Need information before moving

Hello mylandp,

Obviously the more time you devote to learning Portuguese (or any other language) the more quickly you will reach fluency. If you've also had any previous experience with any other latin based language, Italian, French, Spanish that may be advantageous too since Portuguese is very much like those languages. I was terrible at French in highschool, became much more at ease with French when my kids were in school and then stopped using it entirely when they left school. However, when I began learning Portuguese a lot of it came back to my memory and it was so much easier for me to learn the Portuguese as a result.

The fastest way, and best, is to try and create as close to "IMMERSION" in the language as possible and for as many hours per day as possible. That's exactly what I did and I came to Brazil after 7 months speaking the language fluently, albeit with a terrible accent.

Listen to Brazilian music and try to write down the lyrics. Watch films on DVD. The first time you watch use Portuguese audio and NO SUBTITLES. The second time watch with Portuguese audio and Portuguese subtitles. If necessary and time permits watch a third or even fourth time and again only Portuguese audio and subtitles. NEVER NEVER use English (or any other language that you already know) subtitles; this will destroy all the hard work you're doing to learn the language.

Use the langauge as much as possible. Read Portuguese language news articles on www.g1.globo.com and www.r7.com. Join PalTalk, download free. It's a number of chatrooms that you select by area or interest so you'll find lots of Portuguese language rooms under Interests - Learn a new language. www.paltalk.com

The more time each day you can devote; the more balanced you can make your exposure to speaking, listening to and writing the language the more quickly will learn and grow.

Trust me, I know because I've taught English for decades and since learning Portuguese I have been teaching it for eleven and doing translations (Eng<>Port). So you can see that if you're planning on marrying, coming here to Brazil, you'll not only be able to communicate better, but speaking the langage well will improve your chances of obtaining a good job here too.

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

Hi William,
Thank you very much for your helpful brilliant tips.
I will try it for sure

Cheers,
Myland

Agree totally with William about how learning portuguese. Remember it is not an option. You need more than basic portuguese, you need to be fluent.
For the second part about finding a job:
Your are possibly working in the best area for expats in Brazil : oil and gas industry.  This is one of the only industry where you can still find real expat contract type. However I am not sure if the administrative side of this business is the most demanded. But if you have some high skills in this domain, go for it.
Curitiba region is one of the most developed and industrialised region in Brazil so there are certainly some job opportunities.

Try to do everything to find job where you are still in Indonesia. Contact all companies which could have operations in Brazil.
Because when in Brazil...this will be really really more difficult to find a job even with good skills; I mean really difficult. You will be in competition with locals but without having local diplomas and people networking. English skill is good but secondary comparing to portuguese.
I do not know expat who found job as employee when in Brazil (or after years there but then there are not anymore expat...).
All expats I know give language lessons or started their own business (pousada, restaurant) but I am living in a tourism region (Ceara) so possibly other opportunities exist in Curitiba.
All the best in your project.

Hi Bardamu,
Thank you for the advice

Hello again mylandp,

Macaé, the city where I live, is considered to be the Petroleum Captial of Brazil. All of the big guns in the pertroleum industry are located here. Petrobras which is Brazil's national petroleum company is of course the biggest presence here in Macaé, but the city survives on the industry and all of the other petroleum related companies here. You should really think about here as a potential option.

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

Hi William,
Yes one of my company branch is located in Macae but my plan is to stay in Curitiba with my future husband.
My friend in US needs to wait 3 years to work after her arrival in the state, is it applied in Brazil too?
Besides working as an admin staff in my company I also work as a freelance English teacher but without TESOL certificate.
Is it possible to teach in Brazil without the certificate?
If i want to get the certificate, will there be specific school for that in Curitiba and how long to accomplish?

Hi mylandp,

For native English speakers it is always easy to find teaching jobs at the existing English language schools. Most of them will care more that you speak the language than they do about any previous teaching experience or certifications you might have. Actually most will train you themselves in their own methodology, so they prefer that you don't have any previous experience.

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

Hi William,
I am not from an English speaking country. Do you think it will be harder for me than those who are native speakers?

It shouldn't necessarily be too much of a problem if you speak the English language fluently. Many of the schools here give jobs to their own former students too, so I don't see why not give you a job. One thing I would say that makes it easier is also to have fluency in Portuguese as well.

Hi William,
Well noted.
Thank you for the advice

Cheers
Myland

In addition to the tips provided by James, there are several free and paid services available online. I use the real life immersion in conjunction with the following programs. On average I practice 2 hours a day with these.

Portuguese Pod 101
Duolingo
Rosetta Stone


Matt-

Hi Matt,
Thanks for the reference.
Which site did you find work for you?
With 2 hours practice per day, how long did you able to communicate in Portuguese?
For sure I will try online course since there is no Portuguese course in my city.