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