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Secondary Education English Teacher Trainer

Peace
Corps

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COUNTRY
Colombia
REGION
South America
SECTOR
Education
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
Spanish

ACCEPTS COUPLES
Yes
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
13

APPLY BY
July 1, 2017
KNOW BY
Sept. 1, 2017
DEPART BY
Jan. 15, 2018

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Before You Apply

You can only have one active Peace Corps Volunteer application, so choose a
position that best fits your skills and interest. You have the opportunity to tell us if
youd like to be considered for other openings and more about the ones that interest
you most!

Project Description
Practical English for Success (PES) Volunteers help Colombian teachers develop and apply
established English language teaching principles. Volunteers work with secondary school
students at the 6th through 11th grade levels.

Volunteers engage in secondary education resource creation, curriculum design, and

facilitating professional development opportunities for local staff. In schools, Volunteers co-
plan English lessons and occasionally co-teach with their Colombian teacher partners.

It should be noted that Colombian Secondary English teachers hold at a minimum a Bachelor's
degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and or linguistics, and at least basic
conversational English language skills. It is common now for Colombian English teachers in
Secondary Schools to also hold a Masters degree in English teaching or related areas.

Volunteers should not expect to be assigned their own class to directly teach Colombian
Secondary Level students, but rather to collaboratively assist their counterparts in the
preparation of such classes. Volunteers may model classroom management and general
English teaching strategies with these classes as part of their counterparts professional
development process.

Volunteers may be engaged in teaching English in group classes directly to the teachers of the
school, and even those from other neighboring schools. Though Volunteers are assigned to
Secondary public schools, these schools almost always have Primary and Secondary sections
on the same campus so there is opportunity for the Volunteers to work at all levels.

Additionally, Volunteers commit to improve the English language proficiency of the students
and community members through extracurricular projects, with the aim of expanding their
academic and employment opportunities. Volunteers are expected to increase the motivation
to learn English and the participation levels of their students

All Volunteers are also expected to work on youth development and Information and
Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) initiatives on a community level. For
example, many schools have recently received technology such as interactive TVs, ipads, and
computer equipment. Volunteers will be asked to help train youth in the use of this equipment
and use it in a way to make English learning more dynamic.

The rural communities where our partner schools are located have diverse needs. This will give
you the opportunity to draw upon your personal talents, skills and interests to serve the needs
of your community. Teaching English can be incorporated into many activities some of which
may include:

Promoting and participating in sports or arts activities such as theater, drama and summer
camps
Facilitating health or environmental education projects such as nutrition education. HIV/AIDS
prevention and water system initiatives
Training community members or working with NGOs on computer and science classes or
service learning projects.

Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any
discipline and a strong desire to teach English
3 months, 10 hours/month or 30 hours of English, foreign language or literacy tutoring
experience with primary, middle or high school students or adults.

Desired Skills
1 + years of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)/Teaching English as a Second
Language (TESL) in primary school classrooms
Conversational Spanish Language skills
High level of self-initiative and self-direction
Leadership skills
Strong public speaking and presentation skills.
Strong interpersonal skills
High level of adaptability and flexibility
Willingness to live in rural areas
Willingness to facilitate cultural integration.

Required Language Skills

Candidates must meet one or more of the language requirements below in order to be
considered for this position.

A. Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework within the past 8 years
B. Completed minimum 2 semesters of Spanish collegelevel coursework within the past 6
years
C. Native/fluent speaker of Spanish

Candidates who do not meet the language proficiency levels above can take the language
placement exams to demonstrate their level of proficiency. Competitive applicants typically
attain a score of 50 on the Spanish College Level Examination Program CLEP exam or a score
of NoviceHigh on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL OPI).

Additional Language Information

Volunteers in Colombia are expected to use Spanish for their work and day-to-day activities.
Among the other technical and cultural requirements, Trainees must demonstrate an
intermediate level of written and oral proficiency in Spanish after 11 weeks of pre-service
training to swear-in as a Volunteer.

Living Conditions

The majority of sites are small towns. These small towns are located within 1 to 5 hour bus ride
from major urban cities and are all located in the Caribbean region of Colombia.

Most sites experience extreme heat and humidity for the majority of the year and are on
average 3 hours from the Caribbean coastline.

Married couples do not live together during the 11 weeks of pre-service training, but will live
together once assigned a community for their 24 months of service

All Volunteers in Colombia are required to live with a Colombian host family for the entire
duration of pre-service training and the two years of service.

Personal appearance is important to people in Colombia. During pre-service training the dress
code is business casual. Following pre-service training you will need to dress appropriately for
work situations in your community. Dressing appropriately will help you gain respect in your
host community, facilitate integration, and increase your credibility and effectiveness. It is
advised to take cues from your Colombian colleagues and dress to their standards of
professionalism.

In your community you are expected to dress like the teachers with whom you live and work.
Colombian men tend to wear long pants or slacks with button-down shirts. Beards should also
be neat and trimmed with hair keep short, above shoulder length. Women usually wear dress
pants and blouses or dresses or skirts. All pants or skirts should be below the knee and
sneakers, flip-flops or hiking-style sandals are not appropriate.

Through inclusive recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers, the Peace Corps seeks to
reflect the rich diversity of the US and bring diverse perspectives and solutions to
development issues. Additionally, ensuring diversity among staff and volunteers enriches
interpersonal relations and communication for the staff work environment, the volunteer
experience, and the communities in which volunteer serve. Our definition of diversity can
include but is not limited to: race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, religion, education, ability
and more.

Volunteers who are of an American racial, ethnic, or national minority or whose religious or
spiritual beliefs differ from the majority of their country of service may find they experience a
high degree of curiosity or unwanted attention from host country nationals. Please be aware
that American concepts of politeness and appropriate behavior are not universal. Ethically,
nationally or racially diverse Americans may be asked where they are actually from or if they
are really American. Many volunteers have been able to turn these encounters into learning
experiences, share American values and deepen local community members understanding of
the United States.
 Learn more about the Volunteer experience inColombia: Get detailed information on culture,
communications, housing, and safety including crime statistics [PDF] in order to make a
well-informed decision about serving.

Medical Considerations in Colombia

Colombia may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions:
insulin-dependent diabetes; ongoing behavioral health support.

The following medication(s) are not permitted for legal or cultural reasons: none identified.

Volunteers who should avoid the following food(s) may not be able to serve: gluten.

After arrival in Colombia, Peace Corps provides and applicants are required to have an
annual flu shot, to take daily or weekly medication to prevent malaria, and mandatory
immunizations.

Before you apply, please also review Important Medical Information for Applicants [PDF] to
learn about other health conditions typically not supported in Peace Corps service.

Does this sound like the position for you?

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