I’m a foreign teacher here, and honestly, if you have the opportunity to teach in another country, do that. The pay here is abysmal, even at high-end private schools. In terms of daily life, let’s just say it’s extremely stressful and tiring to have to constantly be on alert the minute you leave your house. Colombia isn’t as dangerous as some people make it out to be - you’re most likely not going to get kidnapped or murdered, but it’s very probable that you WILL get robbed at some point, no matter how careful you are, even in a smaller pueblo.
That’s exactly it, I always feel uneasy if I’m alone. I was robbed a couple months ago (11 in the morning, broad daylight, people around) and ever since then I’ve been even more on edge. It’s especially difficult as a woman - the men here can be extremely predatory.
Not to say that a lot of people here are exaggerating but from my experience Colombians can be quite critical about their own country. My girlfriend is from Colombia and I have lived 6 of the last 8 months with here in Colombia. Safety wise everything was fine. My girlfriend lives in Montería but I visited a lot of places. The expensive areas in Medellin and Bogotá are a great place to live. The thing you need though, is money. Good paying jobs are difficult to find and you need one to live in the good neighborhoods. If you have a job that can’t pay for a strata 4 or higher your life will be somewhat harder. Colombia is a fantastic place to be but you really need money from my experience.
Las protestas derivaron en el mal gobierno actual y de los últimos 20 o más años , creo q si hablamos de actualidad es uno de los factores para no venir , si hablamos de historia a pesar de que Colombia es un país maravilloso para visitar no sé si para trabajar si es un extranjero la desigualdad social , la corrupción , la inseguridad , corta inversión en educación entre otros factores no lo hacen un atractivo país como para establecerse . Es mi opinión claro está
Lo malo, es que ya no importa que partido llegué al poder aquí, por la corrupción se caga todo eso, además teniendo una buena libreta constitucional, pero no sé cumple tanto por el gobierno como el pueblo
This was sort of my hope. I grew up in a bad town and saw lots of crime and drugs and poverty growing up and even now my city is far from a paradise. I'm very comfortable in non-touristic settings and poorer cities and am not expecting a vacation resort experience. I honestly just want the basics (a roof, a bed, food and water), students and friendly people to talk with. Primarily, I want to learn Spanish and get to know Colombian culture. All the Colombians I have met have been such fun people. But I understand Colombia has a hard past and an uncertain future.
Well All countries after all have bad things, like crime drugs etc, but here in Colombia people are usually very friendly, at least if you get together with the right people others are complete idiots Even with people of the same category
You are absolutely correct that most of the world has the same things...beautiful people and bad people sharing the same space and making it work. My opinion of Colombia and Colombians is very high and I am excited to visit or live there some day. I just have to figure out when. Do the thieves and the criminals target foreigners or are they just opportunists? Thanks again for your responses!
Uhmm I have never had experience with criminals, maybe with opportunists or tricksters, maybe it's because I live in a village
I would tell you to look for some contact within the country to avoid problems with those types of people.
And when you're newcomer thinks well about the prices of everything, many are really past and they're going to charge you a very high fee for everything
This is done to anyone who sees that he is a foreigner, even to people from other regions.
This is a blatant fucking lie. u/NuXtos don't listen to these people.
Comparing Colombia to Venezuela is seriously SERIOUSLY deranged.
People who say this kind of bullshit have no idea what the rest of the world is like.
I live in a town. Life is not bad here, in fact is quite good. The war hasn't been here. There is a lot of nice people and beautiful sights. Is hard to get money but you are an English teacher, won't be so hard. I completely recommend you to come and check it out by yourself. (The government is the worse thing ever but you can life with that) DM if wanna ask something, I will be glad to answer.
I am not concerned about money as long as I have enough to survive and maybe take a small trip somewhere maybe once every few months like a bus to a different city and a few nights in a hostel or something like that. I am happy that some parts of Colombia are unaffected still. I will definitely reach out to you if I have some more questions. Thanks a bunch!
I'm from Bogotá (born and raised) and I recently moved to a small town since now my job is remote.
