Teach English in Guatemala

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Teach English in Guatemala

One, Two... Tree! is a non-profit organisation working on education in Central America. It aims to make English accessible to support empowered, entrepreneurial and organised communities.

Our efforts are meant as a tool for social empowerment and intercultural exchange. We teach in public schools, collaborate with local organisations and offer English classes to those keen to learn.

The One, Two... Tree team is looking for enthusiastic individuals with a passion for teaching to join us in Guatemala.

About One, Two... Tree!

One, Two... Tree! was founded in 2013 with a mission to offer further educational opportunities, and therefore also a more promising future, to children all over Central America. We opened our first project in Nicaragua, where the NGO’s impact rapidly grew over the following 6 years, up until 2019, when, with heavy hearts, we made the difficult decision to close it due to political unrest.

Luckily, we were able to apply our learnings from Nicaragua to our projects in Guatemala and Mexico, established in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Both of these were thriving, and due to the pandemic, had to stop our work for two years.

We were able to reactivate our project in Guatemala in 2021 and are now excited and grateful to see it grow, but we need a lot of hands to keep it growing ♥

We live and breathe our values in everything we do:

COLLABORATION

As volunteers, we work as a team as we know we go further together. Locally, we look to collaborate with other organisations to make the most of available resources, creating synergies and using each organisation’s expertise to best serve the local community.

ADAPTABILITY

We adapt and are flexible to changing situations with the aim to best support the community in every given moment. We use our imagination, skills, and proactiveness to make things work in a sustainable way. We are grateful for feedback so we can continuously improve.

INITIATIVE

We create on the ground and use active listening as our most precious tool. The program is developed with and within the communities, truly understanding the context, needs, and priorities. We seize on opportunities as they come and ensure personal growth and passions are tapped into as the program evolves. We look for passionate volunteers, keen to lead and be responsible for positive change. You will be part of a proactive and supportive team where your ideas and thoughts will count in the day-to-day of the project.

RESPECT

We live and teach with utter respect. We learn from the local culture and support each other with kindness, curiosity, humility, and empathy.

What will you be doing?

This role will entail teaching English to primary-school children in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. You need to commit to 25 teaching hours per week, with additional time set aside for preparation.

You will receive our full support while at the post. We will provide basic training and teaching materials upon your arrival, weekly progress reviews, and regular assistance from our Volunteer Coordinator and the team of volunteers, that is our culture, we support each other as we work together towards our goals.
We are extremely open to feedback; in fact, we encourage personal initiative, and would love to work with you on maximizing the impact you can make in this role. That’s why we’re looking for self-starters who are passionate about education and eager to make a difference.

Our project in Guatemala

In Guatemala, we currently teach English to 300 children and 90 teenagers across three public schools, one community school, one high school, and our learning centre in Santiago Atitlán and to many adult groups. We have an agreement with the Ministry of Education to provide children in primary school with a basic level of English.

Requirements

Before applying, please consider if you meet the following criteria:

• The ideal length of stay is between 3 to 6 months, as it provides much-needed continuity for the students. We will also consider applicants who can only stay for a month to 3 months; however, please note that 6 weeks is an absolute minimum, and we will give priority to volunteers who plan to stay longer.
• Communicative level of English. Most classes are given to beginners, so fluency is not necessarily required. It is important to note however that you need to be comfortable speaking English as you’ll be conducting English classes every day, and making friends with volunteers from different countries.
• Beginners to intermediate Spanish. Our goal is to conduct as much of the class as possible in English, but some Spanish will still be useful to navigate everyday life and in school. Alternatively, you can also opt to take Spanish classes while in Guatemala - we can help you arrange that.
• Some previous teaching or volunteering experience is a plus.
• Passion for education, openness to new cultures, and a drive to learn new skills.
• Proactive, creative, flexible, and self-motivated minds
• Full of energy and enthusiasm to make a difference
• When choosing the period to come, please take into account that holidays in Central America go from mid-December to early February.
• A police record issued by your local authorities certifying that you haven't committed any child-related crime
• Volunteers must get their own travel insurance

Practical Arrangements and Costs

One, Two... Tree! is unique in that we are all volunteers, which lets us not charge any fees. You will however be asked to cover your travel and accommodation costs. (They’re quite affordable to start with, but if you’re planning to stay for a year or longer, we can discuss how those can be reduced.)

Accommodation - volunteers stay with local host families in Santiago Atitlán. This is not only the most economical option available, but it will also help you get to know the local people and culture first-hand. All the families we work with have been pre-vetted and have previous experience in hosting international volunteers. The usual accommodation costs range from $150 to $300 per month.

Why should you apply?

Volunteering in Guatemala is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will not only give you practical teaching skills, but also a more holistic outlook on education. You’ll have a chance to improve your Spanish, learn about Guatemalan culture, make new friends and learn more than you give in the end.

On the weekends, enjoy all the beauty the country has to offer - from lake Atitlán at your doorstep all the way to the wonders of Tikal in the North. Get a chance to directly engage with locals and meet passionate volunteers from across the globe!

You will improve your teamwork, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills as well as any other professional skill you would like to hone while staying here. We love proactivity and self-development and will make sure to offer you opportunities to help you in your self and professional development journey.

We offer recommendation letters, volunteer certificates, and LinkedIn recommendations for all who work with us. If you are staying for a long period of time (i.e. three months or more), we will be happy to convert this volunteering opportunity into an internship so that you can play a more active role in the running of the project, and get hands-on experience in the admin, fundraising or recruitment areas of a non-profit. We are also open to working with universities regarding college credit.

How to apply

To apply, please fill out our form at https://www.onetwo-tree.com/en/why-volunteering/ or send us an email at guatemala@onetwo-tree.com - please don’t forget to include your CV and a few sentences explaining your interest in the role.

Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at guatemala@onetwo-tree.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.