English Opens Doors Program: Teach in Chile for Free!
We are the official English Opens Doors program. Apply directly with us to avoid recruiter fees. Participation is FREE and placements are available throughout Chile with the Chilean Ministry of Education.
The English Opens Doors program is sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and the Chilean Ministry of Education. English Opens Doors (EOD) seeks highly motivated individuals to work as English teaching assistants in public and semi-private schools throughout Chile. A typical week for a full-time volunteer includes 25 hours of English teaching and 10 hours of extra-curricular activities.
While volunteering as an English teacher in Chile, you will be provided with the following benefits:
1. Week-long orientation in Santiago
2. Free housing: Home-stay with a Chilean family
3. All meals are covered
4. Volunteer bonus: 60,000 CLP/month
5. Free transportation
6. Free in-country health insurance
7. Free online e-learning Spanish course
Start/End Dates (*Volunteers can choose the end date for these periods)
1 March 4 - July 26/November 30*
2 March 18 - July 26/November 30*
3 April 8 - July 26/November 30*
4 June 17 - November 30
5 July 29 - November 30
We also have part-time volunteer positions available. Visit our website to inquire about a teaching placement in Chile! No teaching degree or TEFL certification is required. Check out our FAQs for more information.
Reviews
90%Overall
Rating
English Opens Doors's Response to j0k3r:
To respond to this review's point about payments:
We state repeatedly and clearly that the volunteer allowance is not a salary, and not meant to be used to live off of. Rather, it is meant to reimburse you for any teaching related costs you incur (for example, if you take a local bus to school).
In addition, as it is paid through the UN Development Program, we do not have direct control over the payments. Instead, we coordinate with them according to their payment schedule. In 2012, volunteer allowances were divided into regular payments that came about every 2 months, depending on when volunteers started. For example, X volunteers were paid in August and Y were paid in September. The amount differed according to the total number of days in their specific programs. Often, volunteers talked amongst themselves and determined that their payments were wrong or late, and never asked us directly about their specific case.
For 2013, volunteers will arrive in Chile with their temporary residence visa already in hand. That means that they will receive their Chilean ID card within about a month of arriving. This will facilitate payments greatly.
60%Overall
Rating
I should begin by saying that I was one of the lucky volunteers who ended up with a great host family, a nice house, and a decent school. However, the program was so, so disorganized, and I heard so many horror stories from friends in the program, that I don't know that I could recommend it to anyone.
A few examples of the disorganization of the program that I experienced.
- They don't tell you what city you're going to until the middle of orientation week in Santiago.
- My host family didn't know I was coming until the day before I arrived. I didn't know anything about them until I met them at the airport. Luckily, they were great, but many volunteers did not have a good experience.
- My first co-teacher was not prepared for me and did not communicate with me. This seemed to be common among the volunteer I knew. He often threw me in front of the class without warning or preparation and sat in the back of the class making noise and contributing to the mayhem in the classroom. I was able to switch to a second co-teacher who was much more organized, welcomed my help, and from then on, I enjoyed my time in the school.
- The 60.000/month is almost nothing, and generally arrives at random times. If you want to go out, buy anything, travel, or do anything extra, this will not get you very far. If you are placed in the northern part of the country, there's really nothing nearby, so traveling involves a long bus ride or a flight. Be prepared with a lot of savings if you want to be able to fully enjoy your time. Also, with all the disorganizaton, the potential issues, having to insert yourself in a school, etc., they really should be paying you more.
I decided to leave the program early because I wanted to work and earn some money. The office in Santiago did not respond positively to this news.
If you're really brave, super flexible, have a lot of savings, good luck and a back-up plan, this program might be a good way to try living in Chile. But, I'd recommend starting with the shortest volunteer service and extending if you're having a good experience. Be prepared to face a lot of challenges!
English Opens Doors's Response to 44gr:
To respond to this review's point about disorganization:
We state repeatedly and clearly the timeframe through which you receive information about your placement.
In 2013, we will be working on helping volunteers become more proactive in working with their head teachers. Schools and teachers who successfully apply to receive a volunteer have committed to certain criteria, are given a manual describing the program, and attend a regional orientation. However, it is still up to the volunteer to have an effective relationship with their head teacher.
