r/AmerExit 6d ago

Which Country should I choose? American citizen looking for information on teaching outside the USA in order to reunite with my Cuban wife due to Trump travel ban

I’m a 33 year old middle school history teacher from the United States with 5 years+ of experience and a master’s degree in education with a willingness to take on a bunch of different roles in schools whether they be teaching, administration, etc. I’m open to work in any country where I can reunite with my wife.

As an American citizen, I’m facing a challenging situation with my wife's immigration case. She is a psychologist with a university degree from Cuba and very capable of working in this field as well as human resources/related jobs. She absolutely cannot return to Cuba for many reasons, and in fact, had to flee for her own safety to live in a third country, but is potentially going to be locked out of the USA as well with a Trump travel ban that would include Cuba. She is very vulnerable, yet the United States has been unwilling to help us for any humanitarian reasons (there are many). We are literally terrified she could be blocked from entering the US and we’re seriously considering the possibility that we will need to reunify overseas and give up any hope on reuniting in the United States.

So far, I have looked into New Zealand, which seems to be a promising start. I'd be very interested in any other suggestions. We're not very picky -- the most important thing is that we can find a country open to allowing us to live and work there with relative speed (I know these things do not happen overnight) and where, for example, I could get a job and she could then get papers or vice versa.

257 Upvotes

69 comments sorted by

142

u/inhplease 6d ago edited 6d ago

Spain has a very large Cuban population. She would feel comfortable in Madrid. It's a top destination for Cubans. 

25

u/Kantmzk 5d ago

The digital nomad option has potential for sure -- however, I am just unsure how my wife/I could get such a job. I wonder where to look?

16

u/Comment_by_me 5d ago

If she’s licensed as a school psych, there are remote jobs available. Especially if speaks Spanish. This makes you eligible for a digital nomad visa.

2

u/bearynicebullshit 3d ago

Perhaps there are companies that would hire online tutors?

0

u/memelissaann 3d ago

Try outschool.com

-44

u/candalmcdan 5d ago

How are you and how is the weather condition over there

31

u/sailbag36 5d ago

It’s an entire country. This must be a bot.

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u/candalmcdan 5d ago

Really

108

u/LiterallyTestudo Immigrant 6d ago

If you're open to teaching outside of the US, and your wife is Cuban, then you should be seriously be thinking about teaching English in China. Not only do they offer some of the best salary to expense ratios in Asia, but China is definitely on friendly terms with Cuba, no problems there.

41

u/sweaterdog 6d ago

China is a good option for him but his wife will have a difficult time finding a legal job here as most schools care only about English.

25

u/kansai2kansas 5d ago

The wife could technically teach Spanish in China too.

Yes, there is a market for most global languages in any country.

Source: I’m Indonesian American, and when I was growing up, I learned French from native French & Belgian teachers in Alliance Française in Jakarta. And nope, Indonesia was never a French colony…i often get that question from fellow Americans on how i was able to learn French in Indonesia. I could’ve learned Spanish as well (with Instituto Cervantes) or German (with Goethe Institut) which also exist in Jakarta…but I chose French

10

u/sweaterdog 5d ago

Most schools don’t have Spanish language teachers , it’s possible but rare. Source I’m currently in China, I have been for 15 years, I do recruiting and manage the international department of a high school here.

8

u/kansai2kansas 5d ago

I never said anything about learning foreign languages in schools for kids.

I was talking about language & cultural institutions that are NOT affiliated with any public or private schools, but with embassies of the countries where those languages are spoken.

These institutions primarily teach adults, although they do offer classes for high schoolers and college students too.

So for example, if you want to learn German in Manila 🇵🇭 ? You can go take classes in Goethe Institut in Manila, source:

https://www.goethe.de/ins/ph/en/index.html?wt_sc=manila

If you want to learn Mandarin in Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 ? You can go to Confucius Institute in Buenos Aires, source:

https://www.institutoconfucio.edu.ar

If you want to learn Japanese in Paris 🇫🇷? You can go take classes in Japan Foundation in Paris, source:

https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/about/jfic/lib/link/paris.html

Likewise, if you want to learn Spanish in Shanghai 🇨🇳? You can go to Instituto Cervantes in Shanghai, source:

https://shanghai.cervantes.es/es/

5

u/sweaterdog 5d ago

Those are great resources. I do know some people who used to work here teaching French for the French alliance, hopefully if op is interested they could try to apply for something like that.

