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Brandee Strickland '02

Brandee Strickland

Brandee Strickland '02

Major(s): Spanish, Psychology

Employer: Udec English Online, Univ. of Concepciòn, Chile
Country of residence: Chile

What was your Spanish language-based experience upon graduation from Bowdoin?
I studied Spanish in middle and high school, but when I started classes at Bowdoin, I only tested into intermediate level classes. I took Spanish classes every semester at Bowdoin and studied abroad in Chile for one semester, taking classes at a local Chilean university.

What was your motivation for searching out a Spanish language-based experience upon graduation from Bowdoin?
I love speaking Spanish and have always wanted to be fluent in another language besides English. I knew that in order to maintain my fluency I would need to continue speaking Spanish frequently, so it was one of my priorities after I graduated to find a job in which I could use my Spanish.

What previous experiences prepared you for your experience?
My classes throughout my years at Bowdoin, as well as a summer spent at the Middlebury Summer Spanish Language School, prepared me for my study abroad experience, so that while I was studying in Chile I was able to improve rapidly and quickly felt comfortable in a Spanish-speaking environment. My experience studying abroad helped me decide to move to Chile to teach English, but before doing so, I lived in the U.S. for a year after graduation and served as a bilingual advocate at a domestic violence agency through AmeriCorps. This experience helped me feel confident about working in a professional environment in which I would need to speak Spanish.

What methods, contacts, etc. did you use to arrange your experience?
I moved to Chile on my own without any professional contacts, because I found that it was almost impossible to make contacts from outside the country. After arriving in Concepciòn, I visited all of the private schools and language institutes that I found in the phone book and left my résumé with them, but I still had to wait 4 months to find a job! I found that it is necessary to be persistent and to go in person to the institutes several times to check up on the status of their decision to hire you, because they are often disorganized and won’t ever call you unless you go in to check. After a year working at the institute, I was able to make a contact through one of my students, who helped put me in touch with the director of a university English program. It’s important to get to know people because based on your résumé alone it is difficult to get a good job in Chile!

Are you currently using your Spanish language skills?
Yes, to interact daily with the technicians who create the online program and to create documents in Spanish that explain to the technicians the kind of activities we want them to create.

Did your experience influence your current and/or future career choice and job skills? If so, how?
Yes. After studying at Bowdoin and my experience abroad, I knew that I wanted to move to Chile and work, but it was only after moving here that I realized that I enjoyed teaching English.

Are you willing to be contacted by students who are interested to learn more about your experience? Definitely.

Story posted on September 07, 2005

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