Teach English in Colombia on a One or Two Semester Contract with Greenheart Travel

A few years ago I was searching the internet for a way to travel to another country but stay longer than a normal vacation. After weeks of searching I found Green Heart Travel's program to Colombia. I studied history and focused on Latin America so this was instantly my favorite program I'd seen. After applying and going through a few interviews, I was on my way to Colombia within 6 months. For the following 6 months I not only had an amazing time with my students and teachers at my school but also traveled the entire country which included snow and glaciers, beaches, mountains, ancient ruins, urban cities, colonial towns, and lots of beautiful hikes with waterfalls and mountains everywhere. Everywhere I went the people were so friendly and I never felt unsafe at anytime. I would highly recommend taking a chance and traveling to Colombia and would definitely recommend Green Heart Travel for all of their help and organization throughout my time there and even after returning.

I had just come from teaching English in Thailand and wanted a challenge. Wow, was Colombia a challenge! When I got my city assignment I was initially a little nervous as I was going to be in one of the smallest cities they had teachers in. Arriving and speaking no Spanish was a challenge, and I found it really hard to adjust to the culture for some reason. However, due to the AMAZING support of the teachers I was surrounded by and the amazing coordinators, I stuck it out and fell so much in love with the country that I extended my contract for another semester and now live there part-time permanently. I can't recommend Colombia enough and teaching English there. Literally, if any part of you wants to do it, DO IT NOW. It's so incredibly rewarding and the experiences I had there have made me who I am today.

I was assigned to one of the smaller cities in the coffee region, Armenia, and initially had a really rough time adjusting to Colombia. I spoke no Spanish and found the culture to be even more shocking to me than when I went to Thailand. However, due to the fantastic group of teachers I was with and our fantastic coordinators, I ended up sticking it out and fell so much in love with Colombia that I extended my contract for another semester. I cannot describe HOW AMAZING Colombia ended up being for me and how rewarding the entire experience was. I've taught in Thailand and Spain as well but Colombia is by far the most rewarding of the three. HIGHLY recommended. If you're thinking about going just DO IT and don't worry about your placement. Anywhere in Colombia is great!

During my stay in Valledupar, Colombia, I learned that I am capable of more than I have ever thought. Culture shock can be a challenge, especially in a place that averages 100 degrees each day. I moved to Colombia to not only experience a new culture, but to see if teaching was something I wanted to pursue further. I worked for a very low-income school in higher-risk area and loved it. The teaching was extremely difficult because of lack of materials and lack of funds for materials for the school and my students English levels were zero. However, I took it as an opportunity to really immerse myself. I built incredible relationships with my teachers and faculty, despite the language barrier. I was invited to their homes and leisure activities and leaving was a very emotional day for all of us. Colombia is an amazing country with natural beauty in every direction, but the people have the most beautiful souls I have encountered. I encourage anyone remotely thinking about going to go and to go without high expectations. Surprises are inevitable and giving a smaller, less known town a chance, may be the best decision you’ll ever make.

This program will provide a very different experience based on what part of Colombia one is sent to, but no matter where you go it is a beautiful country with extremely kind and charismatic people and it's an amazing opportunity to explore Colombia. Colombia is full of natural geographic beauty from the coast to the mountains and coffee region. Not to mention, each different region and even city has a distinct culture with different food, accents and personalities. Colombia is on the rise and it's a great time to visit and explore.

I did the SENA 9 month program for Volunteers Colombia through Greenheart travel. The Greenheart travel organization can be hard to deal with and it depends on who you get as your coordinator. I thought the long training and orientation was unnecessary. However, I had a great time in Colombia. The country is absolutely gorgeous with lush rolling green hills. The people are also so sweet and welcoming. Our landlady immediately wanted to be my friend and I’s madre colombiana. Also, teaching at SENA is fun. The students love doing games and activities. They will get very involved in whatever you give them. I found that they all had a desire to learn English and tried in class. I also liked my coteachers and I had a positive experience working with three different coteachers. It is easy to make friends. Students will want to hang out with you as well as other teachers. In my city we had an English/Spanish night at the local university and students from the university as well as the volunteachers would meet up to practice each others’ languages. Additionally, the monthly stipend we received was enough to live on. A high wage in Colombia is $1000/month and we made half of that. I spent all of my money there because I wanted to make sure I supported their economy. Once you are in Colombia you won’t want to come back. I miss it everyday and am planning another trip back.

I spent ten months in Neiva teaching English at SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje, a network of free, nationwide, vocational training colleges in Colombia), on a co-teaching programme organised by Greenheart Travel in collaboration with an organisation called Volunteers Colombia. I studied Spanish at university, partly because I had always wanted to go to Latin America. The programme allowed me to make that happen with the security of a job, a Regional Coordinator to direct any worries or questions to, and a monthly stipend. They provided lots of help with visa documentation and other heavily paperwork-based tasks such as getting a bank account, which was much appreciated as it was my first time having to do all that (I am British, and had previously only lived abroad in Europe). Neiva is a small, not particularly well-known city, which I liked as it was easy to feel at home in a short time, and hardly anyone spoke English. I loved it because it is hot all year round, and there are interesting places to visit nearby, most notably the Tatacoa Desert (highly recommended). Living there was a world of new experiences and insights in to Colombian culture, as well as a lot of staring at my blonde hair and tall frame, which stemmed from curiosity as to why I was there. I think it's important to be open to being placed anywhere, and to remember that there are pros and cons to each city/town. I probably wouldn't have been able to fund weekend trips with my stipend so easily if I had been placed in a bigger, more expensive city. At SENA I taught young people and adults who were training to work in accountancy and business, subjects which I know almost nothing about, but that was OK because most of the English classes we gave were basic, general English. Occasionally we would do a subject-specific class or activity, and I would have to do my research in advance! I was lucky to work with really supportive and enthusiastic teachers, who understood the co-teaching model (ie. they didn't usually leave me to teach the class alone, or not include me in their lesson planning). Your experience can depend a lot on who you work with, but you shouldn't let that put you off. The most important thing I learnt was how to be flexible and open to last-minute changes of plan, which happen a lot in Colombia.. I fell in love with the country and I am still here more than a year later, now working in Pereira on a different educational project. I would definitely recommend Greenheart programmes as an accessible way to move abroad and experience something new, with support when you need it.

If you are looking for a comfortable and fun experience making an extreme impact easily, this one is not for you. If you are looking to go out of your comfort zone, struggle but learn from it, change your perspective on many things, and put in a ton of work to make small impacts then this is a great program. You need to be very flexible as several important factors (dates and times for important events, daily schedule, placement city, school, etc.) are not revealed until the last minute and often change. This is a co-teaching program which presents a whole new set of necessary skills. You need to put cultural differences aside and work with Colombian co-teachers to find the best way to teach your students as much as possible without stepping on any toes. I have found in speaking with others that your satisfaction with the program is highly dependent on things that are out of your control (ex. school, co teachers, placement city). In my personal experience, I had a lot of challenges in adjusting to the new living situation (not having several things that I once considered necessities such as hot water) and the school environment which lacked resources and comfort. However, I have grown so much as a person and learned a great deal that will help me throughout the rest of my life. Therefore, I have no regrets. I recommend going into this program with an extremely open mind and always trying to see other perspectives. Be aware that "different" isn't always bad.