Latin America TEFL Guide

Close to home for Americans and Canadians, to teach English in Latin America has always seemed a great way to get your Spanish (or Portuguese) up to speed.

Latin America is a place to teach English because you love the culture and the language as wages tend to be modest across the board.  You’ll not likely save any money working in Latin America, but you’ll live okay on the local economy and have a good time. If you need to save money and have the credentials, this Latin America TEFL Guide suggests that you see our guides for South Korea and/or the Middle East.

For English teachers, legal working papers are difficult to come by in most Latin American countries, but officials tend to look the other way when it comes to English teachers and for the most part teachers make do on tourist visas.

A Fast Visa/Working Papers Overview of the Region:

Teach English in Brazil:  Three month tourist visas are the usual option for teachers.  They are renewed when leaving and then reentering the country, often through Paraguay.  Many teachers sign up for Portuguese classes which then gets you an education visa which allows you to teach a certain number of hours.

Teach English in Chile: Most teachers enter the country on a 90 day tourist visa and then can obtain a temporary residence visa which is good for one year.  Some schools will help you with the process if you are on a one-year contract.

Teach English in Costa Rica:  Working papers are very difficult to obtain and most teachers work while on a 90 day tourist visa.  The visa renews when you leave the country for 72 hours.  Many teachers use that time as a long holiday weekend to Panama or Nicaragua.

Teach English in Mexico:  Mexico City is the place to go, though there are jobs throughout the country. Legal working papers can be obtained for you by some schools.  Many schools prefer that you have a bachelor’s degree, and TEFL certification and previous experience teaching.

 

Latin America TEFL Guide

 

WikiPedia – Latin America