After a huge workload it's finally end of term and and holidays for 3 weeks. Except for my one remaining private student that is!  Still I could do with the money.  My other private, the one I found hopeless for weeks, has suddenly become a top student, got about 90% in his tests and is ready to sit his final next week.  Unfortunately, after that he has to return to the extremely small town of...

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Things have really picked up for me work wise now.  At first I didn't have many hours as two of the teachers I came to replace didn't leave for a bit.  I didn't actually pay any rent for 4 weeks but it was ok because the school rents the apartment for us and I just owed the money to them.  It's only $65 a month anyway as it's a shared flat, 5 bedrooms, not much...

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This school is looking for new applicants for the September courses; some people they were expecting have dropped out so if anyone fancies Ecuador, why not apply?  It might not be perfect but its ok by me and the town is great.  The school is very casual and we have a lot of fun here - parties and games, its very relaxed.  You might get paid more in Asia and have more discipline etc, but...

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Well, my first few weeks here have been interesting and variable.  First I visited my family in the jungle near Tena.  They have recently suffered bad flooding and lost a bit of the cocao crop but now the waters have subsided and the main thing - the tilapia (a poular and delicious fish) have survived.  The house was about 2 feet deep in river at one point and lots of my dad´s old books were...

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I had a truly lovely week at Pueblo Ingles.  All the people were really nice and the venue was fantastic.  It's tiring having to talk so much, especially as I was (apparently) the fastest talker in town and had to keep slowing down... We had breakfast 9-10, a buffet of almost any breakfast you could want.  Then 4 hours of chatting - for the 1st 3 you get one Spaniard per hour, but you must...

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Can anyone advise me on the best way to take my money to Ecuador?  The PO recommend a Post Office Travel Money Card.  Are these usable in Ecuadorian cash machines?  Or, if I open a bank account there, will I be able to just transfer it over the internet?  The reason I want to do it now is that I am worried about the exchange rate against the dollar. Also - I wasn't going to...

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My job has been brought forward now so I should be starting on June 25th - which means getting on a plane in early June I guess - time to see the family, get to Loja and do the week training first.  For a while I wished I hadn't booked the Pueblo Ingles week in May, but now I realise it will probably boost my confidence. Not that I'm not looking forward to it -...

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Hi, Because I'm heading off to Ecuador, lots of people ask me about the visa situation so I'm doing this post to answer what I can.  Firstly - I haven't even tried yet and am going in a slightly dodgy way.  I am not an expert and everything I write here I have gleaned from internet research.  I would insist that people ask someone who's gone through it all, but internet isn't so widely available...

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Today I had to invigilate in a mock exam.  It was interesting how the lesson went even though it was a very basic reading paper - entry level one.  The tutor was taking two of the students to another room for a reading practice lesson because they are on a different level with literacy. Most of the students went through it with hardly a hitch, so we are thinking of giving them a higher level...

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That was so not what I expected.  (Sorry about the grammar). She didn't ask me any questions, I seem to have passed that side of things on the app. form.  We just talked about the logistics of getting there, and my side of things - money, holidays etc.  They do advise you to go on a 90 day visa and change up to 6 months later, then go to Peru for a work visa.  This...

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