Teaching Abroad (English or Other Subject)
Project Information
The opportunity to study English is highly valued in the communities we work with. Whether they are teaching English abroad, or supporting the instruction of other subjects, or extracurricular activities. The students are eager to learn and participate. Many classrooms are overcrowded with a single teacher. Other rooms are left empty because there is no money to pay teachers. However, there are countless eager students who want and deserve an education. For countries like Costa Rica with minimal financial resources it can be challenging to provide adequate education to students. Children, teenagers and young adults in these communities are very grateful for the opportunity to practice their conversation skills, and learn grammar with native English speakers. As Costa Rica is increasingly becoming the tourism capital of Central America, English is a prerequisite for students.. Participants are placed in local schools, and/or community centers. Public schools in Costa Rica are closed from the third week of December until the second week of February with a 2 week holiday beginning on the first week of July. If participants arrive while public schools are closed, they will teach to members of the community. Depending on the community needs volunteers will either teach workshops to adults or children in English or be placed at a local school.
Participants teach lessons in a range of classroom settings including: schools, tutoring programs, community centers, special needs facilities and childcare centers. Participants provide either tutoring to local students, small workshops, or assistance to local teachers. Participants will have an objective of promoting greater literacy, supporting opportunities for higher education, building vocational skills and enhancing career prospects among students. The age group the participant is placed with is decided by taking into consideration participants’ wants, along with the current needs of the community. Participants in the school project do not work on national Costa Rican holidays and breaks according to the Ministry of Public Education’s calendar. Participants interested in becoming teachers are able to do semester-long teaching internships. The participants in this project will be expected to be open minded, patient, and self-starters (able to recognize what needs to be done or who needs to be helped). Participants will teach and help instructors as needed, maintain a helpful, caring, positive, and professional demeanour.
* Participants will create lesson plans in accordance with their students understanding and grasp of the English language. Participants to help with the pronunciation of words, sentence structures, vocabulary, colloquialisms, culture, and basic conversational skills.
*You will have the opportunity to become involved with numerous volunteer projects while in Costa Rica. You will not be confined to the one project you register for; there is a lot of flexibility. Volunteers typically work on numerous projects with different partners and you will be able to learn about other options available upon your arrival..
Additional Information
It is incredibly beneficial to have exposure to native English speakers, and it is also a wonderful opportunity for participants to brush up on what they learned in school! If you are interested in also obtaining a TEFL certification while volunteering with us, please contact us directly.
Skills & Qualifications
How can I teach if I don't speak Spanish? Great question! As most of the children and adults that you will be teaching, have very little grasp of English, knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but not at all necessary. Many ESL teachers worldwide have no knowledge of the language in the various countries where they teach. However, we create placements based on the participant's level of Spanish, and if there is none, they are placed in classes with students that have a very basic level of English.
PROGRAM
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