Hey!  As for Ukraine.. degrees aren't necessary for visas but many schools will ask for something. TEFL or CELTA is a definite of course.  Eastern Europe is a dream for me.  Serbia, where I'm at right now, is just the best place on Earth! I'd stay here if I could find work.  But I'll take my opportunity in Ukraine for now and come back to Serbia after. :)

Where are you headed?  If you're interested in Ukraine, there is a group here on the Chalkboard. I put up a post with a bunch of links for info on Ukraine.

I'm 20 i'll be 21 by the time I hopefully start teaching. The only thing I could find on the site says you need to be 23 to teach in Ecuador. I'm going to call them to get more info because it's always better to talk to a real person. Thanks so much for your advice :)

Hey I am super interested in coming to Ecuador! I have been searching around thissiteand it seems you need to be at least 23 to teach there. do you find this to be true...or do you know anything about what the schools there are looking for?

I'll be in Quito on August 31. The plane arrives at 7:30, so wouldn't be able to catch a flight to Loja until the next day. Thinking about spending the next day in Quito, though. Get my last taste of a big city before moving to a small town! Too bad about the police check. You could still get one mailed to you, though, couldn't you?

Hi Alix,

yeah, CHC doesn't really seem to know what we need- fortunately I found the site for the embassy in Canada and have been asking them directly. The embassy told me that I need my TESL to be translated and that the translation needs the apostille and legalization here. I saw that I need a police check, which I do have already but the site does not mention that it needs to be translated or legalized. maybe I should anyway, it's just that the translations cost fifty dollars, notarizations another twenty and the legalization is fifty- per document- looks like I might be broke before I even get there!

Yeah *tranquilo* is not the operative word in Asia! i don't know about Ecuador but as for Latin America before i ended up in S. Korea, i hung around Guatemala for four months.  didn't want to leave!  i seriously considered doing an onsite TEFL somewhere in S. America.  while i was there, i experimented with some volunteer English teaching and decided i didn't feel confident enough to try to convince people to pay me to do it. for the larger part of my life, i lived in New Mexico, i have a Spanish/Latin American studies (-esque) degree....so let's just say i'm just a little more down with Latin American culture.  Well, because I work so damnned many hours with every age group imaginable, I guess I'm getting a ton of experience.  The other good parts are getting a perspective i never thought much about before, and in the four months I've been here I've seen a lot.  I'm having a decent time...in two months I can say I made it halfway.  I"ll do better than just survive this year but by the end of my contract I'm gonna be ready to get the hell out of here.  

Hi Alix!

Thanks for the info! I am having alot of difficulties getting info from the consulate here, but I think you're right in the idea that the less contact with officials, the better! Advice is trickling in from those in the "know", ie. a friend of mine who is in Cuenca told me for sure I have to get my son Jacob's birth cert. notarized and legalized. I emailed Gloria asking her to double check about just needing the TESL legalized, because I keep reading about people needing police checks (which I have anyway) legalized as well. I think you were included in the emails she sent out regarding this.

anyway, I'll just keep taking deep breaths and thinking positive about what is to come!

Thanks for writing about Ecuador!  I'm stuck in Asia for a while, and wish I didn't need to care about money right now.  I want to check it out in a few months.  Can't wait to hear more! 

Hi Alix，

Just a quick note to see how you are getting on in Ecuador？ Good I hope！I am loving China！ Though I think in a few years not having a degree will be a major problem！How about Ecuador，do you feel it will be the same there soon？I will seriously need to look into getting one。Especially as I intend to travel and teach for some time！

Hope to speak to you soon。Take care！xx

hi,

you wrote to me a few months ago, and i just got around to reading your message. pardon the delay. you wanted to know more about ecuador...if you are willing to come here to gain experience, then do it. because you will probably just earn enough money to get by. right now im working at a school in the mornings, and make 350 dollars per month. when i had an afternoon job, i was able to save a bit of money, but i spent it all on travels haha. i havent heard of any schools in Tena, but im sure there are institutes or schools that need english teachers, especially native speakers. its highly unprobable that they hire over the internet, though. recently, schools and institutes are requiring more documents from English teachers. It seems that you, even being a native speaker, need a TEFL certificate, and even better a university degree in TEFL. 

as far as the tattoo, i wouldnt worry about it. i would say the smaller the town you teach in, the more the people would talk about it. but it shouldnt be a problem. 

i hope i answered your questions. good luck