Teaching Exchange Program - Next Openings: May, 2010
Dear Prospective Participant,
Thank you for your inquiry and for your interest in my school. This program was developed by ASBI, a cultural exchange organization in the south of Brazil. It has been designed for native speakers of English who want to exchange ESL teaching for the opportunity of living in Brazil and learning its language and culture. This is the first time that my school is going to take part in it. I do not require but appreciate ESL teaching experience from the prospective participants.
The school semesters in Brazil go from around March 1st to July 20th, and from around August 1st to December 20th. Besides the regular semesters, I also run intensive programs in July and January & February. Teachers can come for one or two semesters, but I will really appreciate to have a guest teacher that can be committed to stay for two semesters.
Here is a full description of my teaching exchange program.
LANGUAGE & CULTURE AT VB IN BRAZIL
INTRODUCTION
My name is Veronica Baumhardt, and I´m 62 years old. I´m married to Vitor Baumhardt, and we have three children: Victor Frederico (28) (who is living and working in Bahia), Virginia (26) and Vinícius (25). We live in Porto Alegre. The scholl is also located in Porto Alegre, in a famous area called BOM FIM, a very interesting neighborhood of intellectuals and students. It has also the main campus of our federal University: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
We are all native speakers of Portuguese. I have graduated from Marshall University WV, USA in a Master´s Degree Program in ESL, and at the same time I have taught Portuguese and Spanish at the same University. My children have also had experiences living and studying English abroad – Vinicius (in the USA & Ireland) and Virginia (in the UK).
THE SCHOOL
After living in Santa Cruz do Sul, (where I taught Portuguese as a second language for S&K, until 2003) I went to the USA (2004 – 2005). Back in Porto Alegre, in 2006, I started the school, and since then I have worked as a private tutor and instructor for some companies in Porto Alegre. Currently I have 30 students, most of them have private classes.
Now that the number of students has been increasing, I am thinking about having a native teacher to work with me. The group of students will have to be small (2 to 4 people), because, at the moment, the space is not big enough for more. The reason why I am interested in bringing somebody to work with me is that the presence of a native speaker can be a very enriched experience for both: instructor and students. I also have a long experience teaching Portuguese as a Second Language, and presently I have students from the USA, India, and China. I am also retired from an official Brazilian Bank.
THE SETTING
Porto Alegre is the eleventh most populous municipality in Brazil and the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state. Porto Alegre is one of the most important cultural, political and economic centers of Brazil. Two Mercosul countries, Argentina and Uruguay, border Rio Grande do Sul. It is also the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area.
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Nickname (s): Porto (spoken), POA (written) Motto : Loyal and Valiant city of Porto Alegre
My teaching philosophy is based on the concepts of Paulo Freire a renowned Brazilian educator, considered one of the most important education theorist of the Twentieth Century. In his book Pedagogia da Autonomia, he states that “Teaching is not just to transfer knowledge, but to create the possibilities for its own production or construction” (page 52). His concept that the teacher must be a “facilitator” in the classroom is deeply related to modern concepts in acquiring a second language, where the student also has to be responsible for his/her own progress, being an active participant in the classroom, and expressing himself/herself in the language they are studying from day one.
So, following his ideas, when I prepare classes I take into consideration, the student’s interests, life’s experiences, personality and age; in order to present new information that can be meaningful for him/her. Oral communication is always emphasized, but writing, reading and listening are also stressed intensively.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Due to proximity between the school and the Federal University, there are
many one bedroom apartments available for rent in this neighborhood. I
also have an extra bedroom in my house that could accommodate a guest
teacher on the first weeks of his/her arrival.
CONDITIONS
Strong economic measures to contain inflation in the 90's made the cost of living in Brazil, which had always been low, comparable to the cost of living in the U.S. for a few years. From 1999 to 2003, there was a devaluation of the Brazilian real and the cost of living became a lot cheaper again. Now in 2006 and 2007 the Brazilian currency has gone up against the dollar and the cost of living is again more similar to the U.S., but still cheaper, and a lot cheaper than Europe.
On the other hand, wages in general are low, when converted to foreign currencies. For this reason, this program should not be regarded it as money-making work, but rather as a unique cultural experience and learning opportunity.
I commit myself to offering the guest teacher an opportunity to learn the Brazilian language and culture in the atmosphere of a capital city. I guarantee the minimal work for your full maintenance plus a reasonable income , depending on your working schedule and lifestyle. Even if there weren't enough work, the guest teacher would still have everything taken care of.
One hour a day of teaching (R$20, Monday through Friday only) pays for the whole week's accommodations, including utilities. There is no deduction from Saturday hours.
Payments are biweekly and all the income is 100% tax-free. As of the fourth week after the beginning of each semester (April 1 for the first semester and September 1 for the second), I guarantee a minimum of 20 hours over a 2-week period. This means that if the school is not able to provide 20 hours of work in a period of two weeks, the teacher will still be paid the equivalent to 20 hours.
