I have to be honest teaching English is not something that I ever thought I would do. Although I’m a native of the language I really didn’t learn a lot of grammar through my schooling and the language itself was something I took for granted everyday I guess. When I moved to Brasil for a lovely young Brasiliria! I had just finished almost four years study in Acupuncture and I had high hopes of being successful quickly in Brasil. This didn’t happen…..so the only thing I could really do was teach some English while things got better with my practice.

 I used to walk passed Speaking most days to go and eat my daily intake of “acai” (just one of the amazing thing’s about Brasil!) and thought I would check out if there was anything on offer there. I was really quite worried to tell you the truth about teaching English as I had never done it before and thought of getting up in front of people freaked me out. After two minutes of meeting with Dagmar I knew that this was going to be a cool experience, Dagmar showed me around and explained how things would work, everything from the material to the general running of the school, it was great.

 I am now back in Australia doing a little more study in my profession but when I think of Brasil I really do think of Speaking a lot. My time there was really fun and I feel I learnt as much about English as the students. The way Dagmar has the school running is a credit to her as a person, she is always happy trying to make things as fun as possible, which can be hard sometimes when learning is the number one priority. I ended up gaining some really good mates from my time there at speaking too, the teacher’s hangout quite a lot and it was always cool to be there. I feel really fortunate for my time in Brasil and meeting with Dagmar and my experience as a teacher at Speaking has a lot to do with that. S we would say in Aus, cheer’s mate!

Rob Reilly

Durante uns 3 anos fui professor do Speaking dando aulas à noite. A maior parte da galera era da EFEI e comecei quando a escola ainda era na rua nova...  Acho que acabei ficando bom em dar aula. Adquiri confiança pra falar em público e hoje sou o responsável pelos treinamentos para clientes na minha empresa e tenho sido convidado para palestras em faculdades. O Speaking era um lugar pra ver os amigos, conhecer gente nova, assistir filmes (a internet nem sempre teve tudo...) e praticar meu "English" e “German”. Sempre vi a escola como inovadora em Itajubá. "Thanks to" Dagmar que cuida de todo mundo, alunos e professores, como se fossem da família.                   Francisco Bressan

My Words

It has been about a year and a half since I returned from my teaching experience in Brazil. I look forward to the day when I can afford to go back. I would recommend Brazil to anybody looking for a place to teach or travel in.

Let me say this first - I spent a lot of time on this site looking for information on foreign lands to teach in and it was an excellent source of information. However, keep in mind the variety of people who use it. While some may have had a genuinely bad experience others may just have a bad attitude or aren't willing to adapt a bit to other cultures. If this is the case, you aren't going to have much positive to report. Don't take all the negative bitching to heart and do your own research before you make any decisions.

I spent just short of seven months teaching at "Speaking" in Itajuba, Minas Gerais. This school has been the subject of a few of these now and I will briefly touch on my experience. It was nothing short of wonderful. From the first day I arrived I felt like I was part of a family. The director, Dagmar, did everything in her power to make me feel right at home. She invited me to stay with her until I found other housing, drove me around the city introducing me to many past and present students and teachers and helped me to locate housing within the city. The school was well equipped and the students were fantastic. The city is full of university students but is a bit on the small side if you are used to a thriving metropolis.

All in all, I had a fantastic time and would have stayed longer if my visa hadn't forced me to leave the country. I went to Brazil with a tourist visa good for three months, extended it with no problems for another three months and then stayed a few weeks after my visa expired. They imposed a fine of R$8 per day at the airport and I had to pay it. Working visas seem to be just short of impossible to get unless your employer is willing to shell out a lot of money and time in getting you one. I tried to get a student visa once I was there (under the pretense of studying Portuguese) but it can only be done in the country of your residency - no doing it in a Brazilian embassy in Argentina for example. If you do get a job before you leave, ask your employer about this as it will allow you to stay longer.

I had my job secured before I left for Brazil. This made me feel a little better about packing up and going but once I got there and saw the abundance of English schools I realized that it wouldn't be very hard to go there first and get a job second. The best times to do this would be after their breaks in mid-July and just after the New Year.

Brazil has it all from perfect tropical beaches and lush mountains to vibrant cities, wonderfully open people, cheap travel and a rich history. Their attitude towards life is refreshing, their beer is always cold and it is hard to imagine running out of places to visit. While their feelings towards the United States can be a bit negative they won't hold it against you if you are genuine person looking to live and learn in their beautiful country.

If anybody has any questions feel free to email and I will do my best in trying to answer them. Kirk Smock  2003 www.kirksmock.com

My Experience at Speaking

Where and how do i begin to explain how much of a true blessing it was to work at Speaking?  When i arrived, i knew very little about where i was going other than it was in Brasil and  would be teaching English for a wonderful woman named Dagmar.  I cannot express the profound experience that my time there had on me, other than to say that I have grown greatly as a person.  Upon arrival, any doubt I had disappeared instantly as a result of the courteous and gracious manner of all the people affiliated with the Speaking Organization.  The teaching was absolutely amazing.  The city of Itajuba, amazing.  Never have I worked and stayed in such a relaxed and hospitable environment.  Brasil is amazing, the people are wonderful, and the travel is unlike anything you have ever seen.  There can be no regret with such an experience.  Sincerely, thank you for everything.  Steven Funk 2009

The teaching experience at Speaking was a very good opportunity to get to know new people. I came to Itajubá without knowing anybody. On top of that I hardly spoke the language. Teaching helped me to cope better with the new environment and the new language. I absolutely liked giving classes. I had so much fun with the students and I'm covinced they still learned something ;). Apart from getting to know new people and having fun with the students teaching helped me to enhance my communication skills which is very helpful now at the beginning of my professional career. Last but not least, I want recommend two things. First, students, Speaking is a very good language school, because you can learn the language with native speakers, who are very motivated. Second, teachers, whilst teaching at Speaking you can be very creative to design to classes. This helps both, students and teachers, and is a challenging and interesting task.

Working at Speaking was a great way for me to become involved during my study experience in Brazil.  The school helps to make teachers feel at home and provides them with an excellent framework for how to conduct lessons and interact with students.  I developed strong relationships with my students as well as with the staff at Speaking. A real effort is made at Speaking to create an environment of respect for teachers and students.