ÿþ<HTML> <HEAD> <!-- $MVD$:app("MicroVision WebExpress","770") --> <!-- $MVD$:template("","0","0") --> <!-- $MVD$:color("18","80ff","Orange","1") --> <!-- $MVD$:color("19","ffd6ce","Lavender","1") --> <TITLE>Teach English in Panama</TITLE> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="teach english overseas,overseas teaching,panama,panama city,david,tefl,tesol,teach english,tesl,celta,teach in panama,teach abroad,teach english,panama travel,panama travel writing,revolinski,kevin,kevin revolinski,yogurt man cometh,yogurt man cometh review,teacher in turkey,citlembik,live in turkey,living in turkey,ankara,istanbul,daves esl,teach in ankara,istanbul memories,write about turkey,turkish history,turkish current events,yogurt,turkish yogurt,travel writing,travel memoir,mad traveler online,traveling madly,mad traveler,madison travel writer,yogurt man"> <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="MicroVision Development / WebExpress"> </HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="SILVER"> <CENTER><TABLE WIDTH="100%" CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" BORDER="0"> <TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN=TOP> <IMG SRC="images/panamabeach01.jpg" WIDTH="245" HEIGHT="185" VSPACE="0" HSPACE="0" BORDER="0"></TD> <TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN=TOP> <P align=center> <A HREF="http://www.themadtraveleronline.com"><FONT FACE="PAPYRUS" SIZE="9">The Mad Traveler Online</FONT></a></P> <CENTER><table width="525" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="black"><tr> <td><font size="2" face="papyrus" color="ffffff"><center> <a href="http://www.themadtraveleronline.com" style="text-decoration: none" target="_top"><font color="ffffff">Home</font></a> </center></font></td><td><font size="2" face="arial" color="7777aa"><center> - 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Whether you are looking to relocate, retire, or just spend a few months under the tropical sun, you can easily support yourself as an English teacher.</span> </p> <p class="articletext"> I spent a year in Panama City. A short drive from two oceans, it is ideal for snorkeling, surfing, or just lounging on beaches. Tap water was drinkable, fresh seafood plentiful, and work easy to come by. I lined up a position with La Universidad Tecnol&oacute;gica de Panama by email before I arrived, and within weeks of my arrival, with very little legwork, I found work at two other schools as well. </p> <p class="articletext"> Some of the teachers held TEFL certificates but many had no credentials other than being a native speaker (a few didn&rsquo;t even have that). </p> <p class="articletext"> Spanish is helpful but hardly necessary. Many Panamanians know at least some English, and in the classroom most schools demand that the teacher only speak English with students. </p> <p class="articletext"> The typical language school offers afternoon, night, and weekend classes. Students range from college age to older business people. Private primary and secondary schools teach English as a language or use English for other subjects. Generally, these schools prefer licensed teachers but it never hurts to investigate; The pay is roughly $800 per month. </p> <p class="articletext"> Most commonly the 8-week language courses meet twice a week for two to two and half hours each class. Some pay hourly, others by the course. Either way, the going rate is about $15-$16 per hour. A single course works out to around $600. Working five courses (which is still only 25 hours of teaching each week) can make you feel like a king. </p> <p class="articlesubtitle"> <b>Visas to Panama</b></p> <p class="articletext"> Many foreigners end up working on the sly. A tourist visa is valid for 90 days and renewable for another 90 at the immigration office for $16. Restarting the clock on a tourist visa is as easy as a weekend in neighboring Costa Rica. Penalties for overstaying a visa start at $20 for the first month and increase $10 per month after that. Enforcement is inconsistent. </p> <p class="articletext"> To go the legal route can be painstaking. Work visas cost $100 and require a copy of your contract, a criminal background check from your country of origin (in the U.S. these are free and can usually be easily had from your local police before you leave), and a Certificado de Buena Salud, which one can get from a local doctor for a brief consultation that costs around $5-$10 plus an HIV test. Additionally, the work visa applicant must present two letters: one to Immigration (Direcci&oacute;n Nacional de Migraci&oacute;n y Naturalizaci&oacute;n) requesting a work visa for a visiting expert and a second to the Labor Ministry (Ministerio de Trabajo y Desarrollo Laboral) for a work permit (Permiso de Trabajo en Calidad de Tecnico o Experto). Both letters justify the need for a Panamanian company to hire you as a foreigner who provides a service or expertise