Many people have been following along with the past two application processes for Participate Learning Belize teacher training. Here is a great update followed by an interview with the first Belizean teacher chosen.
Participate Learning Belize teacher training
Alex Cruz began his professional career as a teacher and an educational administrator in 2010. After nine years of experience, he decided that it was time to exceed his limits and look for a new professional and personal horizon. This is how Cruz joined the renowned cultural exchange program called Participate Learning. At the end of the recruitment process, he was selected among a large group of candidates to be a teacher in the United States for his professional and personal skills.
Watch the video of Alex Cruz: Teaching in the USA with Participate Learning.
Alex learned about Participate Learning through a friend, and he decided to enter the selection process. Days later, the interview came and that is how this 29-year-old educator knew that he was facing an important opportunity that would require him to give his best personally and professionally.
The educator explained that the two reasons that motivated him mainly to participate in this program were the professional aspect and personal development. “This is a great opportunity to showcase my country, my culture, our values… in general, all the attributes we have as a nation. For example, we are a melting pot of culture. We have Chinese, Maya, Hispanic, Garífuna, Creole, East Indian, and Mennonite, among others, so I am pretty excited to share all of this in stories and facts about Belize. Professionally speaking, one of my expectations is to learn from the education system. To know what educational strategies the American system applies and how they have worked, in addition to taking the positive outcomes of these educational strategies to apply them in our own country once I return”, he said.
Since his arrival in the United States, Alex says he can’t complain about anything at all since the hospitality has been excellent, almost like a VIP. “They received me at the airport, they have facilitated the processes, and my treatment has been exceptional. Everything is clear. There are no doubts that suddenly appear, and there are processes for everything. Everything is very safe and reliable, and this makes me feel very comfortable with the decision to be part of the program,” Alex said.
Alex is already starting to receive the benefits of sharing with people in a multicultural environment. “For me, it has been an excellent opportunity to meet new people. It is really fascinating. In the past three days, I have already made friends from Jamaica, Colombia, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras, so it is also a good opportunity to meet new cultures. “
Each year Participate Learning opens a process of recruiting new educators willing to live a teaching and personal growth experience in the United States. In 2020 this educational program will begin again with the process of calling applicants, so they too may have the opportunity to transcend their own limits and live new experiences.
Interview with Alex Cruz
I was given the opportunity to interview Alex thanks to my liaison with Participate Learning’s information consultant Doris Estrada.
1. What made you apply for the position.
For two reasons – curiosity and excitement. Excited to meet new people. Excited to experience a new adventure. And simple curiosity to see if I have all skills and requirements that can allow me to have this privileged position.
2. How did you feel when you were chosen?
Happy, definitely. Happy of having the skills to be an international teacher and excited to meet new people, feel a new experience. To learn what the education system is like in a first-world country.
3. Now that you are in the States doing the job, has the experience lived up to or gone beyond what you had hoped for?
Proper preparation is the key to succeeding and feeling comfortable. I am definitely experiencing exactly what I thought because I prepared for it. After receiving the interview calls, I sat down and I researched the school and how life in the United States would be. The expenses that come with it and the cultural change. I would encourage people to do that beforehand. They have to plan well for apartment expenses, a vehicle, all that. It will be different for every teacher. Some might need to take into consideration their family because it will be different for teachers that are coming with their family than the teachers that are single.
4. What is something you would like to take away from this experience?
What I want to bring with me back home; definitely some of the strategies that will work in our country. Because you can do research on Belize. We have one of the best educational systems in Central America, but not everything that works in the USA will work in Belize. It is important to evaluate what would work for us and what doesn’t.
5. Would you encourage other teachers to apply and if so why?
Sure, definitely. Keep in mind, everybody has a different value system. You could apply, go to the interview, you accepted, but you have to take into consideration everything.
Remember that Participate gives you the opportunity of three to five years of service as a teacher. So you have to consider the time and your family. You have the opportunity to showcase your country, your talent, your skills as well. So I encourage teachers to give it a try. It is not the same for me, for John or for Mary, so consider all these points. In my case, so far the experience has been excellent.
About Participate Learning Belize teacher training
Participate Learning recruits teachers from all over the world to live the experience of teaching three to five years in US schools and, at the same time, allows students to learn the culture of their teacher’s home countries.
For further information, you may contact Participate by WhatsApp (+506) 8715 3222. Also, you can contact them directly by accessing the chat located in the lower right corner of the Participate Learning website.
Participate Learning opens annually the process of recruiting teachers worldwide, and Belize is one of the countries chosen to contribute to expanding the multicultural background in schools in the United States.
Educators from Belize could be selected to teach in the United States next school year by sending this application form. More information at Participate Learning.
