If you’re thinking of moving or have already moved to Colombia, and you have the option to find a job permitted by your migratory status, finding the right job is crucial.
Knowing what you want to do makes for a good start. However, you’ll also need to be aware of what employment opportunities actually exist as an expat.
First we are going to explore the migratory status a foreigner must have to work in Colombia. Later, we’ve broken down four of Colombia’s most thriving industries in terms of foreign employment.
Do I need a visa to work in Colombia?
Yes, in most cases you might be required to have a visa that allows foreigners to work in Colombia.
Which visas allow foreigners to work in Colombia?
Visa type M Investment/Real Estate
The investment/Real Estate visa, is for foreigners investing in Colombia more than 350 Current monthly legal minimum wage in Colombia (or around 114,000 USD with an exchange rate of 4.000 COP/ USD) in Real Estate.
Holders of this visa category are eligible to apply for a Visa type R Resident, after 5 years maintaining their visa valid through renewals.
Visa type M Mercosur
For citizens of the States that are part of the Mercosur Agreement and associates: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.
The holder of this type of visa is allowed to work in Colombia, and after 2 years can apply for the residency.
This visa can only be granted once.
Visa type V: Student
If you’re a holder of a Student Visa and you’re enrolled in a Postgraduate program at a university in Colombia, you can work up to 20 hours per week.
Visa type M: Marriage (and Domestic Partnership)
Both visa categories, the Marriage and the Domestic Partnership visa, allow the foreigner holder of the visa to work and live in Colombia, and accumulate time for the Resident Visa.
The difference between both visas lies in the time the foreigners have to accumulate: with the Marriage visa the holder can apply for a Resident Visa after 3 continuous years; with the Domestic Partnership is 5 years.
Visa Type V: Working Holiday
This visa, which allows foreigners from certain nationalities between the ages of 18 to 30, to enjoy their time in Colombian territory to work in a legal activity of their choosing and travel the country for up to a year. At the expiring date of the visa, the foreigner has to leave the country.
To enquire about this visa type, you can contact the expatgroup.co team through Whatsapp.
There are many other visa categories that allow foreigners to work in Colombia either for foreign or Colombian organizations that have a regulated activity within the country. Regularly, all holders of the visa categories under the Visa type M can work in Colombia, with the exception of holder of the Visa type M Retirement. Along with other visa categories falling under the Visa type V: Visa type V Crew, , Visa V Film or audiovisual production, among others.
It is important to note, that many foreigners want to apply for the Visa type M Work. However, under the current resolution regulating visas in Colombia, in order for a person to apply for this visa category, the foreigner has to already have contract with a company.
If you have a remote work and are able to work remotely, you might want to take a look to this blog, on everything you know about working from Colombia.
Some industries that tend to hire foreigners in Colombia are:
Digital Services
Digital services have hit new heights of demand worldwide.
There are a growing number of opportunities for expats with experience in marketing, sales, and client service roles in Colombia. In digital marketing alone, there are 93 companies that hire English speakers to choose from.
Depending on your level of experience and specialization, digital services roles pay considerably higher than other service roles in Colombia. Generally speaking, compensation ranges between 3.000.000COP – 10.000.000COP ($770 – $2,560USD) a month.
Bar Work
If you’re looking to find easy yet rewarding work in Colombia, bars, and restaurants in cosmopolitan areas are always on the lookout for English speakers.
Bar work in Colombia is a great way to learn Spanish. You’ll be communicating in both English and Spanish with coworkers and clients alike, making for a rewarding language exchange that’s embedded in real-life interactions. Also, working in a bar is a fantastic way to make connections and settle well in a new city and culture.
Finding employment in bars is easiest when done face to face. There’s limited information about bar work opportunities on job platforms like Indeed and Computrabajo. Going to the physical bar locations, however, will help potential employers see you as a good-fit candidate to work behind a bar.
Financial compensation-wise, bar work doesn’t pay a lot in Colombia. If you have previous experience working in high-class bars, this will open you up to some of the nicer bars in some of the cities’ more exclusive areas of nightlife.
Get the Procolombia Guide with 24 innovative tourism experiences in Colombia
In this guide, you will find the places digital nomads can explore in the Colombian territory. Some destinations are recommended for vacations, and others are also ideal for long stays.
Teaching
Work in Colombia for English speakers is no more commonly found than in teaching.
Whether you’ve got a TEFL certificate or you’re a professionally trained and specialized professor, being an educator is one thing that Colombia is always in demand.
To become a teacher in Colombia, you’ll need a university degree and documentation that shows you’re qualified to teach. Most expat teachers, for instance, have done an online TESOL training course that states that they can teach English as a second language. If you want to teach at a language academy or volunteer at a public school, this should be sufficient.
If you want to teach at a top-quality international school that offers education’s most prestigious programs like IB and Cambridge, you may need a little more. Most of these private schools will require at least 2 years of teaching experience along with the relevant teaching qualifications, and some also want to see that you’ve studied education as your degree.
The difference in compensation between academies and international schools, however, is stark. Academy teachers can expect to earn in the region of 1.500.000COP – 3.000.000COP a month, whereas international school teachers will start at over 3.000.000COP. If you come with sufficient experience and good qualifications, it’s not uncommon to see expat teachers take home in excess of 6.000.000COP a month.
Translation
Translation work can be a highly lucrative business opportunity for expats who have the relevant qualifications to do so.
Translators for CVs, legal documentation, and technical content are increasingly in demand from international Colombian businesses and individuals. As the world has become more connected with the rapid advancements of technology, the need for Colombia to become bilingual has grown simultaneously.
As a country, Colombia’s level of English is improving but still requires foreign help with specialized services such as translation. Many translation gigs will come as freelance opportunities, but there are some Colombian-based companies that look for full-time translators as well.
Let your processes in expert hands
With more than 10 (ten) years of experience and more than 2,800 visas processed in expatgroup.co, we ensure that your process is carried out professionally and with great attention to detail under the highest quality standards and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requirements, thus increasing the chances of success in your application process.
We encourage you to consult with our experts. We have experience in digital nomad visas with successful processes, where expats recommend us. We invite you to watch Josep Manier’s testimony and his experience with our service.
Why should I use expatgroup.co services?
Visa Services expatgroup.co
- Includes migratory advisory
- Visa submit and registration
- Registering visa / requesting “Cédula de Extranjería”
Contact us
Do you want to download the Procolombia Guide 24 innovative tourism experiences in Colombia?
Because we know that cultural immersion is important for remote workers who are digital nomads, we leave you a guide to some must-see destinations in the country, which will allow you to live a Colombian experience from start to finish.
Hola
Mi nombre es zenon, soy de Inglaterra, he estado en medellin por 2 semanas.
Estoy buscando a un trabajo pro necesito ayudar.
Gracias
Buenas tardes, Zenon. Primero que todo queremos agradecerte por tu comentario en nuestro blog.
Actualmente Expatgroup no ofrece el servicio de búsqueda de empleo, pero podríamos asesorarte en el tema de la Visa de Trabajo para que puedas obtener un contrato laboral estable en territorio Colombiano. Te invitamos a contactarnos para ayudarte con este proceso. https://expatgroup.co/english/visa-services/visa-m-type-work/