Job Discussion Forums

[Beast]

Having worked there once, I can tell you not to go. What you were told before employment and what happens on the ground is different. They said they would pay half your flight. However, they only get a discount from an Airline. If you bought your own ticket down you are out of luck. Also, their contract, which you get only after you arrive says they will only give you a bus ticket to Argentina at the end of your contract. Well, what if you don't want to go to Argentina. One more and then I'll stop.... Apartments are very expensive and you are required (or were) to have a Chileno co-sign your lease. What person in their right mind would sign a lease for somebody who has just arrived in the country? Dismal situation that is best avoided.

[Dia]

My friends that got hired before moving to Chile never mentioned anything about even the possibility of getting flight discounts or anything, though I think its probably typical a company wouldnt' reimburse you if you'd already paid. I have actually never heard of anybody who had airfare paid for them by an English Institute in Chile, it is much less common that in Asia or various other ESL locations to cover transportation, I would be surprised to hear of that. Then again, if they said they did and wouldn't, thats not good. A bus ticket to Argentina sounds like a fishy way to get around legalities.

However, the part about a Chilean cosigning your lease has nothing to do with the institute at all, but rather about how things work in this country as a whole. This will not be different no matter where you work. (However, its possible some schools will offer you housing to avoid that issue). I doubt they are expecting anybody to sign a lease for you, rather that you would rent a room or sublet or something where it would not be an issue

[mike30]

The bus ticket to Argentina is something that they must legally provide if they are going to sponsor your visa. Chilean law states that any company that hires a foreigner must provide them with transportation out of the country, and of course the bus to Mendoza is the cheapest.

Whenever you end your employment with any employer in Chile who has been sponsoring your visa, they owe you the 50 bucks for a bus ticket to Mendoza. If you look at the breakdown of your final pay you can usually see it in there (if the school is on the up and up.)

I agree though that your complaints about the institute aren't really all that bad...nobody else pays your flight so that could have been a misunderstanding.

The bottom line is that pretty much all institute jobs in Chile are pretty crappy jobs with mediocre pay and benefits at best, so as long as your school paid you on time and paid you everything they owed you then it couldn't have been THAT bad.

[ottawajoe]

Norte Americano isn't all that bad. I went to Chile with only a TESL/TEFL cert, no degree, and was hired on the spot by Norte Americano. I started out with a few classes and they kept giving me more shortly after proving myself. They pay is better than the average Chilean wage and I was always paid on time. From there, I started posting ads on telephone poles (near universities) for private lessons and soon had a couple of private students. So the moral of the story is, if you are willing to put yourself out there and are a hard worker you can do OK . If you are looking to be spoon fed your teaching position, stay out of Chile.

[SeHablaIngles]

Mike30 is exactly right about the bus ticket. If you have a Subject to Contract Visa, your employer legally needs to pay your passage out of the country at the end of your visa.

A ticket to Mendoza is the cheapest option. (I didn't say YOU could choose where!!! )

Don't bother with places that promise this and that from a distance. Believe me, if you come at the right time you can get lots of legal (and illegal) work here. This is my fifth semester here and I've never been busier.

El Profe