Job Discussion Forums

[Wolfbluez]

Can anyone provide any feedback on Bridge-Linguatec in Santiago? Everything seems legit in my communications with them, but I was hoping someone could provide additional feedback.

Thanks!

[evansmith]

They are legit. Pay is not great, as at most larger institutes in Stgo, but it is a legit company. I worked there for about a year ('04-'05)

[teawallah]

bridgelinguatec is legit, but the whole process in chile is frustrating. i'm in chile now through the english opens doors program. bridgelingatec is one of the companies responsible for recruiting teachers here. they are real and have reps in santiago, but they don't give you info until the last minute and sometimes too late. for example, there is a weight limit on domestic flights in chile that is much lower than the weight limit coming from the states to chile. i didn't know about the weight limit and ended up having to leave some stuff in santiago. they also didn't give any info re: the family or school until we were already in santiago. this is important info. but, i had no idea who i would be living with or how old my students were until a week into orientation. our monthly stipends were also held up as was the process for obtaining the chilean national ID card. overall, working in chile has been very frustrating. i've learned to be patient and not expect much from bridgelinguatec.

[anabelle]

From what I have heard the pay is horrible.

[darius_anarchist]

How about their (bridgelinguatec) TEFL certification? Would it be an asset is finding work in Chile?

[Frank1980]

For teacher training in Chile I have heard the Tefl Academy is serious and not a mill for churning out certificates.

[AlwaysExploring]

Has anyone done the TEFL Online Diploma program by TEFLOnline.com, a division of Bridge TEFL? Is this legitimate? I'm going to start a masters program in Santiago in March and I would like to get certified to teach English before that time. I am in Chile now, but I'll be returning to the U.S. soon. Thanks.

[jasonklass]

Hi Everyone,

I work for BridgeTEFL (a division of Bridge-Linguatec) and just wanted to comment on a few of the points above.

The English Opens Doors Program is a relatively new volunteer program sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Education. Our role is to help them find volunteers as teawallah mentions. As with any new program of this scale, it�s not always possible to get all the information as far in advance as we would like. For the first few sessions, the program decided to assign housing during the orientation; however, moving forward, they will be providing us with specific details such as housing, etc. prior to the orientation so we will be able to pass it on to the volunteers before they arrive. Now that the program has gained footing, the transfer of information has improved a great deal.

I�m glad to see people raising concerns about legitimacy. I think that�s a really important factor when deciding on a teacher-training course today since there are so many disreputable programs out there. Whichever course you decide on, be sure they�re accredited by a valid body. We are accredited by ACCET which is recognized by the US dept. of Education (our accreditation number is 960 if you want to check it out). In addition to this accreditation, we�re one of only a handful of institutions in the US certified by the University of Cambridge as a CELTA training center.

For those of you interested in taking the TEFL in Santiago, we�d be happy to provide you with references of people who have taken that course (beware of institutions that refuse to provide references: that�s a red flag for sure!).

Also, when you�re researching TEFL programs, you might want to check out some of the great websites out there like the TEFL Blacklist where you can find information about schools to avoid.

As for questions about our TEFL Online program, it�s legit, but you should keep in mind that online certificates are accepted in many, but not all countries. If you want to teach in China, for example, then you would have no problem getting hired with an online certificate; however, in Chile, most schools prefer an onsite certification like the TEFL or CELTA. So if you want to teach in Chile, I would recommend taking the onsite TEFL in Santiago. Taking the course there also gives you a head start on finding a good job.

I hope some of you find this information helpful and good luck in whichever courses you end up taking!

-Jason

[mike30]

I met some teachers at a party once who were working for Bridge-Linguatec and they told me that they made 3,500 pesos per hour....keep in mind that you will teach at the most 5 billable hours in a day. You might be better off bringing a guitar and singing Beattles tunes outside of the Tobalaba Metro before working for 3,500/hr.

[john_n_carolina]

what would be your set, Mike?

i'd start off with this:

Taxman
We can work it out
Carry that Weight (second half - "Once there was a way, to get back homeward")

and finish off with "Two of Us" ...encore with "Long and Winding Road"

Two of us riding nowhere, spending someone's hard earned pay,

You and me Sunday driving , not arriving, on our way back home

We're on our way home, we're on our way home, we're going home

Two of us sending postcards, writing letters, on my wall,

You and me burning matches, lifting latches, on our way back home

We're on our way home, we're on our way home, we're going home

[cota]

LOL

[mike30]

To tell you the truth if I were to take that career jump I'd most likely be singing Billy Joel songs acapella.