TEFL jobs in Chile

The best paying jobs as an English teacher in Chile will be found at private language academies. Here you will be able to earn more than in a public school program, and you will find these language academies located in the big cities. Often you will be employed to work at more than one of them, and they are used by various companies to help their employees learn better English. So you will travel around the various centres teaching classes. In this case, it is possible that your transport costs will be covered by the school.

The government-sponsored English open doors program is another potential way to find work as an English teacher in Chile. If you enrol with this program, you are placed in a school where they need you and don’t have a choice, and it can be anywhere in the country. Generally, you will teach for around 12 hours each week, and your students tend to be aged 12 to 18. This does give you plenty of spare time, but it may not be enough of an income on its own for you to live on, so you may want to consider private tutoring as well. The English open doors program is a voluntary program, and you don’t get paid as such, but you do receive staying with a local host family and a stipend of around $125 per month.

There is also a possibility of finding work at an international school teaching English in Chile. However, you do have to be a qualified teacher with a degree in education and a current teaching license. They will also expect you to have a good basic knowledge of Spanish. They expect a high standard from their English teachers, and you will lead classes independently with no support. Of course, this is better paid than any other post but does have significantly higher entrance requirements.

Many English teachers in Chile also top up their income by offering private one-to-one tutoring sessions. Alternatively, if you have a good Internet connection, you can tutor online and teach English to students all over the world. Either way enables you to add a little more money to your pot, and there are no restrictions on being self-employed as an English teacher in Chile.

Santiago, Valparaíso, La Serena, Osorno, Antofagasta, Ovalle, Arica, Iquique, Talca, Valdivia,Concepción, Punta Arenas, and Temuco

The average monthly salary for full-time positions is likely to be in the region of 430,000–630,000 pesos (€530-€780) per month. Hourly rates at language schools are around 6,000–8,000 pesos (€7-€9) per hour, up to 15,000 pesos (€18-€28) per hour for private tutors.

A 120-hour TEFL qualification is usually required for teaching in Chile

Some positions ask for a BA degree, often in education, and some need a teacher’s licence

Semesters are from late February/early March to late June, and from August until mid-December. 6 or 9-month contracts are usual

Private Language Schools, Freelance, Public Elementary or High Schools, Universities, Private Schools, Voluntary

None

Beneficial but not always necessary