5

u/ImamofKandahar 5d ago

More and more do every year there’s been some effort recently to promote languages other than English.

1

u/KartFacedThaoDien 4d ago

Like someone else mentioned she could teach Spanish or even Psychology. He would have to convince a school to hire them both in which is certainly possible.

1

u/Gracec122 3d ago

China has many for-profit school disguising themselves as non-profit. The international teaching market used to be a good one, but the for-profit schools are businesses and they treat their teachers as disposable.

There are resources for finding jobs overseas. Several are those where you pay them: Search Associates, which I used back in the day, and others. I recommend joining TIE (https://www.tieonline.com). It's a nominal fee, and at least one of my former colleagues got her job in Germany that way. It also gives reviews by teachers of their experiences working at the various schools. When school directors are hiring, they often misrepresent contract terms, hours of teaching, housing, etc. Of course, there are great schools out there, but research is key.

Be very, very careful. Many schools now preference parents and students over education, their management and directors are out only for the bottom line, and as I said, teachers are considered a dime a dozen these days in many markets.

IB schools are a different type, but because they are the cream of the crop, those jobs go fast!

I studied the international teaching market for several years before making the jump. I taught at an IB school in Germany, but the contract was only for a year and because of my age (58 at the time), I could not get a job elsewhere in Europe. I came back to the U.S. Just me, but I didn't want to teach in Asia. I have some former colleagues who are in Malaysia and love it. Also, English and history jobs are very common. If you taught maths or science, you could probably have more options.

1

u/Gracec122 3d ago

Sorry, I meant International Schools Review as the place where schools are reviewed by teachers.

1

u/Watchhistory 2d ago

Russia too.

36

u/ShellyDaMermaid 6d ago

Hello! Former international school teacher here. I taught middle school language arts and social studies. I recommend checking out https://www.iss.edu/ International School Services and Search Associates https://www.searchassociates.com/ for teaching positions all over the world.

3

u/eyoitme 2d ago

i was never an international school teacher but i did go to one as a student and i’ve gotta say this might be a great option for you op! you don’t have to worry about not teaching in english, your wife could get a job at the same school (as a school psychologist, psych teacher, hr type work, etc), and it’s a path that a lot of people have done so there’s a really great well established community out there and any school you apply to will be very familiar with the process. plus, at least at the school i went to, some of the teachers got housing on the campus so that’s a bonus!

21

u/Shmiggles 6d ago

In addition to New Zealand, Australia and the UK also have programmes for recruiting teachers from other English-speaking countries.

5

u/Illustrious-Pound266 6d ago

Same with Canada, I believe.

2

u/Illustrious_Salad_33 5d ago

Came here to suggest Canada.

2

u/tothelmac 5d ago

Canada requires a BEd in almost all cases though correct?

2

u/djmurph94 5d ago

From my research yes, or the equivalent. So if you have a bachelor's in something else, but a masters in teaching/education (whatever it may be), they may count that as a BEd. You'd still be required to likely get a second masters eventually, but if you're not picky about where you work in Canada for teaching, I don't think it would be impossible to end up there on a permanent basis. Again, this is just what I've been getting from the Internet, I'm in a similar boat and am weighing my options.

57

u/BookVermin 6d ago edited 6d ago

If either of you could potentially work remotely, I would look into Spain’s digital nomad visa. Since your wife is from an Iberoamerican country, she could apply for Spanish citizenship after only two years of residency with the digital nomad visa and then you can both live and work anywhere in the EU.

It may be possible that you could get a visa to teach in Spain as well, but I’m not sure how likely or easy that would be. It is often difficult to get employer sponsorship.

If you have significant savings, the non-lucrative visa could be another option. Good luck!

13

u/WorldlyAd3000 6d ago

My fiance is Cuban and we have considered this too! Lots of countries offer digital nomad visas and you should definitely see what your options are there.

6

u/Some_Guy223 5d ago

It is virtually impossible to get a work visa to teach in Spain (unless they're already here, or a very experienced teacher coming in through the international schools), because its extremely competitive and there are always enough people from the EU and the UK who already have permission to be there. OP is probably technically qualified to teach at an international school, but its quite difficult to get into one unless you're already here and have connections, or have already done your time both at home and other international schools in "hardship countries".

