WorldTeach Chile & Patagonia Program Profile

The WorldTeach Chile Fundaciòn Patagonia Sur Year program has teaching sites in small Patagonian towns in Chile’s southern Los Lagos Region. Despite its relative isolation and difficult access, this area has recently established a reputation as a tourist destination and hopes that by improving the quality of English education locals will be able to further participate in and benefit from tourism. The Fundaciòn Patagonia Sur, with support from local municipalities and WorldTeach, has created a native-speaker English teaching program to help work toward this goal.

In 2007, a pilot English Program was launched by Fundaciòn Patagonia Sur with WorldTeach collaboration. Its positive results have led to an expanded, formalized WorldTeach-Fundaciòn Patagonia Sur partnership. Since 2008, WorldTeach has recruited and provided support to two full-time teachers in Futaleufú and Palena, both small towns located in the Palena province of Chile’s tenth region.

Volunteer Role

As a volunteer English teacher in Futaleufú or Palena, your full-time teaching schedule will have great variety. You will collaborate with a Chilean English teacher in several of his or her classes ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade. You may also have an opportunity to lead your own English workshops with students who choose to participate. A rural school placement will be assigned as well, where you will visit and teach at least once a week. Finally, there is the possibility of teaching one or two evening adult courses in the community collaborating with the local municipalities. Although you will be teaching diverse age groups, most classes will be beginner to intermediate.

In addition to teaching English, volunteer teachers will be expected to become involved in or create other school or community activities relating to environmental education such as building and maintaining composts, leading students on conservation hikes, and assisting in after-school environmental education workshops. Potential teachers with an interest in conservation work will find space for innovation and the creation of new projects. This extracurricular involvement will enrich your experience and allow you to share with the community outside the classroom.

Placements & Housing

Volunteers will be placed in Futaleufú and Palena, two rural communities in the tenth region. There you will have support, both professional and personal, from the WorldTeach Chile Field Director, based in Santiago, and the Patagonia Sur Program Coordinator, based in Coihaique. You will live in pensiòn-style housing and will be afforded the opportunity to gain knowledge of the area’s history and customs as well as learn about other aspects of Chilean culture and language.

Length of Program

The program requires a ten-month commitment. Volunteers will depart for Chile at the beginning of February.You will receive orientation and training with the coordinator from the Fundaciòn Patagonia Sur before beginning your teaching assignments during the first week of March. The school year is from March through December, with a three-week winter break in July, in addition to other Chilean feriados. Volunteers should be finished with their teaching assignment in time to return for the December holidays, or they may choose to travel before leaving Chile on their return trip ticket.

Financial information

This program is fully funded by the Fundaciòn Patagonia Sur, but volunteers are required to make a US$1,500 deposit, which will be refunded upon successful completion of the program. The generous funding will cover the costs of pre-departure information and materials, round-trip international airfare from a designated U.S.departure city, supplemental overseas health and emergency evacuation insurance, an in-country orientation, 24-hour in-country support, and after-service support and networking.

Living allowances in the form of a stipend are provided during the months of teaching, with room and board provided throughout your term of service.

Requirements

* Be a native English speaker
* Hold an undergraduate degree
* Have at least 1 year of experience teaching or working with children and adults in a classroom setting, and a genuine interest in assisting English teaching
* Have experience working on conservation and environmental issues, experience in environmental education preferred
* Possess Spanish proficiency
* Have experience living or traveling in another country
* Have an interest in Chilean culture and living in an isolated area
* Possess leadership skills and be able to work as part of a team
* Be highly committed, responsible, flexible and possess a spirit of public service
* Although not required, preference will be given to applicants with an academic background in Education, one year's teaching experience and/or a TEFL or TESL certificate

Because of the extremely limited number of spots in the Fundaciòn Patagonia Sur program, applicants will be evaluated on a competitive basis and may not receive an admissions decision until 3-4 months prior to the departure date.