Chile

In comparison to many other Latin American countries, Chile has a strong economy and a relatively prosperous population. This situation means that the country has a strong demand for English language teachers across the country, particularly in the fields of business related English and teaching English to young learners. To provide for this ever growing demand, you will find many private language schools in most parts of the country, although the greatest number are located in the country’s capital city, Santiago. As long as you have an internationally recognised TEFL qualification, you should be able to secure an English language teaching job in Chile.

How to Find a TEFL Job in Chile

It is possible to secure a teaching position in Chile from outside of the country as many employers do advertise their vacant positions online. However, you should not restrict your job search to only schools that are actually advertising positions, as jobs often become available at short notice. It is a good idea to contact as many potential employers as you can find in order to maximise your chances of securing a job. In order to find potential employers you can make use of a wide variety of sources including online newspapers, telephone and business directories, language teaching websites and online school directories.

Once you have compiled a list of potential employers you should contact their human resources department or even the school director by telephone or email. You should also back up this initial contact by sending them an up-to-date CV/resume which includes a recent photograph. Hopefully this approach will result in a positive outcome, however, even if the schools you contact are not looking for anyone at the time, they will normally keep your details on file so you will be in with a good chance when a job does become available.

The best time to start applying for teaching jobs in Chile is around October as many schools prefer to have their positions filled well in advance of the start of the school year in March. However, as many positions are filled so far in advance of the school year it is not unusual for these arrangements to fall through before the job actually begins. Due to this, many schools will be looking to fill positions right up until the start of the school year and beyond.

Questions to Ask Employers

If you are offered a teaching position that you are interested in, you should make sure that you are clear on a few important issues before you accept the job or sign a contract. Firstly, you should make sure that you have precise details regarding your pay scale, the amount of hours you will be expected to work, as well as any benefits you are entitled to such as travel expenses, health care or housing support. It is also a good idea to know what equipment and materials you will have access to when planning and carrying out your lessons. Finally, you should also enquire about the need for work permits or visas and whether the employer will help with the organisation and expense of any official paperwork you may require.

Job Expectations in Chile

Many schools in Chile provide their own in-house teacher training program that most new employees are expected to take part in before they are able to take full control of their own classrooms. However, if you possess an internationally recognised TEFL qualification of 120 hours or more that involved observed teaching practice, you should be able to avoid this requirement. If you find yourself working in a private English language school, you may well find that your teaching hours are mainly in the early morning or later in the day. While this might not suit everyone, it does give you a large part of the day to plan future lessons, take a siesta or to explore the local area.