Find out everything you need to know about working in Brazil and take the opportunity to change your life!
How to Get a Job in Brazil
There are so many reasons to move to Brazil, this really is one of the best countries to live in South America. Expect amazing modern cities, a multicultural society, friendly people and some of the highest salaries in the Americas.
Popular Places to Live
You can find employment throughout Brazil and some of the most desirable cities to move to include:
• Rio de Janeiro
• Sao Paulo
• Fortaleza
• Belo Horizonte
• Manaus
• Salvador
Most companies, both local and international have offices in either São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro and these are the best places to find work as a foreigner.
Types of Positions
Some of the best industries to find employment include travel and tourism, hotels and hospitality, teaching, IT, marketing, sales or working remotely.
Getting TEFL certified and teaching in Brazil is a great way to get a visa and hired to instruct English lessons. Brazil is a developing country and more and more people are wanting to study English.
If you are keen to go backpacking or take a gap year in Brazil, a popular option is voluntary work. There are lots of volunteer programs in Brazil, from helping communities, to working with animals, to helping at hotels and hostels in-exchange for free accommodation and meals.
Working in Brazil FAQ
Visa
To legally live and work in Brazil you will need a valid visa. To get this a company usually needs to employ and sponsor you. Some foreigners do stay in Brazil and get cash in hand jobs but this isn’t really recommended and if caught you might be deported.
Money
Brazil’s currency operates under the real, which is made up of 100 centavos. Here’s how the currency works:
One hundred centavos equals one real. Centavos come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50
There are eight different banknote denominations for the real including: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100
It’s best to carry around small real banknotes because it will be much easier to make everyday purchases and get change back from vendors. Also, since the 1 centavo is very rare to find, many places round off your purchase to the nearest 5 centavos.
Language
Unlike other countries in South America, Portuguese is the national language of Brazil and it is essential to learn the basics at least to boost your chance of getting hired. Not many people in Brazil speak English, and most interviews in the country will be in Portuguese. You could book classes with Portuguese language schools in Brazil, there are weekly start dates throughout the country.
