Extremely different working hours

Berlitz has a long history in language learning so I assumed when I came to the company that they would treat their employees well. However, this is not the case. The country draws you in with intensive training, paid for flights, and decent pay for the country. They are clear about the type of hours that you can work, but as an American I assumed the hours listed were only to cover themselves if it was a difficult week. As a teacher you teach 40 hours a week Monday through Saturday from 6am to 9pm. The time does not include travel or preparation time. They might send you two hours away in a city you don't know with very little instruction and then expect you teach 10 more lessons in the same day...making it almost a 12 or 14 hour day. In addition to this the company expects you to have classes fully prepared but gives you little time to make preparations, sometimes you have to jump in the middle of the class without knowing what the previous teacher prepared. In addition to this, the company will violate the contract frequently and give you more classes than your contract allows or throw you into class types that you're not trained for. Honestly, I feel like the students are ripped off because the teachers don't actually get time to prepare for them.

You will not have any opportunities to explore the country or culture while working with Berlitz in Colombia. If I had known that prior to coming to the country I would have found other options. Colombia has a good relationship with the US so I recommend coming as a tourist first and then looking for a job after you arrive.