Teach English in the Galapagos - Accommodation and Meals Included

  Ecuador

Galapagos Islands,  Quito

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: Please visit our website using the the link at the top/bottom of the page for more details.

Description:
Why not teach in paradise? Combine a worthwhile job volunteering teaching English as a second language, while experiencing the unique wildlife on the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. In this unspoiled idyllic National Park, 600 miles west of mainland Ecuador, the endemic animals are fearless of humans due to centuries of isolation. While enjoying the beauty of the Galapagos Islands, help Ecuadorian children by teaching in a local school, bringing fresh ideas and new skills which are so essential to learning. Volunteers free time can be spent experiencing the islands unique wildlife such as the endemic land iguanas, tortoises, flamingos, penguins and many birds including rare boobies, frigatebirds, hawks and gulls. Snorkeling and diving in the Galapagos Marine Reserve is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see dolphins, sea turtles and a wealth of marine wildlife.

Lead Adventures offers a Galapagos Islands Volunteer Program which focuses on teaching English to the children in a local school on Isabella Island in the mornings and having the opportunity to explore the area and its tourist spots in the afternoon. Volunteers work closely with an Ecuadorian English teacher and with children aged 4-12 years old.
The need to speak English in the Galapagos Islands is extremely important due to the high level of tourists that it receives daily, and the importance that this language has worldwide. Volunteers play a key role in improving the lives of these children. International volunteers will not only be teaching children, but also helping the teachers to improve their own English skills as well as offering English classes to local adults.

Highlights:
Volunteers Role:
Volunteers will be working directly with the English teacher of the school in different grades, assisting him/her with various activities. The use of different teaching techniques is encouraged to help the students gain knowledge of the English language and foreign cultures. The volunteer's main responsibility will be to aid the teacher and work with the children in improving their writing and verbal English skills. Optional classes for teaching adults in the area in the afternoon or evening is also greatly appreciated by the local Ecuadorian people. The volunteer will coordinate activities, lesson plans and create a learning environment to promote English language skills.

Location:
The school is located on Isabela Island, the largest of the Galapagos Islands, in Puerto Villamil. This is on the southeastern side of the island.

Accommodation and Meals:
The accommodation on Isabela Island is in a family hostel with single, double and triple rooms. Three meals per day are served at the hostel and coordinators take turns preparing meals. The volunteer house is a social environment and will give volunteers the opportunity to relax and unwind as well as making new friends.

Highlights:
Free time can be spent enjoying the following activities:
* Island Hop! Start at Espanola Island and enjoy the incredible natural wonders, from the immense blowhole to the thousands of nesting blue-footed boobies and the world's largest waved albatross colony. Continue to Floreana Island and see the flamingos. Enjoy Black Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz and marvel at the mangrove maze which is chock-full of sharks, rays and sea turtles.
* For volunteers who love diving, the Galapagos is a unique, world-class diving location. This underwater Marine Sanctuary is still private, pristine, and relatively unexplored. It is not the coral reefs that are the main attraction, but rather the mega-diverse species of marine animals and their fearlessness of intruders into their watery world. Dive next to sea turtles, manta rays, penguins, sea lions, dolphins and numerous species of sharks, including hammerheads and whale sharks. There are also hundreds of species of tropical reef fish, many of which are unique to this fantastic underwater sanctuary.
* Visit the Charles Darwin Foundation in Santa Cruz. This is an international non-profit research organization dedicated to providing scientific research, technical assistance and information to ensure conservation success in the Galapagos Islands.

Qualifications:
Teachers must be TEFL certified or prove at least one year English teaching experience.

Volunteer Role: The volunteer will be in charge of teaching conversational English to the members of the family, based on TEFL methods. The volunteer will first identify the level of conversational English that each students has, based on this the volunteer will focus on using a method that best applies for each level: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The TEFL method for conversational English includes exercises to perfect pronunciation, improve comprehension and understanding, increase vocabulary and more. The TEFL method helps students achieve fluency without memorizing, but rather through practicing.

Location: The placements are in Quito and Galapagos Islands.

The volunteer will be teaching 15 hours a week (Monday through Friday) to the members of the family that will be part of the program. The times of the classes will depend on the family's schedule. The volunteer is required to build a schedule around the families activities: school, university, work etc. The classes must take place during the weekdays, Monday through Friday. Volunteers will have the weekends free to travel and explore other parts of the country.

Accommodations and Meals: Volunteers will stay at home stays. Home stays have been selected after an application process to make sure they have everything participants need. Families who participate in this program have been screened from a bigger group of families, who have the need to learn conversational English. All families have a great interest in being a part of the program.

Cost in US$: Please visit our website

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

LEAD Adventures Ecuador's Mission Statement: Since its creation in 2004 LEAD Adventures has been extremely successful launching programs in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and establishing mutually beneficial partnerships abroad. Up to date we have efficiently managed over 2,000 inbound participants individually and in-group programs. Our programs are targeted to young minded people from all over the world that want to experience the great destinations Ecuador and South America have to offer.

Year Founded: 2004