Expat Community > Ecuador

Silverwater
Joined 2008
Posts: 1039

IL and Teaching English

12 years ago

As many of you know, I have been teaching English here in Ecuador for many years. I've been dismayed lately by the newsletters sent out by International Living that say that if you can speak English, you can make money teaching it, and one of the articles even references the ability to teach in a small village in Ecuador. This is so misleading and a detrimental to both teacher and students. Most people who have spent any time here are aware that the government is cracking down on schools and teachers. Can you get a job here just because you speak English? Probably. But without any skills, what will you do when faced with a classroom of 60 children (and yes the classes can be that big)and they don't speak English and you don't speak Spanish? Reputable schools that pay any sort of a decent wage will require at the least a TEFL certificate, and many also require a degree. You likely will be required to do a demo class in front of students before being hired. The goverment requires lesson plans for each week so it is imperative that you know how to do this in the correct format. Correcting student work is also time consuming. And the pay is very low. High schools pay from about $300-$800 a month for full time work. Language institutes pay about $4-$8 an hour and your hours can fluctuate, depending on the number of students. Also, how are you grammar skills? Do you know, and can you explain things like present simple, present continous, the past participle, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepostions etc? You may be tested on these before being hired. Location is also a factor. There are very few jobs that pay a living wage outside of Quito and Guayaquil. That includes Cuenca, where there is an English Institute that hires foreigners, but really doesn't pay enough to live on. The type of visa you have will also make a difference. You can't work on a tourist stamp. Work visas are extremely difficult to get, and in most cases involve too much paperwork for the school to bother. Many teachers work on Cultural Exchange visas. To get one you mist work for an institute that has an exchange program registered with the government. Despite all the hoops you have to jump through, I have to say that Ecuadorian students are a joy to teach. In my experience, most are dedicated and eager to learn. But please, make sure you have the skills to teach them before you enter the classroom. I applaud President Correa's efforts to improve education. I've had goverment inspectors in my classroom evaluating me and I welcome that. Many Ecuadorians scrimp and save to pay for English classes and as a teacher I feel its a mmoral obligation to have the necessary skills to teach them when you walk into the classroom.

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SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
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SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

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Expat Community > Ecuador

IL and Teaching English

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