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GYC2787 - Learn Spanish and teach in Patagonia Country: Chile Cost: £3475.00 Please note: This placement also includes a 10 day Spanish course and a short expedition. Cost Includes: The price includes flight, accommodation, food and pickup from airport but does not include insurance, kit or visas      Duration: 4 months Company Rep Nearby: Daily 0845 344 7615 or

 

	This placement would suit... Someone who is keen to teach lively and enthusiastic children, learn Spanish and live as part of the community in beautiful southern Chile. Oyster offers voluntary teaching placements in friendly schools in Patagonia. You’ll travel as a group and enjoy a language course and three day expedition before you start to teach. It’s a brilliant opportunity for those who want to learn a lot of Spanish and to experience Chilean life and hospitality. What will I do? We will place you in selected primary and secondary schools in and around the city of Coyhaique. You’ll be teaching English, using games, songs and pictures to make your lessons fun and interesting. It sounds daunting, but you’ll be shadowing the teacher until you settle in, and our pre-departure course will give you plenty of tips. You’ll soon discover imaginative, dramatic and artistic talents you never knew you had! The staff and children will really appreciate it if you help out with extra-curricular activities too. As well as developing your teaching skills, you’ll be learning a lot of Spanish. We run a specially tailored 10 day Spanish course at the beginning of the placement (if you do not speak Spanish now you must commit to learning some before departure). Our programme also includes a 3 day expedition camping out in the pristine Patagonian landscape. Where will I live? You will live in a hostel on arrival and during the Spanish course, after which you will live with a Chilean family. They will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner (a minimal affair in Chile). Although it’s a challenge at first, our volunteers have loved living with these warm, hospitable people and speak about them with huge affection. There is no better way to learn Spanish and to find out about the local culture than chatting in the kitchen with your Chilean ‘mum’. We usually place volunteers with a family on their own, although other Oyster volunteers will be close by. How can I spend my free time? By the time you have completed the pre-departure course, language course and camping expedition together you’ll have some firm friends among the group and a good idea of things to do and see. On weekends you can meet up with your friends and hang out in Coyhaique, which has bars, restaurants, shops and more. You’ll probably find yourself invited to meals and parties with local Chileans as well. You can also explore the beautiful countryside on foot, mountain bike, horseback or boat. Our users say... "For the first week our group stayed in a youth hostel. This was really good as it allowed us to find our feet and get to know each other better. We’d have Spanish lessons in the morning and in the afternoon we did lots of different activities like Salsa, horse riding, Chilean cooking and Cueca (a local dance). In the second week we moved in with local families. I felt very welcome there and it really allowed me to integrate into the local culture. At school I started by helping the teacher, but was gradually given more responsibility and ended up planning and teaching lessons on my own. I’m still in contact with many of the pupils. When we weren’t teaching we had some fantastic trips around the region. It’s an incredible part of the World. I had an absolutely brilliant time in Chile. The teaching, trips and total immersion into the culture were all fantastic. If I had the choice I know that I would want to do it all over again" - Tom Andrews. Oyster Worldwide Support Our friendly UK team will be there to help you up to your departure, making sure that all the arrangements are made and that you are well-prepared. You’ll then be met on arrival by our local representatives who have lived in Chile for many years. They will co-ordinate all aspects of your placement and give you plenty of useful information to help you settle in quickly. You can go to them with any problems you don’t feel able to handle alone or to sort out with the school. They will keep us updated on your health and progress and liaise with your hosts to ensure all is well. 0845 344 7615 Oyster Worldwide: Ready for the experience of a life time? Want to be fully immersed in to a new culture whilst making new friends? Oyster organises exciting, worthwhile and challenging voluntary and paid work opportunities worldwide. These last from three to six months and departures take place all year round.