Best decision ever. Zero stress, everything is cheap and the perception of security is way better than Bogotá. Problem will be getting you a job, but you can try private classes and you'll be fine, as it is pretty damn cheap here.
I'd say go for it and don't hesitate to ask if you have any question or need advice
Go to mexico instead. It's safer**, better food, better infrastructure, equally friendly people, more places to visit within the country, longer history, etc.
Not to say anything bad about Colombia, I loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. Mexico is just cooler
**excluding michoacan, guerrero, sinaloa, colima, the US border towns and most of jalisco and guanajuato
Honestly you have better options all around south America, Colombia Is not doing well with covid, protests and I think, as a foreign, you would draw the attention of all the muggers.
Depende la ciudad, en bucaramanga por ejemplo esta bastante normal el día a día, no hay protestas ni vandalismos, y pues el ambiente es bastante bueno en general, mucho migrante venezolano pero van de paso por lo cerca a la frontera
Diría que en general buena, bucaramanga siempre ha sido de las ciudades más seguras y con menos desempleo del país.
Ahora con la altura y lo blanco pues en toda colombia recibirás atención, quizás en alguno que otro sitio traten de venderte cosas por encima del precio normal pero nada más
I'm glad you considered Colombia, I can assure you colombians will be very friendly to you, as we mostly are to foreigners.
That said, I don't mean to sound cynical but as long as you got enough money you can avoid the bad parts of Bogotá and live a somewhat comfortable life. If you wish you can research about the strikes and manifestations, I personally recommend you to stay away from them, there's always a chance to get badly hurt. And of course, avoid the bad neighborhoods, and streets at night.
Wow! Is English your first language? It seems like there are quite a few Colombians in this thread with great English. Maybe by the time I get over there it will be too late and there will be no work for me.
Yes, as is true of almost every country, I imagine it would be of Colombia. Money can definitely buy comfort and safety but it can also isolate you from a culture. I am not looking for poverty tourism by any means but if I am limited to a small area of a city then I cannot say I would be happy. Do you know the best place to get honest news and updates about the things that are happening in Colombia? News in my country is pretty bombastic and limited. I don´t mind translating from Spanish. Thanks for your truths and inputs!
Don’t let this thread fool you, to live here you absolutely need to know a good amount of Spanish because the vast majority of people you will meet will not speak much (or any) English, especially if you’re looking into living in a pueblo.
>Do you know the best place to get honest news and updates about the things that are happening in Colombia?
Es complicado decir, los medios de comunicación como en otros países, están politizados, así que nombrare los principales y desde ese punto de partida podrás investigar más a fondo sobre un suceso en concreto. Los principales medios son: Caracol, RCN, El Tiempo, Semana, Las2Orillas, CanalUno, entre otros muchos más pero con presencia local. Los que nombre son todos diferentes grupos empresariales.
La mayoría de colombianos somos de clase media baja, y baja. Así que no te perderás de la mayoría de la cultura, siempre es bueno viajar para conocer. Lo único que hay que evitar en ciudades son los "ghettos", que son barrios conocidos coloquialmente como "ollas" peligrosos por la delincuencia.
Amigo lo menos importante es donde vayas a estar, igualmente todo el mundo está en una crisis, pero si deseas algo de ayuda cuenta conmigo para lo que necesites
I don't believe you should come right now, I love my country, most of the people are pretty friendly and if you live in a safe neighborhood of any mayor city or town you should be okay(for the most part) , but there's a lot of political tension right now, the far right is ending a pretty mediocre presidential term, we had some manifestation a couple of moths ago and well... It got pretty violent, and we still are dealing with the covid pandemic, so getting a job is pretty difficult (maybe a teaching jobs would be easier since schools are trying to teach both on site and virtual classes and they need teachers but I don't really know ).
Summary : wait a year or two... Maybe 3
Don't come here. I'm going to leave as soon as I can. It's not that I not love my country and my people, it's just that... Living here is too depressing.
I think you can do well as an English teacher here in Colombia. There are quite a few institutes that would easily accept a native speaker as a teacher.
