Teaching English in Ecuador

  Ecuador

• All Other Regions of Ecuador: 
Otavalo

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: monthly

Description: Volunteers joining this project will be teaching English to children in Andean communities near the market town of Otavalo. The children are currently in Primary and Secondary Education and English has become more important in the Ecuadorian Curriculum over the past few years. Sadly, with unqualified English teachers in the schools, the children often fail this part of their studies. By teaching the children English, alongside a qualified TEFL trainer, the children are more likely to learn English and pass the exams, thus having more chance of passing the year.

Half your working day will be spent teaching English, with the other half preparing lessons working alongside your TEFL teacher. Volunteers joining this project will take an introductory TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course in Ecuador which will help prepare you to teach indigenous children English.

Highlights: Working with the Andean Indigenous Communities:

The Indigenous in Ecuador make up 40% of the population, many living off just $1 a day or less. Global Vision International is currently working to encourage and improve levels of education in several of the communities around Otavalo, two hours north of the capital, Quito, in the Imbabura Province. All of the communities are between 3000m and 3600m in altitude; a half hour's drive by minivan up into the mountains from Otavalo. Each community has a population of between 150-200, whose dwellings are scattered around the mountainside. Their first language is Kichwa (or Quichua) and most speak Spanish as a second language.

One of the most immediate problems facing the Indigenous in these areas is the lack of money for education to buy even the basic school supplies and the distances each child has to travel (by foot) to reach the school, often an hour a day with some families having to walk close to 2 hours each way, to and from school. Many children have experienced little formal education, just one teacher coming up from Otavalo each day to teach all the children at once, indifferent to what age or grade they may be, in the same classroom. This lack of educational attention, plus the obvious financial constraints, means that some children don't attend. The same can be said of the adults, some of whom may have only reached first or second grade; the majority not even that. Therefore, illiteracy rates are high in the region. Also, the ability to speak and understand English has become compulsory for those children wanting to advance past 6th Grade, an impossibility for most.

Qualifications: No formal teacher-training is required. Each Volunteer is well-supported by GVI staff. Plans and curriculums are available and volunteers will receive an Introduction to TEFL training course. Volunteers should be enthusiastic and happy to work with children.

Cost in US$: 1990

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: There are no typical GVI volunteers, although all have an open mind and are dedicated to the projects they work with.

Age Range: 18+

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 6

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Global Vision International's Mission Statement: 2008 marks a decade of commitment from GVI to all volunteers and partners. Global Vision International aims to promote the advancement of sustainable development through the creation of partnerships, promotion of local and global education, opportunities and via direct financial support. GVI remains committed to its local partners by ensuring they receive full credit for any research undertaken or achievements reached.

Year Founded: 1998