Brazil
40 English Teaching Assistant Award
Accepted Degree Levels
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Grant PeriodFebruary StartGrant Length9 Months |
Award Type
Award Profile
ETAs will be assigned as language learning assistants working for up to 30 hours per week (20 hours for lessons and class activities and 10 hours for planning). Responsibilities include but are not limited to giving presentations on different topics related to the United States, preparing and leading classroom activities, and encouraging students to communicate in English. Although ETAs are not full-fledged professors, the program is a professional development opportunity to advance their teaching skills and have a positive experience on a Brazilian campus.
Grant Length
Grant Period
Grant Length: 9 months.
Grant dates will correspond to the academic year in Brazil, from March to December 2024. The grant period starts with an orientation organized by the Fulbright Commission. Attendance at the orientation is mandatory.
The grantees' first responsibility is to the Fulbright program and the Brazilian institution to where they are assigned. Requests for travel outside of Brazil should be limited to 14 cumulative days and must coincide with the break in the host institution's academic calendar. Excluding emergencies, including those involving family members in the United States, grantees will not be permitted to travel outside of Brazil while host institutions are in session -- no exceptions. No one should apply for or accept the ETA award unless they can commit fully to their host institution's calendar of activities.
Grantees may not be in Brazil for more than three cumulative months in the 12 months before the grant start date. Exceptions may be considered for in-country formal language study.
Orientation
Mandatory
Four days between late February and early March 2024.
Candidate Profile
- Some experience (one to two years) in tutoring/classroom teaching for (young) adults is required.
- Candidates with a degree in TESOL, ESL, English, Linguistics, or Education are highly preferred.
- Candidates with other degrees, but who demonstrate a genuine interest in English Teaching as a career opportunity should also apply. If selected, these candidates must obtain a TEFL/TESOL certification sponsored by the Fulbright Program. The grant confirmation will be subject to completing the certification before the grant begins in March 2024.
Eligibility
Short-term residency in the host country is only permitted for formal language learning, and for no more than three months in the 12 months prior to the start of the grant. Permanent residents of Brazil are not eligible to apply for this award.
Accepted Degree Levels
- Bachelor's
- Master's
Foreign Language Proficiency
Applicants should have intermediate skills in Portuguese or advanced skills in Spanish at the time of application. Advanced Portuguese skills are highly recommended when the grant begins to settle in comfortably and pursue independent interactions with contacts in the community that are not related to the English teaching project at the host institution.
A Foreign Language Evaluation completed by a college-level language instructor is required and must be supported by a Language-Self-Evaluation completed by the applicant.
Placement Type
- University/Post-Secondary Institution
ETA placements are determined in the late fall before the grant start date.
The Fulbright Commission assigns one to two Fulbright ETAs to each participating Teacher's College at public and private universities throughout Brazil. Brazilian students attend three- to four-year undergraduate programs to graduate as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers.
The Fulbright Commission matches grantees with the appropriate host institutions, basing assignments on the host institutions' needs and selected candidates' profiles.
Placement Locations
- Capital City
- Regional City
- Rural
Placements can be in any Brazilian city, regardless of its size and location. Individuals should not apply for or accept this award unless they are willing to take on the Commission assignment anywhere in Brazil.
Supplementary Project
Because teaching assistant responsibilities will not surpass 30 hours per week, grantees are expected to engage in other activities related to their personal, career, and/or educational interests. Applicants should consider a project that they intend to carry out if awarded the grant. Still, since they will not know where they will be assigned, these activities should be flexible respective to geographic location.
Examples of supplementary projects are taking classes of your interest at the university, researching issues related to Brazil, engaging in volunteer activities, developing new skills, or combining these.
Grantees should plan to spend 10 to 15 hours per week on their supplementary project.
Use the Host Country Engagement section of the application form to describe your project plans.
Housing Arrangements
ETAs must reach out to their program managers at the assigned host university or respond to their email messages as soon as possible to discuss housing options before arrival in Brazil.
Dependents
The grant does not provide financial or logistical support for dependents. Also, because ETAs are placed at universities throughout the country where limitations for family housing, schooling, and/or child care may exist, dependents shouldn't accompany grantees for the full grant term.
Nature of Assignment
One should expect to spend up to 30 hours per week of classroom teaching, planning time included. Specific teaching assistantship activities can vary from institution to institution and depend on the ETA's background and qualifications.
Funding
This award is co-sponsored by CAPES, the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education.