Winter Volunteer Opportunities: Empower Adult Refugees through English Education!

The Washington English Center is recruiting online and in-person volunteers to teach and tutor English!

About the Washington English Center:

Since 1993, Washington English Center (WEC), a community-based program, has offered English and literacy training to low-income adult immigrants in the greater Washington area.

What our volunteers do:

Volunteers meet once a week online or in person in downtown DC for 1-3 hours a week for 11 weeks. Volunteers follow a provided syllabus and textbook and are given ongoing training. No teaching experience is required!

We also have the opportunity to substitute teach, which does not require a once-a-week 1-3 hour commitment, and provides volunteers with the flexibility to get involved at their own convenience. We are happy to work with your schedule.

Please check out our volunteer flier or watch our short 7-minute orientation video that provides an overview of all our programs. You can also visit our website at https://www.washingtonenglish.org/volunteers/ or check us out in the Washington Post.

Volunteer Perks:

• Volunteer happy hour and socials in-person and online
• Meet new friends from around the world
• Networking events
• Perfect for college students interested in joining the Peace Corps
• Make a difference in the lives of immigrants and refugees!

Volunteer Requirements:

• Speak fluent English, non-native speakers welcome!
• Be at least 18 years old
• Complete the volunteer application
• Complete a short onboarding call with a staff member
• Complete training
• Use provided teaching and tutoring resources and materials

Winter 2026 ESOL group classes start January 12th and run through March,26th 2026 however, our one-on-one tutoring sessions happen on a rolling basis and have flexible start and end dates. Please note, if you are interested in co-teaching we ask that you sign up by December 12th to receive a placement on December 19th.

For questions, please feel free to contact Yaritza Abrego, Associate Director of Community Programming at yabrego@washingtonenglish.org.