dakota44

Hmmm, only Brits eh? Pity I'm not one. Anywho, this is a more logical place to go for that information.

http://www.alloexpat.com/chile_expat_forum/

dkhazenirad

Oh hell sorry, I meant people from the Anglophone world not just Brits sorry for my Faux pas!

dakota44

No offense taken. Just joking with you. That is a good site for info about Chile though. A bit more difficult to teach in Chile than in Peru. If you want to teach for anything other than a private institute you need, as I recall, you need a higher set of qualifications and the pay is not great. Teaching for the private institutes can be spotty at best. Some are here today and gone tomorrow. Others are unreliable when it comes to being paid. The rate of pay for such institutes can vary, and none of it what you would call on the high side. One needs to research any institute advertising for teachers and examine the satisfaction of the teachers or former teachers. I teach in Peru and prefer it. The same things apply to institutes here and I am fortunate to work for one that pays well by comparison. But "well" is about $11 an hour at the top scale based on student evaluations of the teachers. That said, it is difficult or, more accurately, impossible to obtain a significant number of classroom hours at one institute. It is for that reason that most teachers are connected with two or more institutes in order to make a living. I stick with one because I have other income and don't need to drive myself crazy teaching in different places using different processes. My monthly pay fluctuates depending on number of classes, from a high in February of 1,700 Nuevo Sols (about $600) to a low of a little more than $200. My pay for this month will be $380. That all depends on classroom hours. When some courses end there are not always other courses immediately available to replace them in your schedule. Institutes tend to load up on teachers to protect themselves if one or more leaves. You can see how wild the fluctuation can be and therefore how unreliable the income can be if depending on one source.

Landing a full time teaching position at a government, public or private school will give more hours, if you have the required degree and experience, but will often pay between $500 and $700 per month. And at that you would be paid more than the local teachers.

English teachers come and go like the ocean tides. For many it just doesn't work out financially.

Getting paid can also be a circus for other reasons. You cannot "formally" work in Chile or Peru without a work visa or contract. Many teachers here are married to locals, so it is no problem for them as they can qualify by virtue of their marital status visa. In Peru, if you have someone who can obtain recibos that you can submit to be paid in their name, they then go to the bank and collect the money for you. They had better be someone you know well and trust. It isn't like you could complain to the authorities if they took your money without admitting that you were working illegally.

dkhazenirad

Hi there Dakota,

Thanks for this information, it is revealing and also quite shocking to say the least. I have a good friend who traveled with me a few years ago and he is from Chile and said I should come over, we traveled over two years ago and he has been insisting since this point, he has offered some free accommodation, and he works within a government department in Santiago. Being a native English speaker would you think that this would be an advantage in Chile? In other words not a teaching position but a commercial based one? I hold a degree and a masters however they are not language qualifications but arts based ones. I have been looking over here at TEFL courses, but what gets me is that they are only three day intensive courses for a qualification?! Is that right...

Cheers Dan

dakota44

The pay situation should not be too shocking. After all, it is South America. Cost of living is much less than what you are used to as well. My two bedroom, two bathroom furnished apartment in the best district of Lima (Miraflores) including electric, water, maintenance, cable, internet and telephone costs me less than $800 a month. Of course if I were depending on my pay from teaching to pay for it, I couldn't afford it. But by comparison to the same accommodations in Britain or the U.S., a huge bargain. Food is cheap, restaurants are cheap.

Native English speakers are preferred and often required for teaching English. So yes, a distinct advantage. As for TEFL, some places want it and some don't care. The three day intensive courses are, in my mind, a waste. Better to take an intensive online course although even they are not the be all end all. Anywhere you teach will have a curriculum and expect you to follow it. Some places are nothing more than factories with boring curriculum's and huge classes. I prefer the situation where I teach. The classes are heavily conversation oriented, which is the best way. There is a Mentored Learning Center (MLC) where they study for two hours each week on a computer program and take a module quiz. This is followed a few days later by a two hour class dealing with the information in that weeks MLC. Classes are no larger than ten and that is rare. I have yet to have a class of more than 5. That permits much more interaction with the students and individual attention. Among the places to avoid teaching are Wall Street Institute (lousy pay and a boring program with high teacher turnover) and, in my mind, Britanico because of huge classes (I've heard of classes of near 30) and the factory approach to teaching. I know some teachers who left there because it was boring and there was no real relationship with the students and no possibility of giving individual attention. Not sure about the pay, although I do not think it is so good.

