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Teaching abroad could be the best experience in a teacher’s life. It will help you develop adaptation skills as well as resourcefulness and communication skills. Once you have these abilities, you will be an excellent asset to any school!! In a world that is constantly changing, these are highly desirable characteristics that most employers look for when they plan to hire new teachers.

Liceo Pino Verde: an excellent choice to teach abroad

If you decided you want to teach abroad, chances are Colombia would not be at the top of your list. The first thing most Americans think when they hear the word “Colombia” is drugs and violence. This may have been true many years ago but this country has come a long way since then and it has become a much safer place. Although the situation and security is not perfect (is it anywhere?), Colombians and visitors now feel confident to go out and travel safely by car all over the country. Nowadays, when safety is not longer a matter, Colombia is an excellent option for American teachers to work: the only risk is wanting to stay.

Now, the second most famous thing Colombia is known for is its coffee. Right in the middle of the most beautiful part of the country, the Colombian Coffee Zone, there is a wonderful and gorgeous private bilingual school called Liceo Pino Verde. What could be better than living and working in the center of the coffee-production area? Who said teachers cannot have it all? Pereira, the city where the school is located, has nice weather all year round (between 70° and 80°), welcoming people always willing to help, beautiful sites nearby and a great job opportunity that allows you to enjoy it all! Liceo Pino Verde (LPV) is an excellent working option for American teachers who are interested in teaching abroad. This school has a great location, an amazing working environment, an architecture you have never seen before in a school, and a comprehensive compensation package adapted to Pereira’s life.

Location

To begin with, LPV has a remarkable location. Pereira is the biggest and the most important city of the coffee triangle. Is has a population of 600.000 inhabitants. People can travel easily by bus, car or airplane to all the most beautiful and interesting places in Colombia. In the words of Lindsey Pereira, one of the American teachers working in LPV, “…Pereira is a perfect city to work in as an American. It is not too big and it is not too little… It has a great night life, it is an easy city to learn and get around, the people are very friendly, and there are great day trips to places like natural hot springs and precious little pueblos like Salento.” It does not matter what you like, you can always find something fun to do: whether it is going out to eat, clubbing, visiting snowcapped mountains, swimming in natural hot springs, or knowing more about how our famous Colombian coffee is grown and processed.

Tourists and visitors do not need to expend large amounts of money in order to do what they like: a meal at a fancy restaurant is about $20 and cocktails and beer cost around $6 and $3 dollars in a good bar. In addition, living expenses are not very high. There are plenty of apartments available for rent at incredible low prices compared to the U.S. For example, a nice two or three-bedroom apartment at one of the best neighborhoods in Pereira could cost less than $ 500; there are, of course, other good neighborhoods that have cheaper options. Urban transportation includes Megabus ($75c) and taxis (about $2 and $6 per ride). The area has an international airport with weekly flights to Panama and Miami and low-cost airlines such as EasyFly and Aires.

About the school

Liceo Pino Verde is a private bilingual school with high academic standards and a humanist approach to education. Kids are accepted when they are 3 years old and the school offers all the grades through 11th grade, which is the last year in Colombian education. From K4 to 5th grade, students are in an English immersion program. Math, Social Studies, Science and Language Arts, which sums almost 70% of all classes, are taught in English.

Most teachers working at LPV are Colombians who have learned English fluently and they do an amazing job from K4 to second grade. By the time students go into third grade, they have acquired English skills and need to work with their fluency and pronunciation. Because of this, LPV is always interested in hiring native speakers qualified to teach 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.

The architecture of the school is outstanding: all classrooms are open-air and made of “guadua” (large form of bamboo). There are plenty of green areas, a swimming pool, a labyrinth and a “wild” tropical trail surrounding the school. That is just perfect to take the students for hands-on science experiences!!

Classes start in January and finish in early December. Teachers have approximately 20-25 teaching hours a week and plenty of time to plan and grade during school. Students from 3rd grade on start classes at 7:00 a.m. and finish at 3:10 p.m. Concerning vacation, LPV has the entire Holy Week off, as well as the last week of September. Teachers have a break in June/July that could be 2 or 3 weeks long and 1 month at the end of the school year. Colombia also has many three-day weekends because of religious and national holidays.

From all the wonderful things this school has, all American teachers agree on this: its biggest asset is the teaching and working staff. They are really passionate about their work and treat each other like family. They will do everything in their power to make you feel welcome and make adaptation easier. Everybody is very close, friendly and supportive. In the words of Elizabeth Flees, one of the American teachers who came to teach for one year and has decided to stay, “…The best piece of advice that I can give to hopeful applicants is that you only get out of Colombia what you put into it. I put in my all and have received the world in return. Others who did not share my philosophy have not been as lucky.”

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