PAID ENGLISH TEACHING INTERNSHIP IN AREQUIPA, PERU

Georgia Tech undergraduates have the opportunity to participate in 6-12 month global internships in Arequipa, Peru.  Interns will be hosted by El Centro Cultural Peruano Norteamericano (El Cultural), a binational cultural center focused on bridging the relationship between Peru and the United States.  El Cultural has strong ties to the United States Embassy in Peru, hosting an Education USA office on site.  Interns will work as Conversation Leaders or Instructors teaching the English language, as well as American cultural norms, to Peruvian high school, college, and adult students.  All interns are registered with Georgia Tech's Global Internship Program.

LENGTH OF INTERNSHIPS

• Six months (Summer - Fall)
• Six months (Spring - Summer)
• One year (38 - 52 weeks over three semesters)

TYPES OF INTERNSHIPS

Conversation Leader

A Conversation Leader facilitates discussions in English with students at El Cultural. These interns do not teach English directly but instead support students’ classroom learning in additional sessions that focus solely on usage and application (grammar, vocabulary, culture, etc.).  Conversation Leaders help students strengthen their speaking and listening skills.  An internship as a Conversation Leader is an excellent way to explore teaching without the responsibilities of being a full-time classroom instructor, although the salary is less.  An intern starting as a Conversation Leader can transition to an English Instructor position, if desired, through additional training. Eligible students must be native English speakers and have completed 100+ hours of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) training.  Spanish is not required but will benefit students considerably.

English Instructor

An English Instructor has the full responsibility for English language courses. These interns have more responsibility than Conversation Leaders and earn a higher salary.  Instructors follow El Cultural's pre-planned curriculum and teach reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, including grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and culture. Eligible students must be native English speakers and have completed 200+ hours of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) training.  Spanish is not required but will benefit students considerably.

TEFL/TESOL AND OTHER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) training is a requirement to intern at El Cultural. The cost of training is not provided by El Cultural or Georgia Tech.  Applicants may apply for the internship before completing training but must provide documentation of completion before the internship begins.  Online course options are numerous.  Some examples are:

• LinguEdge (100 hour course): http://linguaedge.com/tesol-certificate-100-hours
• TESOLOnline (120 hour course): https://www.tesolonline.com/online-tesol-courses/
• American TESOL Institute (200 hour course): www.americantesol.com/tesol-course-catalogs.html

Additionally, during the first two weeks of the internship, students will be trained by El Cultural staff before teaching or leading conversations independently. 

SCHEDULE

• Interns work approximately 35 hours per week
• Specific schedules are determined by the type of position and class schedule

COST CONSIDERATIONS

El Cultural provides students with the following:

• Salary to cover the basic cost of living in Arequipa (housing, food, and basic necessities).  Salary is based on position and determined at the time the offer is made.
• Assistance in finding housing (independently or with a local host family)
• Peruvian visa assistance
• Airport pick up
• Training, professional assessments, and support once at El Cultural
• Teaching materials

Interns are not provided financial support for:

• Cost of TEFL/TESOL training
• Airfare to/from Arequipa, Peru
• Personal travel while in Peru
• Incidentals
• International Insurance (purchased through OIE upon registration with the Global Internship Program)

APPLICATION PROCESS

Step 1: Email Susan Belmonte, Pre-Teaching Advisor, sbelmonte@gatech.edu regarding your desire to apply and include a good draft resume and a good draft letter of interest (cover letter) explaining why you want to intern and why you believe you are qualified. Susan  will then work with you on your drafts before you submit them to El Cultural.  Students interested in Summer - Fall internships should email no later than March 15.  Students interested in Spring – Summer internships should email after March 15 but no later than September 15.

Step 2: Selected students will interview via Skype with El Cultural, completing a required personality assessment.

Step 3: Students selected for the internship must complete TESOL training before the internship begins.

Step 4:  All students are required to register the internship with the Global Internship Program in OIE.  Please contact Allison Noffsinger, Global Internship Advisor, allison.noffsinger@oie.gatech.edu if you have any questions about the process.  Students will remain enrolled at GT as full-time students during the entirety of the internship.  Although interns do not pay tuition or earn academic credit, the international internship experience will appear on the interns’ transcripts, which looks great for graduate and professional schools as well as future employers.

Step 5:  Selected students will be required to update a blog throughout their internship.