Program Reviews

Every moment of my English Summer Camp volunteer experience has taught me so much about commitment and determination. I had an amazing, eye-opening experience volunteering in Talca and Santiago and would greatly cherish the opportunity to return to Chile to work with the EODP in future.

The EODP has highlighted the importance of continuing to learn, explore, and grow. My time in Chile has given me the necessary confidence and skills to continue testing personal horizons by traveling and connecting with people all over the world. I hope my students learned as much from me as I did from them!

Working with children and teenagers is both humbling and empowering. It is an experience I will never forget. In education, opportunities are endless. The EODP has helped me take advantage of a privilege academic background to take initiative, leave behind any inhibitions, and stand up for what I believe is important: every child should benefit from an engaging, fun, and intellectually stimulating education.

I will always treasure my new relationships and friendships from my 2 weeks, whether with my summer camp monitor, fellow volunteers, or student. People mean everything and I can't thank my Chilean MINEDUC and National Volunteer Center friends for the good times and challenges during my volunteer experience.

EODP was definitely the right choice for me. As a recent college graduate who wanted to have an international volunteer experience in my ¨gap year¨ between going to graduate school, EODP offered me exactly what I was looking for. The program is well organized and my personal experience was very positive in nearly all aspects. The Chilean students, although much rowdier than students in my country, were also much more eager and vibrant.

The support staff aren't really there for the volunteers as they claim at the start of the program. Quite regularly they would respond to my emails late with very vague, broad, useless answers like some customer service reps trying to avoid responsibility. The worst of it was when I had to be hospitalized because of a very acute form of tonsilitis which required IV treatment. I had a really hard time dealing with the insurance company and because of that my condition got progressively worse and worse before I was finally admitted into the hospital. The support team did not help me. The disease repeated itself for me about a week later with same symptoms but on a Sunday when the clinic where the insurance company has an agreement is closed. I searched for urgent help from the program coordinators. Was told that they couldn't do anything about it until the next day. I was also advised to pay out of pocket at any medical facility and reassured I'd be reimbursed for my expenses later. Thankfully, I did not do it because the out-of-pocket transportation expenses I did make were not reimbursed. The reaction of the support staff was that they never told me that I could take a taxi and get reimbursed (which they did) and even went as far as making a scene and slamming money out of their own pocket on my table in the dining room of the hostel in Santiago.

The task at hand of teaching English is very challenging being at public schools where kids don't care about English at all. What is more, the English teachers often don't actually speak English.

Furthermore, Chile is cold and the food is bad. Perhaps the reason why I spent over a month sick and was even hospitalized. We did not have any heating neither at the school nor at my host family so the only place to find some body warmth is in bed. For 4 months. 90% of what we ate was bread. I practically did not see vegetables other than the occasional tomato for my entire stay. The idea of my host family of a good meal on a weekend was hot dogs.

The social scene was definitely lacking in the town of Los Angeles, but I managed to find some friends outside of the school and program's circles. Main activity of young people seems to be to go to the "campos" and drink, eat BBQ and talk.

To do anything fun outside the program, plenty of money is necessary. Chile is expensive and even mountains are private, so you can't just go on a hike, you have to pay for a company to take you.

The EODP program was everything I was looking for in a volunteer experience. They gave a stipend, provided a host family, and even provided travel health insurance and the visa. I hoped to get some practice in on my Spanish skills and do what I love -- teaching EFL -- at the same time.

My host family situation was ideal. They didn't live far from the school, the host mom was a retired teacher from the school I was working in and she also happened to be an excellent cook. She had children my age, which was helpful for making acquaintances.

My (2) fellow English Teachers were welcoming and helpful. I plan on being in contact with them far into the future. With my head teacher, were both teachaholics and spent a lot of time planning activities and lessons for our classes. Both of the English Teachers were a big help in the beginning when I wasn't so confident in Spanish and we helped eachother with our language learning endeavors.

I was in a public school in a fairly urban environment. Many of my students came from vulnerable backgrounds. They had single parent homes, problems with abuse or neglect, alcoholism or drug addiction in their family, and I had many students who were either parents or who were expecting, many of them also got their main meal everyday from the school cafeteria. They had various behaviour problems because their home lives weren't the easiest. On top of this the Chilean classroom can best be described as...chaotic. Cellphones, tablets, headphones and side conversations are normal fare.

Even so, my students were my favorite people. I spent all day with them in the classroom. I saw them in the halls and sometimes saw them in town. They played tricks on me, they made me laugh, the majority of them gave English a try in my classroom and we had a good time. I had very few problems with behavior, the majority of the problems were in the beginning when students test their new teacher.

If you are interested in Teaching EFL, working with teenagers (particularly teens with difficult home lives), becoming part of a community and discovering a different culture, this program could be for you!

After spending ample time searching for programs to live and teach abroad, I chose to go to Chile through Programa Inglés Abre Puertas. I have my BS in Childhood with Special Education and Spanish, so not only was I looking for a memorable experience, but I desired a program that would allow me the professionalism and responsibility of a teaching position, yet still give enough freedom to teach as I wanted to. After a year of service, this program exceeded my expectations.

