Medellin
In order to stay in Colombia for longer than the tourist visa, which is a maximum six months, I have been looking for a job in Medellin so I can get a work visa.
As I understand it, work visas are obtained by first getting a contract from the company you intend to work for. Once you have the contract, you must apply for the visa outside of Colombia, and then enter Colombia again under the new work visa. I believe the visa is valid for as long as your work contract. Of course I will give all the dirty details once I am that far along.
Right now, I have been keeping my job search very open ended. I’ve been looking for almost any position that doesn’t require me to speak Spanish. This is very difficult, but not impossible. Most people have directed me to look for jobs teaching English. I have found two job sites for Colombia that have provided me with a few leads.
The first is elempleo.com. This site can be a bit hard to navigate without knowing any Spanish, as it does not translate with a web based translation service. The jobs posted, however, are of good quality.
The second is computrabajo.com.co. This site is a little easier to use. The jobs posted range greatly in quality. There is everything from telemarketing to established medical supply companies.
Overall, I’ve found the job prospects much higher than I originally expected, and I’m confident I will have a work visa long before my six months runs out.
Hi Holly,
I will soon be in the same position as you. Im moving from New Zealand to Medellin in Sept. Just wondering did you have a show an airline ticket out of Colombia when you entered on a tourist permit?
Cheers,
Dominic
Nope, I never hade a return flight, and I had absolutely no issues. I have heard that having a return flight that is more than 60 days after your entry will give you very good chances of getting the 90 day visa, instead of the typical 60 days, which could be worth it to you.
The Ten Commandments Of Employment… 1. If it rings, put it on hold. 2. If it clunks, call the repairman. 3. If it whistles, ignore it. 4. If it’s a friend, stop work and chat. 5. If it’s the boss, look busy. 6. If it talks, take notes. 7. If it’s handwritten, type it. 8. if it’s typed, copy it. 9. If it’s copied, file it. 10. If it’s Friday, forget it!
Work is too serious joke a little!
Hey guys my name is Juan Esteban and I recently found this great website and I think is a really good tool to share ideas in “how to live in medellin.” I’m officially from Medellin, colombia but I’, currently living in the U.S and I’m thinking to moving back in approximately 2 years or less so I wanted to know any resources on how to find a job on the I.T. industry. I\’m currently working as a software Storage Engineer seeking for a job that will pay me a decent amount of money.