Despite the challenges that volunteers might face, we ask that in a situation such as the one described by this reviewer, volunteers fulfill their stated commitment to their school and students. This reviewer had a positive experience and situation, but still dropped out early. When this happens, the students and school are left without the resource that they are promised for the remainder of the semester. In addition, the investment made in the volunteer by Chilean taxpayers goes to waste.
To respond to this review's point about payments:
We state repeatedly and clearly that the volunteer allowance is not a salary, and not meant to be used to live off of. Rather, it is meant to reimburse you for any teaching related costs you incur (for example, if you take a local bus to school).
In addition, as it is paid through the UN Development Program, we do not have direct control over the payments. Instead, we coordinate with them according to their payment schedule. In 2012, volunteer allowances were divided into regular payments that came about every 2 months, depending on when volunteers started. For example, X volunteers were paid in August and Y were paid in September. The amount differed according to the total number of days in their specific programs. Often, volunteers talked amongst themselves and determined that their payments were wrong or late, and never asked us directly about their specific case.
For 2013, volunteers will arrive in Chile with their temporary residence visa already in hand. That means that they will receive their Chilean ID card within about a month of arriving. This will facilitate payments greatly.
10%Overall
Rating
I found EOD through Teach Away Incorporated, who support a variety of different volunteer teaching programs abroad.
I did unfortunately get the short end of the stick
as far as the program goes. I'm going to be completely honest (don't be scared): the program is unorganized and very slow with getting things done (example: each volunteer is supposed to be given a box of school supplies; this box is sent from the main office in Santiago to wherever the volunteers are-- as they told us in our orientation week, it is not uncommon for a volunteer to receive the box with a week left of teaching or not receive it at all). Though in theory I think the program is a great idea, there is a lot of miscommunication and still a lot of issues to work out.
Each city or pueblo a volunteer is placed in has a regional representative-- someone who is your direct contact person and is sort of your middle man with the office in Santiago. The regional representative is in charge of checking out potential host families for suitability. As far as I can tell, there is no standard the houses or the families are held to. Of course no one is expecting a mansion or anything, but in my opinion, there needs to be a standard of cleanliness. I'm no stranger to South American travel, however, this program works directly with unpaid gringos who are here voluntarily... they should place them with the thought in mind that they are indeed here voluntarily and don't have to put up with ridiculousness; the house I was placed in was overrun with cockroaches. I kid you not, I had roaches crawl over my hand while I used my laptop, I had roaches fall on me when I opened doors in the house, they were in my room, they were in my food. I let my regional rep know about this and she delayed for 2 months finding me a replacement family, all the while blaming the delay on the office in Santiago (which I know from the experiences of other volunteers in my region was not the actual reason for the delay-- this woman hung onto some of the other volunteers' passports for 2 months while "helping" them process their visas. When the volunteers emailed Santiago to ask them why it was taking so long, they were informed that the passports had never arrived in Santiago... they'd been sitting on the regional rep's desk the entire time.). Ultimately, she didn't even find me a new host family and I ended up moving in with a teacher who worked at my school.
And this segues into another sore subject: the school. I don't know who exactly is in charge of explaining the goals and teaching model of the program to the school-- the regional rep or the program itself? Either way, my school never fully understood the aim of the program, so needless to say, they didn't really understand my purpose either... no matter how many times I explained it to them and showed them excerpts from the program manual. I spent a lot of time sitting around feeling completely useless and frustrated. I stuck it out for
as long as I could because I loved the kids so much but ultimately I was sacrificing my sanity, dignity, etc. etc. and had to leave the program. I remained in Chile and found paid teaching work elsewhere so I did ride out my stay there as planned, just not with the program.
Now, I'm not trying to be super intense or bitter or anything (believe it or not, this the condensed version of my rant), because, hey, I got to be in Chile, and that's awesome. I know some other volunteers who had
problems like mine, or different but still enough to make them leave the program (I had a friend who arrived at his host family's house and they decided they didn't want to host anymore. The program set him up in a boarding house filled with Chilean sailors and he didn't have a lock on his door). On the other hand, I have friends who had a completely different experience-- wonderful host families, competent and enthusiastic co-teachers, the works, really. One of the former volunteers in my region even went on to work for the main office in Santiago.
