Teaching in Peru

At Teaching Abroad we are particularly proud of our Teaching project in Peru. We are working with the Peruvian Education Ministry on an 8-year scheme to update the English curriculum for 26 schools in the Sacred Valley between Cusco and Machu Pichu. The English curriculum, created in the city of Lima is not always relevant to children in the more rural Sacred Valley, and local English speakers who would otherwise be teachers are often more tempted by the higher salaries on offer in the local tourist industry. If the scheme is a success it will be applied to more rural schools in Peru. This project is run by our Peru Director, Tim de Winter - previously an education specialist with UNICEF.

As a volunteer, your role is built firmly into this scheme and curriculum. You may find that you teach any ages from all five secondary school year groups. With worksheets and teaching resources available in our office in Urubamba you will be well supported. You'll also be able to see a full history of what has been taught previously in your schools and hints from past volunteers.

Carlos Carbajal, our teaching supervisor, arranges regular teaching workshops to help all the volunteers through the hurdles of teaching English in such an unusual environment. If you have a successful lesson you can share it with others, and it may even become part of the curriculum. We also promote two local teacher networks, so they receive in-service training regularly.

Please note: Although we recommend you join us during term time if possible, 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 will have a very basic level of English.

To read a more detailed information about this project, you may visit our Volunteer Teaching in Peru specialized website.

All volunteers on Teaching, Care, Culture & Community, Medicine & Healthcare, Sports or Spanish placements in Peru now have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement. Click here for more information.