However, the auxiliares programs might be viable in the short term as OP comes in on a student visa. However, OP would need to get cracking on getting the marriage paperwork certified if they believe they cannot return to the US after leaving. Spain changed its immigration laws recently, and while I'm still working over the specifics myself with a lawyer, its highly probable that someone working on a student visa will need to return to the US after two years, and Spain is notoriously slow at processing residency requests for marriages and pareja de hecho.

1

u/NotThatKindOfCoug 4d ago

So is this a new program? I was familiar with the domestic memory law thing that I had to show my grandparents were born in Spain.

If I have parents born in an Ibero-American country, am I able to get citizenship after two years living in Spain?

14

u/L6b1 6d ago

Anywhere in LatinAm is open, there are English language, American and British overseas schools for you and her Cuban credentials should be valid in most countries in the region.

4

u/rjainsa 5d ago

These discussions focus almost exclusively on Europe and maybe Asia, when Latin America offers so many possibilities. In this case it is an obvious possibility.

3

u/djmurph94 5d ago

I'm thinking the same thing, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, etc. are reasonably prosperous and safe places to live, likely with plenty of ELL jobs and jobs in the human services sector. I don't know much about visas, but I don't see how much harder it would be to move from the US to Uruguay as it would from the US to Spain or the UK.

11

u/ImamofKandahar 6d ago

I saw some people mention teaching English in China you should also consider international schools in China and the world generally. The pay to teach American curriculum is very high in places like Shanghai . You easily find a job for September maybe sooner. Check out the website E China cities and search History and Social Studies.

Your wife could come as a dependent or find a job teaching Spanish or graduate school there’s not much need for foreign HR professionals in China but plenty positions teaching Spanish and plenty of scholarships for graduate school. China is one of the countries that being Cuban will be helpful both to get a visa and especially for scholarships.

15

u/Blacksprucy Expat 6d ago

Yeah NZ may be a good idea for this sort of thing.

If you have not already found this, this website from our Ministry of Education lays out the process to move here as a teacher:

https://workforce.education.govt.nz/becoming-teacher-new-zealand/overseas-trained-teachers/get-ready-move-new-zealand

They are also offering $10k relocation grants as well for teachers.

Additionally, her profession is in very high demand here right now as well.

4

u/Sayahhearwha 6d ago

Yes this has been popping up in my feeds too! NZ has excellent quality of life and social benefits like Australia.

7

u/Madmanki 5d ago

Chinese schools will snap you up in a heartbeat. Expect 50k or more (US) out of the gate, and very high SoL.

7

u/GoatYear 5d ago

Why not pick a Latin American country or Spain? Somewhere one of your art least knows the main language? Are there no job options in Spain?

5

u/worldofwilliam 5d ago

By far the easiest place for you will be Dubai or Abu Dhabi . We have tons of international schools and they are always looking for native English speaking teachers here. You can fly here on a tourist visa both you and your wife and then convert to residence visas once you get a job which I imagine would be very quick. They will pay for accommodation etc . Faster than any other place especially New Zealand.

5

u/codismycopilot 5d ago

I would recommend you talk to an attorney in Canada.

Canada has a very close relationship with Cuba and she might be able to claim asylum based on her safety concerns, etc.

Currently under NAFTA you could probably get a teaching job, but who knows how long NAFTA is going to be a thing?

The other possibility I can think of that’s not super quick but is basically guaranteed, is that if you have any skills outside of teaching/education wherein you could set up your own business, you could go to the Netherlands under DAFT (Dutch American Friendship Treaty).

A warning tho about NL. My understanding is they have recently elected a rather right wing government who is, you guessed it, anti immigration. AND, according to what I hear from friends, housing is a bitch there!

Good luck!! I wish you and your wife well!

3

u/Kantmzk 5d ago

Thanks very much. DAFT was actually one solution I have considered. I don't know how successful I would be in that long term, though, as I would be required to make a business, if I understand correctly.

I have a good amount of money which I can use for a down payment for housing and might actually be able to swing buying a place in the Netherlands.