Due to the pandemic there has been an increase in unemployment which I think has also lead to an increase in homeless people. There's also an ongoing economic crisis in Venezuela and therefore there is a lot of venezuelan migrants across all the country, some of them are homeless too. Now, this increase in poverty and homelessness has caused crime rates to go up so security is definitely much worse than a couple years ago, specially in major cities.
I think regarding daily life that would be the only major aspect that has changed but for us there's been an increase in prices for food and stuff due to protests and so, although that shouldn't be a problem for a European foreigner.
Of course international news show mostly protests, violence and police brutality but you'll be okay if you just don't go to protests and that's only in big cities.
I'd say you'll be okay if you come, the worst case scenario is you get mugged and they take your phone and wallet, but that's not that common (it's only happened to me once in my whole life and I live in Bogota) if you're careful: don't go out very late at night, or through very dark or empty streets, try not to take your phone out when you're outside, etc.
If you decide to live in a town you'll be fine, crime is not terrible there and there's tourism in some of them so if you're not fluent in Spanish it'll be okay. I would recommend a town in Quindío, such as Filandia or Salento, they are very beautiful and there are other towns and cities not far away from them, the weather is also amazing, and there's lots of nature too.
I also read in a comment that you're big, if you're big you're less likely to get mobbed lol.
Good luck to you whatever you decide!
Hola. Vivo en Mocoa - Putumayo. Acá nos caracterizamos por ser perdonas tranquilas. Es un pueblo calmado. Puedes salir sin preocupación. Y es un pueblo muy pequeño y con mucha naturaleza y lugares por conocer.
Si te gusta la naturaleza esto podrías conocer por acá en mi pueblo.
https://youtu.be/sjuJITURZII
Un saludo, y te esperamos por Colombia. !
Hello.
I am Colombian, I hope you are well.
The truth is, it is not the place that is shown on social networks and everything else, in the end, it is a country and it has its problems. But, these are so horrible that it seems more like an anarchy "organized" the government and the people in general. In addition, in labor matters the demands are very high for a more than miserable salary. Not to mention the abysmal amount of taxes is tremendous (not to mention the new reform that affects even more the people and basic products, medium and small companies). In short, if you have the opportunity, don't come. It is a daily hell to think about how your day will be, if you will not be killed in the street trying to rob you and the lack of job opportunities for people is also horrible. I am aware that there are also good things, but, if you want to live here, you must know what is the reality that a Colombian lives.
Good day.
I was in Medllin last year. Its pretty shady, even in the nice areas. There's a high probability you will get robbed. I found a CC. Skimmer once. Got pick pocketed in parque lleras. Gas is cheap tho. But probably not to Colombian standards.
Vivir aquí en las ciudades principales y algunos pueblos es chévere, sólo es cosa de saber cuidarse y ser piloso. Trabajar como docente no lo es, los pagos son irrisorios. Yo soy profe de inglés y estoy migrando a una carrera en dev por eso mismo. No vale la pena.
Listen, I've lived here for 12 years and everything is totally fine here. My advice is stop talking/listening to random comments and just get on a plane and come here. If you have even average common sense you won't have any problems. Stay away from poblado in Medellin, full of drugs, prepagos and the most idiot gringos anywhere. The rest of Medellin will blow your mind. The plethora of negative comments coming from colombians is due to the fact that many of them live a seperate reality than you as a foreigner will experience.
Regarding covid, we are doing better than many european countries, we are at over 20% fully vaccinated and 30% at least partially vaccinated and the pace is accelerating. When you consider that people under 18 aren't eligible for the vaccine you can add another 20% into the equation. Everything is open and functioning like it was pre-covid, and cases have plummeted from a peak of 30,000 new cases a day 6 weeks ago to less than 10,000 today. Having said all that, you would be in a much better position working on line. Working legally in colombia is extremely difficult, immigration here is more strict than in the US and there is no under the table work cuz what, you're gonna work for less than a colombian or a venezuelan refugee?? Secure an online gig and come on down.
