| Teaching
English In Chile |
| English
As A Second Language |
| By Emily Tell |
| The globalization
of the economy has had a direct impact on the Chilean people to learn and
be conversant in English. In this article I will explain why and talk about
visa options for tourists interested in teaching English. Without a doubt
English is the international language. Although other languages such as
French, Spanish, and even Chinese represent a large population and may
be diplomatic in nature, business and diplomacy are carried out in English.
Up until 1973
Chile’s economy was closed in the sense that the major industries such
as mining were national and foreigners could not invest. This changed under
the Pinochet government and since then the country has been “invaded”
by investors from all over the world. |
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| Take the
mining industry for example. There are currently many joint ventures
based in the mineral rich north of the country consisting of Chilean and
foreign partners. Many investors come from Canada as well as Australia
and whose native language is English. Another industry which has
been opened up and heavily invested in is the maritime industry. The Japanese
have been the principal investors in this industry. They have provided
technological infrastructure to improve harvesting cycles of natural water
fish and seafood in the south.
Due to this
investment in the Chilean economy, the engineering profession is one
of the most popular academic areas of study. Within the profession of engineering
there are specializations such as mining, civil, industrial, chemical and
commercial engineering. This latter one translates into English as “business
administration.” With a major in business administration, Chileans
can run and supervise North American companies and affiliates in Chile.
So the need for engineers to be fluent in English directly relates to their
employment possibilities whether for a joint venture mining company or
at a salmon packing factory in the south. Professionals also need English
if they plan to do a graduate degree in any European or North American
university. |
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| There is
also a segment of Chilean professionals who need English to do research
or publish in English. In this case, reading and writing in English
come into play more than actually speaking the language. Teaching English
in Chile can be viewed economically as a direct response for integration
into the global economy through trade agreements with the United States,
the Asia-Pacific region and the European Union.
Consequently,
private language institutes have grown ten-fold as a result and a national
academic program has been implemented so that children will be fluent in
English by high school.
The initial
phase of the 18-month-old program, officially known as “English Opens
Doors,” calls for all Chilean elementary and high school students to
be able to pass a standardized listening and reading test a decade from
now. |
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Offshore Resources Gallery
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| But the more
ambitious long-term goal is to make all 15 million of Chile’s people fluent
in English within a generation (New York Times, 12/29/04, A4, p.23)
Hiring Practices
In Private Institutes
When it comes
to hiring Chilean and North American English teachers in private institutes
there are different practices. One main difference is that for North Americans,
it is not necessary to have studied education or be certified as an ESL
teacher. This is because North Americans are valued and hired for their
accent and to teach conversation classes. According to the institutes,
it is easier to teach conversation classes since the student already knows
the grammar.
It doesn’t
matter much if the teacher is experienced or not. Often, many institutes
have a native English speaker target quota and will hire native English
speakers regardless if they have graduated in psychology or construction.
Unfortunately, this does not apply for Chilean English teachers. Chileans
must demonstrate teaching certification though sometimes growing in an
English speaking country can be enough. |
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| Another difference
is that native English speakers also get preference for vacations over
Chilean teachers who in most cases have been working longer. This is because
native English teachers may have only planned to work a short period of
time and as an incentive for them to stay longer the institute gives them
preference. Finally, students more often request native speakers over Chileans
because not only will they practice English with a native speaker but be
in a semi-social, intimate situation, which they probably may not otherwise
be in due to diverse social factors. English classes seen from this
viewpoint take on a new role. Therefore, they are not only regarded in
a linguistic sense but as a cultural and social opportunity for the Chilean
student to exchange viewpoints and experiences with foreigners who he or
she might not have the opportunity to do otherwise.
How To Get
A Job |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| There are
many ways to get a job as an ESL teacher in Chile.
If you are starting from your country of origin then I would suggest the
Internet since many of the large and medium sized institutes have a web
presence. You can simply send your resume to the human resources department
indicated in the site or call to find out about further procedures. So
you can arrange a work situation before arriving and even guarantee a work
visa or housing arrangement which some institutes also offer.
There are different
types of visas in Chile but for the purposes of ESL teaching the
tourist visa and the temporary work visa (“visa sujeto a contrato”)
are the most relevant. All tourists entering Chile who are not students
on an exchange program for example are given a tourist visa, which is valid
for three months. If you stay longer than three months, for whatever reason,
you must renew the visa for an additional three months either by leaving
and then entering the country or paying US$100 to the Chilean government.
Most often North Americans begin teaching English on a tourist visa thereby
illegally work for employers and are paid in cash or check. Tourists teaching
English do not pay taxes (which is a standard 20%) even though some
institutes will take 20% out of your paycheck for “administrative reasons”
like running the risk of having the immigration service catch them hiring
tourists without contracts. If you know that you will only be working
for 3 months or less, this is the road to go – work on a tourist visa because
chances are you won’t get caught by the immigration service. On the
other hand, if you are planning to work for more than three months find
an employer who will give you a contract in exchange for a temporary visa.
Then you won't have to renew the tourist visa every three months.
Instead, you renew the temporary one annually and provide the Chilean INS
with specific documentation, which are provided by the employer. The contract
is one of several documents you need to renew your visa. Make sure
you understand this process well as many institutes do not take the time
to explain it. They frequently make contractual mistakes, which hinder
and delay the issuance of your visa.
Research
On Teaching English
The Internet
is a great resource to find out about experiences of other North Americans
who taught English in Chile. There are sites which specifically publish
people’s experiences such as Dave's café so readers can get ideas
and opinions about teaching environments, employers, visas, countries,
etc. Don't underestimate the Internet - it can really offer a lot
information yet don't take everybody's opinions to heart either!
For those spontaneous people, going on a tourist visa to Chile and waiting
to see once you get there is also a possibility. All it takes is
some basic Spanish to understand the yellow pages and get a hold of some
institutes either by phone, Internet or in person. I personally recommend
this option since getting a feel for the work environment is as important
as securing a contract beforehand. Plus going and seeing various
institutes’ gives you the opportunity to choose which one you like the
best! When you finally decide to go with an institute usually you
will be trained even if you don't have ESL experience. If
you do, you'll probably have to do the training anyway since not all institutes
have the same methodology or approach. Some use computers while others
have textbooks for example. Training is valuable and useful for your future
teaching and will give you some level of confidence in the classroom. Assuming
you get hired, then most likely you will be offered a part time or full
time shift in the institute. Since students also have classes in their
offices and homes, you may also be asked to go there. These are the two
basic set-ups. Another issue is how much control institutes have
or think they have over your time. Be careful of institutes which give
you a contract in exchange for the right to control your time schedule
whereby you always have to be available and committed to them. Teaching
English is by no means the best paying job and you should be able to work
for more than one employer if you choose to do so.
This was
just a basic introduction to teaching English in Chile and by no means
an authoritative one. I wanted to show where Chile is at in relation
to the global economy and the factors motivating the learning and teaching
of English. Finally I presented some practical information for the adventurous
travelers who want to spend some time working and getting a feel for a
foreign culture but are not aware of the options both legally and from
an employment perspective.
To contact
Emily Click Here
To see her
web site Click Here |
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