The work culture in Ecuador

Seeking construction work in Ecuador.

New Member Danny Boy just posted from outside of

Philadelphia, PA.  He wants to move to Ecuador within a year.

Danny is 39, not retiring from construction and carpentry ..

and wants to know about construction work-life.  His post

does not indicate his level of Spanish-language skills.

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Dear Danny,

Welcome to the Ecuador forums of Expat.com ...

In a country such as Ecuador with its struggling

economy, the construction and carpenter jobs

are going to go almost exclusively to native

Spanish-speakers.  If an Ecuadorian is qualified,

he or she gets priority in the hiring process.

In deciding between Guayaquil and Cuenca,

consider that the Big G is the more

dangerous city, just named 24th worldwide

for per capita murders.

Cuenca is a world-class relocation city for Expats,

with more safe neighborhoods and a relatively

high percentage of English speakers.  It also has

a milder climate than the Big G, which tends to

be hot and sticky.

cccmedia, resident of Quito

Hi everyone! I moved to Vilcabamba, Ecuador 5 months ago. I'm loving it for a lot of reasons but mainly because I can (barely) afford to live here but there was no place in the U.S. I could afford to live.

In our little town the work culture varies a lot: some working at tiendas or taxi drivers or restaurants are very friendly and others have a frown and don't look you in the face and then there's everything in between. Not much different than the U.S. However, I've noticed that since there isn't as much competition here and business locations don't cost as much as in the U.S. there isn't as much thought as to how they can serve you in a way that you'll com back. Many don't seem to care, and yet others will do anything to get you what you ordered in the way you want it. For instance, I don't eat heated oils; some restaurants will cook my eggs in butter and other's won't (or can't due to the expense?).

As far as looking for work, I have had a tough time being a graphic designer and music teacher but things might improve if I keep getting the word out.

Matthew

@levine1844 Matthew, have you thought about becoming a certified teacher of English as a second language?  You don't need to understand Spanish but you need to be a native English speaker.  Why not search and see if this kind of work might be of interest to you.  Also, check on the demand where you live prior to spending time and money on becoming certified.