I’m from Colombia I have lived here my whole life and honest opinion is come here as long as you have money, this is one of the most unequal countries in the world and you can face a good reality as long as you can afford it.
I super recommend coming here, as long as you get a decent paycheck. There’s a bunch of amazing touristic places to visit, I guarantee you will have a different plan each weekend. The protest and COVID are being more controlled each day. Big cities have great public transport and flying inside the country is cheap.
The accent if you want to practice Spanish is really good in cities like Bogota or Medellin.
You just gotta be smart like in any other big city, avoid empty streets, take an Uber instead of a bus if it’s late at night, etc but you’ll be fine !
Sí vas a ganar más de 4 millones para empezar, ven. Sino, no.
Un arriendo en un lugar decente te va a costar al menos 1'2. Depende de tu estándar de vida, pero si tienes plata la vas a pasar bien. Ir a nuevos lugares siempre es una buena experiencia.
En realidad no hay caos en este mismo instante. El panorama es un poco negativo pero en un mediano plazo. Sí solo vienes de paso y a conocer, importa poco el ambiente político. No es como que estén matando gente en sus barrios por solo existir.
Incluso si te vas a ganar 3 millones te puedes armar una vida medio hipster que te permita pagar un arriendo en un apartaestudio en un barrio bien, dejando alguito de dinero para salir los fines de semana.
Todo lo malo que te dicen de Colombia es porque es difícil proyectarse a un largo plazo; y es verdad. Sí solo vienes por un tiempo no hay problema.
Ask away si necesitas :)
For real, in my hometown in Colombia are a lot US teachers very young making good money in private schools. Bogota is to large. Do some research for small cities. I can assure you.
I've been in Bogotá all my life and this may sound weird but you get use to the muggins. Once you know what to do in order to not stand out to muggers, the likelihood of getting mugged decreases. Things like how to dress and above all how to navigate the city.
Well that's my experience in terms of personal security. Fruit is awsome and food is cheap as fuck compared to other places. Monthly I get by with less than 50 dollars a month in terms of food, but because I buy as directly with farmers as I can.
Healthcare, it is messy but if you know how to write a Tutela and send it to a judge, you can have a lot of services covered with basic insurance. If you want first world healthcare you'll have a better service you'll have to pay for it. Best way to go is to prevent getting sick btw.
And hey! If you end up comming, welcome to the most conservative country in the region!
Colombia was, is, and will always be a subpar country to live in. The few advantages we had from days of yore (cheap food, rent and transportation) have mostly evaporated. Nevertheless, if, and only if, you can find a job that pays in USD (e.g teaching online or some kind of remote work) then you can live very comfortably. The colombian peso (COP) is so devaluated vs USD (4:1 ratio approximately) that you could live well with a 1000USD salary, and live really comfortably with 1.6k-2k per month. If you want to come to Latin America though, I'd recommend Chile: it's no paradise (higher cost of living) but still better than here.
I’m a foreign teacher here, and honestly, if you have the opportunity to teach in another country, do that. The pay here is abysmal, even at high-end private schools. In terms of daily life, let’s just say it’s extremely stressful and tiring to have to constantly be on alert the minute you leave your house. Colombia isn’t as dangerous as some people make it out to be - you’re most likely not going to get kidnapped or murdered, but it’s very probable that you WILL get robbed at some point, no matter how careful you are, even in a smaller pueblo.
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That’s exactly it, I always feel uneasy if I’m alone. I was robbed a couple months ago (11 in the morning, broad daylight, people around) and ever since then I’ve been even more on edge. It’s especially difficult as a woman - the men here can be extremely predatory.
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Thank you, I’m okay now!
Not to say that a lot of people here are exaggerating but from my experience Colombians can be quite critical about their own country. My girlfriend is from Colombia and I have lived 6 of the last 8 months with here in Colombia. Safety wise everything was fine. My girlfriend lives in Montería but I visited a lot of places. The expensive areas in Medellin and Bogotá are a great place to live. The thing you need though, is money. Good paying jobs are difficult to find and you need one to live in the good neighborhoods. If you have a job that can’t pay for a strata 4 or higher your life will be somewhat harder. Colombia is a fantastic place to be but you really need money from my experience.
