Moving to Colombia (Barranquilla) in August

[Bachata Heightz]

Sup fellas!


I first visited Colombia about a year ago and fell in love with the country / culture and its women! Im starting grad school in January so I decided to treat myself to an extended vacation and will spend roughly 4-6 months living in Colombia improving my spanish, learning to dance, and meeting a ton of women.


Im gonna be bringing with me enough money to where I wouldnt have to work but im gonna get a part time job at a Language Institute imo. I am alittle nervous about finding suitable work in Barranquilla ie getting enough work to make 1mil a month, but thats where I want to live so im hoping I can make it work. Cali would be option two is Quilla didnt work out.


Where would yall recommend I look for a room at? I know the north is the place to be Quilla. Im 25 and like to go out and party, dance, drink, and meet women so I need to be close to some nightlife. I stayed at the Windsor Hotel around Nuevo Horizonte and that street was pretty lively that night. Met a group of girls that offered to be my host that night and we walked up the street to some clubs.


I have meet and added a TON of females off of Colombian Cupid. Its just retarted! Luckily I didnt have any flake on me last time.


Also does anyone have any experience or info in regards to the ESL scene and potential employers?


Im pretty stoked about this trip! End of summer cant get here soon enough! Im gonna read some of the trip reports here to look for usual info.


Thanks

[Micky]

Have to find out about the ESL thing for Barranquilla from the Barranquilla guys.  I am not sure that there are schools there (just a cheap shot at the Barranquilla guys).  Serious,  I do not know that you can make 1 million a month,  that is serious dough here.  Not a good idea getting hooked on Colombia at the tender age of 25.  After that you are pretty much spoiled for anything else.  Good luck on your venture,  sounds cool.
 
Micky

[Bachata Heightz]

I heard there is a Berlitz (sp?) in Quilla. I would just like to make enough to cover rent, 500,000 or so. To bad Bogota sucks because pay is alot better there. ESL teachers making 2mil and more a month.


Tell me about it! I got hooked on Latin America after I graduated college in 09. Over the past two years I have been to Costa Rica, Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. With a short stint in Korea. Korea sucks btw compared to LA.


Planning on visiting my best friend stationed in Honduras before I move to Colombia. And also hit up Nicaragua on that trip.

[V_Man]

I would think you'd find it more likely to find the things you want in Cali.

[Bachata Heightz]

I love the beach so living on the coast would be my first option.


But if for some reason I can not locate a room or get any work in Quilla ill shoot down to Cali!

[raycjs]

you will have no problem, finding a good place to stay near the beach.. i would reach out for Jamie and see if he wants to hire you to teach the women at his agency English.. i know that is a service he offers and there are a lot of women looking to learn English before they head to the states.
 
 
enjoy you time in BAQ
 
Ray

[Fuzzyone]

 Jesus I wish I could do that right now!!! I loved being down in Barranquilla and it always sucked having to come back here to my job. Good luck with your move!!

[Bachata Heightz]

Going to Colombia will really mess up a man's though process and have him questioning his life!


Travel has opened my mind exponentially. So much so that I have altered my future with that in mind. Going back to school to allow me to work Internationally and also have 2-3 months off a year.


I dont want to wake up one morning and be 60 having worked a 9-5 my whole life with no real international experience and memories!

[htown]

One thing that might help would be to become a private teacher.  Run an ad in the local newspaper offering private english instruction.  Charge like 5-10 bucks an hour, maybe give a discount for a prepaid block of hours.


I'm planning to move down to Medellin around the end of april, looking at spending about 200-300 bucks a month on rent.  Even though I'm pretty much set on Medellin I'm probably going to visit Cali for about a week or so to compare the two cities before I go ahead and settle into an apartment.  Who knows, we might both end up in Cali.

[Bachata Heightz]

Htown,


What is your plan? ie How long do you plan to stay in Colombia and what do you plan on doing there? What is your budget?


Id def choose Cali over Medellin!

[htown]

BH, I plan on just hanging out, making friends, studying spanish, look for a place/places to do some volunteer work.  I'll probably party alot at first.  I'll try to stay for at least 6 months, which is the maximum for a tourist visa, and just see how it goes from there.


Technically I'm supposed to be looking for businesses for sale.  My dad has some capital to invest I'm trying to sell him on investing in Colombia.  It has to be something that's already well established, with strong financials, and not too complicated.  I'm thinking hotels, franchise restaurants, maybe convenience store.


And why would you def choose Cali over Medellin? Lol!

[benjio]

Bachata,
 
I admire your adventurous nature. I had plans to live in Quilla for a while a couple of years ago but the recession caught up with my a$$...bigtime.
 
