Expert: Juan Carlos Valencia - 1/18/2010

Question
QUESTION: sir, i am preet singh chaudhary from new delhi, india. i am a third year student of b.tech(computer science and engineering). i have good knowledge of spanish language and very good english. sir, after the graduation i want to work and live in bogota. i want to know what is the scope of engineers in bogota and how can i get a job in bogota. i want to settle to that country. i want to work there. i want to know is there scope for the new and nexperienced engineers and can i get a good job there. and how can i apply?? please, sir tell me as i really want to be there.

ANSWER: Hey Preet,

I'm curious about why do you want to move to Bogota and how did you learn spanish...

You certainly can try to do it but it's not going to be easy and may not be what you think it is.

1-Colombia has a long tradition of NOT encouraging migration. It's a very isolated country ruled by very conservative elites that were very clasist and even racist until recent times. The laws for immigration are very complex and work permits are hard to get. The laws have been reinforced in the last few years because people from China, Africa and other places were coming to the country trying to use it as a route to enter the U.S.

2-Unemployment is high. It's very difficult for locals to find a job and even more difficult to find a decent paying job. People rely on social contacts and recommendations, you would be in disadvantage. There are many headhunter agencies and you could try to contact them and send them your resume, but references are very important in Colombia, and you may not have any.

3-Cultural differences. Your university degree may be from a top institution in India but headhunters in Colombia will not be impressed. As security is a top concern, identity and family checks are very important in Colombia and agencies will find it difficult and expensive to check your references and information. Job searches take months and for the best paying jobs it's common to have several meetings and interviews, face to face. Full command of spanish is necessary.

4-Expectations.Salaries in Colombia are very low. The minimum wage is about 250 U.S per month and 50% of the population earn that or even less. A starting job as computer engineer could earn 400 U.S per month. Rent of a small apartment in a good neighborhood in Bogota may cost 250 U.S a month. I have not been to India but if I believe TV and movies, poverty in Bogota is not as bad, but common theft and guerrilla violence could be worse in Colombia.

I do not want to totally discourage you, just to help you be realistic.

A good plan may be for you to travel to Colombia to study a postgraduate degree, get to know the place, improve your spanish, create a social network and start applying for jobs there. Doing it from India through the Internet is not going to take you anywhere.

Let me know if I can help you more.

JC

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Respected Sir,
         I got your email and the reply you sent for my question. I am very thankful to you for that as you sent me the information about the present real situation of Bogota,Colombia.
 Sir, actully i want to move to that country because i am in a relationship with a colombian girl, for the last two years and we never met. now, i want to go to that country to work there and want to be with her.
sir, today before reading your email, i was thinking the same about getting a degree of postgraduation.sir, i want to know all about the post graduation like..doing a m.tech degree or mba degree. what will be better? and i want to know the fee structure too, if you can tell me how much will it be approx.?
 and please tell me about the jobs after the post graduation. sir, i really want to move to the country and i want to know all the possible ways to be there.
thank you


Answer
Hey Preet,

then you have a good reason to go to Colombia.

I have a few friends from India, from the time that I studied a posgrad myself and I could say that there are many things in common between our cultures, as well as acute differences. Bear in mind that colombian women are considerably independent. Before embarking on an expensive adventure at the other side of the world, I would recommend you to meet this woman and see if you really hit it off. Imagination fills a lot of spaces and you may have created an attractive fiction out of some e-mails or skype calls.

You are certain not to find people from India in Colombia, not even indian restaurants. That could create a feeling of isolation for you.

Choosing a uni posgrad is a decision based on your interests. Do you see yourself working with technical things or more managerial stuff?  Universities in Bogota offer posgrads in both areas. We have both private and public unis. Privates are more expensive, publics are more difficult to enter because of high competition.

The private sector normally prefers to hire candidates from prestigious private universities.

I would suggest that to increase your chances of getting hired and develop a social network there, you may apply to any of the following institutions:

Universidad de los Andes

Universidad Javeriana

Universidad del Rosario

Universidad de la Sabana

Fees are very expensive for locals, with a semester costing up to 4.000 U.S dollars. MBA's can be even more expensive, especially at Universidad de los Andes.

For entering, I guess that you would be required to take a Spanish language test. Contact those institutions directly. Applications take place normally in October-November and April-May.

There are more universities in Bogota and some could be very good, but they are not as prestigious as the ones mentioned. And be careful, other institutions are really poor quality. I guess you find them in every country.

Good luck with your plans !

JC