Int’l Internship & Volunteer Network Discover Infinite Possibilities   Discover Chile Independent Programs   Upon arrival at Santiago's ultramodern airport, you will notice that Chile is out to surprise you! The snow covered Andes Mountains rise behind the city, giving you a notion of the natural wonders this land has to offer. Chile is situated at the very end of the world, but this end sure has breathtaking sights!   A legend says that after the creation of the world, God scraped the leftovers behind the last mountain range - and here they are: Magnificent volcanoes, misty rainforests, sun-baked deserts and windswept natural grasslands; ice blue glaciers and wild rivers, hot springs and beautiful endless beaches. No other country combines so many contrasts in landscapes and climate zones as Chile. The shape of this country is unique: On average only 180 km wide, but 4300 km long, Chile seems to be cramped between the 7000 m high Cordillera in the East and the Pacific Coast in the West. Compared to North America, Chile would stretch from South California to South Alaska!   Chile is about 750.000 sq. km large, and as such more than twice the size of Montana or twice as big as Germany, but it has only 16 million inhabitants and most of them reside in the fertile Central Zone. Wide parts of the country, the deserts in the North as well as the Andes highlands and the fjord district of Patagonia, are only scarcely populated.   Chile is the perfect destination for participants who want to enjoy natural beauty in peace and tranquility!   ~ ~ ~  Program & Placement Opportunities Applicant Requirements Start Dates & Program Duration Program Fees & Inclusions Application Process ~ Benefits of Participation Other Important Information   ~ ~ ~

Program & Placement Opportunities   Participants are encouraged to apply for a program in Chile a minimum of 3 months prior to their desired start date.   For information on our Pre-Med opportunities in Chile, we invite you to visit the following link;  Discover Chile Pre-Med    Chile is one of the most beautiful places in the world and offers a vast array of opportunities!  Following is an example of fields we have placed previous participants in...   Architecture/Design Aviation Culture Education Electronics/Electrical Engineering/Information Technology Environment/Biology/Geography/Forestry Fishing Industry   Industry & Commerce:  Consulting/Financing/Controlling Logistics/Import-Export Marketing/Advertising/Public Relations/Communication/Int’l Business   Industry/Engineering Journalism/Media Law Medicine/Health Service Mining/Geology Politics/Human Rights/Indigenous People Public Administration/Government Authorities Social Work Tourism Wine Industry/Vineyards & Export Offices   Should you not find the field you are most interested in listed, just let us know.  It would be our pleasure to customize a program to meet your needs!    ~ ~ ~

Applicant Requirements   In addition to the Standard IIVN Applicant Requirements, participants of our Discover Chile Program must speak fluent English and have an intermediate+ level of Spanish.   All participants must submit a Resume/CV and Statement of Purpose in both English and Spanish.     ~ ~ ~     Start Dates, Duration & Sample Program Schedule   Participants are encouraged to apply for a program in Chile a minimum of 3 months prior to their desired start date.   Placements are available Year-Round!    Just let us know your preferred start and end dates and we will customize a program that fits your needs!   ~ ~ ~

Other Important Information   Accommodation:   From fancy hotels to simple hostels, you will find a range of accommodations in all major cities and the vacation areas. In recent years, new hotels and bungalow complexes have been built in remote areas and in National Parks. The latter, so-called cabañas, are fully equipped small buildings, including a kitchenette, a cheaper alternative than hotels. The price-performance ratio can vary considerably among hotels (hotel, hostería). There is no general classification system, and claims to so many stars do not say anything about the quality of a place. When making one's selection, it's always a good idea to look at size and location of a room, private bathroom (baño privado), necessities (TV, phone), and service. Breakfast is usually included, but it's only worth mentioning when it's designated as desayuno americano or buffet. In high season (December to February), prices for medium and top hotels can be compared to European ones (starting at about USD 40.00 for a medium category single). Single rooms are usually not much cheaper than a double. Simple hostels (residencial, hostal, hostería, casa de familia) offer cheap accommodations, but you will have to make allowances when it comes to creature comforts. The closer to the bus station, the simpler the room, and the more questionable its cleanliness. There are many youth hostels throughout Chile, and they are available year-round. Reservations & Taxes: Room reservations are only necessary during high season and in tourist areas. Starting from medium category up, you can use a credit card for paying. International tourists need not pay value-added (sales) tax (19%) when paying in USD (cash or travelers' cheques), but this discount is not always applied automatically.

