Study Spanish and Work Practicum in Chile - Nine-Week Program

  Chile

• Santiago: 
Santiago

Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: Summer: Jun 16 - Aug 15/Jun 23 - Aug 22/Jun 30 - Aug 29. Autumn: Sept 22 - Nov 21/Sept 29 - Nov 28/Oct 6 - Dec 5. Spring: Mar 23 - May 22/Mar 30 - May 29/Apr 6 - Jun 5.

Description: Since 2005, TeachingChile's mainline business has been to recruit and place native English speaking teachers into Chilean schools and universities to teach English for five-, ten- or 12-month terms. However, given the academic calendar in Chile does not perfectly coincide with that of schools in the northern hemisphere, many candidate applicants have asked if TeachingChile could arrange a program with a shorter duration.

In 2008, we piloted a shortened, nine-week program, and with its success, we are now offering it as an established program in the TeachingChile portfolio. The Study Spanish and Work Practicum Nine-Week Program ("Study and Work") provides accepted participants 65 hours of intensive Spanish-language courses in Santiago Chile, plus over 150 hours of volunteer work service in order to obtain real-world conversational Spanish practice skills and to help young Chileans in their local Santiago school and community at large.

Aside from gaining an unforgettable cross-cultural experience, participants will also receive a certificate of completion both valuable and enriching for the participant's resumé.

The "Study Spanish" Component

Escuela Bellavista is Santiago's most highly reputable Spanish-language institute, located in Santiago's prized bohemian district of Bellavista. Group classes are provided at eight different levels, depending on the participant's knowledge of Spanish. Accepted applicants in our program will receive via email from TeachingChile an evaluation test to help the experienced staff at Escuela Bellavista place them in the appropriate level of instruction.

At Escuela Bellavista, you will receive 60 hours of intensive classes during the first three weeks. Also, given you will be working in Santiago for the remaining five weeks, five additional hours (one hour per week) of localized "colloquial" Chilean Spanish courses will be provided to assist you in your work practicum.

The "Work Practicum" Component

Participants will work in one of two "colegios" (the Chilean word for schools with students from kindergarten through 12th grade). The schools are Ciudad Educativa and Ciudad de Caracas, located in the Santiago comunas of Pudahuel and Lo Prado, respectively. Work responsibilities will include creatively providing recreational activities such as arts and crafts, sports, informal English classes, and more.

The students that you will be working with have recently been integrated into the school, as "kids from the street" having suffered from neglect from their parents, society in general, and in some cases recovered from drug or alcohol problems. Your assignment will be to act as a "big brother" or "big sister" to these young Chileans. The non-profit organization that helps manage this volunteer program is Genesis.

Highlights:
Summary of Program Offerings

Accepted participants will receive the following, prepaid and pre-arranged:

* 60 hours of intensive Spanish-language classes to be taken over the course of the first three weeks in Chile, plus five additional hours of local Chilean Spanish coaching,
* A comprehensive "Chilenismos" dictionary, defining in English all of the unique colloquial Spanish words used in Chile,
* 250 hours of pre-arranged volunteer work, providing participants an opportunity to practice their Spanish-language skills and offer teaching and role model assistance to Chilean youth through the non-profit organization, Génesis,
* welcome lunch and orientation with program managers,
* housing for the duration of the stay in a centralized location in Santiago, WiFi enabled, computers available for internet access, cable TV, shared kitchen,
* breakfast provided seven days per week,
* evening dinner meals (five per week, Monday through Friday),
* three Santiago excursions, guided by a local Chilean host,
* airport transfer from Santiago airport to the prepaid lodging location,
* prepaid Chilean cell phone waiting for you at hour housing location;(we will email you your private Chilean phone number with international dialing instructions for all of your family and friends to have one-week before you board the airplane to Chile),
* experienced and bi-lingual coordinators to provide 24-hour support and services during your stay,
* bi-lingual medical assistance that you might need during your stay, which includes assistance in reserving the doctor's appointment, accompanying you to the doctor's office and subsequent pharmacy visit to purchase any necessary medication, and
* a one-year subscription to an online English-language Chilean news service to help orient you to the mainline news topics prior to arrival and during your stay,
* pre-departure information to ensure you are prepared for your trip including visa advice and other recommendations to be sure you are properly equipped,
* a 20% discount for a two-month health club membership, Pacific Gym.

Qualifications:
All accepted Study and Work program participants will be required to meet the following criteria:

- Intermediate conversational Spanish
- At least three years of university completed
- Minimum age of 20 years at time of entry into Chile
- Strong passion to assist, teach and be a role model for Chilean youth

Cost in US$: 3,195 USD

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 20 and above

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi and South African Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

TeachingChile's Mission Statement: TeachingChile is a U.S. company that is managed, staffed and operated from an office in Santiago, Chile. The company's charter is to help advance English in Chile by recruiting native English speakers. It promotes English as the medium of instruction for students in kindergarten throughout the 12th grade, universities, and adult-learner language institutions.

Year Founded: 2005