Bolivia

Updated 23 December 2011

This article has been divided into 8 sections
1. General Information
2. Making the Move
3. Getting Cheap Flights
4. Teaching Online
5. Visas
6. Studying Spanish
7. Current Job Openings
8. School Listings


1. General Information
You can find more information about teaching in Bolivia, such as salaries and visas, in FAQ Bolivia. If you're looking for general information about teaching in Latin America please read FAQ Teaching in Latin America.


2. Making the Move
Moving is stressful as it is, but moving to another country can be chaotic. Check out 30 Days to Move Abroad, which makes moving overseas a breeze. Teaching English is a great way to see the world, but before you go it helps to get information from people who have done it before. A good place to start is Teach English Abroad: The Complete Guide which has everything you need to know. Cover letters are what an employer sees first and if your cover letter gets rejected, the employer will never look at your CV. Amazing Cover Letters will provide quick and easy way to write quality cover letters that will get noticed. At one time or another your students will ask you how they can improve their pronunciation. Many teachers tell their students to practice but don't give them the resources they need. The American Accent Audio Course is made especially for ESL and EFL students who want to better their pronunciation and lose their foreign accent.

3. Getting Cheap Flights
Travelling the world and teaching English sounds like a dream come true until you have to purchase your airline ticket. Fly Cheap! Airfare Secrets Revealed! and Insider Secrets to Cheap Flights will show you tricks that will get you the cheapest ticket available.

4. Teaching Online

The Ultimate Teaching Position and How to Teach English Online and Get Money show you how you can do what you love while being your own boss. You'll be taken through the steps of opening your own online teaching school and learn how you can teach English online while living anywhere in the world. You can even teach while on vacation. 


5. Visas
Be aware that generally Latin American institutes do not get teachers visa. That doesn't mean that it's impossible, however, if working legally is important to you, be sure to ask your employer about visas. If they promise to get you a work visa, but tell you to enter on a tourist visa, be aware that they may not end up getting you a work visa at all. Primary and secondary schools, as well as universities seem more willing to get visas than language institutes.

If they can't, you could always work on a tourist visa. If you go that route, remember it is illegal, however, it can be done. You should find out about overstaying your visa and border hopping. Some countries, such as Mexico are easy to get visas for, others like Ecuador and Panama are difficult and you can run into trouble if you overstay your visa. Some countries like Peru and Costa Rica have many teachers that work under the table and just border hop.

6. Studying Spanish
There are many courses out there for learning Spanish. The best resource for learning languages out there is The Language Hacking Guide by Benny the Irish Polyglot, the owner of Fluent in 3 Months. If you haven't heard of this Irishman who speaks 8 languages, then go to his website and be prepared to be impressed.

The best software out there for learning Spanish is Rocket Languages. It has surpassed Berlitz and Rosetta Stone and is becoming the way to learn Spanish.

Synergy Spanish maintains that traditional ways of learning languages don't work because it all boils down to grammar. By starting with 138 words, you'll begin to branch out and be speaking Spanish before you know it. Looking to learn the real Latin American Spanish?

Learning Spanish Like Crazy is fun, easy, and fast. You'll learn the Spanish that you hear on the streets.

7. Current Job Openings
If you're looking for current jobs, try these job search sites. If you're a licensed teacher, try getting a job at an international school. You can find more info in this article I wrote about international schools.

8. School Listings
Emails and websites often change, so if you find a school that needs updating, please email me at naturegirl321@yahoo.com. If you have a school that you would like to add, feel free to email me with the name, website and contact information.

Multiple Cities
Please go to the websites to see which cities the institute are in as they tend to expand rapidly. Try looking under “sedes” or “centros”

● Centro Boliviano-Americano

● Knowledge of English

Cochabamba
● American International School (Must have a teaching license)

● Cochabamba Coopertative School (Must have a teaching license)
Av. Circunvalacion

La Paz
● American Cooperative School (Must have a teaching license)
Calle 10 y Pasaje Kantutas, Calacoto, La Paz, Bolivia

● Lincoln Institute
Capitan Ravelo No 2066

● Speak Easy Institute
Av. Arce 2047
SpeakEasyinstitute@yahoo.com

● The Language Works
Arce 2885 Esq. Clavijo

Santa Cruz
● Colegio Iberoamericano
Alameda Potosi No 660

● Colegio Internacional Bilingue Santa Cruz
4to.Anillo Entre Av. Grigota Y Radial 17 1/2

● Santa Cruz Cooperative School
Barrio Las Palmas, Calle Barcelona #1, Casilla 753

● Santa Cruz International School (Must have a teaching license)
Carret. A Cochabamba Km. 7 1/2

Recommendations: Check out my top resources and TEFL Tips.

Volunteer: You can find a comprehensive list of free and low-cost volunteer programmes at Volunteer South America.