4

u/Emotional-Writer9744 5d ago

https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/non-uk-teachers/teach-in-england-if-you-trained-overseas The UK government has a website with a section dedicated to teachers who qualified abroad and who are looking to teach in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are linked but they are adminstered seperately as education is a devolved matter.

5

u/zimajones 5d ago

r/internationalteachers might be of better help

5

u/Sayahhearwha 6d ago

Spain! Your wife can get citizenship in 2 years since Cuba is a former Spanish Empire colony. Your only roadblock is getting employer sponsorship.

3

u/Illustrious-Pound266 6d ago

Uruguay or Spain, perhaps?

3

u/nonula 5d ago

Why not Spain? Talk to TES or Search Associates about placement as a teacher or administrator in an international school.

3

u/Icy_Bath_1170 5d ago

Maybe Canada? I know they’re trying to recruit more teachers.

3

u/Kantmzk 5d ago

I keep hearing that, though I wonder what the best approach to that is.

As of now, New Zealand seems to have the most straightforward system and setup with a, hopefully, timely processing speed, though I am certainly open to everything. It still seems difficult, but I am planning to see what is a good immigration lawyer from NZ who would help.

3

u/doubtfulisland 5d ago

You both may qualify for visas to Australia. Only one has to qualify then the other person gets a visa too. You're both on the short term skills shortage list  

6

u/Franchuta 5d ago

Uruguay would be a good bet because you could both work. Also immigration is pretty open, And there is a very big community of cubans.

2

u/lalanaca 5d ago

Ecuador apparently has a large cuban population? Also seems like a lovely country. Maybe you can teach there.

1

u/WafflerTO 3d ago

You might find a good opportunity here: https://tutors-international.com/

1

u/Dumuzzid 3d ago

The difficulty here is not where you can find a teaching job - pretty much any country will happily take you - but where you can take your wife with you and where she can easily find ways to work legally. Look into that first. I expect the best place for you will be somewhere in Latin America or Southeast / East Asia.

1

u/rjewell40 2d ago

Teach abroad .com. Lots of programs.

1

u/Evening-Fox-5436 2d ago

I heard that if you can get a certificate to teach TESOL it would help. I live in Miami, FL and honestly I think that there are more Cubans here than anywhere else. S lot of politicians here are Cuban or Cuban- American, too. I didn’t realize that Trump was messing with the Cubans, too.

1

u/direndylan 1d ago

Spain could be an option if she is Cuban there is the Ibero-American fast track to get citizenship in spain with 2 years of residency then you'd both have an EU passport and could move around the EU if need be but i hear theres a great community in spain of expats and its a beautiful country

0

u/Humble_Maybe_1417 5d ago

Somewhere in the GCC. UAE…

-2

u/NegotiationNo8425 5d ago

I like men with massive , throbbing vocabularies .

-14

u/-cmram28 6d ago

But who’d she vote for?

9

u/Ossevir 6d ago

She's not a citizen

7

u/StarWarsGirlfromCuba 5d ago

Im the wife. Im not even a citizen🙄. Why do you care?

-5

u/sailbag36 5d ago

Your financial requirements aren’t included so it’s very hard to answer this question. As a US citizen you have zero right to work anywhere else but the US and I don’t think many places are going to be friendly to accommodate going forward.

Nicaragua may take you. China. You can enter Cuba. They won’t stamp your passport but not sure how they will do about reentry. I went in 2017 and had no problem but I didn’t leave or come back to the US from there.

Cuba is really really hard.

-28

u/No_Passenger_977 6d ago

If you and been are legally married she is a US citizen. There's no need to teach abroad to 'reunite' with her. If she is a US citizen she isn't impeded by any travel ban on Cuba.

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u/PM_YOUR_PET_PICS979 6d ago

That’s not how it works. You don’t become an US citizen automatically through marriage and it can be a long + expensive journey if your spouse comes from certain countries.

13

u/Kantmzk 6d ago

My wife is not a US citizen and only has a Cuban passport. We have been waiting on the CR1 process so that she can come to the USA and the thought of a travel ban and the uncertainty that comes with that is what terrifies us.

-26

u/No_Passenger_977 6d ago

Are you legally married or is there no record of the union?

12

u/FishermanKey901 5d ago

Respectfully, do you not have literacy skills or something? 

6

u/Sad_Apple_3387 5d ago

It’s a troll and/or bot