English Teaching Activity Lead

Do you have a passion for the English language and previous experience in teaching English? Do you want to share your knowledge with vulnerable communities in order to increase their work and study opportunities whilst discovering new places? Then join us in Peru as part of the Otra Cosa Network team!

About Otra Cosa Network:

Otra Cosa Network is a well-established UK Registered Charity and Peruvian registered not for profit (NGO), addressing the educational needs of children and vulnerable adults in an extremely impoverished area of Northern Peru. We work in informal settlements where many community members have been displaced by climate change, disaster and political instability. They live in precarious circumstances, few have running water, sewage provision and there is only sporadic electricity. Additionally, many children are forced to work instead of continuing their education, in order to boost family finances and there are no community-based facilities for learning and developing new skills in a safe environment.

Our dynamic range of activities address language skills, environmental awareness, women’s entrepreneurship, youth, employability and gender empowerment. we are seeking volunteers to work in project implementation in our new Recreation and Education Centre as well as our field office. Projects will restart as soon as the community is safely able to come out of isolation, post coronavirus. Our range of activities are implemented by national and international volunteers, allowing them to express solidarity whilst boosting their field experience. 

About the English Teaching Activity Lead position:

As a English Teaching Activity Lead you will work under the guidance of our Community Development Coordinator and make sure that our English teaching is meeting high quality standards and is carried out successfully. You could be leading several volunteers in their work of delivering English classes and putting their ideas of lessons plans together.

This role may require only a few hours a week but also gives you the chance to work on other projects within the Otra Cosa Network to top up your hours to around 25 hours/week.

Please note that all volunteer positions are also available as Internships. With this add-on you will receive an extra level of mentorship and where necessary all appropriate liaison with your academic institution to ensure compliance with internship placement requirements. Please see our separate internships listing for further in-depth information or check out our website at www.otracosa.org.

This position includes tasks such as:

• Facilitate weekly meetings with volunteers to plan lessons
• Deliver English language lessons to the children we work with
• Help volunteers to deliver high quality lessons and guide them with your specific knowledge in this field
• Maintain and update all material related to the English program
• Be creative in coming up with new ideas and policies to improve our English program
• Help managing the English teaching budget
• Have weekly meetings with the Project Coordinators and participate in the Coordinators meeting 

What you can expect from us:

• Personal pick-up upon arriving and walking tour through Huanchaco
• Working with an organization that has many years of experience teaching English to vulnerable communities.
• Possibility of contributing with your own ideas
• Thorough introduction to the organization 
• Certified training in First Aid and Child Safeguarding.
• 24/7 emergency support 
• Personal pick-up upon arriving and walking tour through Huanchaco
• Organized activities & trips (barbeques, game nights, volunteer-lunch, team building trips) with like-minded people from all over the world
• Working in a friendly beach & surf town right next to many historical sites
• The satisfying feeling of committing your work to a good cause whilst gaining insight into a new culture.
• Certificate of completion detailing your role, the project(s) you participated in and the dates you volunteered in.

Requirements:

• Current background check from your home country.
• Spanish level: Not required but desirable *
• Time commitment: 2-3 months

* We can arrange Spanish classes for you in advance (by Skype) or during your stay, if you have no/minimum Spanish or want to improve your language skills.

Volunteering Hours:

• Total 25 hours per week: 5-10 hours in this lead role, in addition to 15-20 hours spent on another activity

Desired Skills & Competencies: 

• Practical experiences and/or knowledge in the field of English teaching
• Innovation and creativity
• Good team player
• Leadership skills
• Ability to cope with active children
• Flexible, responsible and open-minded personality

 Related Fields of Study:

• Education
• TEFL
• English Language and Literature
• Project Management
• Community Development Studies
• Youth Work
• Anthropology
• International Relations
• Sociology
• Spanish

Typical day:

Whilst there is a lot of variety in this role, on a typical day as an English activity lead you will start with planning the structure of the lessons for the following weeks in cooperation with the Community Development Coordinator. Therefore, you will work closely with other volunteers to decide on topics and teaching measures. You will guide the English Teaching Volunteers with the implementation of an efficient lesson plan and curriculum. You will also give helpful advice in how to catch the attention of children and how to actively involve them in class. As a role model for other volunteers, you also have the opportunity to actively show your teaching skills in front of the children.

After work there is plenty of time to catch one of Huanchaco’s world famous sunsets from the tranquility of the beach, or indeed from a surfboard. Then there are various options to fill your evening, socializing with local and other volunteers, sampling the famous Peruvian cuisine, attending talks and cultural events, music, dance, theatre, movies- the list is endless.

Huanchaco and free-time activities:

Huanchaco is a beautiful coastal town where the waves are perfect all year long, which makes this place popular among surfers. The long beaches and relaxed atmosphere attract both Peruvians from nearby cities and backpackers traveling through Peru. This gives the small town an extremely welcoming and friendly vibe where the locals, volunteers and travelers interact and getting to know each other on a daily basis. The city has adapted to this mix and hosts many cafés, restaurants, yoga studios, surf schools, gyms and other activities and sports that are available for everyone. However, the town still remains a quiet, easy-going place that retains its fishing-village ambiance. Over the last three millennia, locals have stuck to traditional ways of fishing, going out on their caballitos de totora (traditional reed fishing boats), and using their nets to gather their catch for the day. Furthermore, Huanchaco is surrounded by mountains where it is possible to go hiking (tours are arranged by local guides, at reasonable prices). If you prefer cultural activities, the district is home to Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian city in South America and is only a few minutes away from Huaca del sol y de la luna, which are among the most well-preserved temple ruins of the old Incan empire that can be found in Peru. Trujillo, Peru’s third biggest city, is only a 30 minutes bus ride far away. The colonial city of Trujillo offers many shopping and sight-seeing opportunities accompanied by a lively big city feeling.

Inquiries and Applications:

To make an application, please visit our website at www.otracosa.org or contact us on info@otracosa.org for further information.