that could not be provided by a Panamanian citizen. Both these letters must be drawn up by a lawyer, and the fees can be expensive. A majority of the foreign teachers I met never bothered with the whole process, prefering a weekend in Costa Rica or a fine upon their departure from Panama. </p> <p class="articlesubtitle"> <b> Private Lessons</b> </p> <p class="articletext"> Another option for supplemental income is private lessons. A fair rate is $15-$25 per hour. The downside can be reliability. In the end I found it best to try to get students to commit to two weeks or a month at a time and pay ahead, but this is not always possible since the average Panamanian lives paycheck to paycheck (on the two national paydates each month the traffic and nightlife is explosive). </p> <P>________________________________________</P> <P> <!-- $MVD$:spaceretainer() -->&nbsp;</P> <P> Kevin Revolinski's articles and photography have appeared in a variety of publications including <I>Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, </I>and <I>Sydney Morning Herald</I>. He is the author of <I>The Wisconsin Beer Guide: A Travel Companion</I> and several works of short fiction. He lived in Ankara, Turkey in 1997 and 1998 and has traveled back there several times since. He currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.</P> <P> <!-- $MVD$:spaceretainer() -->&nbsp;</P></TD> <TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN=TOP> <P ALIGN=CENTER><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-2403675-10484666" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://shop.lonelyplanet.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;"> <img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-2403675-10484666" width="125" height="125" alt="" border="0"/></a></P> <P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE="5" FACE="PAPYRUS">The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey</FONT></P> <P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE="5">Order your copy today!</FONT></P> <P><CENTER><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=yogurt+man+cometh&z=y&cds2Pid=9481&afsrc=1&lkid=J16789227&pubid=K124857&byo=1" target="new"><IMG SRC="images/yogurtman-cov-sm.jpg" WIDTH="166" HEIGHT="250" VSPACE="0" HSPACE="0" BORDER="0"></A></P></CENTER> <P><CENTER>(Click on the book and go to Barnes and Noble's secure online bookstore)</P></CENTER> <P> <!-- $MVD$:spaceretainer() -->&nbsp;</P> <P ALIGN="CENTER"> <!-- Begin: AdBrite, Generated: 2009-06-19 13:21:32 --> <script type="text/javascript"> var AdBrite_Title_Color = '0000FF'; var AdBrite_Text_Color = '000000'; var AdBrite_Background_Color = 'FFFFFF'; var AdBrite_Border_Color = 'CCCCCC'; var AdBrite_URL_Color = '008000'; try{var AdBrite_Iframe=window.top!=window.self?2:1;var AdBrite_Referrer=document.referrer==''?document.location:document.referrer;AdBrite_Referrer=encodeURIComponent(AdBrite_Referrer);}catch(e){var AdBrite_Iframe='';var AdBrite_Referrer='';} </script> <script type="text/javascript">document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,83,67,82,73,80,84));document.write(' src="http://ads.adbrite.com/mb/text_group.php?sid=1221416&zs=3132305f363030&ifr='+AdBrite_Iframe+'&ref='+AdBrite_Referrer+'" type="text/javascript">');document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,47,83,67,82,73,80,84,62));</script> <div><a target="_top" href="http://www.adbrite.com/mb/commerce/purchase_form.php?opid=1221416&afsid=1" style="font-weight:bold;font-family:Arial;font-size:13px;">Your Ad Here</a></div> <!-- End: AdBrite --> </P> <P ALIGN=CENTER> <!-- Begin: AdBrite, Generated: 2009-06-19 13:21:32 --> <script type="text/javascript"> var AdBrite_Title_Color = '0000FF'; var AdBrite_Text_Color = '000000'; var AdBrite_Background_Color = 'FFFFFF'; var AdBrite_Border_Color = 'CCCCCC'; var AdBrite_URL_Color = '008000'; try{var AdBrite_Iframe=window.top!=window.self?2:1;var AdBrite_Referrer=document.referrer==''?document.location:document.referrer;AdBrite_Referrer=encodeURIComponent(AdBrite_Referrer);}catch(e){var AdBrite_Iframe='';var AdBrite_Referrer='';} </script> <script type="text/javascript">document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,83,67,82,73,80,84));document.write(' src="http://ads.adbrite.com/mb/text_group.php?sid=1221416&zs=3132305f363030&ifr='+AdBrite_Iframe+'&ref='+AdBrite_Referrer+'" type="text/javascript">');document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,47,83,67,82,73,80,84,62));</script> <div><a target="_top" href="http://www.adbrite.com/mb/commerce/purchase_form.php?opid=1221416&afsid=1" style="font-weight:bold;font-family:Arial;font-size:13px;">Your Ad Here</a></div> <!-- End: AdBrite --> </P></CENTER> </TD> </TR> </TABLE></P></CENTER> <P> <!-- $MVD$:spaceretainer() -->&nbsp;</P> <P> <A HREF="index.html">HOME</A> <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? 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