English Teaching Project Coordinator at a Peruvian NGO

The HELP English Coordinator is one of the four Project Coordinator Roles available at OCN. Your role as HELP English Coordinator is to plan a curriculum and weekly two-hour class for the children at the Recreational Centre (The REC) in Cerrito de la Virgen. You will be in charge of delivering the classes, as well as briefing and leading a team of supporting volunteers. 

As a hands-on role, this position involves much more exposure to the Spanish language than some of our office roles, so it would be a great opportunity for Spanish-speaking volunteers or those looking to improve their Spanish language skills. 

In this role, you will work under the supervision of the REC Coordinator and Program Manager.

Running the HELP English project only requires a few hours a week, so, for the rest of your time, you will act as a multi-project volunteer. This includes various other opportunities to teach English at local schools or at the library, and gives you the chance to work on other projects within the OCN portfolio to top up your hours to around 25 hours/week. Potential activities include: English classes at the library; English classes at the American School in Trujillo; English classes at María del Socorro primary school; HELP Environment; HELP Youth; HELP Literacy; Global Glow (girls' education and empowerment); REC homework support sessions; helping out at Huanchaquito dog shelter; playground renovation at Casita de Madera pre-school; assisting with taking inventory at the library. 

This position is a fantastic opportunity for individuals who want to work with children while also gaining an insight into the world of NGOs. Also, living in Huanchaco, a small surf town not far from the city of Trujillo, will give you the chance to experience another culture and meet lots of new people.

For students, all volunteer positions are available as internships, which is ideal for students looking to complete a year in industry/placement abroad. In this case, you will receive an extra level of mentorship and all appropriate communication with your academic institution to ensure compliance with internship placement requirements. 

Responsibilities:

• Plan and update the HELP English curriculum
• Deliver English language lessons to the children at the REC
• Register the children's attendance and ensure that we have their emergency contact details 
• Maintain and update all material related to the English program
• Write weekly reports and monthly reviews on the project progress and impact, to be shared with REC Coordinator and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. 
• Participate in weekly REC meetings with the other HELP Project Coordinators and REC Coordinator/Program Manager 
• Be creative in coming up with new ideas and policies to improve our English program

Requirements:

• Age 18+ on arrival
• Current background check from your home country.
• Minimum intermediate Spanish preferred* 
• TEFL or TESL training would be preferred but not required. 
• Experience of teaching or working with children desirable.
• Leadership skills
• Ability to cope with active children
• Flexible, responsible and open-minded personality

*If you want to improve your Spanish, we can arrange Spanish classes for you in advance (by Skype) or during your stay.

Time commitment:

• Placements can last from 2-12 months, giving you the flexibility to choose between spending a full year/academic year with us, just one semester, or even a summer internship. This makes our opportunities ideal for students looking to gain professional experience during a year in industry or language-based placement abroad.
• Long-term volunteers are preferred, so you have a chance to really get to know the community and get comfortable in your role. 
• Total 25 hours per week, Mon-Fri: 5-10 hours in this lead role, in addition to 15-20 hours spent on other activities.

What you can expect from us:

• Personal pick-up upon arriving and walking tour through Huanchaco
• Help with organising accommodation for your time in Huanchaco
• A thorough introduction to the organization 
• Certified training in First Aid and Child Safeguarding.
• 2 days holiday per month
• 24/7 emergency support 
• Organized activities (barbeques, game nights, volunteer lunch etc.)
• Certificate of completion detailing your role, the project(s) you participated in and the dates you volunteered in.

A typical day in the role:

The OCN Recreational and Educational Centre (REC) opens from Monday-Wednesday and on Fridays, from 3-5pm. Each day is designated to a different HELP project: English, Environment, Youth, and Literacy. You will attend all these classes, although they will be led by the respective Project Coordinators. Regular attendance will give you plenty of opportunities to interact with the children and create a bond of trust with them. 

Before each session, you will meet with the relevant project coordinator and supporting volunteers at the OCN volunteer house, where the coordinator will brief the group on the lesson plan for the day, delegate roles, and answer any questions. You will then get a mototaxi to the REC together and assist in running the class. At the REC, if there are any safeguarding or maintenance issues, it is your responsibility to report them to the management team. You must also ensure that project coordinators are taking the register and assisting with teaching/supervising the kids. 

Once a week, you will hold a meeting with the HELP Project Coordinators and the Program Manager, where you will discuss general issues for the REC, such as discipline and attendance, routines, safety, maintenance etc. You will also assist in the planning of the week's activities and discuss future events or bigger activities. Here, you have a chance to contribute your own experiences or help give us new ideas on how to make the program as innovative and interactive as possible. 

Every Monday morning, you will attend a general OCN meeting at the volunteer house to discuss any relevant updates and activities for the week, contribute ideas and feedback, and plan out the activity schedule for the week.

After work, there is plenty of time to catch one of Huanchaco’s world-famous sunsets from the tranquillity 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.