In closing, this program is a complete gamble, personally one I would not recommend. I'm sure you can find a similar program that maybe has been around for a bit longer and has some more of its kinks worked out.
English Opens Doors's Response to GringaPa'Siempre:
This review illustrates the importance of being proactive as a volunteer. We do not expect volunteers to stay in a host family situation such as the one she found herself in, and wish that she had communicated directly with the central office. For each of the legitimate complaints listed, we would have intervened immediately on her behalf. In the past, there have been other instances of volunteers having negative experiences or dropping out without ever informing the central office of any issues. For instance, the volunteer mentioned in the boarding house dropped out of the program and left his school, not informing us for several weeks.
That said, the situations described in this review are extremely atypical. 95% of volunteers describe their experience living with a host family as positive, and that their living situation was adequate for a volunteer.
We have instituted a new communication system for 2013, where in addition to the regional representatives, volunteers will have a designated contact person in Santiago with whom they can communicate directly and who will be checking in on them on a regular basis. We have also added a workshop on communication to our orientation to emphasize the volunteers' need to let us know about serious issues. We will continue to maintain our general email account that we check continuously throughout the day, and are available during business hours by phone. We hope that with our new efforts, volunteers with similar problems will bring them to our attention and we can resolve them quickly.
90%Overall
Rating
This can be a wonderful experience, as it was for me, however, it is imperative to keep in mind that it is not this way for every program volunteer. There are a number of uncontrollable variables that heavily influence the participant's experience with the program. I.e: host family, co-teacher, school, location and regional representative. Essentially, the bulk of one's experience lies on the cards one is dealt.
I can, however, say that an open mind, patience, positive attitude, and not asking too many questions will greatly improve the participant's time in Chile. Chile is an incredible country; it is physically stunning, culturally interesting, and the people are warm and welcoming. This was no doubt a life-changing and positive experience for me, and I know many others who are choosing to continue their lives in Chile past the program. I would recommend this program to someone who is very flexible, doesn't mind feeling confused or frustrated, likes learning a new language (Chilean is its own dialect of sorts), has a go-with-the-flow attitude and is up for a challenge.
80%Overall
Rating
From the people I have spoken to, the program has had mixed reviews and volunteers have had diverse experiences. A friend came up with the "two out of three" rule, that for most of us two out of three of the elements (the homes situation, the school situation and the town or city we lived in) we were enjoying. For me, it was my home (my host mum was amazing) and my school (elementary school kids are hilarious and so fun) but my town is super boring. Which brings my on to my first piece of advice, unless you are really, honestly not bothere about where you end up, choose carefully where you want to go (North/South, rural/urban). Not everyone got what they wanted, but most did, and remember 6 months is a long time to be living somewhere you dont want to be.
Take the program say they offer you with a pinch of salt, I never received a carnet or a visa for a year. It depends on your region. From what I've heard by and large the regional representatives leave a lot to be desired. Ours wasnt great, she rarely responded to our emails and misinformed another volunteer about a visa which lead to some problems.
Remember that this program isnt easy, and the teachers have jumped through a lot of hoops for you to be there and when a volunteer drops out, it does put out the school quite a bit. If you are not serious about it, its better not to do it.
Overall I had a positive experience of the program, it is extremely rewarding and a great opportunity to get hands on experience teaching.
Critical Feedback:
Re-train or fire and find new representatives, most of them are not too bothered about doing their jobs.
100%Overall
Rating
The most important thing that I can say about this program is that *everything* varies. The program works with schools all over the country. You can be surrounded by snow or desert, working in a poor or well-off school, in a tiny country town or a huge metropolitan city. That being said, I had a fantastic experience and really wish I could have stayed longer.