I would strongly recommend Cali if you're planning on learning Spanish and working as a tutor or ESL Instructor. You're not going to learn Spanish along the coast of Colombia in 4-6 months. Your Spanish may not even improve. What you're going to be doing is saying "¿Cómo?," "¿Perdon?," and "¿Que?" a lot. Costeno Spanish is one of, if not the most difficult dialects of the language to learn on Earth. I meet native Spanish speakers all over Colombia all the time and they can't even understand Costenos. Being a none native speaker and going to the coast of Colombia to learn Spanish is like like learning how to drive for the first time in a Formula One Race Car.
 
The ESL scene is not what it seems in Colombia. It's difficult to find something decent, especially in Barranquilla. Let's just say you were going to Bogota. $2,000,000 COP a month is an upper-midlevel salary for an English Teacher, regardless of where you're working. And even then you'd have to already have a university degree and be CELTA Certified (Preferably receiving your CELTA Certification at the Cambridge Institute in Bogota because that's where people who want to teach in Colombia make all their future employement connections). In Barranquilla your options are even more limited, and you'll be very hard pressed to find any Institute of Education outside of the Universidad Del Norte that will sponsor your work visa. Professors of English there make $4,000,000 a month, but if you don't know the right people, it requires a Masters Degree in English or ESL, AND a CELTA Certification! Your other choices in Barranquilla are Columbo (very hard to get a job there because no one ever quits), or one of the private schools like Britannia or Marymount. All require ESL Certifications and some sort and a valid Colombian work visa. They will not sponsor a new visa. If you are caught by Colombian authorities for working without the visa the school will usually claim you presented them with false documents and wash their hands of you (I have seen this done). You can find some that will pay you under the table, but Colombian Teachers that work for the same schools that are requesting unavailable overtime hours can be very jealous and talkative if you know what I mean.
 
As far as places to stay, the North would be your best bet. Try to get as close to Buena Vista as possible. It will be considerably more expensive, but you'll more than make up for it saving money on taxis you would have had to take. Most of the bus routes centralize in that area as well because so many people from poorer areas of the city work in and near the mall. Forget the new condos...they want an arm and a leg for them. And when they see your gringo money they'll want a hip too. Have a Colombian you trust to look around Barrio Villa Carolina for you. There are tons of nice apartments in that area that aren't brand new but very well kept. The northern most point of Villa is about five miles from Buena Vista. A nice walk everyday if you're up to it. I found a furnished 2 bedroom in Villa for $725,000 a month during my longest stint in the city.
 
If you're bound and determined to stay in Barranquilla I would recommend going to UniNorte and enrolling for their Spanish Emmersion class. This is not only the best chance you have at actually learning Spanish there, but it will allow you to make connections in the Language school, which might in turn allow you to get a job at the University (even if only part time) or find students to tutor. This will also take care of any social obstacles you might have. Girls at UniNorte love gringos. The club scene and your night life will all fall into place after you start making friends there. It's a big college like any other in the world. Take advantage of everything it has to offer you.
 
Take it from someone that's had their feet on the ground doing exactly what you're trying to do though. I would go to Cali. Barranquilla is not the Wonderland most gringos think it is. You just have to be there long enough to realize it.
 

[Bachata Heightz]

@Benjio


Very informative post. Appreciate it!


Im not soo much worried about the spanish thing, as I can get around right now with the basics and will hit the books even harder over the coming months. It will be harder to speak on the coast no doubt though.


My first priority is having a good time. I love the beach / coast and have many local friends in Killa. Barranquilla appeals to me because its off the gringo trail and makes for nice weekend trips to Cartagena and Santa Marta. Beside the fact it has gorgeous girls and slamming nightlife! Add in my already extensive local network of friends and contacts and i'm just salivating at the mouth to get down there.


The Buena Vista Mall is probably a bit farther up north than I want to be. I want to be around calle 84 and Altos del Prado near parque Washington which has a nice night time ambiance. I stayed at the Hotel Windsor last time and found that street to be quite lively!


Like I said I am not even expecting to get any working visa with my credentials and the short time I'll be in Baranquilla.


I looked at the spanish program at Uni Norte and it is WAY to expensive for me! lol Ill learn alot from being around and talking to locals everyday.


But, yea for someone wanting alot of touristy things to do Quilla is not the place for them.


But if you like living on the coast, love to party, love beautiful women, like being in a city without many gringos than Quilla is your city!


I am def planning on visiting Cali when I am in Colombia! Maybe more than once! 

[mambocowboy]

Bachata , going by your name I assume you enjoy latin music and dancing. La Troja is a good place for that...