Looking to teach English in Brazil

Hi again Vlad,

Welcome back, it's been I while since I last saw you here.

The the most important things to know are the following:

1.  It is most likely that your VITEM-IV Student Visa will not permit you to work in Brazil in most cases (except in cases where your course of study requires internship). If work is restricted it will be clearly stated on the visa.

2.  There won't be much of a problem finding a teaching job at any of the (commercial) language schools. Most native English speakers will walk out of the very first school where they apply with a job offer in hand. Traditionally schools here pay very poorly and offer none of the usual benefits other workers get, simply because they hire on a "Service Provider" contract (Contrato Particular de Prestação de Serviço) so they can say you are not actually an employee, but rather a private contractor.

3.  Some pay you during your teacher training period (or at least partially), while others do not and it has been my experience that most will give you no guarantee of the number of classes they will give you. Pay is usually always base on actual classroom teaching time, no pay for preparing classes or correcting homework, which they expect you to do on your own time in most cases. Many resort to applying for jobs at more than one school if they are both located nearby, in order to fill up their available hours when no guarantee of number of classes is given by a school.

4.  You will find that most schools won't ask about your visa status, they don't care or don't want to know in most cases, They know full well that, in most cases, they are hiring undocumented people or those working while on a VITUR Tourist Visa, thus the Service Provider Contract so they can just play dumb. It also helps them to keep the pay level down because they can exploit the teachers who are in no position to complain due to lack of proper documentation.

So, you aren't going to get rich teaching. But, if you're just looking to pick up a few extra reais to help you through during your studies it's about the easiest work to find for expats here in Brazil.

Cheers,
James       Expat-blog Experts Team

Hey how you been?  Long time no see haha. Thanks for the informative reply. Do you think that with my Bachelors in International Business and CELPE-Bras I will find better opportunities for employment. I am mainly teaching english to get into Brazil. If I can teach at a higher level I will.

Yes, I'd be looking at teaching English as a temporary measure in your situation. If you've got a Bachelors in International Business and CELPE-Bras you're going to have a lot of doors open in the business world since companies can't find qualified people for managerial positions who are not only qualified but bilingual too.

Cheers,
James

Awesome. I know it will not be easy but it is my dream to live in Brazil.  Thanks for you input!  I hope we can meet someday for a few beers and converstion!



See you until then,

Vlad

Hi Vlad,

James reply says most of what I would tell you. Just a couple of additional points:
*More of the chain schools like Cultura Inglesa ARE asking for work visas these days. If you encounter problems, I suggest trying some of the smaller, independent schools. As James notes, they will probably be happy to snag a native speaker.
*Once you have been teaching awhile, if you feel comfortable, look for your own students. You'll make more money (about double, usually) than you will teaching for a school. If a school is paying 35 per hour, you can ask 60-70 as a rule of thumb.

Although it sucks being forced to work under the table, I have never met an undocumented teacher - nor even HEARD of one - who ran afoul of the law here. I wish that the government would wise up and begin a program to encourage native speakers to teach here, as has Japan and even France!

Best of luck,

John
ComeTeachEnglishInBrazil.com

Teaching students via private classes is indeed much more profitable. This can be in person or via skype.
The demand exceeds the offer by FAR, almost all teachers I know don't care about new students because they have so many, and don't want to make more money than necessary. The minimum to ask there is 50 reais per hour.

On sites like these you can register as an independent teacher to make students find you:

cursos-de-ingles-saopaulo.com/aulas-particulares-de-ingles-com-professor/

With teaching 2hs ever 2nd day you already have a net income of 1500. There are also lots of other ways to find students. (social networks as the one here for example).

I've been offered a job teaching English at 85 reais per hour. I would have to drive to their house about 15 minutes away and privately tutor two grade school students. I'm a native speaker and though I don't have any formal teaching credentials, I graduated from one of the top universities in the United States and have quite a bit of experience tutoring ESL students. Is 85 reais per hour a fair rate? I am in Campinas near São Paulo.

Yes, it is about the median charge private (in-company or residential classes) charged by teachers in São Paulo and much more than you'd get paid by a school. São Paulo the going rate for schools would be around R$30 - R$35 per hour of classroom time (no travel time incl.) plus bus/subway/train fare one way.

Cheers,
James     Expat-blog Experts Team

James wrote:

Yes, it is about the median charge private (in-company or residential classes) charged by teachers in São Paulo and much more than you'd get paid by a school. São Paulo the going rate for schools would be around R$30 - R$35 per hour of classroom time (no travel time incl.) plus bus/subway/train fare one way.

Cheers,
James     Expat-blog Experts Team

Thank you, James. What is the most that someone in my position could reasonably charge for private instruction? 100 reais per hour?