Cost of Living: Compared to other Latin American countries, Chile is not as inexpensive as one may think. Nevertheless, most of the main groceries, services, public transport, bus tours and simple restaurants are lower priced than in the Industrial countries. Fruit and vegetables are a lot cheaper, especially when sold on the street. Industrial goods are mostly imported and therefore more expensive than in Europe or North America. Sample costs for restaurants, Cafés etc.: ·         Mineral water, Coca Cola 0,3 l: 0,80 EUR or 1,10 USD ·         Coffee (Espresso): 0,70 EUR or 0,90 USD ·         Draft beer 0,5 l: 1,80 EUR or 2,40 USD ·         Sandwich: 1,80 EUR or 2,40 USD ·         Lunch special: from 4,00 EUR or 5,30 USD ·         Dinner (3 meals and wine): from 9 EUR or 12 USD Sample costs for shopping in supermarkets: 1 Liter milk: 0,50 EUR or 0,67 USD 1 Pound butter: 0,70 EUR or 0,93 USD 400 gr noodles: 0,50 EUR or 0,67 USD 1 kg apples: from 0,40 EUR or 0,53 USD 1 kg avocados (Paltas): from 1,10 EUR or 1,47 USD 1 kg tomatoes: 0,50 EUR or 0,67 USD 1 lettuce: 0,20 EUR or 0,27 USD 1 kg white bread: 1,10 EUR or 1,47 USD 1 kg cheese: from 3,60 EUR or 4,80 USD 1 kg beef: from 3,60 EUR or 4,80 USD Mineral water / Cola 500 ml: 0,40 EUR or 0,53 USD Mineral water / Cola 2 l: 0,85 EUR or 1,13 USD 1 bottle Wine 0,7 l: from 1,60 EUR or 2,13 USD Other sample costs: Metro/bus ride: 0,55 EUR or 0,73 USD Taxi (per km): 0,60 EUR or 0,80 USD 1 Liter gas: 0,90 EUR or 1,20 USD Long distance bus tour (500 km): 10 EUR or 14 USD Accommodation in Hostel, per Person: from 7 EUR or 9,30 USD Accommodation in three star hotel (double room): from 22,50 EUR or 30,00 USD Internet-Café per hour: 1,00 Euro or 1,30 USD Ticket at movie theatre: 4,30 EUR or 5,70 USD Newspaper: 0,45 EUR or 0,60 USD 20 cigarettes: 1,85 EUR or 2,47 USD

Language:   Chilean Spanish & Chileanisms - Those travelling in Chile should be able to communicate in Spanish. Most Chileans do not know too much English, even after twelve years of English in school (which says more about the schools than about the Chileans). Especially in rural areas, English won't get you very far. You can make your trip more enjoyable by taking an intensive course beforehand or in-country, and by bringing a compact phrase book. This will help you make contact with the locals and allow you to ask for information in difficult situations. Pronunciation & Grammar - The Chileans are among the fast-talkers of the Hispanic world. This wouldn't be too bad if they didn't also swallow parts of words that actually enhance comprehension - such as the final 's', which will leave you guessing as to singular or plural most of the time. So you might at first have a problem with dialogs such as, "¿Cómo estas? - Maomeno noma." (= 'mas o menos, no mas'; in English, 'so-so'). Other suffixes are shortened, too. Often, '-ado' will become '-ao' (volao), '-ada' a stressed '-á' (gallá), and 'para' a short 'pa' or 'para el' simply 'pal'. As everywhere in South America, the Castilian vosotros with its corresponding conjugation is missing only to be replaced by ustedes after which the verb is conjugated like after ellos. Chilean slang presents an especially tricky feature: The endings for the second person in the plural ('-as', '-es') are replaced by '-ai' and '-ís', so viajas will become viajai, sabes - sabís. And consequently ¿A dónde vai? (Where are you going?), ¡No seai tonto! ! (Don't be an idiot!), ¿Me podís dar fuego? (Do you have a light?). Using these very informal expressions is strictly sanctioned in some circles, and since they sound strange coming from the mouth of a foreigner anyway, they are best left alone. A popular means of emphasis that is used in many countries but seems especially popular in Chile is repeating words. This is also done to emphasize trueness or purity. So, in a restaurant, it's a good idea to order café café, if you want the real thing instead of the ubiquitous instant coffee. And someone living in the very center of the city might say, Yo vivo en el centro centro. The massive use of the diminutive suffixes '-ito' und '-ita' can also be found in other Latin American countries. They do not just mean 'little', as in niñito (little boy) or mesita (small table), but they have additional functions such as expressing endearment by using '-ito/ita' (mamita) or diminishing the urgency, directness or importance of a thing or an action. So, if someone says Espérese un momentito (Wait a moment) that doesn't mean at all that the moment will be short, but instead that the speaker wants to make waiting more palatable while possibly indirectly hinting that the moment may actually turn out to be quite long.

Visa Citizens from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay can travel to Chile with their national identity card, but citizens from other countries need a valid passport. A visa is NOT required to enter Chile for a stay of 30-90 days for citizens of the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech, Republic, Denmark, Dominican, Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ucrania, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela. All other nationalities must contact the Chilean consulate in their home country for an application to obtain a visa. ~ ~ ~   Apply for a Program Return to IIVN Home Page     ~ ~ ~