I worked at IH Bogota for nearly a year (September 2008-August 2009). I would describe my overall relationship and satisfaction with IH Bogota as very poor. I was initially very disappointed at the school's complete lack of orientation for teachers. Living in Bogota is not like living in most cities in the US, UK, Australia, or NZ, but the school gives nothing to new teachers to orient them to life in their new city. Things that I would have like to receive at the beginning of my time in Bogota include a city map with the school marked, a map of the transit system, basic safety advise, recommendations of where to look for housing, a map of where the businesses that IH works with are located, directions to said businesses, a detailed description of school policies (policies as simple as how to get paid for a sick day were never explained to me until I asked multiple times), a description of what my insurance covered (still waiting for that), and I'm sure there are more but I can't think of any specifics right now. I know I made a comprehensive list of all the things IH Bogota should tell new teachers. I remember reading this list off to Jonathan **SURNAME** at his visit to IH Bogota in late 2008. No progress has been made.

 

Once, with the help of fellow teachers and very little help of IH, I finally got settled into Bogota, other problems with IH arose. Getting a cedula was a major endeavor. The school was very unhelpful with the necessary steps involved. A fellow teacher recently wrote a detailed description of the very complicated steps involved. Unfortunately, we couldn't count on the school for such necessary explanations. Below I've copied step 1-3 of the 9 steps the teacher described just to illustrate how complicated the process is.

 

1) 2 = photos 3 x 3 (light blue) background. They did accept my dark blue background.

2) 1 = Certificate of your blood type. Most laboratories will only take it from your arm. I found a place which will take it from your finger or arm. It's also a short walk from DAS. You don't need an appointment. It took about a half hour. I believe they are open till 4:30pm.
Analizar Laboratorio: Calle 103 No. 14 A - 76 phone: 658-0000 cost is $14,000 pesos

3) Go to any Bancafe and get a payment to give to DAS for $137,100 pesos. Here is the info you'll need to put on the bank form. Ask for the proper form before you wait in line.
Bancafe acct number: 05699020-3 code 101

Instead of a 9 step list, IH Bogota told me to "go to DAS and get a cedula". After just a few weeks in Bogota I had no idea what DAS or a cedula was.

 

I agree that IH Bogota was upfront with many things such as hours and pay. They 100% neglected, however, to mention that all teachers have to pay $137,100 pesos (about $67 USD) to get a cedula. To put that in perspective, that's more than 10% of an average teachers salary before taxes. For recently-arrived English teacher, that is a huge hidden expense.

 

The visa fiasco certainly was a fiasco and it is an insult, frankly, how the school handled it and how the IHLS Group has responded to this and to James' very valid complaints. We were working illegally because it was more convenient/cheaper for IH Bogota. Period. The fact that we did not get a formal apology from the school is upsurd. The fact that Tom thinks that because the "school now always gets its new teachers a work visa." is a sign that "they've cleaned their act up a little" and that "something HAS been "done about [some of?] the items brought up during these meetings" is ridiculous. The school doesn't get work visas for its teachers because of the meeting, or teachers' complaints, or even because it's "the right thing to do". They do that BECAUSE IT'S THE LAW. They would not have started getting legal visas for teachers if DAS didn't heavily fine them and force them to get work visas for teachers.

 

Thoughout my time at IH Bogota, I tried my best to spend as little time at the school as possible. After the first month or so I no longer checked my email at the school, preferring to pay for Internet rather than be in the building. I never once left that school feeling anything but anxious and disappointed. Even the simplest task, like picking up books, was a test in patience. The only exception to this was the last day I ever spent in the school. I left with a huge grin on my face.

 

I'd like to say that I really enjoyed my students and teaching in Bogota. I also had a reasonably good working relationship with the Director, Alejandro. While it normally took 2 or 3 visits to his office, I usually was able to present any problems to him and have him respond to them in a reasonable way.  What really bothered me about the school was the complete lack of organization and professionalism by the administrative staff and the fact that there is nobody that advocates for the teachers. Even when we had a DOS (which, when I left at the beginning of August, we still didn't), the DOS isn't responsible for dealing with the many day-to-day problems (many involving HR) that arise. The only person the teachers can currently contact to resolve problems is Alejandro. Although I stated that Alejandro usually was receptive to me and my problems, he, as the Director of the school, is very hard to get ahold of. Paying me for a sick day the school neglected to pay me for is probably not at the top of his "to do" list.

 

I've lived in other 3rd world countries and worked with other non-western organizations before. That said, I would not recommend working at IH Bogota to anyone. I can't speak for other teachers but I know that teacher moral at the school is very, very, very low. In little over 2 months, no fewer than 10 teachers have left IH Bogota, only 2 of those 10 completed their contracts. The other 80%, myself included, just wanted to get out. In the 10 months I worked at IH Bogota, I also saw 2 Director of Studies come and go as well as 3 Business "Coordinators", as well as at least 2 receptionists. The Business Coordinators and Receptionists were all Colombian, thus illustrating that the problems at the school aren't just because Western teachers can't handle the disorder.

 

Thanks very much,

**NAME**