Teaching English in Guayaquil

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pay for teachers sucks... i had a friend from england try to support his family on a teachers salery he,s back there now working on getting his ecuadorian wife her papers. the best if you can work on line or have some other skills... open a busness that caters to other ex pacs...be sure to offer services for the locals. i came here with a few thousnd and got lucky and walked in to a auto shop.... hadnt worked on cars sence i was in my 20s though i was ASC certified at the time.  it was the only thing i could find that put my future in my own hands. figure out what you want to sell and open a shop,resturaunt or bar..

KRUMPLE:

$2500 a month for a family of four should get you by.

Start your own company, $1500, if you want to make a decent living
teaching English.

Another gig would be providing a translating service for new expats.

Cheers,

JAMES

Has anyone ever taught English in Guayaquil? Does anyone know of regular schools or language schools that hire teachers with a TEFL to teach English?

Thanks!

I see very few posts from Guayaquil on this blog. While you are waiting for someone, I can speak a little about teaching here in Loja. I don't know much about the private sector, but do know some things about the public sector. English is now taught in the schools and teachers who's first language is English are not that common. So, if that is your case, you do have an advantage.

Teaching experience is preferred, but not alway a necessity, if suitable candidates are not available. Last year, the teaching system was changed, and a lot of teachers left very unhappy. I dont know if they will be back next year. Consequently, there may be an opening or two that is hard to fill next year. The son of the Ecuadorian family I live with was raised in the U.S., and speaks fluent English. Two years ago, he got a job with a high-school here, for $400 a month, without any teaching experience (but he does have a college degree). He did quite well, and is now earning $600 a month this year. His wife works part-time at an Event Hall and makes about $300 a month. There are also some perks from teaching that help save money. They live modestly, but well. I am presently spending about the same amount ($900/mo.) for living expenses, so that is a good gauge for the minimum about for two people (or one, if you are North American). If you add what two children cost, you will have an amount necessary for your living requirements. But, of course, the $2500 James suggested would be much nicer and give you more room. But, that is a very high income in Ecuador. Even most expats make no more than that, and they are rich by Ecuadorian standards. I have a friend who is presently living on $200 a month, and I marvel that she pulls it off (with the help of family and friends). Hopefully things will get better for her soon.

Teaching English privately, in Loja at least, is not that lucrative. Many people who have graduated from High School want to learn english. If they didn't graduate and are going back for their high school degree, they will have to learn English. But, in Ecuador, wanting to do something and actually doing it can seem far apart, especially if it involves money.  On the other hand, as a supplemental job, teaching English in the private sector might really come in handy. But, as a full time job, it is unlikely you will be able to make the salary you need.

As a general observation, if your wife is an Ecuadorian citizen (as your comments seem to suggest), then at least you have a way to enter and stay in the country. Being hired instead of an Ecuadorian, for any job, is going to have its challenges. Your focus on teaching English is your one advantage. But, if you want to make a decent living here, you might need to come up with a business plan. As you must know, the great advantage of the Ecuadorian society is the loyalty and close cooperation of families. Thus, a backup plan that envolves everyone in some type of business adventure might be a suitable alternative approach. The world is open to you and your imagination. Other than that, I suppose it could take a while for you to find the right direction, but I can't imagine you wanting to go back once you get adjusted here. May luck travel with you to Ecuador.

One last comment: you have a year to learn Spanish. Please don't waste that time. It could make a really big difference for you. Have your very-excited-to-be-going-back-to-Ecuador wife drill the Ecuadorian accent into you. That too is more important than is obvious; perhaps your wife can explain.

Joseph K

Thanks for the information! I'm sorry, I think I was a bit misleading. My wife is not Ecuadorian, she's American. Her parents just moved to Guayaquil in February of this year (2013) as missionaries. It's always been our dream to live in Latin America and their move seems to have awakened that fire once again.

I agree, the $2500 that James suggested does seem high, as I don't make that much money here in the Sates!

Do you know if Loja's living expenses are similar to Guayaquils?  would assume not. What is the cost of rent like in Loja?

Thanks!

Kurtis

The misunderstanding came from me. I often draw conclusions from what people say and sometimes I am wrong. Go Figure. Perfection was never one of my strong points.

I am glad this point was made. In order for you to live in Ecuador, it is necessary to obtain a visa. You automatically receive one 90-day visa a year by just showing up. You can extend that either before you leave, or in Ecuador to 6-months (a year) for about $230 per person ( I don't know it there is a discount for family members). To live there for an entire year, you will need to obtain a visa designed for that purpose. There are multiple visa types, but I try not to get into that because they can easily change. Also, one persons experience is often not the same experience another has even for the same visa type. Things change a lot in Ecuador. It is nice to hear a person's experience and often they are enormously helpful, but you are best served by looking up the latest available criteria yourself. Then you will know how to stay current with the changes as you move through the process.

I accomplished this when I came here by getting in touch with my local Ecuadorian Consulate website and physical location, which in my case was Washington D.C. The website lists current information for all the possible visas, and you can visit or phone a Consulate of your choosing to ask question and clarify information that may not be clear to you. I personally found the Consulate I visited to be helpful beyond what I expected. Some others have reported other, less favorable experiences. When working with the Consulate, patience and willingness to call back a few times is helpful. Ecuadorians are not exactly the "get-it-done-now" type of people, but I have never met kinder and more accommodating people.

