Government of Colombia Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) Program 2018/2019

Application Deadline: 18th May 2018 (at midnight Bogotá time)

The strategy of Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE), per its acronym in Spanish, led by the Government of Colombia seeks to form tour guides and undergraduate and graduate students from Asia and Africa in different Colombian learning institutions recognized by the quality of their Spanish programs. In 2018, this strategy will include the following initiatives: 6th version of ELEFocalae, 2nd version of ELE Asia + and the first versions of ELEAsia Central and ELE África.

ELE África aims at fostering the mutual understanding, trust, political dialogue and friendly cooperation between Colombia and the African countries through the teaching of Spanish in order to promote the linguistic, cultural and touristic values of Colombia.

Training activities

The course will be offered for one academic semester (approximately 17 weeks) and will be held at Colombian universities recognized for the high quality of their Spanish as a Foreign Language Programs. During their studies, the beneficiaries must carry out the following types of activities:

• Academic activities: They are related to the main component of the initiative, which is the learning of Spanish. They include both the classroom classes and the extracurricular tasks and activities programmed by host universities to guide the beneficiaries through the process of formation. The courses have a minimum intensity of 15 hours per week and each university has the autonomy to set a higher weekly intensity.
• Volunteering activities: This component is part of the learning process. Its objective is to generate a greater approximation of the beneficiaries to the Colombian reality; contribute to the development of activities of interest to the universities; support socially oriented projects; and generate greater exchange and socialization with the academic community.
• Beneficiaries must complete a minimum of 10 hours of on-site volunteering per week. The activities are assigned by each university with the guidance and follow-up of the Government of Colombia.

Spanish certification exam
The exam “Servicio Internacional de Evaluación de la Lengua Española” (SIELE) will be applied at the end of the course and will provide the beneficiaries with an internationally recognized certification of their language sufficiency.

Target group
• Tourist guides duly certified by the National Tourism Authority or Competent Authorities of their countries.
• Undergraduate students currently in their last two (2) academic semesters in any area, and postgraduate students. The Government of Colombia will prioritize candidates who are studying courses related to Languages, Latin-American Studies, International Business, International Relations, International Trade, Business, Management and Foreign Languages.

Requirements:

PROFILE
• Be a national of an African country.
• Be tourist guides duly certified or students who have outstanding academic results and are enrolled in the last academic year of their undergraduate course or in a postgraduate course.
• Have a good knowledge of English (certified B1 level minimum).
• Have been born between January 1, 1978 and December 31, 1998.
• Accept and carry out the rules of this 2018 initiative, submitted as Annex I of this document.
• Have good physical and mental health.
• Have the necessary resources to cover the costs of the first month of their stay in Colombia. It is suggested a minimum amount of US$600 (six hundred US Dollars).
• Have the necessary resources to cover for the costs of the Colombian Alien ID, approximately US$70 (seventy US Dollars.)
• Not to have participated in the previous versions of ELE initiatives offered by the Colombian Government, developed since 2013.

Note: Knowledge of basic Spanish (level A1) will be positively valued.
Possession of a valid USA or Schengen Visa will be positively valued.

Benefits:

• Round trip, air ticket in economy class from the capital of the home country to the Colombian city where the course will take place. The Colombian Government will be responsible for assigning the placement city.
• Monthly stipend of one million six hundred (1.600.000) Colombian pesos for the beneficiary to cover basic living expenses, such as accommodation, local transport, and the cost of meals in Colombia. The monthly stipend will be proportional to the number of days of the beneficiaries’ stay in Colombia, and will be paid once per month in arrears subject to the assistance to the Spanish lessons by the beneficiary. Attendance will be checked through report, which will be submitted by the university to the Colombian authorities.
• Tuition scholarship for the Spanish course.
• International Health Insurance.
• Courtesy Colombian Visa.
• SIELE exam to obtain the Spanish as a foreign language certification.

Note: The cost of any additional visas of third countries that may be necessary to travel to Colombia, as well as of any extracurricular activities that the beneficiaries wish to undertake at the Colombian host universities, will not be financed by the Government of Colombia.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
• Application form completed, available on the webpage of the Colombian Embassies in the African countries. Point 9 below has the list of Colombian Diplomatic Missions with their contact details.
• A recent passport size photo (3.5 x 4 cms).
• Copy of the principal passport page, containing biographical information. The passport must have a minimum validity of six months after the start of the program.
• Medical certificate in English, signed by a doctor, certifying that the candidate is in good physical and mental health to take the course in Colombia, submitted as Annex II of this document.
• Yellow Fever vaccination certificate, if you have it.
• Documents evidencing the candidate has a proficient knowledge of English, equal or greater than B1, per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
• For tourist guides only: Acceptance letter or authorization of enrollment issued by the National Tourism Authority or Competent Authorities of their countries.
• For undergraduate and graduate students: Confirmation of enrollment letter issued by the university of origin that includes the Grade Point Average (GPA) of the candidate.
• For graduate students only: Copy of Undergraduate diploma.

Note: Only applicants that comply with the required profile and documents will be considered.
Scholarship Beneficiaries will be asked to submit the Letter of acceptance, available as Annex III in this document, on a later date upon selection.

TERMINATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP
The Government of Colombia reserves the right to terminate the scholarship and withdraw its support any time, if any of the following situations occur:
• Non-compliance of the stipulated regulations of the initiative submitted in Annex I.
• Inaccuracy of the data provided by the fellow in the selection process.
• Being expelled from the Colombian university per the rules of the institution.
• For reasons of serious illness or mental disability.
• For confirmed use of drugs.
• Violation of Colombian laws.

TIMELINE OF THE PROGRAM

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webapage of the Government of Colombia Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) Program 2018/2019