Global Professional Development
This enrichment conference provides pre- and in-service educators with rich experiences to be embedded in local Chilean schools while living with authentic Chilean host families, broadening perspectives on the cultural, emotional, and developmental supports provided to second-language learners.
During the conference experience, participants work with students from PreK through 12th grade as well as direct collaboration with a Chilean counterpart teacher to gain significant experience with bi-/multilingual English learners. Ultimately, conference participants gain 80 hours of embedded professional engagement that creates a truly life-changing experience that participants can apply in their own home contexts upon return to the U.S.
The Experience
Learn more about this global teaching conference and what you can expect from your two-week experience.
Teaching Experience
Working with local PreK-12 bilingual, dual language immersion school participants will be paired with partner Chilean educators for the duration of the conference. During the school day you have the opportunity to engage in a variety of educational, instructional, and professional interactions both with Chilean and US counterparts. The program is an excellent opportunity to develop through a culturally embedded professional development conference.
Prior to the start of the conference experience participants and their Chilean host teachers will have the opportunity to connect via email, FaceTime, Zoom or other means to share ideas and plan for the conference experience. During the conference experience mutual shared professional knowledge is the approach, and we provide professional development for both participants and hosts. Each participant will be certified as having completed 80 hours of professional development through equivalent continuing education units.
Host Families
Afternoons, evenings, and weekends are spent with your host families from the school where you have the opportunity to live Chilean culture from the inside out. During our time in Chile, participants are members of the host family. The goal is to speak as much English as possible with the host children who have been learning English in school and to incorporate yourself into the daily life of the family. The generosity of the host families allows us to keep the cost of this program as low as possible – as a result our obligation is to be incorporated with the families. We will do group interactions during the day and there will be opportunities for group bonding during the school day but afternoons and weekends are to be spent with the host families.
Partner Schools & Cities
Colegio Concepción San Pedro | Concepción, Chile
Conference Dates: May 17 – 30, 2025
Colegio Concepción San Pedro seeks to be a school of educational excellence, inspired by the principles and values of Freemasonry, respectful of diversity, with leadership capacity and civic commitment that enables students to build their life project in a world of constant change and flourish in the areas they undertake. Our mission is to provide students with a comprehensive education of excellence, in values and a vision of the future, based on humanism and secularism, which allows them to develop their abilities to the maximum and be builders of their life project in the context of a collaborative culture, globalized society and the evolution of knowledge.
Concepción, located in south-central Chile, is the second largest city in Chile by urban area and one of the three major conurbations in the country.
Southern Cross | Santiago, Chile
Conference Dates: May 31 – June 13, 2025
NOTE: REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR SANTIAGO, CHILE
Southern Cross sees learning as the nerve center of the intellectual and moral development of students. Prioritizing collaborative relationships, respect for people, acceptance of differences and a thoughtful and fair exercise of authority, Southern Cross is committed to the personal, social, and intellectual development of its students and translates into effective actions and practices throughout their school experience. From teachers, they expect the highest degree of professionalism and commitment to the students who depend on them for their education; of the students’ they expect engaged work and dedication; of parents they expect genuine commitment to their children and to the goals of the school.
The largest and capital city of Chile, Santiago is a modern city with a beautiful urban landscape coupled with access to the heart of Chilean cultural and social life.
Attendee Registration Information
The Conference experience includes:
1) room and board facilitated with a host family;
2) professional development sessions;
3) materials for the experience;
4) fleece jacket; and
5) health and emergency insurance.
If you are in the NITEP or NVForward student your registration cost will be covered if you are accepted to the program and you will only be responsible for your flight and spending money.
All conference participants (including NVForward and NITEP students) will be responsible for their own:
1) airfare;
2) spending money; and
3) any outside travel funds (if applicable).
Step 1: Apply for the Conference Experience(s)
DEADLINE: April7
Your application will include:
- General Information
- Professional Profile (to place you with a host teacher)
- Personal Profile (to place you with a host family)
Note: There are two separate cities and conference participation. Those who wish to participate in both conference experiences will be prioritized.
Step 2: Register on Eventbrite
Deadline: April 7
Complete your registration to confirm your intent to participate in the conference experience(s).
Step 3: Candidate Review & Interviews
March 27 – April 17
As part of the application process, each participant will complete a teaching and personal profile to highlight your experiences and interests. This profile will be used to match participants with both a Chilean classroom teacher and to host families.
Applicants may be required to complete a 15-minute Zoom interview with the Global Education team. This will be scheduled individually with conference applicants.
Within 10 business days of the interview, acceptances will be sent out.
Step 4: Candidate Host Family Placements
April 18 – 29
To ensure a successful conference for each participant, candidates will receive host family and professional placements based on the candidates’ application responses.
We will provide host family details to each participant upon selection.
Frequently Asked Questions
This professional development conference is perfect for in-service or pre-service teachers interested in gaining international education experience. We work with students from Pre-K through 12th grade. Conference participants work directly with a Chilean counterpart teacher in PreK-12 English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Art, Music, or various combinations of those grade levels and subject matters. We also provide opportunities for school counselors administrators, librarians and other school personnel. Over two weeks, the conference provides 80 hours of professional engagement. Because the school partners are English focused, participants gain significant experience with bi-/multi-lingual English learners. Conference attendees live with host families from the school amplifying the authenticity of the cultural engagement.