I think you have to resolve the visa situation before you can really plan the next steps, because the visa type will play a large part in what happens next. If you have questions, I would be more than willing to do my best to answer them. If it is convenient, you can contact me using my Gmail account. My username is joeklimek.

Joseph K

Thanks so much! You may be hearing again from me soon!

Consider what you want to accomplish with your trip -- your purpose -- and then find a group such as Peace corps or a a family missionary group who's purpose you support or an NGO used to be called a world wide charity that will support you and your wife with a stipend to come and fulfill what is is you wish to accomplish or find out if any national grants for study abroad are avialable...

...some way to both finance and confirm the purpose of your trip for more than just say ...spending 2 years studying the finer points of your left thumb under a palm tree...

And study about the areas within a 3 hour drive of Guayaquil -- it's a lot of territory and a hub 3 provinces and 3 completely different ecological and urban zones.

And if you really want to come to South America... start studying conversational Spanish.

Does anyone have any experience with Inlingua (specifically in Guayaquil)? Or does anyone know anything about teaching English with Inlingua?

Thanks!

Kurtis

Does anyone else have any experience/knowledge of teaching English in Guayaquil? How about development work? That's what my bachelor's is in...

[Moderated: pls post in the Jobs in Guayaquil section]

i an Indian, working in UAE. i am a professional chef and English language teacher. my experience of cooking is above 8 years with hotel management 3 years degree and in teaching is 5 years with TEFL certification.
i am relocating to Guayaquil, Ecuador, as my fiancee is from lima,peru and she is working in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
i am searching for a job in any of the above fields, like as a cooking job or english teaching job.
if anybody can help me please...........

shayandeb wrote:

i an Indian, working in UAE. i am a professional chef and English language teacher. my experience of cooking is above 8 years with hotel management 3 years degree and in teaching is 5 years with TEFL certification...

Lol.

jessekimmerling

what is "LOL" about my topic?
is it something meaningless, i am talking here!!
sorry to say,, if you can not encourage for something good.. please do not discourage as well.
getting a job in Guayaquil is very important for me as i have to move there by May,2015.

wish you can understand my situation.

thanking you
shayan.

shayandeb wrote:

jessekimmerling

what is "LOL" about my topic?
is it something meaningless, i am talking here!!
sorry to say,, if you can not encourage for something good.. please do not discourage as well.
getting a job in Guayaquil is very important for me as i have to move there by May,2015.

wish you can understand my situation.

thanking you
shayan.

If you promote yourself as an English teacher while demonstrating terrible English skills you will tend to get responses such as, "lol."

jessekimmerling wrote:

If you promote yourself as an English teacher while demonstrating terrible English skills you will tend to get responses such as, "lol."

Some of the worst English I've ever seen on the internet has been posted by employed and practicing teachers of English.

Makes you glad they're not certified and pedigreed doctors, doesn't it?

jessekimmerling

ok. i do understand that.
but i am good in these two professions. as i am practicing these from a long time.
i am a full time worker in a hotel kitchen as a chef and i do teach English as a part time job. 
it is important for me to find a job in Guayaquil. so i am trying for any of these fields or both.

May I suggest the classic conversational English phrasebook that millions have perused, "English as She Is Spoke" by the expert Pedro Carolino.

The world-famous author Mark Twain himself praised it as being perfect.

shayandeb wrote:

jessekimmerling

.
as i am practicing these from a long time.

Unless you do some proof reading no one is going to take you seriously.

mugtech

what document do you want from me to proof this?
and let me know,
how to send them to you?

shayandeb wrote:

i am practicing these from a long time.

An English teacher should not write such a phrase in public without proof reading it to be sure it is proper English.
I want you to proof read what you write and correct it before you post it.

Well, as far as employment goes, let's hope you can cook...

mugtech



  "I am practicing these for a long time."
is this you are talking about?
It seems to be too silly to help somebody.
I am a professional chef . I teach speaking English as a part time job.

Thank you for your try, "to help me,"
I will find better people to really help me.

shayandeb,

Please take everything that is said in an internet forum lightly, it's a lot more fun that way.

But also please realize that an honest assessment, even when it's brutally honest, is much to be preferred over false praise.  With the former one may learn and correct a deficiency but with the latter one is most likely to continue in error, sometimes with disastrous results.

OsageArcher

I do understand that. but for me, a job in Guayaquil is very important.
I have to move there by this may and without a job it is not possible.

shayandeb wrote:

OsageArcher

I do understand that. but for me, a job in Guayaquil is very important.
I have to move there by this may and without a job it is not possible.

The cold hard truth is, you are out of luck unless you have enough $ to relocate and start your own business. The chance that someone in Guayaquil is going to hire you and sponsor your visa as a chef or an English teacher is right about zero. Working in Ecuador is not like working in the UAE. Ecuador is not flooded with foreign guest workers like Dubai. Here, most jobs are taken by the local Ecuadorians.
(moderated: no illegal advice here please)

Do you speak Spanish? Do you have enough money to relocate? Are you in any way being realistic in your expectation to relocate to Ecuador by May?