In the fall of 2003, WorldTeach was invited to partner with Inglés Abre Puertas, a program of the Chilean Ministry of Education, by sending fifteen volunteers to teach English during the second semester of the 2004 school year.  Volunteers taught grades K-12 in public schools in the country's fourth largest city, Antofagasta.  This one-semester pilot program was followed by a full-year pilot program for the 2005 school year, ending in December 2005.
 

In 2007, WorldTeach began a new partnership with the Chilean Ministry of Education's Inglés Abre Puertas program.  This new opportunity is coordinated through the National Volunteer Center.  WorldTeach volunteers are currently teaching at public and semi-public schools in small to medium-sized towns in the country’s Region VIII, about six hours south of Santiago.

WorldTeach is excited to continue providing volunteers to the Ministry of Education’s 2008 Inglés Abre Puertas program.  WorldTeach has been chosen to dramatically expand the number of placements in Chile's Bío-Bío (VIII), Araucanía (IX) and Los Ríos (XIV) Regions.

 

The volunteer’s main function in the school community is to motivate students to learn English and to create new opportunities for both teachers and students to practice the English language on a regular basis. The volunteer provides students with the opportunity to realize the value of communication in English and is a vital source of motivation for learning a foreign language.

 

1. Working as an English-language teaching assistant to one or more English teachers: The Inglés Abre Puertas volunteer program uses a model in which volunteers work with one or more co-teachers in order to split large classes into smaller groups of about 24 students.  During a typical 90-minute class, the volunteer and co-teacher see each group for 45 minutes and then switch, so that all students benefit from the opportunity to work with a native English speaking volunteer, particularly focusing on listening and speaking comprehension activities to supplement the Chilean English teacher's curriculum.

 

2. Organizing and implementing extracurricular activities for the school community:  Since motivating students and creating opportunities for practicing English is a key goal of the program, volunteers will devote the rest of their full-time commitment to extracurricular activities both at their schools and in their communities. 

Placements and Housing 

Volunteers will be placed throughout Chile's Bío-Bío (VIII), Araucanía (IX) and Los Ríos (XIV) Regions. 

Within these regions, volunteers will most likely be working in small to medium-sized cities like Chillán, Los Angeles, Temuco, Angol, Nueva Imperial, and Valdivia. Inglés Abre Puertas will match volunteers to teaching sites according to the needs of the schools and the experience and interests of the volunteers. Volunteers will live with host families selected by the Ministry of Education, relatively near their school campuses. Host families provide an important entry into the community and a unique cultural learning opportunity. Host families will be compensated monthly by the Inglés Abre Puertas program, to cover the costs they incur supporting a volunteer in their home.

 

 

Within this zone, there is a wide variety of teaching conditions. Volunteers may be placed in schools that range from large, under-funded public schools with limited resources to semi-public schools with more resources available. Depending on the size of the school, volunteers will likely work with several different grade levels.  Although WorldTeach volunteers in past Inglés Abre Puertas programs have been typically placed in small to medium-sized cities like those listed above, it is expected that future placements in 2008 will include smaller towns and more rural placements in surrounding areas as the Inglés Abre Puertas program expands.

 

 

Program Length and Dates

• 9-month program: Volunteers will depart in mid March for 3-4 weeks of in-country orientation and training with Inglés Abre Puertas in Santiago, prior to beginning the first semester of teaching in the South.  Teaching begins in mid/late April and ends in late November/early December, with short breaks for school vacations.
• 5-month program: Volunteers will depart in mid July for 3-4 weeks of in-country orientation and training in Santiago, prior to beginning teaching the remainder of the academic year.  Teaching begins in mid/late July and ends in late November/early December, with short breaks for school vacations. 

The US$2,690 (semester) or US$3,190 (year) cost of the program covers pre-departure information and materials, round-trip international airfare from a designated U.S. departure city (likely Miami), supplemental overseas health and emergency evacuation insurance, supplemental in-country WorldTeach field staff support, and after-service support and networking.

Stipends are provided during the months of teaching, with room and board provided throughout your term of service. All stipends and host family payments will be made by Inglés Abre Puertas, directly to the host families and volunteers. The volunteer stipend is approximately US$150-170 for every month they teach. The stipend is not a salary, and is intended to help volunteers meet basic daily living costs at the local standard of living. It will help cover the costs of public transportation to and from school, bottled drinking water, toiletries, etc.