Bonus: Also, the school will pay a bonus at the end of the program of US$400 for teachers staying one complete semester or US$800 for the ones staying two semesters. The US$800 bonus is paid only in full, at the end of the second semester. Teachers coming with a trainee visa, under the commitment of staying 2 semesters but for any reason staying only one, will have US$200 deducted from the US$400 bonus, to cover part of the visa fee the school had to pay and the new recruiting expenses. (See visa instructions below.)
Additional obligations of the school are:
1. To meet the participant at the airport and provide transportation to his/her accommodations.
2. To provide telephone access and make available to the participant computers with Internet access and e-mail.
3. To provide two Portuguese group lessons or one private a week for free.
4. To provide orientation and support while the participant acts as language instructor, always respecting his/her individual style.
The participant's obligations are:
1. To be available Monday through Saturday for teaching up to 22 hours per week if necessary. The teacher's free time must be available for teaching new groups or private lessons according to the school's needs. The normal time for classes ranges from 8 AM to 9 PM, although they can occasionally start as early as 7:30 AM or finish as late as 10 PM. The large majority is between 6 and 9 PM. Saturday hours are only in the morning, between 8 and 12 (a group lesson on Saturday is 2 hours long). As a teacher, the participant's most important credential is to be communicative, considerate and interested in making friends.
2. To spend the necessary time to prepare classes, to cooperate in the general running of the school (filling out evaluation forms for each student at the end of each semester, interviewing a new student or answering the phone when around, for example) and especially in maintaining student enthusiasm. With beginner classes we also expect the teacher to cover a basic syllabus (which the school provides), although he/she is free to choose the activities.
3. Although medical services are very much more affordable than in the U.S., and for most occurrences the free public health care can be used, if you are the kind of person who likes to be on the safe side, we suggest you arrange for medical insurance for the duration of your stay.
Summer and winter breaks:
Teachers coming for 2 semesters may have a break between semesters of 2 or 3 weeks in July (winter) and 2 months from Christmas to the end of February (summer). However, this is only a possibility, which needs to be negotiated with me because the school may need to cover the summer and winter ongoing private classes.
PORTUGUESE LEARNING
The school will provide two Portuguese private lessons a week, for free. Besides, those seriously interested in improving their language, can make friends among the students, and people in the neighborhood to acquire the language and the culture as well. Samba and capoeira lessons are also available in the city.
THE VISA
Work visas are very difficult and expensive to get, requiring the services of a lawyer and tons of paperwork. For this reason with the help of S&K your trainee visa can be sponsored. It is cheaper and easy to get. There will be always a possibility to apply for a work visa after a successful and rewarding experience for you and me.
If you are accepted to this program, you will receive the documents for a trainee visa through the intermediation of ASBI. ASBI charges a US$ 280 - 400 fee depending on the length of the stay, which I will be glad to pay. The trainee visa is good for up to one year, and you have to apply in your home country. I will tend to prefer the guest teacher that intends to stay for two semesters.
If you are not in your home country, the only possibility is to apply for a tourist visa. A tourist visa however is good for only 6 months.
APPLICATION
If you are interested in this program, please let me know. The application process is quite simple. You send me a resume and a photo as an e-mail attachment and decide whether you prefer to come for one semester or as a trainee for two semesters. I will then refer you to Linda Rayner (S&K former ESL coordinator) for a phone interview, who will be able to answer all your questions.
ARRIVAL
If the guest teacher arrives by air, I will provide airport pickup from the local commercial airport (Porto Alegre). If the teacher travels by bus, he/she is expected to arrive at the bus terminal of Porto Alegre. There are daily buses from São Paulo to Porto Alegre (a 17-hour journey!) and from Buenos Aires to Porto Alegre (a 20-hour journey).
I like to stay at home on weekends. My hobbies are cooking, reading, watching movies and going for a walk (there are many beautiful parks in Porto Alegre). We don't smoke so I would appreciate to have a guest teacher that doesn’t smoke, too.
This will be my first experience as a hostess for a foreigner instructor. But I have already taught for S&K for several years (before going to the USA, in 2004). I have many former students from the USA, Canada and the UK that can provide references about me.
I am looking forward to answering all your questions. Thank you very much for your interest in my school, and keep in touch. The best way for communicating with me is by e-mail.
Yours sincerely.
Veronica de Castro Caetano Baumhardt – Coordinator
V. Baumhardt – Instituto de Línguas Ltda.
Rua Felipe Camarao, 748 / 201
90035 – 140 Porto Alegre/RS
Brazil
Phone: 55 (51) 3029.3400
E-mail:
WEB SITE: www.portugueseforyou.com
