Teaching English In Brazil

Being the largest country in South America, and it’s geographical proximity to the United States, as well as their trade agreement with North America, makes speaking English a very important asset for Brazilian citizens. Brazil is naturally a major destination for those looking to teach English in a foreign country, and this will be an enriching experience.

From childhood on up, English is taught to all levels of Brazilian students. Some Brazilian companies will hire English teachers to train their employees to make foreign communication easier.

Credentials

You need to be a graduate and require a working knowledge of Portuguese, the official language of Brazil.
Some countries require English teachers to be certified in any number of teaching courses. A TEFL, TESOL and the Cambridge CELTA are all certifications required for those willing to teach English in an alien country. Although, Brazil does not consider this a prerequisite.

Work Permit

Getting a work visa for teaching English in Brazil is going to be very complex task. Majority of schools in Brazil that hire English teachers are unwilling to sponsor those teachers for work visas. For a legitimate work visa you need to have your employer sponsor for you. And since it is also particularly expensive and complicated, and many companies steer clear of doing so for those reaso

With that saidns. , if you are planning on remaining in Brazil to teach English for an extended period of time, you may be able to find an employer who is willing to sponsor you. The catch is that you will probably have to pay for the process yourself. This is something that you should actively research and discuss with your employer if you're interested in pursuing a work visa.

The majority of them are working on tourist visas. Technically, it is not legal for a foreigner to work on a tourist visa; however, chances are very slim that you will ever get into trouble for doing it.

Tourist visas are fairly simple to get, and require an application through the Brazilian Consulate as well as a valid passport and other documents. Tourist visas are valid for three months, which means if you are working in Brazil you will have to renew your visa at a Brazilian police office every three months. You are also not allowed to remain in Brazil on a tourist visa for more than six months every year.

It is possible to get a tourist visa changed over to a work visa, provided you can find a sponsor. Your best bet may be to begin a job on a tourist visa, get comfortable with your employers, and then bring up the subject of a work visa after they have decided they want to keep you. At that time, they may be willing to sponsor you.

Salary & Benefits

Salaries in Brazil are low in the rural areas, higher in town—where expenses are also higher. It is difficult to earn a good wage by Western standards since the collapse of the currency in December 1999. The average salary for teaching is from 1550-2000 USD.
You can work as a private tutor on the side; this can bolster your income considerably.

Your Job Search

Stalwarts of ESL web sites, Dave's ESL Café, occasionally have ads for positions in Brazil. Check the websites by Simply type in "English" and see what comes up. If you can teach computer skills, you will be in high demand at computer schools. Rudimentary Portuguese will come in handy for this.

You will undoubtedly have more luck if you research where you want to go in Brazil first, then contact schools in that area directly instead of waiting for ads to appear on worldwide web sites. This way, you stand out as a proactive teacher with some knowledge and a particular interest in that place—a good first impression.

Most people, however, do work under the table. This does involve risks, not the least of which is being reported to the police by a rival school that doesn’t like having competition. For the most part, you will not be taken advantage of by the school since you will be an asset to it in attracting business. There are a few national chains in Brazil: SKILL, Yázigi, and Fisk are among the biggest, but not always the best. As franchises, they are individually run and management style is subject to the professionalism of the owner.

Nothing irks Brazilians more than to be lumped together with Spanish America; indeed, the Spanish had a completely different colonial experience from the Portuguese (as in killing the natives instead of marrying them). Do your homework: as in any country, the more you know about it before you arrive, the more warmly you will be received, the easier will be your assimilation, and the more help you will be offered.

Unfortunately, online resources in English for jobs in Brazil are few. Be wary of corporations that guarantee a teaching job after you have taken their training course or any other ad that sounds too good to be true.

For More Info:

International ESL job sites:

www.eslcafe.com/joblist
www.eslworldwide.com
www.berlitz.com
www.tefl.com
These are just a few; there are many others.

Brazilian English School web sites:

www.cellep.com (mostly for children)
www.alumni.org.br
www.culturainglesa.com.br
www.britannia.com.br (not just for Brits; anyone can apply online on an ongoing basis. Requires certificate).
These are just the chains. There are far more individual schools in Brazil. Try a web search with "escola de inglês" together with a specific place of interest and you may find more contacts.

Major newspaper web sites:

www.estado.com.br ( São Paulo)
www.atarde.com.br ( Salvador)
www.oglobo.com.br (Rio de Janeiro), click on Classificados O Globo tab near top center of page, then empregos e negócios, then for categoria choose empregos, options choose procura-se and type in keyword English
English schools in Brazil

www.yazigi.com.br
www.skill.com.br
www.fisk.com.br