ESL Language Institute

  Bolivia

La Paz

Length of Position: at least 6 months

Description: SpeakEasy Institute is an innovative language institute here in La Paz. We opened in January 2002 to try to satisfy the needs of Bolivian students of English as a Foreign Language. The three partners in this venture have some 50 years of experience teaching English and Spanish among them and had previously pinpointed failings within the state and private EFL sector. SpeakEasy Institute aims to give a good quality teaching at an affordable price to Bolivian students of all ages from all walks of life. We have subsidized courses for students from low income brackets (40% of our students pay between 0% and 50% of tuition fees).

In order to achieve our aims we are using the Snapshot and Cutting Edge series from Longman press and have developed a 6-level course littered with exams and mini-tests to attempt to save students from having to repeat courses. We hope that by constantly monitoring both students and teachers we will be able to tackle problem areas immediately.

Directly linked to this is the second part of the SpeakEasy Institute programme - that of teacher training. We usually have three EFL trainee teachers on 3-month placements. We hold training workshops once a month which all teachers are required to attend (or give if you are very experienced!) and have also developed an 8 module programme for in-house teacher training. All teachers are observed and 'constructively' criticized, there is an extensive reference library and experienced teachers on hand to help those new to the profession develop their teaching abilities.

The third part of the SpeakEasy programme is the teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language. To our knowledge there is no other Spanish institute in La Paz and there is a large demand for this widely spoken European language, not only for travelers but also for business people.

The SpeakEasy Institute is right in the heart of the city center. Courses at the Institute run for 1.5 hours a day, Monday to Friday for 8 weeks or 2 hours a day for 6 weeks. We are open from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. There are classes for small children, young adults, adults and there are also specialized courses for professionals with a high level of English. There will be no more than 12 in a course. You are given all the support you need, ranging from text and reference books, CD players, other teachers' expertise, etc. We are always on the lookout for new material so bring along your favourite grammar book, games book and bag of tricks. There is no dress code but do bring some smart clothes, (not just hiking boots!) for if you are asked to go to teach in offices. We have contracts to teach at the water board, the brewery and a large telecommunications company.

Highlights: La Paz is a great city to hang out in. There is culture to be seen at every turn, a fantastic nightlife, cinemas, markets and very friendly people. When there are Spanish courses running we can fit you in or you can arrange for 1to1 tuition with one of our teachers here. The cost of living is much lower than in neighbouring countries, as a budget you might like to take the following into account:

Accommodation: U$100/month
Food (if cooking at home): U$60/month
Bus fare: U$0.30
Taxi fare: U$1
Beer in a bar: U$2
Local set lunch: U$2
A weekend away from the city: U$20-U$x

We are currently paying U$5 an hour and promise to schedule you for between 15-25 hours teaching a week for which we would request that you stay for a minimum of 6 months.

Qualifications: at least 1 year TEFL experience

Cost in US$: U$6 per hour

Salary / Pay: U$5 per hour

Experience Required: yes

Participants Travel to Bolivia Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Resume
• Written Application

Speak Easy Institute's Mission Statement: We endeavour to bring words to the masses! We teach English to Bolivians (and a few random foreigners working here), Spanish to an ever-expanding group of people from all over the world, and now we've opened our doors for Aymara and Quechua, our two main native languages in Bolivia.

Year Founded: 2002