Teaching English in the Coffee Lands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When can I start and for how long should I be available? You need to be able to stay for a minimum of 3 months during either the Spring or Fall semester. The Spring semester runs from mid-January through mid-June and the Fall semester from mid-July through mid-December. 

 

Where am I going? You will be staying in the rural area surrounding Tibacuy in Cundinamarca. It's about 2.5 hours from the city of Bogotá by car (4 hours by bus). 

 

Who will I be teaching? The students we work with are the sons and daughters of local coffee growers, the "Inheritors of the Mountain" youth club. There are currently around 20 youth in the club, ranging in ages from 8 to 18. 

 

What will I be doing? Responsibilities include teaching English to youth for 2-3 hours per day, 5 days per week. Classes are informal and usually take place when the students get out of school. We provide tools such as games, books and lesson plan ideas, but volunteers are ultimately responsible for designing and implementing their own lesson plans. You will also need to be available to tutor students on other subjects before or after the English classes (1-2 hours as needed). 

 

What are the requirements for this position?

Volunteers must feel comfortable communicating in Spanish at a basic level and should be available for a minimum of 3 months. Some teaching experience is preferred, but not required.

 

Where will I be staying?

We will arrange for you to live in a homestay with one of the families, but please keep in mind that the accomodations are considered to be very basic. Some families have more luxuries and amenities than others.

 

Are meals included?

Housing is free, but you will be required to pay us ahead of time for your meals (around $6 per day). This prevents our presence from becoming a burden to community members and avoids any sort of embarassment they might feel with regards to asking you for money directly.

 

Will there be other volunteers?

There may or may not be other volunteers staying with the community during the time you are there. We only have a need for 1 English teacher at a time, though we do send volunteers to the area to work with the community on other projects. 

 

What can I do in my free time? The farms are situated at the base of a beautiful forest reserve with hiking trails, caves, indian rock art and incredible views, giving you plenty of activities to choose from when you're not teaching. Play traditional games such as rana or tejo, allow yourself to be invited in for a cup of tinto or discover new rock art while exploring the plantations. The best part about living here is getting to experience life at a different pace. 

 

Want to hear from one of our volunteers? Read Becky's blog entry to find out more about her experience teaching english in the coffee lands.