Teaching in Chile

The whole placement is geared towards helping the local community. We place volunteers in a school where they will make a valuable and worthwhile contribution to the community. The schools are mainly primary and you will be assisting local teachers as well as teaching some things independently.

By working and living locally participants will become immersed in the country and will live in a way that is harmonious with the culture and environment. Volunteers are placed with a family with other volunteers near by. This is challenging but also fantastic. Your Chilean hosts will welcome you and hopefully become your friends for life. The accommodation is locally owned and food provided is locally sourced and cooked by locals.

Volunteers are needed in Patagonia, where there is a mix of wealth and poverty. The area has little infrastructure and no welfare system. This means that the vulnerable within the society are in need of external help to provide them with basics such as education. Volunteers have had a really positive effect on the community. Apart from the teaching, past volunteers have helped build classrooms, educate local street children and individually sponsor their host families.

Our volunteers are given a pre departure briefing where they are encouraged to minimise waste and to live in a way that will not have a detrimental effect on the country or communities. There is a special session entitled ‘Responsible tourism’ where we discuss cultural differences and sensitivities as well as advising volunteers on appropriate conduct. Volunteers are given a Spanish language course and briefed on what is considered polite in terms of eating, greeting and dressing.

By learning the language individuals will be able to communicate effectively with the local community so minimising possible culture clashes. Volunteers are also taught the basic of what is considered polite in terms of eating, greeting and dressing. The programme includes a three-day expedition camping out in the beautiful and pristine Patagonian landscape. Responsible tourism is in action on this trip. This expedition employs locals and ensures them a fair wage. The trek is on foot or horseback so there is minimal negative environmental impact. All guides have excellent indigenous knowledge and treat the area with respect. These local people will share their local traditions, food and culture with the volunteers.

The duration of the visit means that a real bond can be made with locals rather than just a tourist-host relationship. The visitor will learn more about real Chilean life as lived by ordinary people in a variety of areas and know Chile in its real perspective compared to what is depicted in the international news.

A percentage of the cost of the placement will go to the local projects. The group size of volunteers is small so that the cultural impact is minimal and there is more integration with the society. Our company is an environmentally responsible one that operates recycling and reusing of waste products. We also offset carbon emissions in our office (gas, electricity, business mileage)