Faculty of Humanities and Education

Department of Language, Linguistics and Literature

UWI-ICETEX Colombia Exchange Programme - English Language Assistantship

As part of the UWI-ICETEX Collaboration Agreement, students in the final year of the Major or Minor in Spanish may apply to be English-Language Assistants for nine months upon completion of their UWI programme. The following information is intended as a general guide; this year's full Convocatoria issued by ICETEX, together with further information, will be circulated to interested students in due course. 
 
  • The Assistantship is part of an official exchange partnership between the ICETEX representing the Colombian State and The UWI representing CARICOM. Candidates are pre-selected by each UWI campus, with pre-selected applicants forwarded to the Latin American Caribbean Centre (LACC) at UWI Centre in Jamaica for formal submission to the ICETEX, which then assigns each formally selected candidate to a Colombian educational institution.
  • The period of employment is August to May inclusive.
  • The teaching load is 18 hours per week; any increase must be agreed through the ICETEX.
  • The Assistant is not a substantive employee of the educational institution and should be supervised by a substantive employee whilst at work.
  • The Assistant must be paid a monthly stipend totaling a net amount of three times the official Colombian minimum wage, with no amount discounted by the educational institution.
  • Assistants are required to pay their own return airfare. They are also strongly advised to take at least two-months the salary amount to defray initial expenses. 
 

Applicants are expected to have fully completed their undergraduate programme at the point of application.
 
The Cave Hill selection process entails: 

  • Submission of a motivation letter, two references, CV in English and Spanish, a digital copy of your passport bio page and your UWI transcript.
  • An interview with members of Spanish (and possibly other units) to confirm your aptitude


Once you have been selected, you will participate in orientation sessions offered by both ICETEX and UWI Coordinators of the programme.
 
You may express an interest in participating at any time during your final year of study, or ask any questions, by emailing Cave Hill Coordinator Dr. Ian Craig at ian.craig@cavehill.uwi.edu.