Get TEFL Certified for Colombia: Accredited Level 5 Diploma

You need a Colombian visa before you take a paid teaching job. Migración Colombia states that foreigners who plan activities that generate payment for services, a salary or wages in Colombia must apply for one. Colombia has three visa types: Visitor (V), Migrant (M) and Resident (R). Visas are granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which sets the requirements, and every application must be started online at cancilleria.gov.co.

Not for paid work. UK government travel advice says British visitors can enter Colombia for up to 90 days without a visa for business or tourism, at the discretion of the immigration officer, and cannot stay more than 180 days in any 12 month period as visitors. Migración Colombia is clear that anyone planning work that earns a salary or fees needs a Colombian visa, so apply for the right visa before you start teaching.

If your visa was issued abroad and is valid for more than three months, you register it with Migración Colombia within 15 calendar days of entering the country. Registration happens when you apply for your cédula de extranjería, the foreigner ID card, which stays valid for as long as your visa. Migrant (M) visa holders lose the right to the card if they are out of Colombia for six continuous months, so plan long trips home with care.

Yes. Migración Colombia states that any person or company that hires, employs or admits a foreigner in a paid role must report it through SIRE, its Information System for Reporting Foreigners, within 15 calendar days of the start or end of the work. That duty sits with your employer, not with you, but it is worth confirming with your school that the report has been filed, along with the registration of your own visa.

It is a Fulbright award for US citizens that offers up to 25 English Teaching Assistant places in Colombia for the 2027 to 2028 academic year, at universities, other higher education institutions or community institutions. The grant runs for 10 months, from August to May, with up to 30 hours a week of teaching and planning plus a community project. You need a bachelor's degree and intermediate Spanish by the time the grant begins.