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English Teacher and Teacher Trainer

Peace
Corps

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COUNTRY
Indonesia
REGION
Asia
SECTOR
Education
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
None

ACCEPTS COUPLES
Yes
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
70

APPLY BY
Jan. 1, 2018
KNOW BY
March 1, 2018
DEPART BY
Sept. 26, 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
As an English teacher and teacher trainer Volunteer, your primary goals will be to
1) improve student learning in English,
2) enhance students life and academic skills,
3) increase Indonesian teachers English fluency, and
4) improve teachers instructional capacity.
Many of your projects will focus on improving students English acquisition, increasing student
motivation and confidence, improving teachers English communication and teaching skills, or
creating opportunities for life skills and leadership skills acquisition.

This assignment requires Volunteers to teach English to students, at the 7th to 12th grade
level. Some of the students you will teach might only have a basic or intermediate
understanding of English. Other students might have mixed abilities to use English in
conversations, writings, or while reading. Volunteers work with one or more co-teachers in an
Indonesian middle school, high school, or vocational school. All classes are co-taught with an
Indonesian counterpart. It is expected that you will devote about 20-24 hours per week with
your co-teacher in the classroom. You will also have many opportunities to plan
extracurricular and non-formal community activities such as English clubs, after school sports,
or art. Content is developed in coordination with the schools adoption of a national curriculum
in English. The types of materials available to you might be limited. Some Volunteers may be
assigned to teach in schools with only basic resources, while others may be in schools with
access to technology such as computer labs or audio-visual equipment for language
instruction.

The Indonesian school week is Monday through Saturday; Volunteers are expected to function
as members of the faculty to their assigned school and will be required to attend school at
least five days each week.

Volunteers will have opportunities to participate in and implement teacher trainings through
local teachers organizations.

Opportunities exist for community service or youth development projects within the school
and community. You will receive training on engagement strategies with schools and local
communities to support a positive student environment in schools that create safe, engaging,
and supportive learning environments for Indonesian students. Common examples of
Volunteers activities in this realm include club and camp activities related to leadership and
life skills development, girls and boys empowerment, environmental awareness, and health
activities.

Cultural sensitivity, including religious tolerance and the desire to learn Bahasa Indonesia and a
secondary local language, is essential. Peace Corps Goals Two and Three increasing
Indonesians understanding of Americans, as well as Americans understanding of Indonesians
are of particular importance to our Indonesian partners; thus, building the people-to-people
connection is integral to Peace Corps service in Indonesia and as important as the transfer of
skills.

Volunteers selected for Peace Corps Indonesias education project will have the option to
enroll in the TEFL Certificate program, regardless of previous experience. After completion of
27-months of service and meeting the technical requirements, enrolled Volunteers will receive
a TEFL Certificate. The program starts before arriving in Indonesia with a 3-month online pre-
departure course and continues in pre-service training with technical TEFL trainings. Teaching
observations are conducted throughout Volunteers service to offer feedback and support
Volunteer professional growth. Also, to help Volunteers enrich their teaching repertoire, they
participate in six Online Learning Community events and submit written assignments.
Volunteers coming to Indonesia with strong TEFL/TESOL academic and professional
backgrounds who are interested in enrolling in the TEFL Certificate should bear in mind that
some technical training may repeat or reinforce previous coursework and professional
development. Volunteers with previous teaching experience will use their skills and knowledge
to facilitate training and to support other Volunteers. All Volunteers participating in the TEFL
Certificate program will complete these activities as part of their primary assignments as
described here.

Due to legal restrictions imposed by the Indonesian government, applicants to Indonesias

Peace Corps program must conclude their service prior to the age of 60. Due to additional
legal restrictions imposed by the Indonesian government, any couples applying together must
be in opposite-sex, legally married relationships.

Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any
discipline with a strong desire to teach English and at least 30 hours of teaching or tutoring
experience in English, foreign language, or literacy with primary, middle, high school, or
university level students or adults.
All applicants need to meet the physical demands of riding a bike (1-5 miles per day), as it is
a Volunteers primary mode of transportation.
All applicants must be able to use a squat toilet.

Desired Skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in English, Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL),
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English as a Second Language
(ESL), Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), foreign language, or Applied Linguistics
Master of Education (M.Ed.) with graduate or undergraduate concentration in English, TEFL,
TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with concentration in
English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with secondary education state
certification in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL and TESL, or
foreign language with 6 months classroom teaching experience at the secondary level in
English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with classroom teaching
experience at the secondary level in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL and TESL, or foreign language
Additional teaching or tutoring experience, beyond the required 30 hours stated above, in
English, foreign language, or literacy with primary, middle, high school, or university level
students or adults.

