Deadline for Applications: July 01, 2017
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 you’d like to be considered for other openings and more about the ones that interest you most!
Project Description
English Education Volunteers co-teach conversational English or content-based English in middle and high schools with an Albanian Counterpart. In addition to classroom teaching, Volunteers share resources, develop teaching materials with local teachers and become involved in community- and school-based projects.
Volunteers are assigned to a small community in which you will be co-teaching English Education at a high school or combined elementary and middle school. You will co-teach English as a foreign language to Albanian students as part of a regular general middle or high school program, but will have many related duties in helping both students and teachers practice using English to communicate. During their first school year, most TEFL Volunteers peer teach alongside an Albanian English teacher, supporting and enhancing the existing English language program with the Volunteer’s skills in spoken and conversational English. They may also assist teachers with the development of teaching materials and integrating innovative teaching techniques into their current practice. Volunteers may teach upwards to 15 – 18 hours per week. After peer teaching during your first year, some of these Volunteers may start to teach more on their own.
English Education Volunteers may also spend part of their time working with teachers from neighboring village schools to help them improve their English and increase their classroom repertoire and may conduct some teacher training workshops through collaboration with partner organizations and regional or local level education offices. Volunteers are also asked to use their English teaching to help improve the critical thinking and problem solving skills of their students, often through after-school activities or English clubs.
Whatever your English teaching assignment, you will help students, teachers, and other members of your community learn to use the English language through such activities as supporting summer camps, assisting with Model UN projects, Girl Scouts or GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), drama activities, contributing to school newspapers, creating English language materials or videos, and participating in community sports, arts or clubs. In addition, you will work with the school’s leaders to assess and determine ways to improve the schools systems and resources, such as library development, student government, and other school-based activities.
Albania has development needs in all areas and English Education Volunteers have ample opportunities to conduct other community development projects once they are grounded in their community. There are pressing needs for improving the overall quality of life in rural areas, strengthening the educational system, identifying income-generating opportunities, and managing the natural resources. Volunteers will have opportunities at local or regional level to participate in youth development efforts/activities by working through the schools, or with NGOs that focus their efforts on youth/children, or by taking part in youth-centered projects such as Model UN, Outdoor Ambassadors (an environmental-themed afterschool program begun by Volunteers), Girls Leading our World (GLOW) camps, etc. You may develop or participate in summer youth camps, promote “life skills” education, tutor students in other school subjects; and assist with efforts on the development of school student governments or linkage with projects that promote career development and foster youth employability.
Required Skills
• Competitive candidates will have a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline and a strong desire to teach English
Desired Skills
• Experience teaching, co-teaching, or tutoring English language, foreign language, or literacy tutoring with primary, middle, or high school students or adults
• Experience working in extra-curricular activities with primary, middle, or high school students or young adults (such as sports, leadership, or academic programs)
Required Language Skills
There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position. Please take a moment to explore the Language Comments section below to find out more on how local language(s) will be utilized during service.