Travel and Volunteer Teaching English in Chilean Schools

English Opens Doors volunteer with students. 

© This is Chile

 

By Marcela Torres

One of the best ways to experience a local culture is volunteering and spending quality time with the host communities. That’s what the English Opens Doors program, a joint initiative of Chile's Education Ministry and the UN Development Program, offers native English speakers at schools all over the country. Applications for 2012 are open until December 15, 2011.

So, what’s this all about? The Program is currently looking to recruit qualified native and near-native English speakers between 21 and 35 years old to teach English in Chile under the direction of head teachers in public and semi-private schools. Since it began in 2004, English Open Doors has recruited more than 1,300 volunteers from several countries including the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Volunteers can select from a broad range of programs lasting from five to 11 months, with start dates from February through July. Full-time volunteers are expected to spend 25 hours a week in the classroom with an additional 10 hours of activities - six hours for classroom planning and four hours participating in extracurricular activities such as public speaking and debating clubs. Part-time volunteers have a teaching load of four to 16 hours per week, perfect for exchange students at Chilean universities.

Orientation and Spanish lessons

If you’re not familiar with Chile or are not fluent in Spanish, don’t worry! Upon arrival in Santiago, you will receive a comprehensive orientation before moving in with a host family in the community where you will be staying. You will also be given free access to health insurance, transportation and teaching materials. They also receive a monthly living allowance of US$120 (CLP 60,000).

Long-term volunteers can also choose to enroll in a two-month Spanish course before undertaking their volunteer work. The course costs US$1,000 with classes catering to beginners, intermediate and upper intermediate students.

Want more information? Check out the National Volunteer Center's website. There’s plenty of information and testimonials from previous participants that will surely inspire you. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Chilean culture in-depth and give something back to the communities and places that you enjoy!