Job Discussion Forums

[chica88]

I don't know that anyone will respond to this but I decided to post anyway.

I understand the basics of Chile hiring.
And I know there are several forums on the issue.
The thing that concerns me most is some of the young ones say they could not find work and had to fly back to the states.
Is it the exception or the rule that a person can't find work in Chile when they are actually already there?
Thats very confusing to me.

I was leaning towards a job in Asia.
But, the last couple schools have had issues with my age.
This made me stick my tongue out at Asia for now.

So, last week...
I took a chance and sent out some information to Chile schools.
Some did get back to me.
A couple of them said they would need me to be in Chile first.
Nothing thrills me more than arriving in a country with no job.
Exciting!!
Not!!!

I have been told that the skype thing for interviewing almost never happens in Chile.
Do any teachers with first hand knowledge find this to be true?

I was also told with my experience I would not have a hard time finding a job in Chile if I only get there and apply in person.
Do teachers in Chile feel being there is key?

Because I'm in the mode of trying something different and hoping it works I will fly there - maybe - without a job offer first.
I'm finishing up a temp job I have in the states.
So, I'm looking at going the end of April or beginning of May.
If anyone is familiar with & has first hand knowledge of the Chile hiring process I would love to hear from ya.
If you don't want to comment on the forum please feel free to pm me.

[chica88]

I should state I was surprised to get my second skype interview set up today.
So, I guess it does happen.
But, I do feel schools in Chile prefer teachers to be there.
And I can't help but wonder if there may be some great school I'm not seeing because I'm not there.

I'm going to roll with it either way.
I don't really have a choice.

[jbrannan]

I understand your concerns as I am trying to figure out what's best for me as well.. I actually sent my resume to all the language schools that I could find listed in Santiago. Several emailed me back, very interested, until they realized I'm not there. They all said for me to contact them when I arrive. It is just very unsettling to me to think about going to a country without a job.. And, my Spanish is basic. I am trying to decide what to do. I"d like to hear also what those already in Chile have to say about not having a job and just going. I think it would not be so difficult if one is fluent in Spanish.

[chica88]

So, I have a few updates on information in Chile.
I like to share when I get something new and useful.
And if you know something additional or want to call me out on something thats wrong please do...

Although Chile does hire all year except for a few very slow months...
We are moving into the high season for hiring in Chile.

Lately, I have done a couple skype interviews with schools in Chile although it is said to be close to impossible.
While it was nice to speak to some people on skype and have them show interest some things became clear to me in the process.
Schools in Chile keep asking for demo classes.
The schools can't see your demo class unless you are physically there.
If you are on skype you have to make sure you are able to be clear and get your point across on skype.

There are times when schools in Chile will bend the rules and hire you even if you do not have the experience they wish.
The reason they will bend the rules is because you are there to do a demo class and they like your teaching stance.
So, it would be important to have a demo class pre done and ready to go before you get to Chile.
I get the strong impression the 'not hired teacher' should have demos on 1st, 2nd and 3rd conditional.
The students should be able to comprehend the subject matter.

I have been told with a certificate and a BA its possible to go to Chile and get a job.
I do not have this but I was told schools in Chile prefer the 'CELTA' certificate.
I myself have a CTESOL certificate for 140 hours which is issued by universities for the most part.
But, the 'CELTA' I think is more known outside the US.
When schools see you in person it helps and you can speak to them as long as you need.
I was told it helps if the people hiring can look at you standing there.
I was also told schools will always hire people who live locally first before they hire people they can't see from abroad.

And a resource guide for Chile schools I found:
http://www.fueraeslconsulting.info/resources/schools/south-america-schools/chile-schools/

[sprightly]

thanks for this--we're considering chile for march 2014, but lots of variables.

however, the link is dead.

[gheene10]

Hi Chica,
Thanks for the info! Did you end up making it to Chile or go to Asia?
If you decided on Chile, did you go to Santiago or try a smaller city? How has your experience been so far?

Just got to Santiago so I'm curious, thanks!

[inotu-unotme]

[Dave0]

Well, i'm late to the party, looks like the chile job board kind of died. it used to be full of snooty people condescendingly telling you just to come on down and find a job, so I'll just go ahead and jump in. Yeah, for whatever reason, schools and universities tend to hire people kind of last minute, not really enough time to recruit, interview, and hire somebody from abroad.

A lot of it has to do with the culture. At my last job, 3 teachers got hired in march to start immediately at other places and abruptly quit (myself included). One got a full time offer in the public school system, and I got a job at the University of Concepcion, arguable the 3rd most prestigious university in Chile, (not to brag, just to illustrate hiring practices in education). it was kind of a culture shock to me to not give a notice. i apologized to my supervisor, but she said it was okay, and that's the teaching business. weird, huh?

I also think there's a general distrust of people following through with commitments. i can't tell you how many times i've made plans with people that fell through last minute because they were tired or some bullshit. Perhaps, even if they had their shit together, they think that if they offered a job to foreigners in December to start in March, they might "tener lata" and just not come to chile. I think that's why they only hire people who are actually IN chile. Plus, there are plenty of gringos and Chilean English teachers hanging around as it is.

The only way i know of to have a job prearranged is through TeachingChile. Those same snooty people talk shit about TeachingChile ("Never pay someone to find you a job"), and I have to say that my overall impression was positive. Sure, I had to pay 1400 upon accepting a job, but they set me up with an interview, they took care of my work visa, and i had my first month of accommodations covered while I looked for a more permament place. Also, i started full time right away and was paid a 300 dollar relocation bonus for the first 6 months of my contract, which, if my math checks out, more than covers what i had paid teachingchile, and which i wouldn't have gotten had i come on my own. Its not all good though, I know some teachers were placed in jobs where they had to work on Saturdays, and a friends roommate was relocated from Concepcion to Santiago after 1 semester because Santo Tomas wanted him there and he had no possibility to continue in Conce.

So, yeah, sorry about the long post. I hope this post offered some insight into what is the lunacy of Chile, and I hope everything works out for both of you. Good luck