Teaching
English In Chile
English
As A Second Language ~ by Emily Tell
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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. 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. |
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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. 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. 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)
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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. 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. |
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How To
Get A Job
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.
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| 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. |
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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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