Example Job vacancies in Buenos Aires

Employer: Independent English Language Schools/Institutes.
Wage: 15.00 - 55.00 pesos per hour dependant on experience.
Hours per week: 15 - 30 hours - between the hours of 9.15am and 6.30pm.
Class size: One on One/Two to one. Small groups.
Teaching task: Teaching Literacy, creating lesson plans, monitoring and reviewing student progress.
Age of applicants: 20 to 60.
Education background: TEFL Qualification.

Example Job Vacancies in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, México, Ecuador and Perú)

Position: English Teacher to Children (Kindergarten through 12th grade) and English Teacher (Adults)
Start Date(s) : Every March (end of February arrival date for in-country orientation)
Locations: Multiple locations

Positions available: 8-30
Minimum age: 20

Teaching Term: one or two semester commitment (two semesters preferred)
Requirements: University graduate, English native speaker; TEFL / TESOL Certificate required—BUT NOT at the time of application, no prior teaching experience. Additional: Ability to adapt to a way of life requiring understanding and flexibility, cultural differences). Commitment to students, the profession and to student-centered learning. Mature, approachable, respectful and responsible.

Others: Upper Intermediate knowledge of Spanish is required.

 Other Example Job Vacancies

Most of the jobs abroad are in small independent schools. These are usually small language schools with not many teachers and the class-sizes are usually a maximum of 8 or 10 students. Some work is possible in state schools, often you will be working as a language teaching assistant, alongside a native teacher. There is a lot of state school work in China, Japan and Western Europe. In China, class sizes can be anything up to 50 students. Asia has a huge market for English lessons. In Japan alone, over five million adults regularly take English lessons in an effort to improve their career prospects. Many opportunities offer reimbursed airfare and free housing to China and South Korea. You can certainly save a substantial amount of your salary in Asia.

Position: ESL Teacher, English Language Assistant, Special Needs Teacher.
Start Date(s) : Every March (end of February arrival date for in-country orientation)
Locations: China, Japan, Korea, Sweden, England and in many other countries.

Positions available: 50-90
Minimum age: 21

Teaching Term: Minimum of a one year contact, and a timetable of approx. 35 working hours a week. Some employers include: renewable full-time work contract with medical care and paid holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc).
Requirements: University degree, English native speaker; recognized TEFL / TESOL Certificate, one year prior teaching experience. Additional: Creative, positive, self-motivated, EU passport holders or resident preferred.

Languages: No need to speak other languages.

Others: In most of this positions, accommodation, working documentation and specific training are offered by the employer.

Job opportunities vary from one destination to another and we highly recommend researching your placements in advance to make an informed decision regarding the job offer.

The conclusion is that you can easily make a livable wage overseas as a professional English teacher.

Why is it important to become TEFL/TESOL certified before looking for a job in Argentina or anywhere?

It is important to distinguish yourself as someone with credentials and training.  Your TEFL/TESOL certificate from Íbero will make you stand out as a competitive candidate for finding a job in a language institute or offering classes on your own.  Like preparing for any other job, you need experience before you can do things on your own.  Teaching a Foreign or Second Language requires hands-on experience until you become comfortable being in front of students, answering questions, and adapting to the different needs of individual students. We will give you the confidence you need in yourself and your training so that your students and you will get the most out of your English classes.

What can I expect when looking for a TEFL job in Buenos Aires?

Buenos Aires is a huge market for English as a Foreign or Second Language Teaching with numerous job opportunities in an expanding market. Teaching others how to communicate in an entirely different language offers its own unique challenges. Towards the end of our TEFL course your tutor will help you create a CV /resumé and prepare you to start your job search.  As a graduate of Íbero’s TEFL program, you will be ready to teach a variety of levels (ranging from beginner through advanced) as well as teaching groups or individual students.  Your course will prepare you to incorporate different teaching methods that will keep your students engaged from using interactive exercises to teaching through music and movies. 

What will I teach?

An important part of teaching a foreign or second language is finding out why your students want to learn English in the first place. Discovering the objectives of your students will help you create goals and make planning lessons much easier.  Once you understand why your students want to learn English it will be less of a challenge to motivate them when they are struggling with a concept or idea.  The energy and outlook of a professor is key to the rate and success of the students.  It is very important when learning another language, especially at an older age when it becomes more difficult, that the students feel motivated even when concepts get frustrating. Teaching pronunciation is a hurdle which all teachers of English must overcome.  Especially for native Spanish speakers, the pronounciation of many words in English are sounds Spanish speakers are not used to hearing or even using.  English Language Grammar presents another challenge for teachers.  Many of the rules for English grammar are not as consistent as they are in Spanish and require both lots of practice and memorization.  Learning English is much more than simply studying grammar.  While studying grammar rules is necessary, another aspect of learning a language is acquiring the ability to communicate orally and through written word.

Voluntary Positions

Voluntary teaching is also popular since it gives you the chance to travel and teach abroad for short periods of time. Often the teaching is in poor areas in schools that cannot afford a teacher.

 

 

 

 

JOB PLACEMENT

English teachers are in demand all over the world. Everyday jobs are advertised online, in magazines, in newspapers and via word of mouth.

