Moving On: South America

ffmary
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:19 am

Moving On: South America

Post by ffmary »

I think this will be my last contract in Europe. I want to wrap things up closer to home in America. I am thinking South America, particularly, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, or Brazil.

Do we have any South America experts on here who can comment not on the tiers of schools in these countries, but rather the personalities of schools in these countries? I know this is a completely subjective question as each school has its good and bad points and I am not looking for the Stanford of South America here. I just want to get a lay of the land in terms of the major players, some hidden gems, and the populations these schools do or don't attract. Are some more sporty? Others more academic? Some have a lot of turn-over compared to competitors? Too few locals? Too many locals? This flavor of content is what I am looking for. My context is mainly Europe since that is where I have been for so long. I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks!
overseaslife
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:28 pm

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by overseaslife »

Financially speaking, your salary will go the furthest in Venezuela right now. Consider this...fill up your tank of gas for 5 cents. NOT a misprint! Take 6 colleagues out for a nice dinner and drinks for $25 TOTAL. Have a 4 day weekend on the #2 rated sandy beach in the world (Los Roques) for less than $150 all in (flights, hotels, meals, activities). Savings potential is HUGE right now. All because of the exchange rates and the power your US dollar has here. We made the move after 15 years in the Middle East where things were getting a bit dicey and costs of goods and taxes were increasing each year. Glad we did. The country is stunning with incredible sites. The parent and teacher community at our school is lovely. It is just too bad what is happening on the whole right now in the country and how much the ordinary Venezuelan is suffering. There was an interesting op-ed in the NY Times today.
UnCloudy
Posts: 99
Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 7:47 pm

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by UnCloudy »

deleted
Last edited by UnCloudy on Tue Nov 17, 2015 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Brazil then Argentina, Id avoid the others. Venezuela is a great place to retire on very little.
newhere
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2015 10:42 am

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by newhere »

To the OP,

The big, well-known schools in Latin America consist mostly of very rich host country national students with a few foreign students sprinkled in. You say you're looking at the Southern Cone, but I'll break down what I know. I've been living and working in the region for ten years.

Keep in mind that the personality of each school depends on what building level you work in, what you teach, and your perspective and interaction with the host culture. Anyway, here goes...

Uruguay- It's small American school is in Montevideo. From what I've read, it's very community-oriented. Not extremely well-known or talked about compared to other schools in the region. Montevideo is a pretty nice city.

Paraguay- American School of Asuncion- about 600 students, K-12. mostly host country nationals, pay not great but okay compared to other international schools in the city. High turnover. Living in Asuncion leaves a lot to be desired.

Argentina- Lincoln School- had a good reputation some years ago but supposedly now going downhill. Turnover has been low because, well, Buenos Aires is an amazing city.

Chile- Nido- great reputation; no problem hiring teachers; package good for the region; again, mostly, host country students. Santiago is a pretty diverse city, people wise, and turnover at the school is low.

Brazil- Graded School- considered one of the best schools in South America; pay/package very generous and teachers seem to really want to stay here for the long term. Many hate Sao Paulo, but it's a big city with TONS to do and travel outside of the city is easy with so many options.

Colombia- Colegio Nueva Granada, the English School- good reputations, good pay. Bogota is a nice place to live, not all rain and grey skies all the time as is heard but common. Colombia is the new up and coming country for expats. Again, host country nationals, but there are many other international schools (with less pay I should say) that have a more diverse student population.

Bolivia- American School of La Paz. There are also schools in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. Honestly, I don't know much about these schools, but I haven't heard positive things.

Venezuela- Campo Alegre in Caracas, I believe, at one point, was THE SCHOOL to work at. Friends there worked there for years and only left recently because of political strife. Some friends are still there and enjoy it. The school is said to be top-notch in every way, but right now in Venezuela, things, unfortunately, are not so great.

Peru- Roosevelt- decent school with decent pay; again, lots of local elite students; Peru is a nice country (although a bit tourist-runover), and teachers seem to enjoy their time here.

Educador- Aw, Ecuador! Cotopaxi and the American School of Quito. Two good schools, though Cotopaxi takes the top award. Pay is decent, school is decent, and Ecuador is great to live by most expats' standards. So much to do in such a small country.

I can say that all of these schools more or less, focus on making sure the parents (customers) are satisfied. That may come in many forms. Academics may not in reality be the priority that you think it should be, but as long as the parents are content, you will do fine. How much sports is focused on depends on the school, but expect students to want the top prize for putting in not a lot of work.

At these schools, in general. parents can be demanding, very involved, and sometimes annoying, but of course, again, that depends on what you teach and what grade. Some people either love it, hate it, or deal with it.

Hope this helped.
Yantantether
Posts: 168
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:41 am

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by Yantantether »