There are a lot of different factors that determine how much one can charge. First being what the other teachers charge.

Brazilians are a peculiar lot in this respect, they tend to think if one charges less than the competition then they must be poor teachers. They can't seem to grasp the idea of undercutting the competition in order to gain more students than the others. (Even though they clearly understand that concept when buying merchandise)

Then there is the teacher's qualifications. While schools care little about previous teaching experience or qualifications, and opt for hiring anyone who is a native speaker of the language; private students are quite sophisticated and seek out the teacher with the best qualifications they can get for what they're willing to pay.

Then there's the city in which you are teaching; one cannot reasonably expect to be able to charge São Paulo (capital) prices in smaller cities, that's not going to fly. Generally speaking in any state, the capital city is going to be where the money is, it may tend to set the stage for fees in other cities in that state, but really you can expect them to be considerably lower.

I think outside of São Paulo (city) you'd be hard pressed to get R$100 for a one hour class unless you have a "better mousetrap" of some kind. Perhaps if you included the teaching material in that price or have superior qualifications then MAYBE yes. That said, if you don't have a hook, then you're going to only be pricing yourself out of the market.

Cheers,
James

Thank you for your thoughtful reply, James. Extremely helpful!

I just responded to a separate thread discussing teachers' salaries in Brazil, and I thought that I'd share all the current information I have on teachers' hourly rates and salaries.  Maybe this can help some of you who are looking to teach English in Brazil.

At the moment, I personally know Brazilian teachers making R$ 80 per hour teaching private English classes to individuals. I also know American English teachers making R$ 100 - R$ 125 per hour teaching private classes to individuals. (If one were to teach several students at a time, the rates should be adjusted accordingly.) Also, I know an assistant professor at the University of Sao Paulo who makes R$ 10,000/month, and I know that teachers at a private school here in Campinas make roughly R$ 6,000/month. (For the record, I know both American and Brazilian private tutors who are currently making more than the assistant professor at USP even though they may not get the 13th salary, medical benefits, paid vacations, and retirement benefits that the USP professor receives.)

If you are an educated and qualified teacher and/or have previous experience - in most cases, simply speaking English isn't enough - don't sell yourself short. I know that the above rates/salaries do not reflect the going rates/salaries of teachers in every Brazilian city, but I'd guess that in Sao Paulo and maybe even in Rio, the rates would be similar.

I just wanted to say that there is a private English teacher that I personally know who must have a better "mousetrap" because she is currently pulling in R$ 150/hour, and her schedule is completely full.

Hi Victoria,

Certainly teaching privately is by far the best way to go. It sure pays much more than the R$30 or so that most schools will pay their teachers. However it takes a great deal of time and hard work to recruit a sufficient student base to provide a livable income. Then to there's the fact that recruitment must be an ongoing process because students come and students go with alarming frequency.

When they feel a financial pinch the first thing they tend to let go is their English classes. I've always found it best when that happens to sit down with my students and show them ways to economize in other areas in order to keep up with their classes. Sometimes I've suggested they take less frequent classes or even offered them a temporary discount in my fees in order to keep from losing them outright. That however, is something a teacher must decide on their own.

I always ask them things like how often they go out to a bar at night with their friends, and how much they'd normally spend each night. It's surprising how many go out almost every night. I then suggest that they maybe think of cutting back to two nights or three at the most, and spending less each night too. It's surprising just how they view this concern on the part of their teacher (when it is genuine) and how much the start seeing you as a friend and not just a teacher.

Regarding your teacher friend with the "better mousetrap" I'd love to know just how she does it. I know that is way above what most teachers running in-company classes get in São Paulo.

Cheers,
James    Expat-blog Experts Team

James, if you are interested in the details of my friend's business, feel free to PM me.

I am an Inbound Marketing Senior In Egypt and I really like my field and I had previously two marketing internships in Brazil.I love it so much and I want to come back and live there.
However, It is so hard to find a job there so I am trying to find teaching opportunity to go back again and I had experience with private classes so I guess that will help me.
Eventually, can anyone help me with what I have to do or where I can find a job and go and live there

Thanks a lot.

What are the most popular sites with ESL resources in Brazil? I hear people prefer American English over British English in Brazil. Is [link moderated] popular? I heard good things. I wanna start a website for students in Brazil. I need good online resources to rely on. Any help would be appreciated.

@vladtobrazil To get you started you may want to apply to "CAMBLY". It is a virtual English teaching app that you as a teacher can do from where you live NOW.  Just google "CAMBLY" and apply online. You are paid through PayPal once a week.

When you work for CAMBLY one of the largest group of students who are learning English are from Brazil. This will give you important experience teaching English to Brazilian students before you even pack your bags.

Roddie In Retirement

Hello everyone,

Please note that this is an old thread (2015 - 2017) ...