Hey - sorry for the crazy slow reply, I'm having a manic week at work. Definitely one where I think "wouldn't teaching 50 kids a language they've barely even heard before in a classroom the size of a showbox and 1000 degrees-in-the-shade temperatures be blissful"!

I guess it's just a matter of research - "know your enemy" kind of mentality! I think I'm fairly savvy, have travelled alond before, bought the money belt and all of that. Hopefully I've got time to learn some spanish before I go as well, so I'll at least sound like I know vaguely what's going on! Never been anywhere I've needed jabs before though, that could be interesting ...

Hope you're having a good week - steering clear of rabid dogs etc! And thanks - all this stuff is really helpful,

x

Hi, I´m staying here til next June, that´ll be a year then.  I do feel mostly safe when travelling but I take precautions.  I wear old clothes.  I keep my money in different places.  I keep a bit in an obvious bag and thereast somewhere concealed about my person.  I try not to look lost and go somewhere invisible or at least off street to look at maps.  I keep my eyes out at all times.  I´m sure some blokes were casing me once in Guayaquil but I just disappeared.  I haven´t been robbed yet but I know some people who have.  Loja is safe 99% of the time. Other cities aren´t, you just have to know the crack.

Workwise the school is changing the contract so that you get a minimum of 4 hours a day, and including lesson plans you get a salary of $400 a month.  This seems less at first but it isnt really as we will get paid for public holidays etc which we didnt on the hourly wage.  Plus, you can make it up with extra hours here and there with privates or at speakeasy, a conversation class at the UNI.

There´s plenty of wildlife and jungle tours etc, so maybe its a great place for you - just remember your jabs! you need yellow fever, typhoid and Hep A.  You dont need rabies jabs, although the yellow fever clinic may well try to talk you into it (as if you coudnt spot a rabid dog!  I´ve never seen one anyway).  Malaria tablets and insect repellent are cheaper here than in the UK.  They´ll try to ltell you that Loja is a malarial area but it isnt.

Sorry to sound so negative! Good points about Loja: good restaurants at affordable prices, fantastic markets with delicious fresh fruit, meat and veg, stalls that sell exotic fruit juices of many and interesting varieties, mainly friendly people, a school that is realxed and tolerant and pays pretty reasonable wages (it may be somewhat disorganized, but that´s Ecuador all over), pretty good climate - its not in the jungle or the coast, we have enough altitude that it doesnt get unbearably humid, although its been a bit rainy lately, close to the Podocarpus national park, accesible from the pretty village of Vilcabamba or the more jungly area of Zamorra, close to Peru, the school will help visa wise if you are staying for a bit, although this is a constantly changing situation, and an attractive town centre of old collonial buildings.

Good points about Ecuador: 3 distinct regions with different climates, fantastic mountain ranges, a beautiful coastline, the Galapagos Islands, Amazonia, monkeys, adventure, travel......

Yeah, I remember reading all that stuff on the internet about Loja being the ¨musical centre of Ecuador¨ what a load of old rubbish - all you get is cover bands and salsa... there´s some decent night life in Cuenca but half of this country wouldnt frankly know culture if it jumped up and bit them on the arse!  There´s plenty of culture as in social habits and behaviour codes but I think you have to look to indigenous south americans for any creativity.  I know that sounds harsh and very politically incorrect, and there are loads of things I do like about it here, but musical centre of the country it definitely aint.´ There´s plenty of good stuff going on in Quito, and,I´d guess, Guyaquil, in fact I get the impression that most coastal cities are much more ethnically diverse and therefore interesting.  Here its Latinos, the best off by far, the indiginous indians who are mostly farmers and a few black people who get treated with shocking derision.  My Nigerian housemate and good friend, Charles, has made lots of friends here but still suffers from racism and gets stared at all the time.  Then there´s a few gringos, who are almost all teachers, and get treated usually in a friendly way but still people stare a lot, and men think all white women are easy, which can be quite annoying.  After the eclectic multiculturalism of Bristol I must admit I find it a bit weird and often wish I was in Quito where there are people from all over the place.

PS forgive my bad spelling... can´t type for toffee

I´ve been teaching for 6 months here, and before that I did abit of volutary TESOL in Bristol, UK, although its very different.  Ecuador has many pros and cons like any country, some people love it and some dont.  Its VERY catholic and can be rather conservative.  Lojanos love a good drink, but they spend every special occaision with their families so for someone my age a social life is a little difficult, I end up hanging out with people much younger (I`m 42). I´s a very beautiful country and the people are friendly.  There´s plemty to do, although Loja is miles from anywhere.. there are plenty of other places to work though, and Loja is definitely cool for a bit.  I found it very relaxing after hectic Bristol, the secnery is nice, the town centre is really pretty.  The food is good, the music is aweful! Unless you like salsa and merengue, cos you wont hear much else.  I had a great Christmas party in my apartment with my level 2 classes.  There are lots of thieves in Ecuador: Quito is quite dangerous at the wrong time of night but Loja is the ¨safest town in Ecuador¨ at least, I always walk holme alone if I ahve to and its cool.

Dont know what else to say really, every country will have good and bad bits, you just have to go for it see what you think.  Just remember its not as developed as the UK and you will have to go without certain luxuries... me, I miss good beer and cheese the most!  Oh yeah, and.. rugby and cricket...  And a banging good all nighter with some great techno... still these things dont make me want to spend my whole life in the UK.

Hey,

Welcome to Chalkboard. Great to see you're interested in teaching in Ecuador, what has attracted you to teaching there?

To get you started on the site you may want to have a chat to these members who are currently teaching out there:

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/kallenfranchise

http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/alixm09

http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/pedrodominguez

Also you may want to take a look at the groups to get an idea of what teaching in different countries is like:

http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/groups

Enjoy the site and feel free to ask me any questions you have :-)

Hello hello! Is anyone out there teaching in Ecuador right now? Describe the experience in 5 words? :)