Projects in Indonesia

Education

Peace Corps Volunteers in the Education Sector work closely with school principals, Indonesian teacher counterparts, and the broader community.

Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL)

Volunteers in Indonesia have the opportunity to collaborate with two or more local teachers in a middle school, high school, or vocational school to support English language acquisition. By working together with teachers and local stakeholders, Volunteers help students build stronger academic foundations and develop skills that prepare them for future opportunities.

Volunteers teach in either public schools or madrasahs (Islamic schools). Though governed by different ministries, public schools and madrasahs have many similarities. Both schools have a Monday to Friday/Saturday schedule, and run on the same year-round, two-semester calendar (with breaks in December and June-July). There are ongoing efforts to integrate recent education reforms that emphasize active learning, competency-based assessments, and practical classroom strategies in both schools.

The common language of instruction is Bahasa Indonesia, though local or regional languages may be offered as a school-specific subject. In public schools and madrasahs, English is a mandatory subject for students in 7th to 12th grade. English is an optional subject in elementary school.

In co-planning and co-teaching alongside Indonesian teachers, Volunteers reinforce English fluency while supporting instructional capacity development. Currently, Volunteers serve in communities and schools across East Java, West Java, and East Nusa Tenggara.

Volunteers will also have the opportunity to collaborate on locally prioritized extracurricular projects such as English clubs, after-school sports, or art programs.

TEFL Certificate Program

Qualified candidates for Peace Corps Indonesia’s TEFL Education Project will have the opportunity to enroll in the Peace Corps TEFL Certificate Program. This program provides 120 hours of standardized training and practice teaching along with supervised teaching experience framed through quarterly online learning events facilitated by post staff.

Teaching observations, online learning community events (both before arrival and during service), written assignments, and in-person training events will be required throughout the program to support professional growth, provide feedback, and support Volunteers in enriching their teaching repertoire.

Please see the TEFL Certificate program video for more information.

Virtual Service Pilot

Virtual Service connects qualified U.S. citizens with host country counterparts to meet partner requests in new ways – from supplementing on-the-ground Volunteer efforts to reaching regions where Volunteers cannot be placed. Participants collaborate virtually with counterparts to complete project tasks, donating 5-15 hours per week for 3-6 months. This flexible model expands access to Peace Corps partnerships while maintaining meaningful impact through virtual engagement.

The VSP at Peace Corps Indonesia has concentrated on assisting school partners in enhancing students' English proficiency, improving teachers' instructional practices, and developing and sharing English language resources. VSP Participants include not only Returned Volunteers from Indonesia but also from other Peace Corps posts like Albania, Georgia, China, Ukraine and Samoa, bringing diverse experience and perspectives to the program.