English Opens Doors Program: Teach in Chile for Free

I flew to Chile in pursuit of both a professional and cultural experience. Professionally, I wanted to further develop my management, presentation, and organization skills. Culturally, I wanted to become absorbed in another perspective of the world than what I had been previously exposed to.

I had taken a TEFL class before the going to Chile, but most of the others in my EODP training in Santiago had not done so. I could not speak Spanish when I arrived. Some others in my training program could speak Spanish, but a large majority could not. The program asks that you only use English in the classroom.

I worked in Chillan, 5 hours south of Santiago, in the Bio Bio Region (8), teaching both elementary and high school level students (which was rare, normally an EODP teacher would have either one age group or the other). My school and host family received me warmly. The program meets with all of the host families before sending a volunteer to make sure the house is acceptable. I know that some volunteers had better home situations than others, but if there is a serious issue you can reach out to EODP and they will change your living situation. Small issues should be dealt with by the volunteer communicating with the family.

The EODP team is responsive to volunteers' problems. For example, I had a problem with the extension of my visa and EODP jumped on it that day--calling the office who had turned down my application, following up with me the next day and the next week to ensure all was sorted.

EODP has their main staff team in Santiago, but each region has a representative who is also available to help if needed. Personally, my regional representative was great--observing my class and providing constructive feedback, welcoming me upon my arrival to the region, and more generally providing another source of support should I have had an issue.

Because EODP volunteers only know their region when traveling to Santiago for training there are a lot of variables which one cannot control. You do not know what specific town you will be in, who your host family is, or what grade your students will be in. That said, you will know your region so you can anticipate the weather and pack accordingly, you will know that you have your own bedroom, and you will know that you will be working with students in elementary or high school (I think high school age was more prevalent amongst the volunteers when I was teaching, but that is no more than anecdotal).

So, with many variables to be determined, you must come to Chile with an open mind as to what your experience will be. Chileans value spending time with one another greatly, so putting in time with your host family, the teachers at your school, or whoever you interact with in your town is vital to develop the bonds that will improve your experience.

I found Chileans, in general, to be extremely friendly and happy to help me with my Spanish or whatever I needed help with. If you can pick up a few Chilean slang words and use them that will be a real crowd pleaser.

In short, you have to create your own success and happiness in this program, but EODP provides you with the framework to do so. There are many variables, and most likely not all will be ideal. But, you have the resources (host family, school, EODP, regional representative, other volunteers) to ask for help or advice when navigating a new or tough situation.

Tip: Bring down a little portable speaker (not wireless) for your class, as well as loads of newspaper clippings for your classroom wall or activities.

I reached Santiago having little expectation about what was coming up. To start with, I found the orientation in Santiago to be very thorough. We were well prepared and equipped to start teaching. As far as the teaching experience in Copiapo is concerned, it all proved to be a great one as well. There are issues that arise while teaching, but in my opinion it all turns out well if one is flexible enough and clear about the idea that we are volunteering to do good to somebody - the volunteering is much more for the students and their happiness than ours. In the starting, for 1-2 weeks, I did not have a white-board to teach and for a month too little a room to fit in 18 students - such situations come and they pass by as well. My head teacher and regional representative were a very good support. The school was very welcoming and kids enthusiastic about being with me (if not always enthusiastic about learning English). At the end of the day, a few students started speaking more English and showed more interest and that I considered as a good enough reward!

I came into the program with my husband and we chose to live independently - so I don't have a host family experience to share. There were other ways by which we met and interacted with the local Chilean people like our school teachers and host families of other volunteers - Chilean people are usually warm and welcoming. I did not ever find the teaching & lesson planning hectic and we had enough time to go travelling every weekend, cook food at home and invite people over.

Last 2 weeks of the service went in English Winter Camps - here elder students (from medio) who are interested in learning English come. There is a lot of time volunteers and kids spend together doing various activities. There is such a great connection one can form in just a week's time! I felt the camps were very encouraging for the students. And so the 4 months of volunteering ended well.

I did my first service in the Northern Chilean city, Iquique. I worked at a semi-private school, and there were three other volunteers in my city, one teaching at an all boys school, the other teaching in a semi-private school and the other teaching in a private school. I had fantastic students, and the staff at the school were friendly. The two English teachers I worked with were really kind, and both had their own style of teaching their classes.

My transition from orientation in Santiago, to Iquique and later to Concepción was really smooth.

