Fulbright 2013-2014

[donahuec]

Is there anyone out there who was not recommended for a Fulbright but still wants to teach English in Colombia for 6 months to 1 year?

 

Partners of the Americas is gauging interest from potential applicants and institutional partners about a program that would support volunteers to teach English in Colombia for 6 months to 1 year. Volunteers would only pay for their airfare and do not necessarily need to be experienced ESL teachers--Volunteers would receive support before and during their travel, including in-country orientation and support. (Additional information available below the following questions.)

 

· Would you be interested in this opportunity? If so, starting in January or July 2014? For 6 or 12 months?

· Do you know of any institutions that may be interested in partnering with Partners of the Americas to recruit volunteers?

· What questions would you have before committing to the program?

 

Your feedback and any other relevant advice, expertise, and questions are greatly appreciated! Please contact me at cdonahue@partners.net or by phone at 202-637-6212.

 

Additional Background:

Partners of the Americas is in the early stages of developing a program with Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) in Colombia in which U.S. volunteers would serve for 6-12 months in one of 5 cities in Colombia, beginning in 2014. The program would include pre-trip support for participants, in-country orientation, and in-country logistical support. Volunteers would also receive a stipend to cover the cost of their living expenses in-country. While experience teaching English would not be a requirement, volunteers should be able to demonstrate a level of maturity and professionalism needed for an intense teaching experience and extended international experience.

 

Partners has a rich relationship with SENA, as we have collaborated on several other initiatives in the past. We also have a very strong and growing network in Colombia (50 years of international partnerships, 5 Colombian chapter organizations, and 6 PartnersCampus student organizations). We will utilize the strength of our network to develop a thorough program plan and to ensure that volunteers are well supported while they are in-country.

 

With 2014 serving as a pilot year for the program, we’d hope to develop sustainable institutional partnerships to continue the flow of English teachers to Colombia into the future.

 

[coffeeandshortbread]

Has anyone applied for a full research grant to Singapore?

[sammydubbs]

I am doing the ETA program in Germany next year, and I recently got a letter from Fulbright that said something about keeping travel to a minimum and having to get approval for trips, even within the country. What's the deal with that? Does it apply to every country? I was really hoping to use the opportunity to see at the very least the rest of Germany....

[Neurona]

I am doing the ETA program in Germany next year, and I recently got a letter from Fulbright that said something about keeping travel to a minimum and having to get approval for trips, even within the country. What's the deal with that? Does it apply to every country? I was really hoping to use the opportunity to see at the very least the rest of Germany....

I also got this info for France.  Can anyone speak about this?  Is it possible to travel while on Fulbright?

 

Thanks!

[kellynicole731]

I am applying for an ETA, but I do not knwo where to apply. I want to go somewhere to practice my Spanish. Spain is where I would like to go, but I here it is much more difficult to get so I think I should apply somewhere in South America such as Colombia. Does anyone have any ideas of what would give my the best opportunity to be selected?

 

I applied to Fulbright Spain two years ago... I felt like I was a competitive candidate. Solid language skills, application/experiences, GPA, but maybe my references were not that great. I volunteered in a university in Costa Rica and a professor there wrote it for me, but her English skills were a little weak....also a boss from a summer job teaching... since she hadn't known me for that long it might've been weak. Anyways, I made it to the second round (where you are accepted and then sent to Spain for further review, but about half these people are cut). So I guess I got to the bottom 26-30% but then was cut. 

 

I am in a similar boat considering applying- although I have access to better teaching references now and have 2 full years of solid teaching experience (AmeriCorps and student teaching). The application was so much work I'm not sure if I want to go through the struggle just to get cut again. I may set my sights more on South Korea or a program in Thailand through my university where I have much better odds. I guess the odds now are just 13% of people will get accepted to the Spain program. If you think you are a really solid candidate, I think it's worth a try- but if there are other parts of the Spanish speaking world you wouldn't mind going to that might be a good bet! 

Edited May 31, 2014 by kellynicole731