- Blog
- Latin America
- Colombia
- Pros & Cons of Teaching English in Bogota, Colombia

Pros & Cons of Teaching English in Bogota, Colombia
Written by: Lisa Kapowsky
Last Updated: January 15, 2021
Recently we asked some of our International TEFL Academy Alumni Ambassadors to provide a candid ground-view perspective on what they love about teaching English abroad, in addition to a frank take on what isn't so always great in particular cities where they live and work. Here, Lisa Koprowsky shares her thoughts of why she enjoys teaching English in Bogota, Colombia along with some of the challenges.
PROS
- Holidays: Apart from regularly scheduled vacations from school, Colombia has the most holidays (think only two months of the year without any long weekends). This is great as you have the opportunity to travel and explore more of your new home!
- Lots of Teaching Opportunities: Whether you are doing private classes, teaching in a school or business, there are a lot of job opportunities for native English speakers to teach English in Bogota and in Colombia.
- The students: Colombians are the kindest, most welcoming people, and Colombian students tend to have a lot more respect for teachers than their North American counterparts. If you’re teaching kids, you will be showered with drawings, candies and hugs, so embrace it!
- Cheap flights & great travel opportunities: In addition to mad amounts of long weekends, you can also find super cheap domestic flights within Colombia (particularly out of major cities such as Bogota, Medellin or Cali) – so you can easily take advantage of all the long weekends!
- Support & Making Friends: There are plenty of foreign teachers in Bogota, so you are sure to meet others to form a support network – whether it be advice for classes, materials, others to celebrate Thanksgiving with, or emotional support from others in the same boat as you. For more, check out 9 Pro Tips of How to Make Friends while Teaching English Abroad.
CONS
- Organization (or lack thereof): Classes cancelled last minute, changes to schedules, and meetings that could easily be a WhatsApp message are just a few of the joys you’ll experience teaching here!
- Commute: Bogota is ginormous, traffic is nuts and the Transit System has lots of room to improve. As a result, the commute to and from classes can take a while. To make it worth your while, I give my price for private classes as a two hour block minimum.
- Early (I mean EARLY) mornings: Bogotanos start the days early. School starts at 7:00am, so that can mean waking up as early as 4:30am to catch the school bus. Lots of business people and those wanting private classes may also request classes before they start work, so prepare to become and early bird. (Even at 6:00am there’ll be traffic, so there really is no bright side to this).
Related Resources:
Lisa Kapowsky
Lisa teaches English in Bogota, Colombia. She served as an ITA Alumni Ambassador in 2017, helping prospective and current alumni with their decision to teach in Colombia. She provided valuable resources in terms of content and video documenting her time living and teaching abroad to the ITA blog.
Want to Learn More About Teaching English Abroad?
Request a free brochure or call 773-634-9900 to speak with an expert advisor about all aspects of TEFL certification and teaching English abroad or online, including the hiring process, salaries, visas, TEFL class options, job placement assistance and more.
Related Posts
- Finding Housing in Bucaramanga, Colombia
- Top 12 Reasons to Teach English in Latin America
- Teaching English in Cali, Colombia: Alumni Q&A with Kaitlin Sherman
- Top Ten Cities to Teach English Abroad in Latin America
- Where Will Schools Hire Me In Advance To Teach English Abroad?
- 11 Reasons Why You Might Choose to Teach English in Latin America Over Spain
- Teaching English in Bogotá, Colombia: Alumni Q&A with Laura Hoppe
- Staff Report: The Job Market for Teaching English in Argentina
- Colombia on Coronavirus Lockdown & Why I Chose To Stay
- What are Salaries for English Teachers in Latin America?
- 10 Companies That Let You Teach English Online Without a Degree
- What is TEFL and What is TEFL Certification?
- 10 Things They Don't Tell You About Living in South Korea
- 10 Companies Where You Can Teach English Online to Adults
- 7 Companies That Hire Non-Native English Speakers to Teach English Online
- Teaching English Online from the USA - Q&A with Joelle Mulzac
- Top 10 Reasons to Teach English in Seoul, South Korea
- What I Learned About Myself From Living & Teaching English in Germany
- Volunteer Teaching in Guinea-Bissau: Q&A with Marit Snow Sawyer
- What It's Like Traveling to Thailand During COVID-19 to Teach English