My second service with EODP was about 7 hours South of Santiago, in a small town outside of Concepción, called Chiguayante. I loved it here because it had all the benefits of living in a big city such as Santiago, but with lots more open green space. I worked with one of the two English teachers at my school, which was a public school. There were not many material resources in this school. The English books were not sufficient, and very difficult to follow. In this case, the teacher and I worked together to make sure students were being challenged, and that they were learning the mile stone content needed to move into the next level of English. I would say my experience working at this particular school was a lot more challenging than the first school I was in, maybe, partially due to lack of resources, but I learned a lot from the students and I had a good time while I was there. I was left out of work for over a month while the public schools, including the one I volunteered at, went on strike.

My experience with the English Opens Doors Program was more than positive. Everything was not perfect, but all in all, the program is set up in a way to really help the volunteer succeed.

Each volunteer will have a different experience, no doubt, but my perspective and my goal of doing what I could to intrigue students to learn English, I found were important when things did not go as planned.

During my stay, I had time to travel and see Chile, and met wonderful people along the way who have made a lasting impact on me. I made great friends with the English teachers and their families and I keep in touch with them even today.

My volunteer service was between April 2015 and November 2015, and I arrived to Chile speaking almost no Spanish.

The program was very supportive throughout, and addressed any concerns I had. Although I already had teaching experiences, the one-week orientation prepared me well to teach in another country.

I could not have asked for more for my host family, who I continued to live with after my service ended. They were considerate and respectful, and treated me as part of their family.

The school was great too, with a lot of support not only from the English teachers, but also from other colleagues. I was honored to plant the seed of interest in English amongst the students.

I studied to become a Spanish teacher in the US, but as graduation neared, I realized I was not ready to take a “traditional” path into my career. I had always wanted to teach English in a Spanish-speaking country and when I found EODP, I knew it was the perfect program for me.

I was a year long volunteer in a small city in La Araucanía region in 2013. I lived in Chile’s poorest region in one of the country’s poorest cities, but the people there were some of the most generous I know. I fell in love with my school and community, despite the lack of resources and the vulnerability I so often witnessed. I felt as though I truly made a difference and I had become a real part of the community. My biggest challenge was making friends with people my age, since most were either students at the university (living an hour away) or already had families to take care of. My host family was so accepting of me, especially my host mom who I lived with. She was a teacher at the school as well, so we always had in-depth conversations about education and life in general. She truly became a second mother to me and has helped me in so many ways. I know that she would defend me like a lioness protects her cubs, even today, after almost three years!

After my volunteer service in 2013, I returned to the United States to work and pay student loans, but I knew that I needed to return to Chile. There’s something about this country that just pulls you back! haha…So I decided to return as a volunteer for the second semester of 2015. I returned to the ninth region, but instead chose to be placed in a larger city. My experience, although in the same region, was completely different! I worked in one of the largest public schools in the city, one with resources and a strong political presence in the city. The teachers I worked with had very contrasting personalities and teaching perspectives, which made my work very interesting. Since the school was so large, the teachers were very divided and communication was often an issue. I didn’t feel the same sense of community that I had in my first placement, but the English department and school principal made great efforts to support me and to show me how much they appreciated my services to the school. Honestly, though, it was the students who made my experience worthwhile (just like the first time). I learned that in the city, a very classist environment, the students were just as vulnerable as my students from the campo, they just found methods to disguise it…It was difficult to leave my students. A semester definitely was not enough time!

Throughout both of my volunteer experiences, I found the orientation week to be extremely beneficial, even as someone with formal teacher training and experience. The program definitely puts you to work during the training sessions, but I can say from personal experience and from the majority of other volunteers I know, the people who fully take advantage of it as an opportunity to learn as much as possible and ask a lot of questions before starting in their placements, are the ones most prepared and have a better experience in their schools.

I was impressed with how organized the program was, but I can say that I feel a sense of pride after participating a second time and seeing how many things have improved and how well they have taken into consideration the recommendations of former volunteers. During my second service, even prior to applying, I felt that the support staff responded to my questions in a very timely manner. Thinking about how minor I felt that my problems were and the fact that I was one volunteer out of more than 100 in the country, I couldn’t believe how they addressed my concerns as though they were just as much of a priority as the other issues.

If you are looking for a place to travel and party and learn Spanish, you will experience those things here, but I wouldn’t recommend the program to you…This is a program for people wanting to experience first hand the culture and public education system of Chile. It is a program that you can be proud to be a part of. It is a truly life-changing experience, but just like anything, it is not all sunshine all the time. If you give your all, it will steal your heart.

I could not recommend the English Opens Doors Program enough!

I was so nervous going into the program as I had never taught English before. Having said that I knew that I would have the right energy and personality to relate with high schoolers due to past experiences. Personality is the huge difference between having a positive and negative experience. It is so important to be interactive and energetic and have well prepared classes because with out that your teaching may fall flat and neither you nor your students will enjoy the experience.

