English teacher Assistant in Spain

This wonderful project was created with the goal of helping to improve the English speaking abilities of disadvantaged  children in Bilbao (Northern Spain)  Volunteers will work as Teacher’s Assistants and will generally work Monday - Friday,  max 20 hours per week, depending on the needs of the project. Classes have small numbers of students and generally lack adequate resources so volunteers are needed to help with planning creative lessons and running games and activities, especially with the younger children. With English language skills, these children will have a greater chance of employment, especially in the tourism sector. English language skills will also greatly aid youth into higher education.

Goals of the project

Provide free English language classes to the children of the community.

 Improve the future prospects of children in Spain

Expose non-English speakers to native English speakers in order to improve pronunciation and conversational skills

Enable inter-cultural exchange which benefits both students and international volunteers alike.

How you can help

Volunteers spend their time assisting the local teacher with daily activities, and will spend time teaching and playing with the children. They will contribute in a number of ways and can expect to undertake the following tasks:

Help the teacher with the planned classroom activities

Assist with the delivery of a range of academic subjects

Converse in and teach basic English to children and teens

Play games and read to the children in English

Teach children good  life skills

Help the children and teens complete projects

Who Will I Be Working With?
If the number permits we aim to group volunteers together at a particular school or project. You will work closely with a teacher and report to the Head teacher should you have any issues. A member of our team will also spend a portion of their day at the project to assist in anyway and offer any guidance should it be needed. Most volunteers strike up a strong bond with the teachers and are treat as another member of staff as if you were always there.

What Do We Expect From The Volunteers?
A teaching qualification or experience is not compulsory for this placement, your level of experience and confidence will gauge what level of students would best suit and will be discussed between the team and yourself on your first day introduction. The greatest traits of a volunteer are enthusiasm, empathetic and the ability to adjust to alternative cultures. You will get the most of our your trip by opening your mind to new experiences and beliefs whilst also bringing your own to the table.

What Should I Bring?

Regarding your placement we advise bringing  school materials, arts & crafts items and some ideas from teaching resource websites.

A volunteer’s work day on this project will generally last between 2 and 4 hours and while we ask all volunteers to be flexible in this regard, a typical daily schedule is likely to go something like this:

4:30 pm Walk  to your project site

4:45 p.m Pre-start meeting with project supervisor

5:00 p.m VOLUNTEERING DUTIES START

7:00pm VOLUNTEERING DUTIES END

7:15pm Debrief with project supervisor

We include Free cultural activities Mon-Fri such as climbing, hiking, excursions, day tours, wine tasting etc. They are for free.

Volunteers have the weekends free. Spain is universally recognised for its history, art, culture, cuisine and natural beauty, so there is absolutely no shortage of things to see and do while in Bilbao or further afield in Spain!

Evenings Free time to relax and have dinner or go out and explore the sights and sounds of Bilbao – a cool and vibrant surf town!

After school and evenings offer these local opportunities around the local area:

• Hiking / Trekking
• Swimming
• Sightseeing (Waterfalls and breathtaking scenery)
• After school & Homework Clubs
• Sports facilities
• Live Music
• Plenty of Nightlife
• Restaurants & Hotels providing top cuisine

Weekend Free Time

Most volunteers will travel at weekends, across Bilbao we have many amazing experiences which you can discover. Here are just a few ideas:

• Museums
• Wineries
• Hiking
• Waterfalls
• Malls and Cinemas
• Beautiful Beaches
• Surfing
• Bowling