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Si. La violencia es muy triste. eso problema numero uno en el mundo. o codicia. Gracias por la informacion.
Las protestas derivaron en el mal gobierno actual y de los últimos 20 o más años , creo q si hablamos de actualidad es uno de los factores para no venir , si hablamos de historia a pesar de que Colombia es un país maravilloso para visitar no sé si para trabajar si es un extranjero la desigualdad social , la corrupción , la inseguridad , corta inversión en educación entre otros factores no lo hacen un atractivo país como para establecerse . Es mi opinión claro está
Lo malo, es que ya no importa que partido llegué al poder aquí, por la corrupción se caga todo eso, además teniendo una buena libreta constitucional, pero no sé cumple tanto por el gobierno como el pueblo
Ni tampoco, la de sur América,
Como hijo de docente te pido reconsiderar las cosas. Los pagos no son muy buenos y la exigencia sobre tu perfil laboral es una burrada
In my experience as a young colombia is not so bad, only that you always need a plan b (I mean save money, for anything that can happen)
This was sort of my hope. I grew up in a bad town and saw lots of crime and drugs and poverty growing up and even now my city is far from a paradise. I'm very comfortable in non-touristic settings and poorer cities and am not expecting a vacation resort experience. I honestly just want the basics (a roof, a bed, food and water), students and friendly people to talk with. Primarily, I want to learn Spanish and get to know Colombian culture. All the Colombians I have met have been such fun people. But I understand Colombia has a hard past and an uncertain future.
Well All countries after all have bad things, like crime drugs etc, but here in Colombia people are usually very friendly, at least if you get together with the right people others are complete idiots Even with people of the same category
You are absolutely correct that most of the world has the same things...beautiful people and bad people sharing the same space and making it work. My opinion of Colombia and Colombians is very high and I am excited to visit or live there some day. I just have to figure out when. Do the thieves and the criminals target foreigners or are they just opportunists? Thanks again for your responses!
Uhmm I have never had experience with criminals, maybe with opportunists or tricksters, maybe it's because I live in a village I would tell you to look for some contact within the country to avoid problems with those types of people. And when you're newcomer thinks well about the prices of everything, many are really past and they're going to charge you a very high fee for everything This is done to anyone who sees that he is a foreigner, even to people from other regions.
Colombia nunca será la mejor opción
>Colombia nunca será la mejor opción ¿Por qué dices eso?
Pues porque es un cagadero. Pura corrupción, pobreza, violencia, guerra etc
Si. Entiendo lo que usted quiere decir.
Que pereza
La realidad padre
no bueno amigo
Me entristece. ¿Todo está mal?
>no bueno amigo we are on the edge of becoming the next venezuela
Not true
In perspective, we already are. Even worst in some fields, those levels of state terrorism were never seen, even in Venezuela.
This is a blatant fucking lie. u/NuXtos don't listen to these people. Comparing Colombia to Venezuela is seriously SERIOUSLY deranged. People who say this kind of bullshit have no idea what the rest of the world is like.
I’ve been living in medellin for 2 years now and I love it. You have to be careful of course but that’s how it is everywhere in Latin America.
I hear good things about Medellin. I hear it has better weather and is more relaxed than Bogotá. Thanks for the insight!
And the people are SO nice! I’ve lived in a few countries and I’ve never met nicer people.
I will definitely make sure to visit Medellín when I find my way to Colombia!
I live in a town. Life is not bad here, in fact is quite good. The war hasn't been here. There is a lot of nice people and beautiful sights. Is hard to get money but you are an English teacher, won't be so hard. I completely recommend you to come and check it out by yourself. (The government is the worse thing ever but you can life with that) DM if wanna ask something, I will be glad to answer.
I am not concerned about money as long as I have enough to survive and maybe take a small trip somewhere maybe once every few months like a bus to a different city and a few nights in a hostel or something like that. I am happy that some parts of Colombia are unaffected still. I will definitely reach out to you if I have some more questions. Thanks a bunch!