That being said, the week long orientation gave me a lot of confidence in how to manage my class and how to lesson plan. It is amazing everything that can be learned in one week but I really felt equipped to fulfill my role as a volunteer once the week was over. It is important to remember that your chilean counterpart is responsible for the more tedious aspects of teaching grammar and sentence structure and your class is meant to incorporate whatever is being taught in their regular class with an interactive lesson in English. The orientation does a great job of giving sample lessons that show you exactly how to create an interactive class. It is important to be honest with yourself when applying to this program as it does require a certain confidence to run a class.

My host family and location placement was so fantastic. I did have a hiccup with my host family and that story is slightly complicated as they are like a second family to me and they really accepted me as a daughter. That being said sometimes you have to be proactive about your situation and that makes all the difference in these types of situations that require a sense of flexibility. The program was extremely attentive to my particular situation however there is only so much they can do so you have to be ready to accept challenges as they come. Leaving my community was pretty heartbreaking as I had grown to really love my town. I did feel that had there every been an emergency of some sort I would have received the support I needed. The staff is extremely professional and efficient in their jobs.

In terms of placement, I had requested a rural placement and thus my experience was unlike most others as many had requested city or mid-sized city experiences. Because of this, I was placed in a community where I was the first and only volunteer. In terms of a rural placement it was absolutely the right fit for me. I was able to engage and be a part of a community in such an incredible way. My host family was amazing and related to half the town, my head teacher and I clicked extremely well, and I of course loved all my students. Most days I would run into my students outside of class which added to the community feel. Talking with other volunteers I know many enjoyed the opportunity to meet up with volunteers in their area so if that is something you think is important then I would not choose a rural placement. Although I did not have other volunteers to lean on, I think it enhanced my experience because it meant I had to be incredibly participatory in the community to make friends and because of that I had a very authentic cultural experience.

To start with, the orientation in Santiago was really fantastic. I didn't expect to really learn a lot during a single week's orientation but it exceeded my expectations and did genuinely prepare me for my teaching experience in Chile. I'd done a 120-hour TEFL course in the past and this orientation left me feeling much more prepared for EFL teaching than the course did (maybe that's a bad sign about the course I took though!).

I was assigned to teach in a public school in Temuco in La Araucanía region for 3 months and lived with a warm and welcoming Chilean family. Since I didn't find a lot of information about living in Temuco before arriving and in case someone is heading that way, it's quite a useful place to live in (big enough for all the stores/cafes/bars you'll need) but not particularly exciting! The nice thing about living in the south though is that you're never far from a beautiful national park or the coast. As for the teaching, I found that I had all of the preparation and materials that I needed and I really enjoyed working with and getting to know my students. Sometimes it's frustrating working with Chilean schools since they can be very poorly organized and plans change at very short notice, but when I was actually in my classroom teaching I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Again with living with a host family, there are times when the adjustment is difficult/frustrating but that's also part of the fun and what you should expect from living with a family in another country. One of the great things about this program is that you're really immersed in Chilean culture and you have no choice but to really improve your Spanish (I had friends who went there with no Spanish and they did fine as well, don't worry).

Overall, there definitely are difficulties associated with living and working in Chile but the EDOP offered consistently good support and advice throughout the program. I was also placed in a school where I felt like I made a difference and I formed really strong relationships with my Chilean host-family and students.

I completed the fall 2014 volunteer service. I think like many of the reviews here, it is very particular to the school and family you are placed with in Chile. I was in a suburb of Santiago in a semi-private school. Overall, it was a very positive experience, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to do a volunteer program and/or learn Spanish. You receive an excellent training and orientation and leave with great tools for your semester in the schools. Also, from talking to other ex-pats and foreign travelers in Chile, I think it's one of the very few volunteer programs where you don't have to pay to volunteer.

I've taught in the past in the United States, and anyone considering needs to be aware that it is VERY different than teaching in the U.S.. Discipline and teaching styles are very different in Chile. The Chilean students weren't usually rude or disrespectful, but they are accustomed to talking and doing what they want during lectures. It was very frustrating sometimes and maybe even a little harder because I had expectations for how high school students in the U.S. usually acted in a classroom. However, the program is very open about the discipline differences in Chile and behavior and give you lots of good ideas and strategies in the orientation. It's overall very rewarding and I loved the teachers and students I met. Several staff members reached out to me and I was lucky enough to make friends this way.

I think it's also a great way to start your adventures in Chile and it offers a way for you to make a positive difference as well!