High School English Educator: New Initiative

Project description

Volunteers serving in this program will receive an increased readjustment allowance totaling $800 per month. The total readjustment allowance will be approximately $20,000 pre-tax at the end of two years of service.

To better prepare youth for global work, high school classes in Malawi are taught in English. The stronger a student's command of English, the better chance they have to succeed academically in any subject. We invite you to work alongside partners in Malawi to support youth education by serving as a High School English Educator.

In this role, you and your Malawian colleagues will challenge your students to think critically and creatively and strengthen their command of the English language through classes that incorporate interactive techniques and facilitation. You will also collaborate on innovative teaching practices with your fellow educators through model teaching and mutual peer observation of general and English teaching skills, in addition to promoting the use of digital libraries.

After class, you and your fellow teachers will support clubs (English clubs, debate clubs, newspaper clubs, etc.) and other extracurricular initiatives that your school will choose to implement, such as establishing or improving a school library or promoting parent-educator collaboration. You will also collaborate with teachers to focus on social-emotional learning skills, helping to foster a positive learning environment through the arts as well as the clubs mentioned above. You will learn to promote the love of reading not just in your school, but also in homes, the community, and with your village leaders. High School English Educators will also have numerous opportunities to collaborate with Malawian counterparts to engage and empower girls in academic achievement, goal setting, and gender norms through dynamic clubs and camps.

Due to the prevalence of HIV amongst youth in Malawi, all Volunteers are trained on activities to support HIV prevention and are expected to implement these activities during their Peace Corps service.

In Malawi, your work will not come without unique challenges. Rural high schools sometimes have few teaching and learning resources. Peace Corps Malawi supports Volunteers with Teaching and Learning Using Locally Available Resources (TALULAR) techniques. Peace Corps Malawi promotes the use of portable digital libraries, where teaching and learning resources can be accessed by teachers and students. Students face a variety of obstacles to completing their education, such as: long distances to school, poverty, teen pregnancy, HIV, and malaria.

The training you receive from Peace Corps—combined with your unique experiences, expertise, passion to contribute to a positive change and the relationships you build in your community—will aid you in being flexible and creative when approaching your work as an High School English Educator and co-facilitator. Volunteers should be prepared to commit to two years of challenging yet highly rewarding work and to take part in the unique experience of supporting the development of Malawi’s next generation of leaders.

Required skills

• Competitive candidates will have a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline and a strong desire to teach English

Desired skills

Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following:

• Experience in classroom teaching (any subject)
• Experience mentoring and/or tutoring English language learners in schools or similar activities
• Experience promoting youth sporting activities and other talents
• Experience planning and delivering lessons in a participatory manner
• Strong communication, public speaking, and organizational skills
• Experience with youth programs

Required language skills

There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position. During Pre-Service Training, Volunteers will receive training by Malawian language instructors to communicate in the local language used in their assigned host community. By the end of Pre-Service Training, Trainees must achieve an Intermediate-Mid level of local language ability before taking the official oath to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Living conditions

Housing: Health Educators typically live in housing provided by the health center. Most of the houses are constructed of brick with concrete flooring and corrugated metal roofs. Homes are often located on the health center grounds or nearby in the surrounding community. Like most rural residences in Malawi, we have seen improvement in provision of electricity and piped water, however, some homes of Peace Corps Volunteers do not have electricity or running water. In that case Volunteers use candles and solar lamps for lighting in their living space, cook with wood/charcoal stoves, and collect water from a nearby communal pump. Toilets are typically in the form of outdoor latrines, or squat toilets, and bathing is done using a bucket. Mobile phone coverage is available, but spotty in some areas. Necessities such as vegetables, grains, and household goods can be purchased in the community or at a nearby market town.

Transportation: Travel in Malawi involves long bus rides between cities. Peace Corps Volunteers may need to walk on a regular basis or cycle between villages for their work. Peace Corps can provide a bike to assist with daily routines.

Cultural Attitudes and Customs in the Workplace: It is important that all Volunteers respect and earn the trust of the people in the community and be open-minded, motivated, patient, and flexible in different situations. An important aspect of your work will be your ability to communicate with your community members in their language, for which you will receive extensive training. It is also essential that Peace Corps Volunteers work within the hierarchical structure of the community to conduct their work in a culturally appropriate way, and always in partnership with Malawian counterparts. Your professional appearance and work habits, along with the respect and deference you demonstrate for your fellow Malawians, will go a long way toward gaining respect and credibility in the workplace.

Dress Code: Personal appearance is very important in Malawi. You will need to dress professionally for work situations in your community: button-up shirts, slacks, and dress shoes for men; sleeved blouses, long skirts, and professional shoes for women. There are some occasions (professional, holidays, weddings, swearing-in) that invite more formal attire, such as a fancier dress, a jacket, or a tie. Dressing according to local expectations will help you gain respect in your host community, facilitate integration, and increase your credibility and effectiveness. Peace Corps will provide additional dress guidance, and Volunteers are advised to take cues from Malawian colleagues and dress to their standards of professionalism.

Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Malawi: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.

Medical considerations

Before you apply, please review medical clearance and legal clearance to learn about the process.

Couples information

Peace Corps Malawi can accommodate heterosexual couples. Your partner must apply and qualify for one of the following positions in Malawi:

Health Educator
or
Environment and Food Security Educator

Couples have the same living conditions as single Volunteers.

Due to cultural expectations, unmarried couples in a domestic partnership are highly encouraged to present themselves as a married couple to their host community.

The Peace Corps works to foster safe and productive assignments for same-sex couples, and same-sex couples are not placed in countries where homosexual acts are criminalized. Because of this, same-sex couple placements are more limited than heterosexual couple placements. During the application process, recruiters and placement officers work closely with same-sex couple applicants to understand current placement opportunities. For more information, please visit Peace Corps’ FAQ page for Volunteers who identify as LGBTQIA+ https://www.peacecorps.gov/faqs/lgbtq/