 TESOL jobs in Venezuela General Information Venezuela is a country where the superlative is commonplace. It has a large landmass, the world's third longest river, the world's highest waterfall, and is home to the world's longest snake, not to mention jaguars and armadillos. It has great mineral wealth in the form of oil, and this has led to a thriving economy Much trade-ridden investment from the US and, thus, a great demand for English Spanish is the official language, however, more than 30 native dialects survive The population is 27 million, in a landmass of a shade over 350,000 square miles The country is 96% Roman Catholic Teaching Quite unlike Europe, for those wishing to teach in a state or private school, there is not the requirement for a PGCE or an undergraduate degree Nor is there a requirement for two years' teaching experience You will, however, need a TESOL certificate With language institutes you can, in the main, expect to find yourself teaching those who work in business or tourism, less so those doing it just for fun This needs driven market makes for sharp, well-motivated students Don't expect to find people dozing at the back of the class Commensurately, these people are paying for the privilege and will expect a respectable, well-turned-out professional teacher Another thing to be aware of is that, because Latin languages are inflected, students will naturally have a much higher awareness of grammar than English speakers You don't want to have your knowledge of tenses tested by your students, who learned them all by heart, before they were 10 Visas and regulations For those with a need of a hobby, a full-time occupation, and or a passion for the Caucasus, then, by all means, make an essay of getting a work permit in Venezuela As said, naturalization, i.e. the legal right to work and reside, which is strictly necessary in, say the EU or the US and Canada, is not paid much attention to For all practical purposes, you do not really need a work permit to work, and, you will not get a work permit, unless you have a job, and will not get that kind of job, unless you have a work permit Your application for this rare device may have to be made in your country of origin, and since language schools do not, as a rule, recruit abroad, they want to see you in the flesh before offering a contract, your chances of becoming legally naturalized are mighty slim In general tourist visas are good for 2 months, and can be renewed within Venezuela for up to 6 months Most long-stay foreigners make brief trips to Curacao or Trinidad to renew their visas Work permits are available on if one's employer has obtained approval for the candidate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, DEX, and sent all the necessary papers to the Venezuelan consulate in the candidate's country of origin If you intend to go via this route then contact the Venezuelan consulate in your country of origin to get the latest information The current fee for an application is around $80 Perhaps the wise jobseeker, in the best of all possible Latin American worlds directs their attention to their visa requirements and entitlements Americans, for example, benefit from the opportunity of getting a combined work study permit For everybody else matters will depend on what your country of origin has fixed up with Venezuela You can find all about this from your local Venezuelan embassy Think about also what you have to do to renew your visa All the way back home or does a cross-border trip do nicely How many times can you renew your tourist visa? Popular destinations Delineated by verdant, forested hills Caracas, the capital is part vertigo inspiring skyscrapers and part shanty town slums It presents a dizzying array of cultures and potential for life experience Great night life and warm people abound Venezuela is resplendent with natural wonders The Salto Angel Falls, at a height of 3,211 feet are breathtaking, as is the Machima National Marine Park There is plenty to see and do in this fine country Getting a job A modicum of preparation prior to setting out will pay dividends Think of not one country in South America, but the whole continent You may end up moving around quite a bit once you hit this part of the world Hence, it is a very good idea to contact all of the Latin American embassies in your country of origin Inquiring about teaching and visas and see what you get back You will find that you have a nice big file folder of leads and information that will vary from country of origin to country of origin Latin American embassy to Latin American embassy Like most Latin American countries jobs are mostly gained on the spot Hence you will need a letter of introduction In Spanish, your resume or CV translated accordingly, plus a translation of your transcripts and certificates But there are judgment calls to be made You don't want to use any old Spanish, Venezuelan Spanish will appear idiosyncratic and strange in Argentina The best bet, if you can is to use Castilian, Spanish as spoken in Spain Spanish is seen as the mother tongue, universally comprehended and carries style, weight and considerable currency throughout Latin America Equally, home or acquire those language skills Latin America is not the coast to del Sol in Spain with it's a huge, English speaking tourist industry Do not expect English to be widely spoken or news Local purposes a little bit of Spanish can go an awfully long way in determining both your employability and the quality of your experience There are avenues which can be utilized to gain a placement prior to setting out Most US TESOL schools have closed ties with one or more Latin American countries The US TESOL language and training group of the British Council arranges for language assistance to be placed for one academic year Though applicants must be 20 to 30 years of age, with at least A level Spanish The Association of American Schools in South America, OSSA, 14,750 NW77 Court, SWE 210, Miami Lakes, FL 33016 OSSA.com, www.OSSA.com accessor recruitment agent Candidates must pay $25 to register, then the placement fee is $300, normally reimbursed by employers The South American explorers, explorer at sexploriers.org, www.samexplode.org, keeps lists of schools which employ English language teachers and maintain a database of volunteers They charge $50 a year for membership, with a $10 premium added to non-US members to cover the cost of postage Check out the English language paper The Daily Journal, which often advertises TESOL jobs There is good demand for TESOL teachers, and so it is best to be choosy Look for on-the-level employers, get a contract, inspect the teaching materials and facilities, etc. In short, shop around The well-qualified and experienced TESOL teacher is very much a viable concern You don't have to take the first job that comes your way For many, getting a job will mean knocking on doors, hence the need for those translated documents Helped, hopefully, by a smattering of polite Spanish Local telephone directories detail universities, schools and language institutes, etc., which are often only too willing to interview candidates Highly qualified, and more importantly, well turned out, organized and enthusiastic teachers are in short supply If they like you, they will most certainly find some teaching for you Hence, one of the best and most realistic propositions is to build a working life based around the construction of a portfolio A few hours here and a few hours there, bearing mind that revenue from privates can double a teacher's income And always be on the lookout for private students, whatever one's employment or visa status The market for those wanting private tuition or conversation practice is huge and potentially very lucrative, therefore, not be neglected Give yourself time to build a body of work This is best safeguard to both your income and employment status, the latter of which can be a little fluid with high schools and language institutes High schools and language institutes But with schools and language institutes But with high schools and language institutes But with high schools and language institutes