Job Discussion Forums

[MFrets]

Hi All,
I'm a newbie with a 150-hr.TESOL from Gonzaga Univ earned in Krakow, PL, in July, about 300 hrs of volunteer tutoring exp with immigrants and refugees at our local community college, and 18 years of business experience. I'm interviewing next week w/BridgeLinguatec's head teacher for a teaching job in Santiago. My goal is the experience. Any pointers? Any cautions?
Thank you!

[Dia]

I did my teacher training course and got a good impression of the institute, the teachers and facilities. Teachers commented that you had to work awkward hours, sometimes travel, and the pay was pretty average.

I would encourage you to read through the other posts on this forum, however. There have been a number of threads and comments that I would consider �cautions�.

Some of them are recent but you might also do a search for the term :bridge: or something... as there have been many.

[aaaronr]

Make sure you get a contract before you go, otherwise you are spending a lot of time and money for a job interview.

[Dia]

I'm sure the person who posted this has long ago resolved this concern, but since you insist on bumping up this thread when its become clear there are still new teachers interested in Bridge, I'd like to respond to your advice.

I think the more logical advice would be not to come to Chile JUST for a job at Bridge, especially because you wont officially have it until they meet you in person and see how your skills match their company.

Your decision to move to Chile should not revolve around a job interview at one institute. If you move here, interview everywhere you can and then make your decision. It is not common to have a teaching contract before arriving in Chile. ( I've heard that many places that do hire before you get here tend to have less than favorable conditions anyway). If you have reasonable experience and/or qualifications (tefl, bachelors degree) you should not be paranoid about moving here without a contract... its how most everyone does it here.

There are tons of places to work in Chile and your decision to live here should not depend on your relationship with this one company. If you wouldn't live here without THAT job, its probably a sign you should think hard about whether this is the place you should move to at all.

[aaaronr]

Dia has more experience than I do in Chile. I didn't know that it was common to not be given a contract beforehand. Her advice is good. There are many language schools in Chile, including Wall Street Institute and English First. You would be wise to contact these schools and have interviews set up in case BL doesn't work our.