The National Volunteer Center Team was caring, poised, and attentive to the diverse needs of all volunteers. Communication was always clear and I had clear ideas of what the expectations were for us as volunteers. For example, one month after arriving there was an strong earthquake in the north of the country. I promptly received a phone call from the team making sure I was safe and my family in the United States was notified that I was okay.

Another reason that this program impressed me is because of the training that volunteers receive. I have attended professional development programs in the United States and the material covered in the training is up-to-date and shows the latest research in education.

If you are looking for a means to travel, have a good time, and earn money, this is not the program for you. Being a teacher means being a positive role model for the entire community and it is important that you embody this as a volunteer and assume the responsibility. In addition, you are a volunteer, which means that you are not doing this for profit. You will have enough money, but it is important to bring extra, especially if you want to travel when there are breaks from school.

Being a teacher means that you will be responsible, flexible, and humorous. You need to step out of your comfort zone to be successful. With an open mind and the ability to clearly voice your opinions, you will love this program. It is unique for all volunteers and is an experience that you will never want to forget.

I came to Chile with some tutoring and teaching experience. I wanted to get out of the United States, practice teaching, and learn more Spanish. This program helped me to do all these things. They provide a strong introduction to teaching methods and support throughout your stay. The program is a lot of work because you teaching many Chilean students (I worked with over 200 students per week). Because of what I wanted out of my experience this was perfect for me. The more effort I put into the work and community the more I got out. This is an amazing opportunity if you go into with the right motivations and a desire to be challenged.

I think that the English Opens Doors program was a wonderful and enriching experience. I have my degree in Spanish Education so I'm not a stranger to teaching, but I had wanted to 'get my feet wet' with TEFL for quite some time. The EOD program seemed like a great opportunity to do just that! Rather than moving and trying to teach English on my own, having the support of a program attracted me. I was also inspired by the fact that the EOD program has the support of both the United Nations and the Chilean Ministry of Education, so you know that you are contributing to something much bigger than yourself.

As for finances, you do have to pay for your flight yourself, but it is pretty generous for a volunteer program. The visa fee is covered, you receive health insurance, and you get lodging and three meals a day from your host family. You also get a monthly allowance to pay for transportation, extra food, etc. The only negative thing is that this money isn't available until the end of the semester, but English Opens Doors is very transparent about the fact that you should have enough savings for you to get buy until your check comes in.

I loved teaching in Antofagasta and the students were what made it worthwhile. I would say that I had somewhat of an atypical experience, because I worked in a semi-private (subvencionado) school that had an excellent English curriculum and English teachers in the double digits! Therefore, I had a lot of support from the fellow English teachers and my students were relatively advanced. Some schools have a much lower level of English and not as much support. I was also very apprehensive about behavior management, but having a system in place helped potential problems. However, behavior management can be a rougher issue in the fully-public schools, because there you teach children in vulnerable situations. But I have heard of many volunteers enjoying their experience in these schools as well.

It was great to interact with the students, say 'Hello' to them in the hallways, and see their projects and extra curricular activities (plays, etc.). And while you will always get at least a couple students who aren't really interested in English, I was overall very impressed with my students' motivation and creativity in the classroom. They would say things in English that made me laugh every day!

My host family was also very supportive and I couldn't have asked for a better family to be placed with! I was a little nervous to live with a Chilean family but it seems like most of the families who host volunteers really care about the program and they are excited to meet you. I found that this dynamic was very different than that of a study abroad program, where families host students due to financial reasons rather than a desire for a cultural exchange. My host family definitely had their heart in the right place and they made me feel like a part of their family from the very first day.

Also, I appreciate the transparency and organization of the English Opens Doors program. While getting our placement information seemed a bit unorganized, I think that the orientation in Santiago did a fantastic job giving us a crash-course on TEFL and teaching us about Chilean culture. Also, EOD made their teaching model very clear to us so that helped me understand their expectations (ex: taking half the class, having your own classroom, etc.). The volunteer center was also prompt to respond to emails and I felt very supported throughout the whole semester.

Of course, there were some difficulties. It was hard for me to get used to the family-centered nature of Chilean culture because I've always been very independent. Sometimes it was also challenging finding planning time with teachers or controlling a particular class. But these problems are very small in comparison to the wonderful experience that I've gained...I already miss my Chilean students and I've only been gone for a few weeks. I highly recommend this program if you are flexible, passionate about teaching, and open to new cultural experiences.

