competition that is already inside the country with experience.

10.  Do what Whoa Nellie asked ... and tell us as you start advancing to your goals.  Whoa mentioned advising us when you get one-third the salary or income you stated you desire.  That's a fair number for 'este proposito'.  Good luck.  By staying in regular communication with us, you enable yourself to be held accountable for progress .. you memorialize your progress .. and you will be acknowledged for your progress.

cccmedia

That you so much. So it is normal to show up to different companies with your resume and give them to (I guess HR)

For example, if I wanted to work at Avianca or a specific school, I would show up with my resume and give it to a secretary or HR in the office?

I am currently in Bogota.

I don't think that this includes teachers of English, but this salary survey tool for Colombia has recently been updated to reflect more current salaries for various professions in Colombia:

https://tusalario.org/colombia/tusalari … -salario#/

It's all in Spanish but it's pretty easy to figure out.   You enter a keyword or just the first few letters for a profession like profesor or obrero or secretario or ejecutivo, choose the type, slide the years of experience button, and voilà.  You get the lower and upper limits of a range and the average. 

For some higher salaries you can put in the keyword gerente, manager, and select from various types of managers as they are among the highest-paid, to see the range and average of what they make.

This article writing of a sondeo salario, an encuesta, a salary survey or poll is undated but seems to be from around 2012 so hopefully salaries have gone up since then, but...probably not by a whole lot.  They say for Colombians who work, the monthly salaries break down as follows:
16%  earn less than 600,000
34%  earn between 600,000 and 1 million
29%  earn between 1 million and 2 million
15%  earn between 2 million and 4 million
  3%  earn between 4 million and 6 million
  2%  earn between 6 million and 10 million
  1%  earn over 10 million

There is also other interesting information about the Colombian workforce.

http://www.finanzaspersonales.co/trabaj … anos/48375

Hey, thanks for your input. But you are wrong.  There's a wide range of salaries as someone posted on here. We place teachers in Colombia from no wage to 5M, plus free apartment and free flights. It's just whatever you are looking for.   We listen to all factors and match you to what you need & want.   This is the people business, not the widget business.  I love my life in Colombia, and it important to me that I help others also love their life here.

Kenneth, absolutely not, do not leave a resume with an HR secretary.

You need to read What Color Is Your Parachute (check Amazon Kindle) to comprehend the proper way to deal with job resumes .. and re-read my first post directed to you on this thread re getting to the deciders.

Adopt a pro-active attitude .. and be persistent about meeting the deciders.

Leaving a piece of paper with a secretary is akin to the derogatory phrase "mailing it in." HR, in most companies, is not the decider . it's more likely the buffer keeping you away from the decider unless the place is desperate or close to desperate to hire.

And you don't lose points by seeking a position at two, three or even 100 potential employers/schools.

Keep in mind that we're in South America. It's Macho Time !

cccmedia

If you can get a Visitors tag and get into the lunchroom of a potential hiring institution around noon, go meet the faculty and staff and network around to find out if the decider is there .. or at the least find out who is the decider. Could be a person, could be a committee -- seek out the members.

If your español is not strong enough for networking, get a tutor and use other methods to strengthen your Spanish language skills.

----

Also, start PM messaging Glen Galindo to find out what positions he may have for you.  Get him on the phone.

That 5,000,000 pesos-a-month deal with free apartment he wrote about ("That I can do") -- don't pass up learning more about that one.

Consider a weekend trip to Chinchiná in the world-famous Coffee Zone to meet Glen in person and learn about his operations first-hand.  Pick his brain for possibilities and strategies.  He is likely our top boots-on-the-ground 'experta' for teaching opportunities and education/teaching/housing grants for Expats in Colombia.

cccmedia

Ha ha good luck with that strategy (giving a CV the secretary). Doesnt work in a city you grew Up in in a profession you have 20 years experience in, so why do you think it would work in a developing country and culture you have zero experence.in with a massive unemployment rate?

You sound like an entitled generación "y" Type or whatever they call them selves nos adams.

hopping off the plane and expecting a salary higher than 98 % of Colombians earn. Give me a break.

Either that or I am treating to spell a troll again.

Dont know where people find the koolAid they are drinking.

Thanks for the Link Osage. Been looking for something like that off and on.

At least something good same out of this site..

Hola ~ and welcome to Colombia.

I'm a CELTA certified English teacher as well. Not to worry, it's not hard to find teaching positions in Colombia. Just select a few places where you'd like to work, and walk in with a smile and a resume. I'm not quite sure how you're going to pull off the 10 million pesos a month, but that said ... when you figure it out please let the rest of us know! Best of luck to you!

KimberleyMeehan wrote:

Hola ~ and welcome to Colombia.

I'm a CELTA certified English teacher as well. Not to worry, it's not hard to find teaching positions in Colombia. Just select a few places where you'd like to work, and walk in with a smile and a resume. I'm not quite sure how you're going to pull off the 10 million pesos a month, but that said ... when you figure it out please let the rest of us know! Best of luck to you!

Thank you, Kimberly. I recently completed my CELTA program. Having university teaching experience, a masters degree in Communications, CELTA and TEFL certification, do you have any advice on what type of places to apply to in Colombia where I can at least be able to support myself financially? From my understanding public schools barely pay anything and most language institutes only hire part-time (I know that's the case with International House and British Council)