Try out teaching and see the world!
Join our Colombian Sojourners Programme to take the first steps into a career in TEFL teaching. Along the way, experience a fascinating new culture and language, and gain valuable qualifications and skills.
Upcoming intakes:
All upcoming intakes are now listed at the bottom of this page. Read on and join us!
What do you get?
This sojourner programme in Colombia is your launchpad for a global and impactful career. On the programme, you will receive:
- Full funding to cover your flights, food and accommodation during your initial training and orientation tourism.
- TESOL training and certification, or TEFL crash course
- All meals and accommodation funded for you
- Guaranteed placement in a supportive school in the coffee region of Colombia OR on our YMCA summer camps in Bogota region.
- Personal and community support, including 24/7 support for emergencies.
- Visa and related paperwork processed and funded by our team.
- This is not intended to become your career job, it is a supported ‘starter job’, the skills and insights you gain here will be transferable and position you very well to take on future employment in the TEFL sector in Colombia – or anywhere in the world. At the end of your placements, we will arrange a chat with a local HR expert for anyone that wishes to transition into well-paid local career pathways.
What does the training include?
Before starting your teaching placement in Colombia, you will be given induction teaching and culture training by the host programme. The training will start on arrival, all your accommodation and meals will be fully-funded during the duration of the programme. The training will include:
- Online TESOL/TEFL training.
- Spanish culture and language lessons.
- Local host crash course and induction, to ready you for their teaching placements.
What does the teaching involve?
You will be teaching English to local Colombian students, usually in a school or camp setting.
- You will be teaching English to local Colombian students, usually in a school setting from Monday to Friday, or on intensive summer camps.
- You will be in a great location, either in Colombia’s coffee region town of Chinchina OR on our YMCA summer camps in the Bogota region.
- Throughtout you will be teaching and also participating in cultural exchange and opportunities to work on a variety of social projects
- In Chinchina, your programme is fully funded instead of stipended, while our YMCA summer camps in Bogota region are stipended instead..
- You will receive continuous professional development support and mentoring to support you in your teaching and with your future career plans.
How do you apply?
Please apply 4 weeks before an intake start date. Places filled on a rolling basis.
To apply you need to:
- Hold a high school/A-level or equivalent certification.
- Be an advanced/native English speaker.
- Have the right to work in the UK to be eligible for TESOL funding (through citizenship, residency, leave to remain, student visas, et al.)*
- Be available and excited to travel to Colombia
- Holding a prior TEFL certificate is a bonus, but not required; TESOL training and certification is provided
This programme is ideal for recent graduates from UK universities and colleges, but is open to anyone, including mid-career changers! There is extra support available for applicants from widening participation backgrounds, including all funding you may need to make this happen. You will be able to indicate if this applies to you on your application form.
*We are keen to welcome candidates with ‘non-traditional’ educational backgrounds (e.g university isn’t required).
**If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you won’t be eligible for our funding and so we cannot welcome you into this programme. If this is you, please email us and we would strive to offer something or atleast give advise on other opportunities.
You can apply right now, just login!. If you don’t have an account yet, you can apply now on this page!
FAQs
As part of the application process, you will have a video interview with our team, giving you the chance to ask any questions that you have. For now, please find answers to common questions below and feel free to email us at recruitment@go-to.co if your question isn’t answered here.
Your programme in Colombia will set you up for a global and impactful career, while helping you make the most of the here and now.
Whether you want to work in education or are unsure what you’d like to do longer term, our teaching and professional development programme will boost your CV, make you stand out in any recruitment process and help you work out what steps you want to take next on your career journey.
Do we really need to convince you?
Colombia offers something for everyone, from sun-kissed beaches, to rainforests teeming with animal life, to water sports and rock climbing, to temples and cultural sites. And that’s not even mentioning its bustling city centres, delicious food, and a ready supply of Western home comforts.
Colombia is also the ideal launchpad for travels all over the Americas during your holidays and at the end of your year teaching. Your competitive graduate salary coupled with funded flights and training and the modest cost of living in Colombia mean that you’ll have more than enough money to make the most of your time abroad.
Spending a year in Colombia will also increase your understanding of our planet, setting you up for a wide-range of career options and making you stand out in future job applications.
Anything! Your programme in Colombia will give you the time, space, and support to work out what you want to do next: whether that be continuing in teaching, returning to work in the UK, or continuing your travels in another country.
Our professional development programme will support you in working out your interests, values and skills and in identifying what career areas you want to pursue.
You host in Chinchina will be happy to arrange long-stay career options in Colombia, for anyone that wishes to find a way to stay!
Eligible applicants will receive full funding to cover the training and programme costs, including flights, visa, Trinity TESOL training, and pre-teaching tourism.
This means that the programme is fully accessible with no upfront cost to you. You do, however, need to pay a small commitment deposit (£200) when your application is accepted and place is confirmed. This deposit is returned when you start your teaching placement in Colombia.
There is also extra support available for applicants from widening participation backgrounds, including all funding you may need to make this happen. You will be able to indicate if this applies to you on your application form and we will contact you with more information.
Currently, no!
Covid-19 travel restrictions can change quickly and we will always keep you up-to-date if the rules for arrival into Colombia change and will make sure that you’re well-supported.
You do, however, need to be fully vaccinated, or have a valid medical exemption.
For placements over 2 months, with e.g YMCA: We will support you throughout the visa process. You will first enter Colombia as a tourist. Upon arrival, our experienced team will help you throughout the process, including preparing the required documentation. You will be given more information about this process at the relevant point in the application process.
No! But you will be given Spanish lessons during your teacher training to make sure you know enough to get around and have a good grounding in the language. You’ll then be able to keep learning the language throughout your time in Colombia.
We will review your application and get back to you within 7 days about the next steps, including a video interview with our team, giving you the opportunity to ask any questions that you have.
If you’re successful, you’ll be invited to confirm your place by signing our terms and paying a small commitment deposit (£200). The commitment deposit will be returned to you once you start your teaching placement in Colombia.
We will then guide you through the visa and flight booking processand make sure you’re fully prepared for travelling to Colombia.
No! You will be joining a group of Gotoco fellows for your TESOL training and pre-teaching training. You will work with them throughout your placement. You will usually all be in different schools, but will have each other as a social network and receive cultural activities and fun from our coordinator team during time-off. So, you will be socially integrated from the start.
To be eligible for full funding for the programme (such as for flights and the Trinity TESOL), you need to have the right to work in the UK. This could be through citizenship, residency, leave to remain, a student visa, or other kinds of visa that give you the right to work in the UK.
If you do not have the right to work in the UK, we can still assist you with obtaining a teaching placement, but you would need to fund yourself if you want to join our Trinity TESOL training. If you are in this situation and would like more information, please send us an email to recruitment@go-to.co.