Apply for a Free Volunteer Program To Teach English in Chile

Teaching Traveling: Get excited!

Here are the details about a program where you can volunteer for FREE (no volunteer fees to pay as there too often are!) to teach English in Chile!

Read on as I interview volunteer recruiter, Dave about this opportunity. (As background, Dave was a volunteer in the program, himself, before taking his current job.)

Dave, what is the English Opens Doors Program?

Dave: The English Opens Doors Program (Programa Inglés Abre Puertas) is an initiative supported by the Chilean Ministry of Education. The Program works to improve English-language education throughout the Chilean public school system.

The National Volunteer Center, which is a branch of the English Opens Doors Program and is supported by the United Nations Development Programme Chile, recruits native and near-native English speakers to teach.

TT: What do volunteers do?

D:English speakers come to Chile through our program to work as teaching assistants in Chilean classrooms, specifically to improve students’ listening and speaking skills. Volunteers teach and encourage the study of English while living with Chilean host families and interacting with members of the local community.

TT: Fabulous! Where can a volunteer teach?

D: Volunteers can teach anywhere from the Atacama Desert, to Patagonia, to everywhere in between! Chile is one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world, and volunteers are placed throughout the entire country. A majority of volunteers teach in schools outside of Santiago, which greatly enhances the ability to immerse oneself in the Chilean culture and really become a part of the community.

TT: Who is eligible?

D: The only requirements that the English Opens Doors Program requires of applicants is that they be native to near-native English speakers, with a degree from an accredited institution.

TT: When can interested volunteers come?

D: In 2012 there will be five different Volunteer Service Initiatives lasting between 5 and 9 months each, depending. The first begins in late February and the last begins in late July. Services run until the end of November.

TT: Does it cost anything to volunteer in Chile? What benefits do volunteers receive?

D: Unlike similar programs, the English Opens Doors Program does not charge volunteers a fee for participation! Volunteers need only arrange for their transportation to and from Santiago, Chile.

The program provides the following: home-stay with a Chilean family, meals, a participation bonus of 60,000 CLP for each month of completed service, health insurance, TEFL training, and access to an online Spanish course.

TT: What should people do if they are interested in Participating?

D: We are currently looking for qualified individuals who might be interested in coming to Chile to participate in one of our Volunteer Service Initiatives in 2012.

For more information about this volunteer opportunity please visit our website at www.centrodevoluntarios.cl.

TT: Thanks so much, Dave! Readers, I hope some of you take advantage of this great opportunity. If you do, please report back about how it goes!