The Ministry of Education/Inglés Abre Puertas has the following requirements for all applicants to its program:

• Be native English speakers or use English in their everyday language, and have received their K-12 or undergraduate education in English
• Hold an undergraduate degree
• Be aged between 21 and 50 years old (exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis)
• Have experience teaching or working with children and a genuine interest in assisting English teaching
• Basic Spanish proficiency and/or be willing to complete a Ministry of Education-provided online Spanish course prior to departure
• Be mentally and physically capable of teaching children
• Have experience living or traveling in another country, preferably in the developing world
• Have an interest in Chilean culture and living in a developing country
• Be highly committed, responsible and flexible, and possess a spirit of public service

In order to apply to the Chile Ministry program, applicants should follow the normal application process for WorldTeach described in the To Apply section of our website, with the following exception:

• Essay #1 should be modified to read:  “At this point in your life, what is your motivation for wanting to be a volunteer teacher with the Chilean Ministry of Education's National Volunteer Center?  What personal goals do you aim to achieve by participating in the program?  What contributions do you hope to bring to the community in which you will teach and live?"

For more information, please write to info@worldteach.org.

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Chile DuocUC

WorldTeach volunteers working with DuocUC in Chile teach English to post-secondary and adult students in technical/professional institutes similar to community colleges. As a volunteer, you will be teaching English to recent high school graduates and adult students working towards technical and professional degrees. English language skills will greatly increase their opportunities for success in their future careers. While participating in the life of your community and teaching site, you will gain insight into Chile’s culture, economy, and history.

  All teaching placements with DuocUC are located in Chile's largest urban centers: Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, and Concepción.

During the 2006 academic year WorldTeach began working with a new partner in Chile, sending 18 volunteers to teach at DuocUC’s nine campuses.  DuocUC is a technical and professional institute that is a sister institution to the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The mission of DuocUC is to bring top-quality training to post-secondary students, “qualifying them to carry out concrete and useful contributions” in their future occupations.

DuocUC fills a similar role for Chile that community colleges do for the United States, with now ten campuses in locations across Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Concepción.  WorldTeach volunteers will be concentrated at three or four DuocUC campuses, alongside both Chilean English teachers and other non-volunteer native English speaking teachers that the DuocUC English Department recruits from other sources.  Flexibility in placement is expected of WorldTeach volunteers.

Volunteers will be assigned to one of DuocUC’s campuses where they will teach English to recent high school graduates and adult students who are enrolled in DuocUC for professional and technical skills training.

As a volunteer, your responsibilities will include, among other academic responsibilities, the task of teaching your assigned English classes (approximately 18 classroom hours weekly) using the New Interchange and StandOut curricula.  Volunteers will have full responsibilities for their classes.  DuocUC is a very professional work environment, and as a WorldTeach volunteer you will be working alongside Chilean English teachers and other non-volunteer native-English speakers.  As a member of the DuocUC English Department, you will be expected to perform the same duties as other DuocUC English teachers, including attending English Department meetings, planning daily lessons, creating language instruction materials, grading papers and exams, participating in extracurricular activities, and being accessible to students.

With small classes (a maximum of 18 students are allowed per class) volunteers will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the students they teach. 

The costs of the program cover pre-departure information and materials, round-trip international airfare from a designated U.S. departure city (likely Miami), supplemental overseas health and emergency evacuation insurance, in-country orientation training, field staff support, and after-service support and networking.

Stipends are provided during the months of teaching, with room and board provided throughout your term of service. DuocUC will remit payment to WorldTeach, who will then disperse the monthly stipends to the host families and volunteers. The volunteer stipend is approximately US$150 for every month they teach. The stipend is not a salary, and is intended to help volunteers meet basic daily living costs at the local standard of living. It will help cover the costs of public transportation to and from school, bottled drinking water, toiletries, etc.

Volunteers must be native English speakers and have a bachelor’s degree. Successful volunteers will be flexible, mature, and have a genuine interest in both teaching and cross-cultural experiences. Spanish language or teaching qualifications are not required, although prior experience will greatly strengthen your application to this competitive program.

More questions?  Let us put you in touch with a former volunteer! WorldTeach has sent over 3,000 volunteers abroad, and would be happy to provide you with the name of a former volunteer who would be glad to share their experiences with you.

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