Teach in Chile!

  Chile

• All Other Areas in Chile: 
Antofagasta

Length of Position: February 2009-December 2010 minimum

Description: We are seeking qualified teachers for the 2009 and 2010 school years. Our school year runs March through December and we are only accepting two year contracts.

Open Positions:
Pre-Kindergarten
First Grade
Fourth Grade
K-12 Physical Education
K-12 Music

School Community: The students and faculty at AIS are from a wide variety of backgrounds. The teachers and administration are from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and Chile. A majority of the students are native Spanish speakers, mostly from Chile. The rest are from Australia, Canada, Peru, Mexico, Belgium, Suriname and Argentina

Class Size: The classes have 10-15 children, grades Playgroup (3 years old) through Twelfth Grade.

Language: The main language of instruction for grades Playgroup through Eighth Grade at the school is English. Students in these grades take 6 hours of Lenguaje y Comunicacion (Spanish) per week. This is a full language immersion process for the younger grades. The main language of instruction for Ninth through Twelfth Grade is Spanish, with 5-8 hours a week of English/Language Arts instruction. The majority of the parents speak Spanish, some speak English.

Weekly Hours: Teachers are paid for a 40 hour work week that ranges between the hours of 8am-6pm. All teachers are required to work 32 hours directly with students. Two hours a week are reserved for Staff Meetings and one hour a week is reserved for Parent Attention Hours. Teachers are also expected to provide an afterschool activity.

Specific Duties: The specific duties of the teachers vary slightly depending on the level.

* Playgroup-Kindergarten: Teachers are responsible for teaching Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art and Music. Other teachers teach Lenguaje y Comunicacion (Spanish), Computers and Physical Education. Teachers are also responsible for recess and lunch supervision.

* First Grade- Fourth Grade: Teachers are responsible for teaching Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Technology Education and Computers. Other teachers teach Lenguaje y Comunicacion (Spanish), and Physical Education. Teachers are also responsible for some recess and lunch supervision.

* Fifth Grade-Twelfth Grade: Teachers are responsible for their particular subject area and are in charge of one homeroom that meets once daily and one to two periods a week. Teachers are also responsible for some recess and lunch supervision.

Curriculum: The school uses Scott Foresman and Prentice Hall curriculum for Language Arts and Mathematics in grades 1-8. The school uses a Richmond/Santillana combined Social Studies/Science curriculum for grades 1-4 and a Santillana curriculum for Science in grades 5-8.

Highlights: Salary: All salaries are in US dollars after taxes:

0-1 year of experience        
Year One        $1,100 USD a month
Year Two        $1,200 USD a month
$1,200 Bonus + plane fare upon completion of contract

2-3 years of experience
Year One        $1,200 USD a month
Year Two        $1,300 USD a month
$1,200 Bonus + plane fare upon completion of contract

4-5 years of experience        
Year One        $1,400 USD a month
Year Two        $1,500 USD a month
$1,200 Bonus + plane fare upon completion of contract

6+ years of experience        
Year One        $1,500 USD a month
Year Two        $1,600 USD a month
$1,200 Bonus + plane fare upon completion of contract

Any person not honoring their contract will be paid up until the last day worked.

Benefits: The school will provide:
- A work visa (you will enter the country on a tourist visa, and then your visa status will be changed once you sign a formal contract with the school and begin the application process for a work visa).
- A health care package that covers both health and dental- coverage begins 1 month after the signing of the contract.
- A room in a shared apartment with 2 to 3 other teachers. Teachers are responsible for paying their own water, electricity, gas, phone/cable and internet bills.
- The return flight upon the completion of the contract.

Other Sources of Income: While most teachers find the salary is more than adequate to live on, there are many opportunities to earn extra money tutoring after school hours.

School History: The school was originally 2 separate international schools: the Escondida School, which began in 1987, and the Zaldivar School, which began in 1994. In 1996, the two schools merged to form the Antofagasta International School, taking in Chilean and international students desiring a curriculum in English. The school is accredited by the Chilean Ministry of Education. We are currently in the process of building a new building which should be open for the 2009 school year.

About Antofagasta: The school is located in Antofagasta, a port city in the Far North of Chile. It is a medium sized city of 300,000 right on the ocean, located in an arid desert climate, with sunny skies almost year round. The average temperatures here are: spring and fall: 55-60 at night, 75-80 during the day, and summer and winter vary slightly. The wintertime is mild, but windy and chilly during the morning and late evening hours. During mid-day in the winter the sun comes out and warms up the climate considerably. During the summer the mid-day sun can be quite hot- and strong! Antofagasta has a local theater, restaurants, an new mall, a casino in construction, local vegetable and crafts markets, university activities, a traditional Chilean Rodeo, dancing classes, local music, soccer competitions, discos, clubs, gyms, places for hiking, swimming and other adventure water sports. It has an airport slightly north of the city that allows for easy access to all of Chile, and also has two main bus terminals that allow for a cheap and easy way to get anywhere in the country! It is also a few hours drive/bus ride to some of Chile's most unusual and amazing landscapes and sights, including the world's highest geyser field, volcanoes, the Atacama desert, emerald green lakes, salt flats, oases, national parks, and of course, the Andes mountains.

Qualifications:
- Teaching certificate for the subject area valid through 2010.
- ESL/TOEFL certification in addition to the teaching certificate a plus but not required
- Experience preferred
- Spanish language ability a plus but not required
- An openness to and interest in living and working in a new culture and community
- If offered a position applicants will be required to obtain a national police check.

Minimum Education: Diploma/Certification

Experience Required: yes

strongly preferred

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi and South African Participants.

Participants Travel to Chile Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Other
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Resume
• Written Application

Antofagasta International School's Mission Statement: We educate all children for life, whether Chilean or international, those who seed a bilingual, innovative, and challenging education at all levels. Our rigorous educational program has the highest standards possible to assure the success of every student, with the support of our highly qualified teaching staff.

Year Founded: 1996