Some time ago I happened to go to a conference in which they were talking about new trends for learning English in South America. For instance, I heard that in Uruguay, there´s been an ESL program implemented for children in some private schools. Basically, they were exposed to English spoken by a native Speaker once a week via video conference. This seems to be a great idea to start off learning a new language. The problem is that their actual teachers ain´t proficient in English; therefore, what they can do for them regarding their learning process is very little. However, this educators do as much as they can to keep up with their students. In my opinion, what really needs to be done to improve the overall level of English in South American children is the following:           

-Hire near native/native Speakers in most English centers.

-Set as a requirement that all the applicants hold a degree in education.

-Ask for at least three years of experience in the field of teaching.

-Make sure that this people really have commitment with their job. 

Well, those were some of my thoughts on this topic. I´m sure there are even more requirement and characteristics that schools should take into consideration as well. Though, the few ones I mentioned here are essential according to my way of seeing things nowadays.