I love my students. I love my host teachers. I love being a teacher. My Spanish has improved in leaps and bounds. I willingly work many more hours than I am required to simply because I hate seeing the looks on kids' faces when the teachers would tell them that one sixth grade class would get to work with me and the other wouldn't (or the elementary school kids looking defeated since the program officially works with older students). The enthusiasm of the kids for having a gringo/a in their school is unbelievable, and if you put the time and energy into creating fun lessons, the kids will love you back times a hundred. Considering that a normal class size here is 45 students, that is a lot of love. I can't walk into the elementary school building without being mobbed by kids :)
It is important to remember that this is a volunteer program so you will not make money, but all of your needs are taken care of when it comes to housing and food, and the bonus covers any other basics. So, you basically get to live in a foreign country for a couple of months for the cost of flight tickets, which is pretty cool. There is plenty of time to travel if you are adventurous, and oftentimes your host family or host teachers will make a point to bring you to local tourist attractions. We have found that there are some differences as to how the visas are processed in different regions, but most are good for a year so you could decide to stay and travel or find a job at a private English school.
The most important warning I can give, however, is that you have to come to TEACH. If you come thinking that you will try it out and use it only as an opportunity to travel, you very well may not survive the experience. On the other hand, if you have a passion for children, it is a fantastic life experience to add to your repertoire.
Critical Feedback:
The bureaucracy is difficult to deal with. Communication can be slow or absent. For example, the checks come from a United Nations program, to the EOD head office in Santiago, to the regional office, to a local department of education, and eventually to you.
80%Overall
Rating
EOD is complicated, because if you get lucky and get a great school and housing situation--it's awesome. If you don't get lucky, it kind of sucks.
I did get lucky, so I've had a great experience. My school is welcoming and nice. Teaching is really difficult because schools in Chile have different behavior standards. The kids are really noisy and rude, but they can also be really sweet. Just be sure you know you're signing up to be a public/semi-public school teacher!
What's a drag is that you don't get to choose where you're placed. I got really lucky and I'm in a great location, but if you get placed somewhere you don't like, you're stuck. They try to place you based on what you request, but they often don't succeed.
If you're a very flexible person who's open to anything, this would be great for you! If not, try it, and you can always drop out and do something else. Chile's awesome, so you should take any excuse to come here.
Critical Feedback:
I would tell volunteers where they're going to be placed in advance and spend more effort finding great placements, host families, and so on. Also, I would give more housing options. A lot of volunteers would be happier living in an apartment, and that should be a valued option.
90%Overall
Rating
Definitely a good program. The program is free! Make sure to go through the program directly and not through an endorser who will charge you $1000 or so. My host family was great! I felt like their son. If you don't want to live with a host family, you have the option of finding your own place. I suggest living with a family! Chile is a beautiful country with much to see. No one really gets placed in the tourist spots like Santiago or Vina del Mar, but its all pretty accessible. The system of buses is clean, comfortable and affordable. Bring your own money if you plan to travel, the stipend won't provide you with much more than souvenirs. You work 25hrs a week or less. You are given your own classroom and liberty to design the class as you see fit. Chileans are very friendly. I suggest you learn Spanish too, though Chileans speak their own dialect!
Critical Feedback:
Some parts of Chile are not very open to foreigners. As the country is developing, visitors often become the targets of thieves.
60%Overall
Rating
Not a bad Volunteer Program, and it means great opportunities with regards to getting to know what Chile is really all about.
There is no salary, and the hours can feel long. But it's worth it; and you realise that it is possible to accomplish a lot with very little. If you spend more than 6 months in Chile you WILL realise a whole lot more about yourself and about how you work with others who come from a completely different cultural and historical background.It's eye-opening.
100%Overall
Rating
I came to Chile with English Opens Doors in 2010 for four months, and ended up volunteering for 3 semesters and have now been in Chile for over 2 years. This program is for proactive and independent people looking to make a difference, and while it might not be perfectly organized, it is up to the volunteer to make an impact!
60%Overall
Rating
Living with a host family is a valuable experience, and a great insight into Chilean culture. However, obviously it has it's drawbacks from living in a swanky hotel. Firstly you have to fit with their culture, eating times and general customs; alhtough Chile isn't too much of a culture shock from our western lives, so it's not too difficult to fit it. Although, I would suggest that gaining a decent level of Spanish before you come would be a real benefit. My Spanish is pretty poor and at times it is frustrating as I can't communicate with people properly, although that fact that no-one speaks English means you learn fast!
