Teach English as a Language Assistant in Chile

For more general information on posts across Latin America please see English Language Assistant Placements in Latin America. 

How does the programme operate in Chile? 

The Language Assistants Programme is a bi-lateral mobility programme. We work with our partner organisation, El Instituto Profesional Chileno Britanico de Cultura (IPCBC),to send English Language Assistants to Higher Educational Institutions in Chile 

El Instituto Profesional Chileno Britanico de Cultura (IPCBC) administer the programme in Chile and manage the relationship with the Higher Educational Institutions on our behalf. 

As part of our processes, we will be sharing the information you include in your application with El Instituto Profesional Chileno Britanico de Cultura (IPCBC) and the Higher Educational Institutions that they work with. By submitting an application, you are agreeing to us sharing the information included in the form with all parties listed above. 

Am I eligible for a placement in Chile? 

To be a Language Assistant in Chile, you must: 

Posts in Chile run from September 2024 until June 2025. 

Will there be an induction course? 

Our partners, El Instituto Profesional Chileno Britanico de Cultura (IPCBC) will organise an induction before the posts begin either virtually or in person. If it is to be hosted in person IPCBC will invite the ELAs to arrive in Santiago, Chile in late August or early September to complete the induction and to take up their posts in September.    

How many hours will I work per week? 

Language Assistants in Chile can expect to work 14 hours per week. Please be aware that your specific timetable and working pattern can vary depending on the region and institution that you are allocated to.   

How many posts are available in Chile? 

There will be approximately 8 posts available in Chile.  

What type of institution will I be working in? 

Placements in Chile are at university level, teaching English to students who are eager to develop their proficiency in the language. Most of these students are currently studying to become language teachers or translators. 

You may also be offered opportunities to take on more responsibility in the classroom, which will add to your professional development. However, you will be assigned a tutor who will guide your work and offer support throughout your stay. 

How much will I be paid? 

Assistants can expect to earn around CP $650,000 per month. 

Please note that our overseas partners and employing institutions are ultimately responsible for setting the salary of language assistants and this amount should therefore be treated as indicative and may be subject to change. 

Will I need a visa? 

Assistants going to Chile will have to apply for a Temporary Resident Student Visa to cover the duration of their time in Chile. You do not need to be a current student to get this visa.  

Our educational partners in Chile, IPCBC, will provide you with a letter to do this and you will be informed by our partners and The British Council of the visa process.  

In order to apply for your visa, you will need to legalise certain documents which includes a cost of £30 per document, exclusive of your Visa application. The visa process is approximately £700 and can take between 90-120 days to process.  

Please check the expiry date in your passport and ensure that your passport does not require renewal until at least six months after returning to the UK. If necessary, we strongly recommend that you apply for a new passport immediately or you risk delaying your visa process.  

Successful candidates will also have to provide a CV in Spanish to their host institution. Please ensure that you have this prepared and will be able to provide this quickly when requested in April/May. 

Please note that visa requirements can change at short notice, and the British Council cannot be held responsible for any changes to the visa process. 

What holidays will I have? 

In Chile the academic calendar is divided in two semesters. The first semester runs from mid-March to the last week of July. The second semester runs from August to the last week of November. There are final exams in early August and early December 

Typically, assistants can expect to receive the same school and national holidays as their institution.   

Summer holidays are in February and most educational institutions close for 4 weeks. 

It is likely that you may receive:  

Please note that these dates are not confirmed, but have been provided to give you an idea of what the academic calendar may look like. Your institution will give you full details of your term dates when you begin your post, but you should be aware that some institutions will have longer holiday periods than others. 

Where can I go in Chile? 

Chile is a long and narrow country but quite diverse. The location of the posts available in Chile will vary from year to year.  

You will be asked to provide preferences on location. Typically posts can be available in cities but there may be some placements in towns and rural areas. As Chile is a relatively small country, all towns are typically located near to big cities. 

It is important to note that we cannot guarantee that it will be possible to place you in your preferred area. Applicants must therefore be flexible and willing to accept a placement in an area they may not have considered.  

As an indication, locations may include:  

Santiago is a highly popular destination. Unfortunately, there are limited places available here and so applicants need to be willing to include other locations as alternatives.  

Please note that this list is indicative and exact locations may change for the 2024-25 academic year. 

What are the costs involved?   

Applicants should also be aware that there are significant costs associated with the visa process and moving to Chile. However, these costs should not come all at once as they will occur at different stages of the process, from visa application to arrival in Chile.  Costs are likely to include:   

Pre-departure:  

In post (before receiving first payment) 

We encourage you to read more about the monthly allowance and how much money we recommend budgeting for Chile in section 9 of the destination guide (available to downloaded from the bottom of this page).  

I've worked as a Language Assistant in Chile – can I apply again? 

If you are currently working as an English Language Assistant in Chile, you can apply for a consecutive year. Language Assistants are not able to participate in the programme in Chile for more than two school years, consecutive or not. For more information and to find out how to apply please see our returning applicant's guidance page. 

Where can I get information about my placement from? 

The guide for Language Assistants in Chile2023-24 is available to download in PDF format below. This information has been provided for reference and is subject to change each year. Updated guidance for Assistants going out on placement in 2024-25 will be available in summer 2024.