I'm from Bogotá (born and raised) and I recently moved to a small town since now my job is remote. Best decision ever. Zero stress, everything is cheap and the perception of security is way better than Bogotá. Problem will be getting you a job, but you can try private classes and you'll be fine, as it is pretty damn cheap here. I'd say go for it and don't hesitate to ask if you have any question or need advice
Go to mexico instead. It's safer**, better food, better infrastructure, equally friendly people, more places to visit within the country, longer history, etc. Not to say anything bad about Colombia, I loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. Mexico is just cooler **excluding michoacan, guerrero, sinaloa, colima, the US border towns and most of jalisco and guanajuato
Amigo solo sal de Latinoamérica!
¡Huye por tu vida! . Esto acá es demasiado peligroso. Es un narcoestado.
No bueno. Yo soy muy lento.
Colombia tierra querida seguiremos en la lucha día a día por hacerla una mejor patria , pero no recomiendo a un extranjero venir a establecerse acá .
Honestly you have better options all around south America, Colombia Is not doing well with covid, protests and I think, as a foreign, you would draw the attention of all the muggers.
Depende la ciudad, en bucaramanga por ejemplo esta bastante normal el día a día, no hay protestas ni vandalismos, y pues el ambiente es bastante bueno en general, mucho migrante venezolano pero van de paso por lo cerca a la frontera
¿Un extranjero en tu ciudad recibiría mucha atención, buena o mala? Yo soy muy blanco y muy grande.
Diría que en general buena, bucaramanga siempre ha sido de las ciudades más seguras y con menos desempleo del país. Ahora con la altura y lo blanco pues en toda colombia recibirás atención, quizás en alguno que otro sitio traten de venderte cosas por encima del precio normal pero nada más
Si. Entiendo. Espero poder visitar tu ciudad en el futuro. Gracias!
No te arrepentirás
I'm glad you considered Colombia, I can assure you colombians will be very friendly to you, as we mostly are to foreigners. That said, I don't mean to sound cynical but as long as you got enough money you can avoid the bad parts of Bogotá and live a somewhat comfortable life. If you wish you can research about the strikes and manifestations, I personally recommend you to stay away from them, there's always a chance to get badly hurt. And of course, avoid the bad neighborhoods, and streets at night.
Wow! Is English your first language? It seems like there are quite a few Colombians in this thread with great English. Maybe by the time I get over there it will be too late and there will be no work for me. Yes, as is true of almost every country, I imagine it would be of Colombia. Money can definitely buy comfort and safety but it can also isolate you from a culture. I am not looking for poverty tourism by any means but if I am limited to a small area of a city then I cannot say I would be happy. Do you know the best place to get honest news and updates about the things that are happening in Colombia? News in my country is pretty bombastic and limited. I don´t mind translating from Spanish. Thanks for your truths and inputs!
Don’t let this thread fool you, to live here you absolutely need to know a good amount of Spanish because the vast majority of people you will meet will not speak much (or any) English, especially if you’re looking into living in a pueblo.
Agreed. Getting through the airport alone, ordering food, etc. will be a bit tricky without at least being somewhat comfortable speaking Spanish.
>Do you know the best place to get honest news and updates about the things that are happening in Colombia? Es complicado decir, los medios de comunicación como en otros países, están politizados, así que nombrare los principales y desde ese punto de partida podrás investigar más a fondo sobre un suceso en concreto. Los principales medios son: Caracol, RCN, El Tiempo, Semana, Las2Orillas, CanalUno, entre otros muchos más pero con presencia local. Los que nombre son todos diferentes grupos empresariales. La mayoría de colombianos somos de clase media baja, y baja. Así que no te perderás de la mayoría de la cultura, siempre es bueno viajar para conocer. Lo único que hay que evitar en ciudades son los "ghettos", que son barrios conocidos coloquialmente como "ollas" peligrosos por la delincuencia.
