engGo

Job Start Date: 2011-2-1
Number of Positions: 21-30
Salary (min): 85000 CLP | Chilean Peso
Salary (max): 85000 CLP | Chilean Peso
Salary Notes:
Tax Rate:
Airfare: No Airfare Provided |
Airfare Notes:
Housing: Free Furnished Shared Housing |
Housing Notes:
Paid Vacation: other
Contract Duration: 1 year

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School/Teaching Details

Age of Students: Middle School | High School |
Schedule: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
Schedule Notes;
Teaching Hours: 31 to 35 hours/week
Office Hours: 6 to 10 hours/week

Description of Teaching Job - School Overview

Currently we are not offering opportunities in public schools in Chile but we wanted to inform teachers that opportunities DO exist to teach in Chile in public schools all over their wonderful country.

The government of Chile initiated a volunteer program in an effort to try in enhance the language acquisition skills of teachers and students around Chile. Footprints has declined participation in this program because we feel the opportunity does not treat native English speaking teachers fairly. We are hopeful that our position will result in changes to the program where native English speaking teachers will be fairly remunerated.

Costs Covered by the English Opens Doors Volunteer Center:

• Accommodation and meals with host family.
• Monthly stipend of CLP85,000 (approximately USD170).
• All-expense paid orientation in Santiago which includes TEFL training, information about the Chilean educational system, a cultural orientation, Spanish lessons, and cultural activities.
• All-expense paid regional orientation.
• Assistance obtaining a Temporary Residence Visa and Chilean I.D. card (note this is not financial assistance).
• Round-trip transportation from Santiago to regional placement site but not transportation TO CHILE.
• Ongoing Spanish lessons with diagnostic and exit Spanish tests to measure learning (but not in a formal class - it is done by a local Spanish teacher - no structure/little organization).
• Materials for your classroom.
• Ongoing teaching support.
• Program certification by the Chilean Ministry of Education.

Costs not Covered by the English Opens Doors Volunteer Center:

• International airfare from the home country to Santiago, Chile.
• The entrance reciprocity fee at the Santiago International Airport in Santiago, Chile (Australia - USD56, Canada - USD132, USA - USD100; for residents of the UK, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand there is no reciprocity fee).
• Domestic and international phone calls.
• Any type of insurance including health, accident, and travel insurance; health and medical evacuation insurance; or insurance for pre-existing medical conditions.
• Expat medical insurance is estimated to cost USD60-100/month) Fees for obtaining the Temporary Residence Visa (Australia - USD144, Canada - USD176, New Zealand - USD37, South Africa - USD47, UK - USD481; for residents of the USA and Ireland there is no Temporary Residence Visa fee).
• Personal expenses and other documentation fees (passport, Chilean I.D. card).
• Airport transfer fees for volunteers who do not arrive on the specified arrival days.

If money is not a concern for you and you want to learn Spanish and experience life in Chile, this is a potential teaching opportunity for you to consider. We encourage you to consider teaching in Georgia in the volunteer program there where you get free round-trip airfare, a salary nearly equal to the local teachers, complete medical coverage, no costs for your visa etc etc.

There are several reasons why we have elected NOT to participate in this program but most significant is the perception that English truly is not a priority. Math and science teachers are not asked to be volunteers. Why is so much time and money being invested in this volunteer program when it could be spent on building a national English education program. Textbooks, workbooks, curriculum standards, progressive growth curriculum and getting teachers who can grow with the program should be a priority. Native English speaking teachers are willing to teach in Chile for more than 10 weeks or even 8 months. It is those teachers who will stay on for a year or more that will truly learn and embrace learning styles of Chilean students; they are the teachers who will be able to identify curriculum and growth strategies that will make a difference for Chilean students.

Having visited Chile, meeting with the Ministry of Education and working with several schools and regional governments, AND doing all this and preparing proposals for free to try to help, we are disappointed with the course English language learning has gone in Chile.

We think:

• English teachers in Chile should be paid.
• Medical coverage should be paid.
• Accommodation should be paid.
• Good teachers should be given the opportunity to extend and stay on In the current program the expectations and commitment of full-time teachers is to teach 25 contact hours and spend and additional 10 hours a week planning lessons and leading extra-curricular activities...

What if something happened to you while working/volunteering... why should you have to pay for your own medical?

The teaching programs range from 10 weeks to 8 months which does not allow for progressive learning from a student perspective. Learning is disjointed and students are not given a fair opportunity to embrace English language learning. It is this approach that can lead to learning frustration and a poor reputation and representation of English language learning. This volunteer English program demonstrates an obvious lack of importance of English acquisition from a government position. We can attest that resources provided to both teachers and students are not adequate and teachers are there for such a short period of time that little can be done in the way of organization or materials gathering so that teachers can actually make an impact. The level of English from student to student and classroom to classroom ranges significantly. As you track further from the major metropolitan centers it gets worse. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that students are needed at home to work and attendance in schools in rural areas decreases measurably as students get older. We would argue that having a visiting teacher for a 10 week or even a 4 month term sends a strong message to students that this really isn't important. Good teachers will keep students at the school. Teaching contracts for a year or more will allow for teacher student connections and genuine opportunities for actual growth and learning which in turn may inspire students to stay in school longer and will truly give education a chance.

Footprints Recruiting remains committed to English language learning in Chile but we are also committed to protecting teachers and students and in this case we feel that both are involved in a losing proposition. Chileans are acutely aware of the need for English understanding and students and families are eager to learn and embrace English language, despite their eagerness, they are not being presented with the best possible learning situation or environment.

We hope one day soon that the Ministry of Education will engage in English language programs that will make a difference. We are not suggesting that what has been done is entirely futile, but we firmly believe that with all the money invested and being spent on this "volunteer" program that something more can be achieved. Jeff Strachan - President - Footprints jeff@footprintsrecruiting.com

Job Application - Teacher Requirements

Required to be a Native English Speaker: Yes, must be a native English speaker

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Required Degree: Bachelor's Degree |
Degree Notes:

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Required Nationality: American | Australian | British | Canadian | Irish | New Zealander | South African |
Nationality Notes:

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Teaching Experience: No Experience Required

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Required Certifications

Teacher Certification:
TEFL/TESL Certification: TEFL/TESL Certification Preferred but Not Required |

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Teacher Preferences as Indicated by the School

Preferences may be based on housing situations, classroom requirements, staff management, internal dynamics or a whole range of considerations specific to the school. engGo does not endorse or condone discrimination of any nature. We seek to identify opportunities where teachers and school are ideally matched.

Couple Preference:
Gender/Sex Preference:
Age Preference:

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