Description:
Volunteers work as English teaching assistants to Chilean English teachers for 25 pedagogical hours per week, and spend an addition 10 hours a week planning classes and leading extra-curricular activities for the school community.
The National Volunteer Center provides all volunteers with a one-week training period in Santiago and a subsequent one-week local training in their respective site locations. During the one-week orientation, the National Volunteer Center assigns volunteers to a school placement and a host family that has a direct relationship with the school in which the volunteer will work.
Highlights:
Volunteers work in either the elementary school, Colegio San Sebastian De Akivi or the high school, Liceo Lorenzo Baeza Vega. Instruction on Eastern Island is provided in both Rapa Nui (the local language) and Spanish. In 2007, two (2) volunteers were placed on Easter Island. For 2008, the National Volunteer Center will place 3 volunteers on the island for eight months.
Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) is located 3,600 km west of continental Chile and is one of the world's most isolated pieces of inhabited land. Administratively, it is a province of Chile's Valparaiso Region with one single municipality. The population of the island is 3,791 (2002 census), 3,304 of which live in the capital of Hanga Roa. Easter Island is famous for its numerous moai, huge stone statues standing vigilant along the coastlines, and is one of the most fascinating and mysterious places on earth. To this day, archaeologists have not been able to decipher the ancient Easter Island hieroglyphics carved on wooden tablets called rongo rongo. The island still maintains its traditional rituals such as the Bird Man and Polynesian dances.
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
Volunteers must:
- 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 40 years old as of March 1, 2008
- Have experience teaching or working with children and a genuine interest in assisting English teaching. TESOL certification is a plus
- Have at least a basic level of Spanish
- Have comprehensive health coverage, especially for pre-existing medical conditions
- 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 or local island culture and living in a developing country
- Be highly committed, responsible and flexible
Minimum Education: Bachelors
Language:
English
Language Used As A Medium of Teaching:
English
and Spanish
Cost in US$: USD$500
Cost Includes:
Food,
Housing,
In-country orientation/Training,
In-country staff support,
Language instruction,
Living stipend,
Travel while in host country
and Written materials abroad
For participation in the volunteer program, the National Volunteer Center provides:
- Round-trip transportation to and from the volunteer site (Airfare to Easter Island and Robinson Crusoe Island; bus fare to sites on the continent of Chile)
- A two-week orientation in Santiago that includes TESL, cultural and Spanish language training
- A one-week local training
- A monthly stipend. (USD$250 for volunteers on Easter Island and Robinson Crusoe Island; USD$150 for volunteers on the continent of Chile)
- Accommodations with a host family which includes three meals a day
* Accommodations, meals and transportation are paid for by the Ministry during the training periods.
The following costs are not included:
- International airfare from home country to Chile
- Mandatory Health, accident and travel insurance
- Personal expenses and documentation (passport, visa, entrance reciprocity fee)
Salary / Pay: USD$250 per month
Experience Required: yes
Typical Volunteer Projects:
academic reinforcement,
education,
English teaching,
primary education,
secondary education,
teaching
and volunteering
Age Range: 21-40
This Program is open to
World Wide
Participants.
This Program is also open to
Couples and Individuals.
Typical Living Arrangement:
Home-stays
Participants Travel to Chile
Independently
Typically Participants Work
Independently
Application Process Involves:
- Letters of Reference
- Other
- Phone Interview
- Resume
- Transcript
- Written Application
Typically The Application Process Time Is One Week
Post Services Include:
- Exit DebriefingAbroad
- Job and Internship Network
National Volunteer Center's Mission Statement: The National Volunteer Center was developed by the Chilean Ministry of Education in conjunction with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to provide new opportunities for both students and teachers to practice English with native English speakers. The National Volunteer Center provides increased on-site school support to improve English learning in elementary and high schools by assigning foreign English-speaking volunteers to work as English language assistants in different schools throughout Chile.
Year Founded: 2004