I came across the EOD program by sheer luck. I say that because normally when you look around for programs that allow you to volunteer, they usually ask for a fee. This program does not. In fact it offers you a stipend for teaching. It might not be a huge amount but honestly you won´t need more than that as the program gives you options between staying with a host family or staying on your own. If you choose to stay alone then they give you stipend which covers your living expenses (around 2,15,000 CLP) and if you choose to stay with a host family then they pay you 60,000 CLP because you food and room are already taken care of by the family.
The best thing about the program is that everyone is super coordinated and always reachable. They try their best to make the transition of a volunteers, from their countries to the assigned region, as smooth and hassle free as possible.
When you reach Chile you are not pushed into teaching without any training. We had a week long orientation that prepared me for the task ahead. Teaching English can be a lot of fun but it is hard work too, and the orientation gets you into the right mindset for the same. I got some valuable tips and amazing lesson plans that I was able to use successfully during my service. It also allows to share your ideas and gain some amazing ones from the other volunteers. Plus I can guarantee that it´s not just work because it´s an active week and you get to actually practice with the activities that you think which helps you see if the activities would really work out or not.
I was assigned to a school in the beautiful little town of Los Muermos in the south of Chile. It was all that I imagined and much more. The kids loved having a foreigner all to themselves :). They have hundreds of questions and are super delighted to have some one answer those. I can say for sure that the kids would love you way more than you can imagine and actually put in more effort than they normally do just so that you would not be disappointed or to hear you say ¨ Excellent Job!¨ :). The teachers were lovely, helpful and super patient considering that I spoke zero Spanish when I came to Chile. The EOD team, my host family and the teachers made sure that I settled in my new environment and received all the material that I needed for my classes with in two weeks as the postal service in little towns can be pretty tricky.
My host family was like way better than I could have imagined! They were super accommodating and they made me feel at home instantly. I had a room to myself and the house was impeccable! Clean, big, warm and full of lovely people. My experience has not only equipped me with valuable knowledge about teaching English as a second language but has also made me a better teacher considering I taught kids who spoke very little English because I spoke zero Spanish.
I would recommend this program highly as it´s definitely one of it´s kind . It´s an amazing experience and definitely makes you realize that you can help and in the process you end up learning! :)

English Open Doors Program was a fantastic experience! The orientation was very comprehensive and I felt totally prepared when I arrived at my placement. I had all the tools necessary to enter the classroom and into Chilean life. I loved teaching my classes and developed strong connections with my students. Every day students were excited to come to "La clase de La Miss." We would learn vocab, have conversations, and play games. During my program, I saw my students´ English improve and their confidence increase dramatically. I felt I had made a difference and was a real part of my school and local community. I also had an incredible host family that included me as if I was their daughter. We laughed a lot together and my Spanish improved immensely. Professionally, it was valuable experience working in foreign country, and something I know stands out on my resume. Personally, I learned I lot about myself. It was a challenging, but nothing more than I could handle. Overall, it was a truly rewarding and immersive experience.

I volunteered with the English Opens Doors Program from April-November 2013. I worked at a public high school in Coronel, Chile throughout the duration of my volunteer service. I found my work to be challenging, but I really enjoyed my time there and found the experience very rewarding. The teachers and students were extremely warm and welcoming. Staff members seemed to support my work at the high school as well as the mission of the EODP.

During the orientation, we had been forewarned of some of the difficulties we would face, but I'm not sure I was fully prepared for some of the challenges I encountered in my work. I had to learn how to become more flexible and more patient. One thing I was not prepared for was the temperature inside of the school building. I come from Chicago where we've seen experienced some extremely harsh winters, but our heating systems make those winters bearable. Even though the winters are much milder in Coronel, I had a difficult time staying warm with a winter jacket and multiple layers of clothing.

My high school was often described as "vulnerable" or "complicated". At the beginning of my experience, I was overwhelmed and frustrated, because I felt that the students' environments--both at home and at school--impeded them from learning. I was rarely able to complete the lesson that I had so carefully developed. I was finally able to make progress with my students when I changed my attitude. The environment wasn't perfect, but I had to accept that I was not going to be able to make deep, systemic changes to the school or education system in the little time that I would spend there. I think that the English Opens Doors Program has amazing potential to do great work in schools like mine. The students who were motivated to learn English had the advantage of being able to learn from and practice with a native speaker. The students who were not as motivated to learn were able to participate in a cultural exchange. Many of my students had never met another foreigner and had never thought about travelling. It was profound to see these students' horizons expand past Coronel during our interactions.

For the first three months of the program, I was living with a family in the same town where I worked. Although the people in Coronel were very nice, I had a difficult time adjusting, because I lived in a neighborhood that was far from any sort of commercial or entertainment district. I was not within walking distance of downtown Coronel or even my high school and the buses stop around 11PM. Because of those factors, it was hard to find things to do and difficult to meet potential friends. I met most of my friends through my guide teacher, but the majority of them lived in Lota, a town further west of Coronel. I was living with a host family, but did not feel welcome in their home and struggled to connect with them. When I finally decided that my living situation was not the best fit for me, I moved to an apartment in Concepcion, the nearest big city. Even though I had a much longer bus ride to school, I preferred the longer commute to my living situation with the family in Coronel. I felt much less lonely and enjoyed the environment of a thriving city like Concepcion.

The English Opens Doors Program has opened a lot of doors for me. During my experience, I was able to build skills that I will draw from throughout my entire professional career. Chile has left a lasting impression on my heart. I was able to build so many beautiful and meaningful relationships that I hope to maintain for the rest of my life. I would absolutely recommend this program.