Program Profile
Colombia is fast becoming a major international tourism and trade center. The Colombian national Ministry of Education, as well as various private educational organizations, have targeted English language instruction and interaction with foreign teachers as keys to enabling the people of Colombia to become self-sufficient participants in a changing environment. WorldTeach is the first major international volunteer organization to partner to join the effort in the millennium.
In the Fall of 2008 WorldTeach was invited by the Colombian NGO, Volunteers Colombia, in coordination with the Colombian Ministry of Education and other regional partners, to bring native-English speakers into schools on Isla Baru, near Cartagena on the Caribbean coast. There, new ocean-front homes and beautiful tourist attractions stand in stark contrast to the poverty and underdeveloped facilities that characterize most residents' daily lives. Although English is already on the local school curriculum, students have little chance to interact with native speakers. During the 2009 calendar year, the first group of five volunteers worked in coordination with local teachers to bring listening and speaking comprehension activities into English classroom instruction.
The response to the WorldTeach program within Colombia has been overwhelming, with requests for volunteer teachers coming from all corners of the country. With the help of partner organization Volunteers Colombia the program has expanded to schools in Cartagena, Soledad and Monteria on/near the Caribbean coast, as well as to Bogota (Colombia's capital) and Manizales (in the beautiful coffee growing region).
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Volunteer Role
The program in Colombia begins in January with a 3-4 week intensive orientation run by WorldTeach staff and our in-country partners. Orientation includes TEFL training, Spanish language instruction, a range of guest speakers, and discussions about Colombian culture, politics, health, safety issues, and cross-cultural adjustment. During the last week of orientation many volunteers will participate in on-site staff meetings and training sessions alongside their Colombian teaching colleagues before classes begin.
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Volunteer assignments range from early elementary school team teaching with local educators, to single-handedly leading ESL classes for low-income technical college students. Volunteers are usually responsible for teaching 20 hours a week, in addition to allotting time for planning lessons, developing new language instruction materials, and coordinating some activities, such as providing introductory English instruction to younger students at the schools.
In addition to their teaching responsibilities, volunteers are encouraged to actively participate in community life and engage in additional activities or projects of interest.
Volunteers in the Colombia program will be eligible for WorldTeach TEFL certification. Please note that for all departures leaving on or after July 1, 2012, an additional $50 is required by volunteers to participate in the TEFL Certification program.
Placements and Housing
For the 2012 year, volunteers are placed in both urban and more rural placements throughout Bogota, Cali, Medellin, Cartagena, Isla Baru and Baranquilla. .jpg)
For the most part, these placement will remain the same for the 2013 year, but as the needs of our in-country partners change so do our placement sites.
Check out where volunteers currently serving are placed on the Colombia Placement Map!
Volunteer housing arrangements vary from site to site. Because housing comes in all shapes and sizes volunteers could be living with host families or with individuals, pensions, or teacher housing and may be in houses or apartments. Some volunteers will share housing with fellow WorldTeach volunteers while others will be placed individually. Most volunteers have their own room and share the bathroom and living space with their housemates. While most homes have hot water and a telephone, some may not have such amenities.
Financial Information
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The cost of the Colombia yearlong program is $2,500. This includes pre-departure information and preparation, round-trip international airfare, health insurance for volunteers aged 18-49, in-country orientation, transportation to your site, a modest living stipend for food and incidentals, housing during orientation and throughout your teaching service, and field support. Volunteers will receive a monthly stipend of about $200 to cover daily living expenses (varies by site location). Many volunteers are able to successfully fundraise all or a significant portion of their volunteer commitment. Please refer to our fundraising guide for more information about fundraising possibilities.
Read more about costs and services here.
Requirements
Volunteers must:
Spanish is not a requirement for being accepted to the program, but please keep in mind that volunteers are living in Spanish-speaking country, with Colombian families. Every year we have volunteers with no Spanish background that go on to have successful experiences at their sites, and leave their year of service with Spanish language fluency. This requires a positive attitude, a sense of humor, and a willingness to use eye contact and lots of gestures!
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