Any advice on teaching English in Panama without TEFL (Teach English as Foreign Language) certificate?

Question

I want to move to Panama City, Panama for 6 months - 1 year and I'd like to receive suggestions on Institutes, Ministry of Education procedures, etc that might assist me.

Answer 1

Hi, not so sure about Panama specifically, but wherever there is a demand for English, there is a demand for teaching.

Also, if you have any specific experience in business, that can help to since many ESL tutors have no real-world experience, unlike many of the business students. Your approach will probably be more along the lines of conversation, vocab improvement, accent reduction (not that I like that aspect personally) rather than grammatical tuition.

Have a read here http://www.eslcafe.com - you'll find plenty of contact with others who are active teachers and also lists of schools. You should contact them, emphasise your suitability and take it from there. Many schools have a vested interest in TEFL certificates (they train for them) but in my experience, especially with certain courses, they aren't especially useful (or even relevant in some cases). Besides, in most cases, you'll be given a book and told to follow it word for word.

Answer 2

What type of visa are you planning to come on?  A work visa is very hard to achieve here.  If you are coming on a 90 day tourist visa you will be fine, but you will need to exit the country every 89 days to renew your visa.  The point is Panama will not give a job or a work visa to a foreigner if a national can fill the position.  There are a lot of Zonians here (Panamanian nationals born in the canal zone on US soil, dual citizens) who speak English.  But on the other hand the influx of English speaking foreigners is up maybe 100%.  You might do well to create your own opportunity such as a crash course for domesticas (maids) in English for the US expats moving here and needing to hire help.  Or even the same for taxi drivers.   If you do want to create your own opportunity you should know in order to fulfill the requirements of an investors visa you will need to have three Panamanians at minimum wage.  And show $40,000 in investment which can even include a car with the name and info of the business on the side of the door.  This will allow you a visa for your entire family.

Once you get on the ground here you will be able to see that there is currently a lot of opportunity in Panama with the explosion of growth and development taking place in the nation.

Also Spanglish is widely spoken.

Hope this helps.

For other types of information on Panama see http://www.panamaexpertos.com/

Answer 3

I agree with the both previous answers.

If want to stay more than 90 days, you may need drive or fly over to Costa Rica for a day or two then return to Panama City.  Your 90 days should start over again, but don't rely on this 100%.  The rules may change.

Since English is the 2nd official language in Panama, this a good place for you to go.  Once you get there, network and you'll meet plenty of people who will give you more suggestions.

You may want to visit the Florida State University campus and see if anyone there can assist.  You may find a student or two that will pay to work with you.

Good luck and have fun!

Move to Latin America, Corp.

http://www.movetolatinamerica.com/