As for working for a company in Chile, not going to happen without a work visa and you need to research that. Also you will need to border hop every 90 days if you are on a visitors visa. Chile is not always as forgiving as Peru as regards overstays.

If your friend works in a government department he should be able to access some guidance for you, depending on what department he works in.

dkhazenirad

Dakota, you advice is invaluable, and I deeply appreciate this, so thanks very much. I will endeavor to find the specifics about things this and that and find some santiago specific forums and such.

dakota44

The link that I gave you is very good for info from expats in Chile. It covers all issues that may be of concern. Good luck.

matttheboy

I'm a fellow Brit and a long time resident in Chile...

Take a look at the Bloggers in Chile list I maintain- tonnes of info on the many blogs. http://www.bloggersinchile.blogspot.com There are a couple of mine on there (Corrugated City and Colchaguino) Also, try joining http://www.expatsinchile.com

And finally, feel free to email me with questions. My email address can be found on my business website, http://www.chileinvestments.com (You can also find me on the expatsinchile site- Matt Ridgway).

dakota44

Nice blog and expatsinchile is a great site.

expatasia

Hello dakota44, I'm new around here - been reading and enjoying your posts on Peru & Chile. I'm feeling nostalgic right now, lived in both countries in the late eighties, is Euroidiomas in Miraflores still going strong? You mentioned the Britanico, I used to go there not to work but to read old English newspapers back in the pre-internet days. Cost of living wise, how much does a 'menu' in Miraflores cost, or a coffee in 'Cafe Haiti'? Or a vist to 'Latin Brothers' or similar for cebiche?

Thanks.

dakota44

Euroidiomas is still here. Also Inlingua. The cost of living is still great here. Haven't been to some of the places you mentioned, but you can get great cebiche for probably 6 to 8 dollars depending on where. I like Segundo Muele for sea food. Great place and nothing more than about 35 to 45 soles, maybe $12 to $15, although those are the more expensive meals. Coffee in Cafe Cafe goes from 6.5 soles ($2.30) to 8.5 soles. The exchange rate has gone down since I first came here. It was 3.5 soles per U.S. dollar and now goes between 2.82 and 2.86.
Love the city and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

expatasia

I'm finding it hard to imagine the real cost of living since my Inti days
- do all those casas de cambio still exist? When I was there in the days of 'toque de queda' Alan Garcia froze people's (Dollar) assets in the banks and tried to enforce an official exchange rate so many Limenos started keeping their dosh in $US under the bed. As for transportation system how much are the fares? (Micros, colectivos, VW Beetle taxis & those Icarus long yellow buses). What's the minimum salary? It was 50-60 Dollars US when I lived there.


What is it you love about the city?

dakota44

Most of the little colectivos are 50 centimos to one sole, depending on distance. Not sure the bigger buses are more. Haven't seen any long yellow buses. Taxis, average around Miraflores 4 to 5 soles. Minimum wage now, i think, is about $150 or a little more. Lots of people working for between $200 and $500 a month. But, if they are working on the books, they also get two extra months pay each year. Forget what they are called, but one month extra in the summer and another around Christmas. There are official cambionistas standing on many corners, near the banks etc. Easy exchange and fare.

expatasia

Right. How long is it since you were in Santiago de Chile? How did the cost of living compare? Overall I found Peru more fascinating (good and bad) but living in Chile was far more comfortable/cushy even under the Pinochet regime. At the time (post Falklands) it was hard to get even a tourist visa for Argentina so I stayed in Santiago longer than expected until I was allowed to travel via Mendoza. Even then I told everyone I met there that I was American.

I want to visit both countries again in the near future, if only the notion of long holidays existed in Tokyo....

dakota44

Haven't been to Chile for 5 years. But no doubt it is more expensive than Lima, although still less so than we are used to at home. Lima is much better since you were here last. Tons of construction taking place, apartments by the gazillions. Easy to live the good life here. Public transportation is better in Santiago.