Hello all you adventurous educators!
I'd like to know if any of you have experience now or in the past with a small school in Venezuela called Escuela Las Morochas. It is not listed on the ISR site. I have taught 20 years in the states and am looking for a new challenge and adventure teaching in South America. My wife has some ESL experience in a private school, but no teaching accreditation.
Escuela Las Morochas (ELM) is a Pre-K to 9 International School located in Ciudad Ojeda, in Western Venezuela.
Thank you for any insights on it or that region near that you may have.
Escuela Las Morochas (ELM), Venezuela
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Nolongeroverseas
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 5:48 pm
ELM
I spent one year at Elm. The kids are great, the parents and board aren't. The average director lasts less than 2 years.
Ciudad Ojeda is not a very nice place. It is very polluted, and always hot. With the slightest amount of rain there is flooding (much of the city is below sea level, and is protected from Lake Mairacaibo by a dike) You really need to speak Spanish to get along easily there. The people there are very nice though, and will help you out as much as possible even if you can not speak Spanish well. When I was there Americans were treated well, but Chavez may have managed to change that by now.
Housing is shared, in a reasonable compound just about 100 yards from the school, although it is dangerous to walk to school because of a highway crossing with a high concrete median. The school provides a shared car. (Mostly Yaruses) Both of these situations mean that your housing and car experience depend on your roommates. I do not know if you and your wife would be expected to share a house, but you probably would be expected to share a car.
Gas is cheap at 17 cents per gallon. My understanding from people who are sitll there is that there are many food shortages now, as a result of Chavez's policies. The butcher we used to go to has closed, as they were supposed to sell beef for less than they paid for it.
Because of its small size and situation, the school is always on the verge of closing. If the political situation gets worse, the school may be forced to close as Chavez is thinking of freezing all tuition at private schools, and many of the expats working for the oil companies are leaving. Many of the local businessmen that used to send their kids to ELM have moved them to the US or Canada.
Personally, I would not go back under the current conditions. That said, I absolutely loved teaching there because the kids were so great. It amazes me how nice kids can be even with jerks for parents.
If you decide you are interested in going there, make sure they explain their evacuation plan, and provide you with some sort of guarantee of salary in case the school has to close.
Ciudad Ojeda is not a very nice place. It is very polluted, and always hot. With the slightest amount of rain there is flooding (much of the city is below sea level, and is protected from Lake Mairacaibo by a dike) You really need to speak Spanish to get along easily there. The people there are very nice though, and will help you out as much as possible even if you can not speak Spanish well. When I was there Americans were treated well, but Chavez may have managed to change that by now.
Housing is shared, in a reasonable compound just about 100 yards from the school, although it is dangerous to walk to school because of a highway crossing with a high concrete median. The school provides a shared car. (Mostly Yaruses) Both of these situations mean that your housing and car experience depend on your roommates. I do not know if you and your wife would be expected to share a house, but you probably would be expected to share a car.
Gas is cheap at 17 cents per gallon. My understanding from people who are sitll there is that there are many food shortages now, as a result of Chavez's policies. The butcher we used to go to has closed, as they were supposed to sell beef for less than they paid for it.
Because of its small size and situation, the school is always on the verge of closing. If the political situation gets worse, the school may be forced to close as Chavez is thinking of freezing all tuition at private schools, and many of the expats working for the oil companies are leaving. Many of the local businessmen that used to send their kids to ELM have moved them to the US or Canada.
Personally, I would not go back under the current conditions. That said, I absolutely loved teaching there because the kids were so great. It amazes me how nice kids can be even with jerks for parents.
If you decide you are interested in going there, make sure they explain their evacuation plan, and provide you with some sort of guarantee of salary in case the school has to close.