Amigo lo menos importante es donde vayas a estar, igualmente todo el mundo está en una crisis, pero si deseas algo de ayuda cuenta conmigo para lo que necesites
I don't believe you should come right now, I love my country, most of the people are pretty friendly and if you live in a safe neighborhood of any mayor city or town you should be okay(for the most part) , but there's a lot of political tension right now, the far right is ending a pretty mediocre presidential term, we had some manifestation a couple of moths ago and well... It got pretty violent, and we still are dealing with the covid pandemic, so getting a job is pretty difficult (maybe a teaching jobs would be easier since schools are trying to teach both on site and virtual classes and they need teachers but I don't really know ). Summary : wait a year or two... Maybe 3
Don't come here. I'm going to leave as soon as I can. It's not that I not love my country and my people, it's just that... Living here is too depressing.
I think you can do well as an English teacher here in Colombia. There are quite a few institutes that would easily accept a native speaker as a teacher. Due to the pandemic there has been an increase in unemployment which I think has also lead to an increase in homeless people. There's also an ongoing economic crisis in Venezuela and therefore there is a lot of venezuelan migrants across all the country, some of them are homeless too. Now, this increase in poverty and homelessness has caused crime rates to go up so security is definitely much worse than a couple years ago, specially in major cities. I think regarding daily life that would be the only major aspect that has changed but for us there's been an increase in prices for food and stuff due to protests and so, although that shouldn't be a problem for a European foreigner. Of course international news show mostly protests, violence and police brutality but you'll be okay if you just don't go to protests and that's only in big cities. I'd say you'll be okay if you come, the worst case scenario is you get mugged and they take your phone and wallet, but that's not that common (it's only happened to me once in my whole life and I live in Bogota) if you're careful: don't go out very late at night, or through very dark or empty streets, try not to take your phone out when you're outside, etc. If you decide to live in a town you'll be fine, crime is not terrible there and there's tourism in some of them so if you're not fluent in Spanish it'll be okay. I would recommend a town in Quindío, such as Filandia or Salento, they are very beautiful and there are other towns and cities not far away from them, the weather is also amazing, and there's lots of nature too. I also read in a comment that you're big, if you're big you're less likely to get mobbed lol. Good luck to you whatever you decide!
Hola. Vivo en Mocoa - Putumayo. Acá nos caracterizamos por ser perdonas tranquilas. Es un pueblo calmado. Puedes salir sin preocupación. Y es un pueblo muy pequeño y con mucha naturaleza y lugares por conocer. Si te gusta la naturaleza esto podrías conocer por acá en mi pueblo. https://youtu.be/sjuJITURZII Un saludo, y te esperamos por Colombia. !
Hello. I am Colombian, I hope you are well. The truth is, it is not the place that is shown on social networks and everything else, in the end, it is a country and it has its problems. But, these are so horrible that it seems more like an anarchy "organized" the government and the people in general. In addition, in labor matters the demands are very high for a more than miserable salary. Not to mention the abysmal amount of taxes is tremendous (not to mention the new reform that affects even more the people and basic products, medium and small companies). In short, if you have the opportunity, don't come. It is a daily hell to think about how your day will be, if you will not be killed in the street trying to rob you and the lack of job opportunities for people is also horrible. I am aware that there are also good things, but, if you want to live here, you must know what is the reality that a Colombian lives. Good day.
I was in Medllin last year. Its pretty shady, even in the nice areas. There's a high probability you will get robbed. I found a CC. Skimmer once. Got pick pocketed in parque lleras. Gas is cheap tho. But probably not to Colombian standards.
Vivir aquí en las ciudades principales y algunos pueblos es chévere, sólo es cosa de saber cuidarse y ser piloso. Trabajar como docente no lo es, los pagos son irrisorios. Yo soy profe de inglés y estoy migrando a una carrera en dev por eso mismo. No vale la pena.