Required Language Skills

There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.

Additional Language Information

Volunteers work extensively in Bahasa Indonesia. Trainees will receive seven weeks of intense
instruction in Bahasa Indonesia and must obtain specific benchmarks of oral proficiency by the
end of pre-service training. Peace Corps Indonesia provides multiple avenues and a high level
of support for ongoing language learning after pre-service training, including in-person
language tutoring, online tutoring where available, intensive language workshops, and
stipends for language learning materials. Given low levels of English proficiency in the sites
where Volunteers will be serving, including among English-teaching counterparts, students,
and host family members, Volunteers will be expected to increase their fluency in Bahasa
Indonesia over the course of their service. Learning Bahasa Indonesia and a secondary
language will greatly help you integrate into your community. It will also help demonstrate
your commitment to working side-by-side with your Indonesian colleagues.

In most cases, as a trainee, you will receive at least two weeks of instruction in a secondary
local language, such as Bahasa Jawa, Bahasa Sunda, Bahasa Madura, or Bahasa Melayu Kupang
if you are able to demonstrate an ability to use Bahasa Indonesia. At many sites where
Volunteers will serve, these secondary languages are widely spoken socially and in homes, and
a basic level of proficiency in greetings, polite phrases, and other common vocabulary will be
useful for integration purposes. The same support for ongoing language learning is available
for secondary languages as for Bahasa Indonesia.

Living Conditions

Integration is a key element to Peace Corps and a successful Peace Corps service. All
Volunteers will live with host families for the entire duration of their service. Host families
provide a safe, welcoming learning and living environment for Volunteers. As a communal
culture, often more than one generation lives in the house, and Volunteers may have much
less privacy than they may be accustomed to. While Volunteers will have their own sleeping
rooms, they will share the bathroom and kitchen with the rest of the household. Indonesian
communities are densely populated, and noise levels are high, particularly near mosques.
Volunteers will be expected to live according to the cultural norms of their training site and
permanent sites. This likely includes refraining from consuming alcohol, not hosting visitors of
the opposite sex, and observing appropriate dress norms.

Volunteers usually bicycle several miles or walk for about an hour every day to get to and from
work, to the market, or to meet with their Indonesian colleagues and friends after work or on
the weekends. Your host community placement might be in a provincial town; however, most
Volunteers are placed in rural locations. Rural communities might have limited transportation
options, and if you are coming to the Peace Corps office, it might take a day or two.

Located along the equator, Indonesia is a lush tropical country with some of the most diverse
species anywhere on the planet. However, this also means that the temperature is hot and can
be very humid throughout the year. The rainy season, generally occurring from October
through April, sees heavy participation on a daily basis.

A key component of Indonesias national philosophy is valuing its rich diversity of people and
cultures; however, most of Indonesia is largely unaware of American diversity, and people are
often curious about the nationalities of racial and ethnic minority Volunteers. Minority
Volunteers should prepare to answer a large number of questions on this topic. At the same
time, cultural norms expect newcomers to approach people actively and get involved in
communal activities instead of waiting to be approached.

All Volunteers can expect Indonesian community members to be curious about Volunteers
religious beliefs and practices. Volunteers with belief systems that fall outside the recognized
religions in Indonesia (Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, Protestant, and Confucianism) will
need to learn strategies for responding to questions about this topic.

While Indonesia is generally tolerant and same-sex relationships are not legally prohibited,
values concerning sexual orientation and gender identity may be different from those in the
U.S. Volunteers will need to be mindful of cultural norms and use their judgment to determine
the best way to approach sexual orientation and gender identity in their communities. Staff
and currently serving Volunteers will address this topic throughout the training curriculum and
identify support mechanisms for incoming trainees.

Volunteers will be expected to be flexible and have a strong sense of responsibility in

representing Peace Corps to its Indonesian partners. Meetings might not start on time, the bus
 might not stick to its schedule, and your event might be rained-out.

Indonesia is home to more than 200 million people. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Indonesia,
you will have the unique experience of living amongst your fellow Indonesians, learning more
about their lives while sharing yours.

Learn more about the Volunteer experience inIndonesia: 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 Indonesia

Indonesia may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions:
asthma; insulin-dependent diabetes; gastroenterology; mammography; requiring a
psychiatrist for psychotropic medications support; seizure disorder; urology; ongoing
counseling.

The following medication(s) are not permitted for legal or cultural reasons: Adderall, Ritalin
and Vyvanse.

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

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