Students who apply for this experience should be in the last two years of their education degree. Pre-majors are not eligible to apply.
Covered registration fees* include:
- Room and board facilitated with a host family
- Professional development sessions
- Materials for the experience
- Fleece jacket
- Health and emergency insurance
*Funding may be available to offset participants’ cost of registration.
NOTE: Registration fees for UNLV participants are 100% covered by the grant if accepted — students are responsible for only the fees outlined below.
All participants (including those whose registrations are supported students) are responsible for:
- Airfare
- Spending money
- Any additional travel completed outside of the experience dates
No, the Chilean families and the school want their students to experience being with English speakers during the conference so that both students and parents engage in the cultural exchange supported by English. Spanish speakers are more than welcome and we can ensure you have experiences using Spanish and English, but only knowledge and ability to use English are required.
Yes. This conference provides pathways for professional development hours as well as potentially earning UNLV credit after the experience. UNLV provides a certificate validating your experience which can be used for CEUs (Continuing Education Units) or their equivalent depending on the regulations in your locality. Please consult your local authorities for how those hours may be applied in your context to allow us to support you.
Potentially. If you are interested in earning student teaching credits, please email nvforward@unlv.edu and we will work with your department’s student teaching facilitators to discern whether or not this experience can count toward your required student teaching experience.
The registration fee includes room and board during the experience (breakfast and dinner during the week and all three meals on weekends are with your host family; lunch is provided Monday through Friday at the school), professional development sessions, materials for the experience, a fleece jacket, as well as health and emergency insurance and any program related expenses.
You are responsible for your own airfare, spending money, and any additional travel you complete outside of the experience dates.
Yes. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with airfares before purchasing. There is an ebb and flow to airfares and you should spend time understanding the high and low prices to make an informed choice about flights. Do not purchase a flight until you are fully accepted into the program, however plan to purchase flights before April 25.
We will provide you with the go ahead date to begin purchasing tickets after you have been admitted to the program; you can purchase any time after that but not before you have been formally accepted to the program.
Flight prices vary depending on the number of layovers, airlines, etc. Program faculty provide you with information to help you as you search, and are available via email to help with questions you may have. Selected participants will be provided with detailed information regarding arrival and departure dates.
Health and emergency insurance is provided as part of registration. You may wish to supplement the insurance.
Yes. If you are a U.S. Citizen no visa is required. If you are a citizen of another country, please check the requirements. For those carrying a U.S. passport, your document MUST be valid for six months past your return date, per U.S. law.
Chile generally is an extremely safe country. Santiago is a large city, and like any large city one should take precautions to safeguard personal belongings. The families are all vetted and have the confidence of both the partner school and UNLV. Santiago and Concepción are safe, clean, and modern. With normal precautions most people feel extremely safe. Less violent crime is committed in Chile per capita than in many parts of the United States, including Las Vegas. As in any location, crime can occur. Staying with your family and making responsible choices based on common-sense precautions is the best prevention for crime.
As part of the application process to attend the conference, you will be asked to submit a profile that includes basic biographical information (i.e. information about allergies and preferences) as well as a narrative and photo. Working with our partners, families from each school are invited to view the profiles and select the conference attendee that is a good fit for their home. Families will be identified no later than one week before the start of the conference; the goal is to provide host family contact as soon as possible for relationship building to take place.
Each host family will pick up their conference attendee at the airport and return her/him to the airport at the end. You will take the mode of transportation of the children to and from school each day (some ride buses, some in private cars, etc.). Outside of school time will be spent with the families and you will use transportation that the family uses.
We suggest packing light; laundry is available in the homes. Chileans tend not to change their clothes as much as those in the U.S. During the school day you should dress comfortably and in business casual (jeans are acceptable). And remember, U.S. summers are Chilean winters, so ensure that you pack with the weather in mind!
Most airlines allow 50 lbs of free baggage abroad. We suggest packing no more than 30 lbs in your suitcase to ensure you have room to purchase souvenirs and to place any materials you acquire on the trip.
Hair care equipment (such as dryers and flat irons) are prohibited due to the electric system in South America; using equipment from the U.S., even with a transformer, can explode, catch fire, or short circuits. Most homes have curling irons, blow dryers, etc. and they are available cheaply in Chile.
Hygiene products found in the U.S. are available in Chile for similar prices so there is no need to bring those things along.
Spending money is personal. Day-to-day costs of room and board are covered in the conference fee. Attendees often want to shop and buy souvenirs. We say most people would be fine with $50-$100 a week of spending money. ATMs are the safest and most efficient way to access cash while on the trip. Credit cards are accepted at most locations, though small shops may only take cash. Credit card and debit card safety is very high in Chile.
While you may cancel your registration at any time, payments made for the trip are non-refundable.
Yes. There will be two pre-departure meetings for registered attendees to help prepare for the experience. If participants are not in the Las Vegas area for those meeting dates, a Zoom link will be provided.
Global education initiatives are made possible thanks to generous funding from the Nevada Department of Education to support the Nevada Institute on Educator Preparation (NITEP), the Nevada Institute on Educator Preparation, Retention, & Research (NIEPRR), and the Nevada Educator Preparation Institute & Collective (NV-EPIC).