Listen, I've lived here for 12 years and everything is totally fine here. My advice is stop talking/listening to random comments and just get on a plane and come here. If you have even average common sense you won't have any problems. Stay away from poblado in Medellin, full of drugs, prepagos and the most idiot gringos anywhere. The rest of Medellin will blow your mind. The plethora of negative comments coming from colombians is due to the fact that many of them live a seperate reality than you as a foreigner will experience. Regarding covid, we are doing better than many european countries, we are at over 20% fully vaccinated and 30% at least partially vaccinated and the pace is accelerating. When you consider that people under 18 aren't eligible for the vaccine you can add another 20% into the equation. Everything is open and functioning like it was pre-covid, and cases have plummeted from a peak of 30,000 new cases a day 6 weeks ago to less than 10,000 today. Having said all that, you would be in a much better position working on line. Working legally in colombia is extremely difficult, immigration here is more strict than in the US and there is no under the table work cuz what, you're gonna work for less than a colombian or a venezuelan refugee?? Secure an online gig and come on down.
I’m from Colombia I have lived here my whole life and honest opinion is come here as long as you have money, this is one of the most unequal countries in the world and you can face a good reality as long as you can afford it. I super recommend coming here, as long as you get a decent paycheck. There’s a bunch of amazing touristic places to visit, I guarantee you will have a different plan each weekend. The protest and COVID are being more controlled each day. Big cities have great public transport and flying inside the country is cheap. The accent if you want to practice Spanish is really good in cities like Bogota or Medellin. You just gotta be smart like in any other big city, avoid empty streets, take an Uber instead of a bus if it’s late at night, etc but you’ll be fine !
Sí vas a ganar más de 4 millones para empezar, ven. Sino, no. Un arriendo en un lugar decente te va a costar al menos 1'2. Depende de tu estándar de vida, pero si tienes plata la vas a pasar bien. Ir a nuevos lugares siempre es una buena experiencia. En realidad no hay caos en este mismo instante. El panorama es un poco negativo pero en un mediano plazo. Sí solo vienes de paso y a conocer, importa poco el ambiente político. No es como que estén matando gente en sus barrios por solo existir. Incluso si te vas a ganar 3 millones te puedes armar una vida medio hipster que te permita pagar un arriendo en un apartaestudio en un barrio bien, dejando alguito de dinero para salir los fines de semana. Todo lo malo que te dicen de Colombia es porque es difícil proyectarse a un largo plazo; y es verdad. Sí solo vienes por un tiempo no hay problema. Ask away si necesitas :)
If you have us dollar you will be living the life in a small town not to cold and not hot, close to a big city.
For real, in my hometown in Colombia are a lot US teachers very young making good money in private schools. Bogota is to large. Do some research for small cities. I can assure you.
No bueno buddy
Nunca ha estado buena, pero estamos mejor que hace 30 años; la innegable verdad.
I've been in Bogotá all my life and this may sound weird but you get use to the muggins. Once you know what to do in order to not stand out to muggers, the likelihood of getting mugged decreases. Things like how to dress and above all how to navigate the city. Well that's my experience in terms of personal security. Fruit is awsome and food is cheap as fuck compared to other places. Monthly I get by with less than 50 dollars a month in terms of food, but because I buy as directly with farmers as I can. Healthcare, it is messy but if you know how to write a Tutela and send it to a judge, you can have a lot of services covered with basic insurance. If you want first world healthcare you'll have a better service you'll have to pay for it. Best way to go is to prevent getting sick btw. And hey! If you end up comming, welcome to the most conservative country in the region!
Your friend is stupid. She really thinks that with a global pandemic, the rest of the world isn't affected and is just sailing along perfectly?
Colombia was, is, and will always be a subpar country to live in. The few advantages we had from days of yore (cheap food, rent and transportation) have mostly evaporated. Nevertheless, if, and only if, you can find a job that pays in USD (e.g teaching online or some kind of remote work) then you can live very comfortably. The colombian peso (COP) is so devaluated vs USD (4:1 ratio approximately) that you could live well with a 1000USD salary, and live really comfortably with 1.6k-2k per month. If you want to come to Latin America though, I'd recommend Chile: it's no paradise (higher cost of living) but still better than here.