The demand for English Teachers in Buenos Aires is large and growing.  As the city continues to expand, more people are looking to learn English or improve their fluency.  In addition to plenty of demand for teachers there are a wide variety of options for Teaching English in Buenos Aires.  You can choose to teach private lessons, give English classes at an Institute, or work in a school.  Within these options you have even more choice between the age groups you decide to teach and if you end up teaching individual students to different size groups.  Each option has its benefits, and it is up to you to decide which option best suits you.  If you teach lessons on your own you can manage your schedule and be your own boss.  If you decide to teach classes at an institute/ language school you may get continued training to help improve your lessons as well as benefit from access to materials provided by the school. 

What do we do to help you find a job?

Íbero provides students with contact lists of institutes in Buenos Aires looking for English teachers; we personally send out our students CV’s to institutes; we post students CVS/resumés on many international job centers; and, all of our students are encouraged to volunteer at teaching institutes in the city which could lead to a future jobs at these places.

Job placement is an integral part of all our TEFL/TESOL course. Subjects addressed during our course include:

  • C.V/  resumé preparation and cover letter writing
  • Interview techniques
  • The English language job market and new job opportunities
  • Teaching English in Latin American countires- expectations & cost of living
  • Contracts  and Freelance jobs
  • Information and guidelines on salaries and schools in Buenos Aires

What can I do to look for work on my own in Buenos Aires?

Most TEFL teachers who graduate from our program find work with English language institutes in the city. These institutes put teachers in contact with potential English students. Often in Buenos Aires, these students are businessmen and women who are looking to improve their English skills. Many English teachers will teach to students at large companies like Microsoft, and often the classes take place in the business office of the English student.  Additionally, some teachers choose to take on private students. This means they find the students on their own (i.e. not through an institute), by posting advertisments around the city or in local newspapers.  Good places to post are Craiglist and MundoAnuncio. Either way, keep in mind that the job search does require effort on the part of the teacher.

Here are some good tips for finding English teaching jobs in Buenos Aires:

·        Post an ad offering your services on www.craigslist.org or www.mundoanuncio.com.ar

·        Post an ad in the classified section of papers like The Buenos Aires Herald (www.buenosairesherald.com) or Clarín (www.clarin.com).

·        If you can manage a little Spanish, post your ad in the classified section of the many newspapers around BA.

·        Start talking with people you meet; on the street, in bars or restaurants, friends, friends of friends, whomever. In a city where English is almost a required study, there is always be someone who knows someone who needs English classes.

·        Have a phone so employers can contact you

·        Regularly check your email

·        Attend all interviews

·        Have a ‘professional’ work outfit

·        Be determined and positive about finding a job

The very best way to know about job opportunities is to do some pre-research before you choose to take the TEFL course. Email a few institutes (you can find them easily on Google) and ask them how much they pay their teachers and what kind of visa requirements/paperwork requirements they have. Once you know this information, you can get a better idea of what your life would be like as an English teacher.

Voluntary English Teaching in Buenos Aires

Teaching English to Children

Our school partners with an Non Governmental Organization to offer our students an opportunity to volunteer. While most volunteer programs in the city charge students who wish to participate, the organization we partner with does not.  This volunteer organization works to improve the lives of children living below the poverty line through academic classes, games, and other activities. Taking advantage of the possibility to volunteer while becoming TEFL certified and studying Spanish in Buenos Aires allows trainees to use the language while helping improve the community at the same time.

Volunteers visit a community center in one of the partner villas and deliver school supplies for the children. They tutor the children in reading and math, assisting them in completing worksheets and critical thinking puzzles. The objective of this program is to help the children review what they learned in school or, in some cases, what they should be learning but haven’t. There are often 40-45 students per teacher in their schools and the teachers are underpaid and often without patience necessary to teach so many children. The children that live in these neighborhoods are often undernourished and as a result have a shorter attention span and find learning and retention more difficult. They provide one on one support for children who appear to be falling behind.

Volunteers are responsible for planning and implementing lessons that include interactive games and group cooperation.


 Why is it important to know Spanish or at least speak a little Spanish when looking for a job to teach English in Latin America or Spain?

Speaking Spanish you will be better equiped to teach all levels of students and will be more sought after by employeers. 

Teaching in a foreign country is an immersion experience and if you do not speak the language of the country where you are living you will find yourself at a disadvantage.  Especially when teaching students who have never studied English before, if you don’t speak Spanish you may find yourself literally not speaking the same language as your students.  There are many benefits just to studying Spanish, not to mention the advantages knowing a foreign language will give your teaching skills. Being bilingual is a huge advantage as a job seeker.  No matter what industry you are interested in, employers are always looking for candidates who can count being bilingual as a skill. 

Even if you don’t plan to use Spanish in your job, studying Spanish will help you when traveling to other Latin American or Spanish speaking countries. Additionally, having personally undertaken the process of studying another language, you will understand what your student are going through as they study English.  It is much easier to help your students when they have questions or if they feel frustrated when you yourself have had the experience of studying a foreign or second language.  Although learning another language is far from impossible, it is certainly not the easiest thing in the world.  It will also be helpful to see how your Spanish teacher incorporates different teaching methods and and exercises.   

Ibero School Argentina
Address: 150 Uruguay street, Buenos Aires. We're open Mon - Fri, 9am - 6:00 pm, call us or drop us an email. Email: info@iberotefl.com Call: ++54-11-5218-0240
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Address: 150 Uruguay street, Buenos Aires. We're open Mon - Fri, 9am - 6:00 pm, call us or drop us an email. Email: info@iberotefl.com Call: ++54-11-5218-0240