The other thing I would say is that it's well worth getting at least some teaching experience before coming out. Kids are kids the world over, and some idea of how to handle tricky ones always comes in handy. Also, you may be expected to plan your own lessons and having some idea of how to do this would be a great asset.
Overall though it is a good experience, especially for those who want to really get involved in a longer stay volunteer teaching program
90%Overall
Rating
I am loving my experience on this program. It is very professional and a 'proper' teaching experience without the need to pay large sums of money, like you so often do. You live with a host family, which is great and you are truly integrated into the community. Other volunteers will be close by so there is plenty of opportunity for a social life but you have to be prepared to travel a bit for this.
I would say that it is hard work. You will have to give a lot of time to lesson planning so do not come thinking it is a free holiday. It is worth it though for the experience.
80%Overall
Rating
First and foremost, I really enjoyed the opportunity to teach English in southern Chile and I am not sure who learned more- the students or me! In my humble opinion, it was a difficult but overall a positive experience for the students and the teachers involved at the high school. Although the beginning was a little rocky as there was little support or training offered by the school. Instead there was a week of general orientation with all of the volunteers in Santiago ran by the Ministry of Education, but actual hands on training was limited. Once I arrived to my designated school in the south it was more of observing a few classes with the three different English teachers and off I was on my own the next week teaching classes! Needless, to say as a person with no previous teaching experience,it was overwhelming at first but gradually it got better. It did take time to get used to the large classes - ranging in-between 30 and 45 students. Later on I learned that the school was a typical public school in Chile faced with the lack of necessary resources, infrastructure, and under paid teachers and staff. The students that generally attend the public schools in Chile come from humble and poor families who struggle to make ends met. In fact, generally speaking students who attend public schools i Chile do not have the same opportunities as private educated students.
A benefit of the program was the host family accommodation. It was here where I learned about Chilean food, family, cultural values, and hospitality. Living with a host family was an authentic way to immerse myself in the culture and although I had studied abroad before in Latin America, working and studying are completely different. By working here I was exposed to another culture and learned a great deal about the social and economical differences within Chile. The program increased my empathy for other cultures, raised my awareness of problems faced in Chile and other Latin American countries regarding education. I was located in a safe and quaint small town of approximately 15,000 nearby Puerto Montt. The local community was very welcoming. In fact, many locals could not believe I was teaching English at the public school as it has a bad reputation but after all it is the only non-fee paying high school available in the town.
Although it was not an easy experience, it was a one which pushed me to think outside of the box and definitely outside of my comfort zone. If I did not all over again, I would have had more patience with myself and with the students. I wish I would have taught the students about different cultures within English speaking countries and not only the English language itself.
On that same thread, I wish the English Open Door's Program had informed me before what age group I would be working with so I could bring extra materials in English from the United States. Unfortunately, there were not adequate school supplies but we made do with what we had and I truly do not think the lack of supplies hindered the students learning. Looking back, I wish they would have also given me some recommendations about laminating photographs of my hometown and family and other areas of interests to motivate the students to learn English. Honestly, my students had some discipline problems and lacked general respect to teachers, which is common to see here in Chile. However, both the teacher and the student learned a lot during this process. Last but not least the program was only the beginning of my teaching career in Chile. That was four years ago and I am still here teaching English and pursuing my confirmed passion in the area of international education.
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Alumni Interviews
Meet Gabe Scalise, English Opens Doors alum
Gabe taught in Chile through the English Opens Doors program from May-August 2010 in La Serena, Chile.
GO: What inspired you to teach ESL?
Gabe: What inspired me to teach ESL was my desire to get first hand knowledge of international education systems and the advantages and disadvantages of their system over my experience in my own education. This in depth understanding, that few experiences aside from teaching ESL abroad can give, allow for personal experience and unique knowledge. I was hoping to be able to use this knowledge I would gain in a unique way to help establish programs and systems that will promote the growth of higher education attainment on a large scale in the future.
