International Advisor

  Guatemala

Quetzaltenango

Length of Position: one year or six months
Dates: Start ASAP

Description: Casa Xelajú (shay-la-Hoo') is a socially-responsible educational institute in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala promoting cross-cultural understanding through its Spanish, Quiche languages and cultural programs. Social projects and travel services are also offered.

We are in search of an international advisor who will work on the following tasks:

* Work with students who attend our Spanish program

* Work with students who attend internship and volunteer programs

Highlights: You will be given the opportunity to travel during the weekends.

Come and discover the city of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

Quetzaltenango is the second largest city in Guatemala, with a population of 250,000. It is situated near several volcanoes in the heart of the Sierra Madres, 200 kilometers west of Guatemala City. Quetzaltenango's altitude of 2,333 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level ensures warm days, cool nights and no mosquitoes.

The name Casa Xelajú originates from the indigenous name for Quetzaltenango: "Xe laju' noj" which means "under 10 mountains". The city of Quetzaltenango was officially founded by the Spanish on the 15th of May, 1524, though the name Quetzaltenango came from the Mexican indigenous peoples, the Tlaxcaltecas, who accompanied the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado and his forces during their invasion of the Guatemalan highlands. The area quickly became the site of many small towns which formed the city of Quetzaltenango, often called Xelajú or Xela by the local people

Quetzaltenango is an active city, which does not depend on tourism, nor does it have the high concentrations of language students as do tourist centers such as Cuernavaca, México, Antigua, Guatemala and Quito, Ecuador. As a result, students have more opportunity to interact with the local population and participate in Guatemalan life. Xelajú has a rich history and with its six universities and several technical schools, it is often referred to as Guatemalas cultural center and most progressive city. There are 35,000 students from all over the country and the city taking classes at the universities and high schools. Xelajú has the highest number of elementary, middle, high school and universities per capita than any other city in the country.

Qualifications:
* Undegraduate degree
* Fluent in Spanish
* Able to work with webpages
* HTML programs
* Good human and social relations
* Able to work under pressure
* Translate documents
* Travel with students during the weekends

Salary / Pay: Q1,700.00 plus homestay with a Guatemalan family

Experience Required: no

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 10

Casa Xelaju's Mission Statement: Objectives: " To provide our students with the highest standards in all our programs. " To educate visitors about the social, political, cultural and economic reality of Guatemala. " To create justly-paid employment opportunities for Guatemalan professionals. Our teachers are one of the best-paid Spanish teachers in the country. In addition, they receive another two extra full paychecks during the year, Christmas bonus, vacations, a pension, medical insurance and Irtra's recreational membership. " To carry out development projects for people in need in Guatemala and to help groups that are struggling to improve the country. For many years, we have supported La Pedrera Community Project with educational projects for children, teens and adults. We currently have more than 100 children in this program.

Year Founded: 1987