As World Cup fever starts to pick up, we thought it was appropriate to speak with a teacher who has spent some time teaching in Brazil! This month TeacherPort interviews Justin West who has previously taught English in Belo Horizonte while training Capoeira and practicing Portuguese!
Hi Justin! Thanks for chatting with TeacherPort. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Annapolis, MD. I studied Math at UMBC in Baltimore, MD. After graduating I started working in DC for an engineering firm. After a year of working in DC I started training Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art. After a year of training I went to Brazil for the first time, for a total of 4months, to train Capoeira. When I returned from Brazil I started my masters program in math education and graduated with my MS in 2011. After graduation I moved to Brasil in the pursuit of Capoeira training and found a job teaching English.
How did you end up teaching in Brazil and what did your job entail?
I moved to Brazil to train Capoeira and better my Portuguese. As a trained math teacher I was unable to obtain a math teaching job due to lack of work visa. However, I was able to teach English and obtained positions at various English schools.
I worked for several different English schools. One called The Best, was far from what its name entailed, and my tenure there was short. I worked in 2 branches of Number One English school in Belo Horizonte, MG. It was a very nice experience. They offered training in their methodology and offered great assistance to new teachers.
What were the best things about teaching in Belo Horizonte?
The school was very nice and modern. And as a franchise, after training, you can move throughout Brazil teaching. Most of the staff that teaches are Brasilian but they all tend to be rather fluent.
The city of Belo Horizonte was also a great experience. Though there is no ocean there, there are plenty of activities and things to do. Great night life and easy transportation options. Also you get the feel of a large city without much of the violence associated with Rio and Sao Paulo. Also a nice city for a tourist to blend in without feeling like a tourist.
Were there any downsides?
Downsides of the franchise school is that sometimes their methodology doesn’t allow for much variation. Depending on the school coordinator. I was allowed some freedom.
A downside of Belo Horizonte is the traffic but thats pretty normal of Brasil. The other thing is food options. Coming from the DC/Baltimore area there is no lack of cheap food options: Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, etc. In Belo Horizonte there were few options and when a restaurant is found they tend to be expensive.
Any insider tips for future teachers who might decide to teach in Belo Horizonte?
One tip would be to find a hobby or continue a hobby, but to practice it with a group of locals. A big flaw I noticed about many American ex-pats is that they tend to find each other and not branch out too much, and with this they miss out on a lot of excellent cultural opportunities. In Capoeira I am constantly surrounded by Brasilians and other ex-pats from South America so I get to practice my Portuguese, Spanish, and learn a lot about other cultures.
Thanks for sharing your experience of teaching in Belo Horizonte with us Justin!
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