I also desired to travel abroad and experience other cultures and meet new people. Teaching ESL is a unique experience that it allows you to make new international friends, while helping the community and your students grow.
GO: Why did you choose English Opens Doors?
Gabe: I chose English Opens Doors because they seemed to have long program history of success. I was hoping English Opens Doors would provide a diverse range of experiences that would expand my world view and the program did just that! The Chilean culture is unique, diverse, and deep and I was so happy to be able to experience all this while teaching ESL to my students. Another reason I chose this program is because of the diversity of Chile's landscape. From the remote deserts of the North to the sprawl of Central Chile and Santiago to the bottom which is filled with high rising peaks and snow capped mountains. I thought this experience would allow me to travel to locations that I would never find another reason to, and it did just that.
I also chose this program because they are funded and sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and that is a program that I strongly support and have a desire to work for in the future. I felt this experience would set me on the right path towards a future of helping people to achieve their goals and to bring education to those who needed it. I also felt that this program would be great for me because they strive to place their volunteers with host families. Living with a host family was something that I truly wanted to experience in my life.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a teacher in Chile.
Gabe: My day to day activities began usually very early in the morning taking a bus to school from my host families house on the other side of the city. I worked in downtown La Serena, Chile but lived on the other side of town. My bus ride was at 6:30 in the morning among no other people of the same skin color or background as myself. The bus ride included a view overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the morning that I still miss and think about to this day.
When I got to school I would grab coffee with my fellow teachers, talk to my students, grade papers, plan lessons and teach my classes. I loved working with my students and I truly felt and observed them grow as students and develop a passion for the endless possibilities learning the English language could provide for them. My students truly wanted to learn the language and that made me so happy to teach it to them everyday. I would try and create fun hands on activities for them everyday and my lead teacher at the school, Ramon, was one of the kindest and most helpful men I have ever met in my life. He was a father to me in Chile and my biggest ally in the experience and it was invaluable to have him on hand to talk to on a daily basis. I would wait after school and either take the bus home or meet up with my friends or go out for a drink on the town with my host brother Rodrigo. I would end the day with going home to my host family's house, eating dinner, reading my books and talking with my host brother who was my best friend during my time in Chile and is still a great friend to this day. On the weekends I would travel and take pictures and go to the beach and have fun with friends and my host brother.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Gabe: This experience impacted my future by creating opportunities for me to critically look my own education and my own background. This examining of my self has allowed me to direct my education and jobs towards things that I really enjoy and that require sacrifice to achieve. Personally this experience established the value of my own higher education and the drive to help others achieve their dreams and potential by helping them to achieve a goal of higher education. Professionally, this work experience has helped obtain jobs that I want because through this experience it has been proven that I really want to help make a difference and in the end, that is a lot of what matters. It has also helped me to give me experience in a job field that I really love and plan on pursuing and that has been potentially the most invaluable part of this program for me.
Academically, this program has given me the desire to pursue a field which will allow me to learn how to best implement and create academic programs that will help children learn in ways like this program. Finally, this experience also set in motion a plan to travel that I have pursued without fault since this experience ended. I want to travel more than ever now and want to experience everyone on earths situations and culture so that I can truly understand how to solve the problems that our world faces today regarding education and human rights issues. This experience was nothing but positive and has done nothing but positive things for me now and in the future. It created values and friends that I will never lose and for that I am so thankful.
GO: What is one piece of advice you would give to others thinking about teaching abroad?
Gabe: My one piece of advice to someone thinking to teach ESL abroad is to look in depth into the type of program you want to do and the location you would love to do it in. People will want to do it for many different reasons but truly understanding the reason will give you a great insight of how your experience will end up being and how it will change you. Look deep into programs such as EOD and how they work, where they place volunteers and how immersed you are in the culture. I would recommend English Opens Doors for all those reasons and more. The perfect blend of culture, experience, difficulty, and fun. Look into the program deeply and be willing to do things and go to things you are uncomfortable with. The people you will be surrounded by all have their own story and history and understanding that is as valuable as the teaching you will do. Work hard at teaching, and play harder in your free time.
