Teaching - PERU Reading List

Volunteering abroad

If you volunteer during Peru's long school holidays (January - March) you'll help at summer schools teaching the teachers and spend some time on local community projects. While this may sound challenging, volunteers have been wonderfully successful and really loved this side of the work! The teacher training is carried out by volunteers under the close supervision of Tim and Carlos. You will prepare interactive lessons for small groups that are divided up according to their level of English language knowledge. It is worth noting that most Peruvian teachers, who had a very basic level of English in 2005, have moved on after attending our 4 or 6 week courses. The Ministry of Education has officially recognised the wonderful work we have carried out and even asked us to take our teaching programme to other provinces in the Cusco Region! For now however we will stick with the 26 schools and try to provide continuity and keep improving the quality of the English learning and teaching.

Introduce yourself

It is always a good idea to bring out some pictures of your family, home town, magazines, etc. The Peru office has quite a few grammar books and other books with teaching ideas that you can come and consult but in a classroom it is useful to show more personal items so students can get to know you and your interests.

Prepare yourself

Be aware of the importance of learning as much Spanish as you can before beginning your placement here in Peru. A knowledge of the Spanish language is absolutely invaluable as it will thoroughly enrich your experience by allowing you to interact with your host family as well the local people. The ability to speak Spanish to even a basic level cannot be understated, for there is no doubt that learning to speak the language will assist you greatly in being able to immerse yourself into this fascinating culture.