newhere wrote:
> To the OP,
>
> The big, well-known schools in Latin America consist mostly of very rich
> host country national students with a few foreign students sprinkled in.
> You say you're looking at the Southern Cone, but I'll break down what I
> know. I've been living and working in the region for ten years.
>
> Keep in mind that the personality of each school depends on what building
> level you work in, what you teach, and your perspective and interaction
> with the host culture. Anyway, here goes...
>
> Uruguay- It's small American school is in Montevideo. From what I've read,
> it's very community-oriented. Not extremely well-known or talked about
> compared to other schools in the region. Montevideo is a pretty nice city.
>
> Paraguay- American School of Asuncion- about 600 students, K-12. mostly
> host country nationals, pay not great but okay compared to other
> international schools in the city. High turnover. Living in Asuncion leaves
> a lot to be desired.
>
> Argentina- Lincoln School- had a good reputation some years ago but
> supposedly now going downhill. Turnover has been low because, well, Buenos
> Aires is an amazing city.
>
> Chile- Nido- great reputation; no problem hiring teachers; package good for
> the region; again, mostly, host country students. Santiago is a pretty
> diverse city, people wise, and turnover at the school is low.
>
> Brazil- Graded School- considered one of the best schools in South America;
> pay/package very generous and teachers seem to really want to stay here for
> the long term. Many hate Sao Paulo, but it's a big city with TONS to do and
> travel outside of the city is easy with so many options.
>
> Colombia- Colegio Nueva Granada, the English School- good reputations, good
> pay. Bogota is a nice place to live, not all rain and grey skies all the
> time as is heard but common. Colombia is the new up and coming country for
> expats. Again, host country nationals, but there are many other
> international schools (with less pay I should say) that have a more diverse
> student population.
>
> Bolivia- American School of La Paz. There are also schools in Santa Cruz
> and Cochabamba. Honestly, I don't know much about these schools, but I
> haven't heard positive things.
>
> Venezuela- Campo Alegre in Caracas, I believe, at one point, was THE SCHOOL
> to work at. Friends there worked there for years and only left recently
> because of political strife. Some friends are still there and enjoy it. The
> school is said to be top-notch in every way, but right now in Venezuela,
> things, unfortunately, are not so great.
>
> Peru- Roosevelt- decent school with decent pay; again, lots of local elite
> students; Peru is a nice country (although a bit tourist-runover), and
> teachers seem to enjoy their time here.
>
> Educador- Aw, Ecuador! Cotopaxi and the American School of Quito. Two good
> schools, though Cotopaxi takes the top award. Pay is decent, school is
> decent, and Ecuador is great to live by most expats' standards. So much to
> do in such a small country.
>
> I can say that all of these schools more or less, focus on making sure the
> parents (customers) are satisfied. That may come in many forms. Academics
> may not in reality be the priority that you think it should be, but as long
> as the parents are content, you will do fine. How much sports is focused on
> depends on the school, but expect students to want the top prize for
> putting in not a lot of work.
>
> At these schools, in general. parents can be demanding, very involved, and
> sometimes annoying, but of course, again, that depends on what you teach
> and what grade. Some people either love it, hate it, or deal with it.
>
> Hope this helped.


Certainly helped me! Great info. for those looking in that direction. Nice work newhere.
ffmary
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:19 am

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by ffmary »

Thank you for everybody's input!
ffmary
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:19 am

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by ffmary »

So, after taking each comment above to heart, I really do have to agree with PsyGuy vis a vis my needs; I am keeping my eye on Brazil and Argentina for the 2015-2016 school year. Both countries are going through things, but both are big, bold, and beautiful, as they say, and that's how I want to go out - with a bang.

So, Buenos Aires vs. Sao Paulo vs. Rio de Janeiro?

Can I get thoughts of those with experience in all or some of the above cities? I am looking for city feedback here more than school feedback, but of course Lincoln, Graded, and EARJ are my targets. Here's to an exciting recruiting season starting out in style for everyone. Let's bring this forum back to life.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

@ffmary

Im really reading into your posts but you may be happier focusing on the small group of elite tier ISs in S.A. more then the entire range of ISs in just Brazil and Argentina.

Rio is hosting the 2016 Olympics, great place to be but it will be crazy and dont be surprised if your housing arrangement requires you to vacate during the summer. It will also get a lot more expensive, but its Rio.

Id take Buenos Aires over San Paulo, though in many ways that matter they are very close in quality of life and lifestyle opportunities. Buenos Aires is just sexier, and more intimate, easier to navigate and on the water. San Paulo is more work, much larger, less organized and more focused on business. I relate too Buenos Aires like Singapore and San Paulo like Greater Tokyo.
mamava
Posts: 320
Joined: Sat May 11, 2013 7:56 am

Post by mamava »

x
Last edited by mamava on Tue May 03, 2016 7:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

Many ITs do not realize that tax free means you dont pay taxes twice to two different countries, you almost always get taxed locally.
LUWahoo
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:20 pm

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by LUWahoo »

Anyone with knowledge of what countries in South/Central America offer the friendliest tax agreements for ITs?
ffmary
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:19 am

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by ffmary »

How hard is it to land a job at the American School in Rio de Janeiro (EARJ). I've heard the recruiting is very targeted and it's an in demand location. EAC (Campinas) and Lincoln (Buenos Aires) seem to have more mainstream recruiting schedules/techniques and seem more open to outsiders - all of the above seem like good or great schools. Also, what about the Uruguayan American School? I do fear, though, that I would be a bit bored there.
marina
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 2:31 pm

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by marina »

ffmary, it's pretty tough at all those schools. Campinas is going through a head change now, and they have more open positions than the others at present. Check their websites, and in some cases Search and the print TIE newspaper for your best bet to stay up to date on all potential openings at the schools. EARJ has two main campuses, but only one for high school. Campinas is all on one campus. Lincoln has seen better days, but so has Argentina (1920s and earlier), and Uruguay is small but cute and provides great access to both southern Brazil and metro Buenos Aires. Good luck to you.
activekath
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 2:35 pm

Re: Moving On: South America

Post by activekath »

I too am looking to 'set sail' to South America - with 2 dependants (both girls 10 & 12) hopefully Aug 16.
How do IT's negotiate for pension plans?
Anyone heard of Northlands, Arg?
I would love to go to Colombia, Peru, Equador, Argentina.
We want to bring our pets - what have been the experiences of others? Or is bringing pets just 'not done'?

I've heard/read shipping is impossible. (Currently live in Europe) so access to amazon.co.uk or ebay is no problem. Please share about SA.

Any and all tips welcome.
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