Meet Kenneth Treloar, English Opens Doors alum
Kenneth Treloar is an energetic and adventurous young man from Rustenburg, South Africa. He currently volunteers as an English teacher in Cunco in the South of Chile. He enjoys the outdoors and sports such as cycling and running. Traveling is also one of his loves; and when he's not teaching you are likely to find him relaxing beside a campfire with his guitar in some far-off and interest place. You can follow his adventures abroad at Dude In Chile
GO: What inspired you to teach ESL in Chile with English Opens Doors?
Kenneth: I really enjoy working with kids, I love English, and I wanted to travel while working as a volunteer, as well as stay somewhere different. All these factors led me to apply to join the English Opens Doors program in Chile.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a teacher in Chile.
Kenneth: I work with mainly high school students and help them mostly with their listening and speaking skills, as well as conducting various conversation classes. I am also involved in other English-based extracurricular activities and clubs such as The English Team (games, movies, conversation, pen-pal exchanges, etc), English Guitar Club (Students learn to play the guitar and learn new English songs and lyrics), and the English Debate Team.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Kenneth: The experience has most definitely impacted all spheres of my life and I have gained valuable experience and people skills. Through working with kids of varying age-groups and also with many different types of professionals and other teachers I have learnt a lot about myself and about what it means to be a volunteer and a teacher.
GO: What is one piece of advice you would give to others thinking about teaching abroad?
Kenneth: Don't come to Chile with any strong-set preconceptions. Even though there is a definite cultural trend, Chile is still very diverse. Schools, host families, and volunteer placements can vary considerably. You need to expect that you may have to work with what you have and just make the best of any situation.
Students may not be motivated, or your working environment may not be ideal. However, even though it's going to be tough (yes, it's not going to be easy) it will be worth it in the end. After all, giving of yourself, your time, and your skills to help others is one of the best things one can ever do.
Further Info
About English Opens Doors
The English Opens Doors Program is a English education initiative developed by the Chilean Ministry of Education, and is supported by the United Nations. It was established in 2003, and has since flourished. The Chilean Ministry seeks to advance the level of English education throughout Chilean public schools and provides students with many resources such as summer learning camps, competitions, and scholarships. We seek talented and ambitious teachers to come join our teaching program in Chile, and make a noticeable impact in Chilean English education throughout public schools. Avoid paying any fees to recruiters by applying directly with us.
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Personally I had a pretty good experience with the EOD program. My host mother was a warm person, great cook and provided me with everything I needed. She introduced me to her family and friends and made me feel welcome. I should say she didn't have internet though. But, there were internet cafes in my town and my school had internet.
I taught in a public elementary school, 5th - 8th grade. I've never taught before and had very little training. The program provides you with 1 week of training before you head out to your school. Needless to say this part was a challenge for me. Chilean students are known for being difficult to manage in class and my kids could be pretty disrespectful at times. English is not a subject that is focused on heavily in public schools. Example: my students would have 6 hrs each of math and language a week but only 2 hrs of English. It could be hard to motivate them. Definitely be firm at first. I made the mistake of trying to friend them right away and it was tough to regain control of the class many times. That said, they could be lots of fun, they're kids afterall. They're very competitive and love playing games. Bring stickers, they love them. Maybe buy some candy from time to time as well, they love that stuff. The kids were very warm and affectionate. In some ways they'll treat you like a celebrity. Always asking you questions and coming up to say hi and give you a hug. I will miss them. Just lower your expectations of what they will learn with you.
Overall, I had a pretty good experience. I heard about some volunteers who had host families that would take them out traveling and give them the family car to drive and others who had host families that wouldn't even feed them. Some volunteers taught in nice private schools where students knew a good amount of English and were more disciplined and others taught public schools in rough areas where the police would show up on a regular basis. I always got paid on time, but others didn't. Note: Save up some money before you come down, don't depend on the program money.
Because this program is a gamble I would not recommend it to a friend. I'd feel terrible if a buddy of mine didn't get fed and wasn't appreciated at his school. However, from all the volunteers I talked to, I'd say at least 60% had a solid experience. Most volunteers had a decent host family and decent situation in school. Maybe 20% had it real rough, but even then not all of them quit the program.