Volunteer Teaching English in Peru

  Peru

• Cusco: 
Cusco
• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Manu National Park,  Sacred Valley of the Incas,  Incan ruins,  Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks

Description: Volunteers who are interested in teaching will work directly with the local school and its teacher(s). They will teach English, and support and supplement the curriculum depending on their skills, as well as the needs of both the teacher(s) and the community. In the smaller communities volunteers will be supporting students in the primary grades (from grade 1 to 6). In the larger communities they will also be supporting students in secondary (high) school.

Highlights: Volunteers will live either with host families in their community, or in volunteer housing in Pilcopata. Living with local families volunteers will be able to fully experience the realities of rural Peruvian life. Volunteers will participate in all the daily activities of the family including eating with the family and helping them in their fields. Home stays offer both the local families and the volunteers the experience of cultural exchange, a chance to share day-to-day experiences, ideas and new ways of thinking.

Project Sites

Paititi Volunteers operates in two areas within the province of Cusco, Peru.

The first is the Kosñipata Valley, the cultural section of the Manu Biosphere Reserve in the Amazonian jungles of Peru. Using Picopata, the Kosñipata district capital, as its base the project is currently focused on three main communities: Pilcopata, Tupac Amaru and Atalaya. There are potential expansion possibilities into other communities within Kosñipata and the neighboring province of Madre de Dios. The local language is Spanish, although many people in the communities also speak Quechua, Machugengo and other local languages and dialects. The majority of communities in the area are agriculturally based, producing pineapples, yucca, papaya, coca. In the larger communities such as Pilcopata and Atalya there are a number of individuals involved in the service area and some in tourism. Due to its location in the cultural section of the Manu Biosphere Reserve there are an increasing number of tourists entering the zone each season and while there have been some small attempts at tourism related activity there is significant room for entrance and expansion into this area. One of the main barriers is the lack of English language skills.

The second is the Sacred Valley of the Incas where the focus is on five communities in the Huayllabamba district: Huicho, Huaocary, Huayllabamba, Urquillos and Rachi. The local languages are Quechua and Spanish. The communities are for the most part engaged in the production of Andean agricultural products (corn, potatoes, fruits and vegetables). Recently there has been significant tourism intervention in the area do to a large amount of Inca ruins in the area. The communities are very interested in learning English in order to benefit from the local tourism.

Qualifications: none

Cost in US$: volunteers will be charged a fee of $600 per month, including room and board with a local family, volunteer placement and a volunteer coordinator on site.

* Any and all profits are reinvested in the communities.

Volunteers are responsible for all their travel costs to the project areas and any personal costs (internet, laundry etc.). Volunteers are also responsible for their own travel documents, vaccinations and health insurance.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to World Wide Participants.

Participants Travel to Peru Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Physical Exam/Health Records

Paititi Peru's Mission Statement: To promote an in-depth cultural exchange between volunteers and communities in the Kosñipata and Sacred Valley regions. Volunteers provide help with farming, construction, after-school activities for children, as well as English language skills to increase their job opportunities and earning potential in the tourism industry.

Year Founded: 2006