Foreign Language Workshops Oct. 13-Nov. 14
Experienced and enthusiastic workshop leaders will conduct five, weekly sessions including essential knowledge of language and culture for work and travel overseas, on business or pleasure, and hosting people from other countries.
All classes will be offered at 6:30-8 p.m., starting from Oct. 13 on BGSU main campus.

Choose from 5 languages!
Mondays: French and Russian; Tuesdays: Spanish; Thursdays: German and Italian

Cost: $95; Early bird rate: $90 register by September 26, 5 p.m.; Bring a friend: $80 each person.
Student rate: $50 with BGSU student ID

Click here to register online

Please email lsg@bgsu.edu if you have any questions.

By Angie Burdge 

DO get certified either online or with a program. You’ll land a better job at a more trustworthy institution, and you’ll feel more prepared as well. 

DON’T expect your students to arrive on time, at least in South America. This culture has a much more relaxed view of time and you might have to wait for your students to arrive on more than one occasion. 

DO decide beforehand what kind of teaching experience you’re after. Are you more comfortable teaching children, teenagers or adults? Do you want to make and save money or is the cultural experience more important? Answering these questions will help you to better decide on a destination that fits what you are looking for. 

DON’T spend your whole time speaking English or with other English teachers. Get involved with the culture; meet people from the place you are teaching in. It’s the best way to understand the country, and in turn, your students more. Taking language classes is always great too! 

DO have a backup savings account or plan for emergencies. And you’ll need some money for travel in your free time as well! 

DON’T rely on a consistent schedule. In South America it’s common for students to cancel or go on vacation during the summer, so some months might be slower than others. It’s good to have some savings as a back up. 

DO get to know your students. Classes will be more engaging and beneficial for them if you know about their work and other interests and gear classes around information outside of what’s in the book. 

DON’T become friends with your students (at least until the class is finished). It’s important to keep a professional relationship. When teaching adults it can be strange to know you’re younger than your students, but remember you are the teacher and in charge. 

DO have fun! Remember teaching English abroad isn’t just a job; it’s an experience, so make the most out of it! While teaching is your immediate goal, don’t get caught up and forget about the others, like traveling or personal growth. 

DON’T forget to talk about your own experiences on the International Studies Network’s blog! 

If you want to know more about teaching English abroad, or have questions about my own experience, feel free to email me at angieburdge7@gmail.com.

By Angie Burdge

For many recent college graduates, teaching English abroad has become a popular option for what to do next. I myself have been teaching English in Santiago, Chile for nine months now. It hasn’t always been as easy as I thought it would be, but I’ve learned a great deal about a new country, the teaching profession and myself in this ongoing process. 

If you’re thinking about becoming an English teacher, the first question you have to ask yourself is why? What is your motivation? Personally, I chose this path because I have a desire to travel that just won’t go away. I figured becoming certified in teaching English was a way to accomplish my travel goals, while still earning an income and having the ability to support myself in a foreign country. Whether it is a passion for teaching, traveling or simply learning a new skill and trying something new, it’s important to understand and recognize your base motivation. 

After you’ve decided this is your course of action, what comes next? For me, it was obsessive research. How do I get certified? What programs are the best to apply to? And most importantly, where in the world do I want to go? I decided to apply to programs based in South America, Chile specifically, for several reasons. The first was I’ve never visited the continent and wanted to explore it. All my students and friends here have asked me, why Chile? I chose this country because it’s one of the most stable and secure places in South America. Additionally, its economy is growing tremendously. With more international businesses and start-up companies popping up, there is a greater need for Chileans to learn English, therefore a greater need for English teachers J. I was hired two days after completing my training course, then by a second institute a week later. In Chile, there is no shortage of English institutes looking to hire teachers. 

I know many people who have decided to teach somewhere in Asia instead. The important thing to know from the beginning is that if you expect to save money teaching in South America, you probably won’t. I was surprised to find Santiago a very expensive place to live, in fact the second most expensive in the continent (Brazil being the first). During my training I was told you teach here for the cultural experience, not for the pay. From what I’ve heard from fellow teachers, countries in Asia (China, Japan and South Korea for example) help teachers out a lot more with reimbursing flights, providing housing and sometimes paid vacations and a bonus at the end of the contract period. Therefore, it’s important to decide from the beginning what kind of experience you’re looking for. 

As well as deciding on a destination, the prospective English teacher must also consider what sort of certification they will receive. There are countless companies on the Internet, and you can choose to get certified online, in the U.S., or onsite in the country of your choosing. I chose the latter option and was happy I did since I got a better feel for the country and lots of help from teachers already established here in Santiago. Popular certifications include TEFL, IDELT or CELTA. I would say TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is the most all-encompassing. While at some institutes being a native English speaker might be enough to get you the job, I wouldn’t count on it. Get certified. 

Now that you’ve chosen where you want to go and what certification and program you’ll use, all that’s left is the logistics. My flight, housing and packing for an undetermined period of time all took a lot of preparation for me. While my program could have provided different forms of housing, I thought they were too expensive and found a company in Chile that specializes in finding shared apartments for foreigners (Chile Inside is the company I used, although there are many others). While I still had to pay a finder’s fee, the people at Chile Inside were extremely helpful in finding a place that met my requirements. Personally, I thought it was better to have a company’s help finding an initial place to live, and then looking on my own for a more permanent place once I got a feel for the city. 

With a destination, program and place to live, you’ve got the basic necessities for starting a new life as an English teacher abroad! Next I’ll write about the Do’s and Don’ts of teaching English. 

If you are interested in teaching English or have any questions for me about my experience, please email me at angieburdge7@gmail.com.

Saludos from Santiago!