Howdy from the United States! As wonderful as it is to wake up in my own bed, overindulge in American food, and catch up with family and friends, I miss Brazil. Luckily, the few Brazilians I know in Philadelphia have tolerated incessant invitations to hang out, helping me to matar a saudade do Brasil.

For those considering a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, I recommend it without hesitation or reservation. Teaching in Brazil was the most enriching experience of my life. If the idea of learning a new language; meeting the kindest, most welcoming people on earth; exploring new food and music; and challenging yourself to reexamine what it means to be American appeals to you, please apply to teach in Brazil! If I’ve convinced you, I want to give you the tools to make it happen: here’s a brief, cut and dry how-to-guide for the application process.

The Timeline

Because applications must be submitted in September, it’s important to begin working on your application and start lining up your references over the summer. I started late, and as a result had to scramble during August and early September.

If you are an enrolled student or are applying through an academic institution, I highly recommend that you contact your college or university’s career services.If my college’s career services can serve as an example, the folks there will encourage you to visit the Fulbright website regularly and to reach out immediately to your potential references, as filling out the recommendation forms often takes time. I was relieved to know that my three references had completed and submitted their recommendations two weeks before the application was due.

The Application

Next, all applicants are required to complete the application (available online), which includes two essays – a Statement of Grant Purpose and a Personal Statement. In the Statement of Grant Purpose, applicants are asked to write about what draws them both to the country in which they would like to work and to teaching. The Personal Statement requires candidates to reflect upon how they hope their Fulbright experiences might fit into their future career plans.

For some countries, including Brazil, the application calls for a language examination. The language examination form can be found on the Fulbright website. Like recommenders, language examiners tend to like being asked early so that they have time to complete the examination and the subsequent report.

The Waiting

After submitting all written documents, candidates must conduct a short interview (approximately 20 minutes long, if memory serves). If you are affiliated with a college or university, the interview will take place on campus with members of your institution’s Fulbright committee. Several weeks after you submit the application to your academic institution (if that applies), all applicants will submit their applications online to the Fulbright commission. Finally – the worst part – waiting! Finalists learn of their status at the end of January, then grantees hear definitively sometime between March and June.

I hope this helps. Please contact me with any questions at gabriel.b.friedman@gmail.com; I am more than happy to help, if I can.

Thanks for reading! I loved being a part of the La Vida Idealist community, and I look forward to continuing to learn from y’all. Um forte abraço, Gabe.

For more tips on working within the Fulbright Teaching Assistantships or Fellowships, check out “Guest Post: To Kiva Fellow or not to Kiva Fellow, Eso e’ la pregunta. (Part II of III” by Rob Gradoville Jr.,  ”Volunteerism in Latin America: The Big Picture” by Flora Lindsay-Herrera, or read about Lianne Gonsalves’s experiences in Caracas, Venezuela. This is Gabe Friedman’s last post on La Vida Idealist. Gabe just finished a stint as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the Instituto Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos (ICBEU) in Manaus, Brazil and is now working towards the betterment of educational policy in New Jersey as the Special Assistant to Mayor Cory Booker’s Lead Education Advisor.

When I first set out with the idea of finding somewhere to volunteer at, I spent a lot of time trolling for ideas and connections on websites such as Idealist, Craigslist, Community Nonprofit Resource Group (CNRG) and South American Explorers Club.

I was guided by a loose set of criteria (Latin America, several months requirement, stipend, etc.) and was hunting for anything that remotely satisfied those requirements. When I did find an appetizing hit I would send out a resume, sometimes with a quick cover letter, and hope for the best. Eventually, I was able to land a position in Peru. All in all I was very satisfied but I do, in retrospect, believe that there are other and perhaps more efficient means of tracking down opportunities.

As opposed to “trolling,” “putting the word out” involves a more proactive approach. I was first introduced to this concept while visiting Idealist.org’s International Volunteerism Resource Center. This type of searching involves a certain level of self introspection and creativity. One starts by asking themselves the big questions ie. what type of work do I want to do, where exactly do I want to be working etc. Remember also that working the opposite way and subtracting what you don’t want from your list can sometimes be just as helpful.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of requirements as much as possible with dates, places, people, pay and everything else, then you can get to putting the word out. How you do this is where your own level of creativity comes into play.

My girlfriend Carly is a great example of someone who can creatively put the word out. Before our arrival in Buenos Aires, Carly chose to focus on her two primary interests, art and nutrition. Eager to fulfill some nutrition based volunteer hours, Carly began to put the word out on a variety of chat rooms such as Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree blog. She also began her own search of blogs and websites related to both Buenos Aires and nutrition. Most importantly, when she came across websites, groups or organizations that sounded appealing, she emailed them directly. Because she wrote personalized emails asking specific questions she immediately got a good number of responses.

Carly also relayed this same type of creativity in her search to find an artist’s work studio. She began by searching for local artists using the popular website Etsy. She later contacted the people she’d found and began inquiring about studio space. Given their similarities, many artists responded and Carly was eventually able to find herself a workspace.

Want to volunteer abroad but not sure where to start? Check out these other La Vida Idealist posts for more ideas on how to take that first step: “So You Spin the Globe…,” “It Pays To Do Some Research,” “Panning for Gold: Plucking Out the Nonprofit Gems,” “Volunteering 101: Interview Yourself,” and “Five Things to Think About When Choosing Your Volunteer Location.“