WHAT IS Bueno, entonces... exactly?

Bueno, entonces... is the best selling language-learning program for the iPhone, now available on DVD and instant download! Featured by Apple as New & Noteworthy, tens of thousands are already learning Spanish with Bueno, entonces…

Taking the most effective elements from traditional audio books and software programs, Bueno, entonces... has revamped language-learning by incorporating those features into a 1-on-1 Spanish lesson format, where you sit in on private classes with fresh audio/visual teaching tools, a huge improvement over programs currently available on the market.

Bueno, entonces... takes you inside 30 private Spanish lessons with Jimena, a gorgeous Spanish instructor, and David, her jackass student from London as he learns Spanish in beautiful Buenos Aires. Like learn-Spanish reality TV, but without the guilt of getting addicted, because in just 5 weeks you'll be speaking Spanish conversationally.

To learn more about Bueno, entonces, go to General Linguistics.

One semester of Spanish video

This is just hilarious!! Take a few minutes to laugh, laugh and laugh

WORK PERMIT IN ECUADOR

The work visa category 12-VI is issued to highly qualified professionals, technicians, contracted personnel for industrial training and specialized workers, to perform temporary works. The validity of this visa depends upon the length of the assignment or contract and it covers direct family members.

(Comment: Generally, Presidents, General Managers, Legal Representatives and General Trustees do not apply for this 12-VI Visa, because they do not have an "Employment Relationship" with the Company, pursuant to the Labour Law. Instead they request, and are given, a 10-IV Visa, which is an Immigrant visa to take over top level administrative functions in an Ecuadorian Company. This visa can be easily obtained in Ecuador, without having to leave the country, while the individual is covered by the 12-IX Visa)

Requirements

The application for a work visa 12-VI must be made at the Ecuadorian Consulate with jurisdiction over the applicant's place of residence. The applicant must present an employment contract that has been legalized by Ecuador's Court of Labour, the certification issued by the National Direction of Employment and Human Resources or the appointment letter of Power of Attorney, when applicable.

Finish reading the requirements at Allo' Expat

Work in Ecuador. Both Paid and Volunteer Opportunities Abound

By Christopher Sacco

Ecuador offers English-speaking job seekers abundant work and volunteer opportunities.

If you are already in Ecuador, you should start your job search with the notice boards frequently found in coffee shops, Internet cafes, laundromats, and hostels. In Quito, the myriad travelers’ haunts in La Mariscal, the city’s main tourist district, often have extensive notice boards aimed specifically at travelers. The South American Explorers Club, on Jorge Washington, a few blocks east of Avenida 6 de Diciembre, also posts job listings. Bartending, hospitality, teaching, and volunteer positions are regularly advertised here, especially from May through September, tourism’s high season.

Teaching English

There is a great demand for English teachers across Ecuador. In Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca, the three largest cities, as well as other principal population centers in the highlands and on the coast, there are literally hundreds of academies, colleges, and institutes that offer English classes.

The top language institutes pay between $5 and $8 per hour. This may not seem like much coming from North America or Europe, but it's enough to live on in Ecuador. Many of the better schools prefer candidates with college degrees and a TEFL or TESL certificate, but because the number of jobs greatly exceeds the number of qualified teachers many schools will take a well-spoken native speaker with a neat appearance and no other qualifications. The pay, however, may be much less: between $3 and $5 per hour.

If you have arranged no job before arriving, don’t despair. Just turn up at the right time: September or January, just before the semesters begin. Teachers inevitably bail at the last minute and schools chronically underhire.

Bilingual High Schools

Teachers with credentials or experience may find long-term work at a bilingual high school. A few of the more prestigious ones recruit their teachers from job fairs in North America; others rely on the Internet or hire from among the local gringo community. Because their curriculums are bilingual, these schools hire English speakers to teach most all subjects, not just language classes.

Bilingual high schools typically begin their search for teachers in April and May, the months when their current hires must decide whether or not they will stay on for another year. However, it’s not uncommon for high schools to need immediate hires at other times throughout the year.

While work as an English teacher is the easiest to find, it’s by no means the only gainful employment to be had. The tourism and exporting industries are other places where job seekers, especially bilingual ones, can often find work.

Read complete text at Transitions Abroad

Work with an Indigenous Amazonian Community

by Sarah Keyt

Coco and I had prime seats at the front of the bus as we waited excitedly to begin our 7-hour journey from Quito to the Amazon jungle. Two days ago we had met for the first time at our orientation in the office of the Jatun Sacha Foundation. We had both signed up to volunteer for two weeks in an indigenous community called Tsurakú. The people are called the Shuar; we were told that they are famous for making shrunken heads.

All the volunteers in the Jatun Sacha lodge were college students in their early twenties. Most were studying a subject related to indigenous people. One of the directors of Jatun Sacha, Marlon, described in slow, clear Spanish the community and our projects. Tsurakú has about 350 people, most of whom marry their first cousins, so there are few more than 30 families. The men usually have two or three wives. The Shuar are traditionally semi-nomadic; they farmed using the slash and burn technique, moving from place to place as the soil lost its fertility. Since Tsurakú is a permanent village, the people are learning sustainable agriculture. Now that they are also part of a monetary culture, they need ways to earn money. That’s where Jatun Sacha and the volunteer program come in.

The main goals of the program are to help the community develop sustainable food sources, develop a sustainable reserve for the mahogany trees, and assist in the development of Tsurakú into an ecotourism site.

The families have a house in the community and also a portion of land outside the community where they grow yuca and papachina, a type of potato. Next to the high school, there is a vivero, or nursery, where mahogany and fruit trees are grown from seed to be transplanted to the plots of land.

There is also a sendero, or hiking trail, behind the school. The hope is that tourists will come to Tsurakú to learn about the jungle. Native plants, with signs that include the Shuar and Spanish names, are placed along the trail. The students hope to become guides on their sendero one day, and the volunteers help in the English classes.

Read full article at Transitions Abroad