Be an International Volunteer in 2023 Online Extracurricular English Workshops!

Jueves 01 de Diciembre, 2022

*APPLICATION LINKED BELOW!*

The English Opens Doors Program (EODP) of the Ministry of Education of Chile is thrilled to invite international candidates to apply to collaborate as International Volunteer-Monitors in Online Extracurricular English language workshops!

Please read through ALL of the information below to learn more about this great opportunity!

About the initiative – “Talleres Extraprogramáticos” 

Since 2019, the EODP has implemented extracurricular EFL workshops across the country as a means of providing public school students the opportunity to further develop their English language abilities in a language-immersion context, outside of their standard classroom hours designated for English instruction. Originally implemented in physical classroom settings, as of 2020 the initiative has been adapted to an online format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, this activity was only offered to students in 5th and 6th grades of primary education, however as of 2021, the EODP began offering these workshops to students in 7th and 8th grades (roughly 11 to 14 years old) as a pilot initiative, collaborating with former international volunteers of the English Opens Doors Program to facilitate them.

As of 2022, the EODP implements an open recruitment process (prior collaboration with the EODP is not required) for international professionals seeking to gain virtual TEFL experience working with 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Chilean public-school students!

Online Extracurricular English Workshops offered by the EODP consist of:

  • (6) 60-minute online workshop sessions (via Zoom); 1 per week for 6 consecutive weeks
  • (1) Group of approximately 10-20 students (7° & 8° básico) from the same school
  • (1) Standard curricular plan (with all necessary teaching materials) guiding all activities, based on the National Chilean English Curriculum

Workshops will be facilitated by International Volunteer-Monitors (you!), who will be recruited, trained, and supported by the National Volunteer Center (NVC). Additionally, International Volunteer-Monitors will also receive support from Regional Representatives of the EODP, as well as the designated counterpart from the students’ school.

International Volunteer-Monitor Role & Responsibilities

  • Sign and abide by the Terms of Participation
  • Attend initial online training sessions (2 – 3 virtual sessions of aproximately 1 hour)
  • Implement the standard curricular plan utilizing the provided teaching resources
  • Facilitate (6) 60-minute weekly workshop sessions during the designated period
  • Provide engaging virtual instruction, working towards the indicated learning objectives
  • Maintain fluid communication with counterparts (the NVC, Regional Representative, and the school counterpart) throughout the period of implementation
  • Upload weekly attendance and communicate with counterparts regarding any problems or issues that occur
  • Perform and upload results of initial and final evaluations of students (user-friendly rubric provided)

Requirements to apply

  • Be a native (or near native) English speaker
  • Possess a bachelor’s degree (or an equivalent certification) from an accredited university
  • Have access to a pc or laptop, and an adequate WIFI connection in order to carry out online workshops
  • Be capable of demonstrating professionalism in representing the Ministry of Education of Chile
  • Be capable of demonstrating patience and flexibility while navigating the challenges of online learning with young students
  • (Ideally, but not required) Have experience teaching or working with youth

Important dates (2nd Semester, 2023)

Activity Dates
Application reception 26 June – 21 July
Interviews 3 July – 18 August
Application decisions and workshop assignments 14 August – 15 September
Online training sessions and final preparations 25 September– 29 September
Workshop implementation period 2 October – 10 November
Make-up sessions, evaluations, and final tasks 13 November – 1 December

*Training will consist of 3 virtual sessions, each lasting approximately 60-90 minutes, taking place in the evenings (Chile time) during the week before the start of the workshops.

Volunteers who are unable to attend the training sessions due to scheduling conflicts will be required to watch the recordings of the sessions on their own time, before the workshops start.

Scheduling

In your application form (linked below), you will be asked to provide your windows of availbility for volunteering in workshops. Once you have been offered and accepted a volunteer-monitor position, we will work to assign you to workshop(s) that match your availability.

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that all workshops will be held once a week on business days (Monday through Friday) with the vast majority taking place between the hours of 14:00 and 18:00, Chile time (UTC-4).*

*Chile will be on UTC-3 time as of September 3rd, 2023. (The clocks will move forward an hour.)*

Use this website (entering «Santiago» as «location 1 or 2» and 5 September » as the date) to consider what this range of time means for you in your local time before applying!

Application process 

  1. COMPLETE THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM 
  2. Send required documents to nvc@mineduc.cl:
    1. Current CV/Resume (in .pdf format)
    2. Copy of university degree
    3. Copy of information page of passport or other official ID
    4. Copy of teaching credentials (if applicable)
    5. Signed Criminal History Disclosure form
  3. Respond to email from NVC to schedule short interview/meeting (over Zoom).
  4. Carry out interview and wait for the application decision and workshop assignment.
  5. Confirm participation by signing the Terms of Participation (if accepted).

Why apply? 

While this role is not remunerated, volunteering in the Online Extracurricular English Workshops initiative is a practical and easy way to gain professional experience in online Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) with the Ministry of Education of Chile at a time where virtual learning has become ever more relevant. The role has been designed to accommodate participants who already have a somewhat full schedule, being that volunteers will not need to spend time creating teaching resources, but rather carry out standard engaging lesson plans with pre-made resources. Furthermore, the minimum weekly time commitment is low – only 1 to 1.5 hours are required (the amount of time required to work with 1 group of students), for a period of 6 consecutive weeks, although applicants can request to take on more groups of students if they so desire.

Collaborating in Online Extracurricular English Workshops is a fantastic opportunity to have a rewarding experience working with public school students, contributing to their formative process and the broadening of their world view. Upon completion of your collaboration, you will be provided with a certificate of participation signed by the Minister of Education of Chile, as well as a recommendation letter from the National Coordinator of the English Opens Doors Program, that corroborates that you were selected by, and successfully collaborated with, the Ministry of Education of Chile in an online TEFL initiative for Chilean public education, including all relevant details.

We truly hope that you will apply to collaborate with us in this initiative! If you have any questions before applying, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: nvc@mineduc.cl