Brazil
20 English Teaching Assistant Award
Accepted Degree Levels
|
Grant PeriodMarch StartGrant Length9 Months |
Award Type
Award Profile
ETAs will be assigned as language teaching assistants working 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: 8 to 9 months.
Grant dates will correspond to the academic year in Brazil, starting in March 2025. The grant period starts with an orientation organized by the Fulbright Commission upon arrival in Brazil. Attendance at the orientation is mandatory.
The grantees' first responsibility is to the Fulbright Program and the Brazilian institution to which they are assigned. Requests for travel outside of Brazil should be limited to 14 cumulative days, including weekends, and must coincide with the break in the host institution's academic calendar. Excluding emergencies, 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.
Orientation
Mandatory
The four-day arrival orientation will take place in March 2025 before grantees head to their host cities.
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 2025.
Eligibility
3 Months
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 late fall before the grant start date.
The Fulbright Commission will assign one Fulbright ETA 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 institution, basing assignments on the host institution's 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 Fulbright assignment anywhere in Brazil.
You can see here the institutions and cities that were our partners for the ETA program in the last three years. For 2024-2025, this list will be reduced to 20 partner institutions and new placements may be added.
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. Since they will not know where they will be assigned, these activities should be flexible respective to geographic location.
Examples of supplementary projects include auditing classes at the host university, researching issues related to Brazil, engaging in volunteer activities, developing new skills, or a combination of these.
Grantees should plan to spend 10 to 15 hours per week on their supplementary project. Applicants should use the Host Country Engagement section of the application form to describe their supplementary project plans.
Housing Arrangements
Very rarely can a host institution provide accommodation, but all host professors will help grantees find a place to stay for the early stages of the grant. ETAs must reach out to their program managers at the assigned university or respond to their email messages as soon as possible to explore 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 on family housing, schooling, and child care may exist, dependents shouldn't accompany grantees for the full grant term.
Nature of Assignment
Grantees should expect to spend 30 hours per week of classroom teaching, planning time included. Specific teaching assistantship activities will differ from institution to institution, according to their needs. They also vary depending on the ETA's background and qualifications. Finalists who are selected for this award can expect to receive a list of possible activities that other ETAs have developed at their host institutions.
Funding
This award is co-sponsored by CAPES, the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education.