Mexico has strong cultural and economic ties with the United States. Given the economic relations between the two countries, strengthening the English-language capacities of its population is a priority for the Mexican Government. English is a key that can open doors to economic, scientific, and technical exchange, as well as to employment, commerce, and social mobility.
University English Co-Teachers serve as linguistic and cultural ambassadors and collaborate to increase mutual understanding and professional opportunities for Mexican students and teachers. They are assigned to small or medium-sized public universities that specialize in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics. Most students commute to campus from under-resourced communities and may be on scholarship. University English Co-Teachers provide support for English teachers and learners, and may link them to academic opportunities through strategic partners such as the Regional English Language Office (RELO) and EducationUSA.
Successful Volunteers support English language learning through teaching, co-planning, co-teaching, teacher training, student mentoring, and on or off-campus extracurricular activities. Co-planning and co-teaching take place mainly with part-time university English teachers and other faculty members who deliver technical courses in English.
Additionally, University English Co-Teachers promote and participate in Communities of Practice (CoP) where teachers and Volunteers come together in a non-formal way to learn and grow professionally. A CoP emerges when two or more people share an interest in a topic and partner to fulfill common learning goals. Volunteers are expected to work 32-40 hours per week. The recommended time distribution is: 45% to (co)-teaching and Communities of Practice; 25% to tutoring students, planning and co-planning; and the remaining time to extracurricular activities and other institutional projects.
As a University English Co-Teacher, you will contribute to the strategic objective of Mexican students attaining communication skills in English that will allow them to access academic and/or professional opportunities. The activities you will carry out at your university may include:
Co-planning and co-teaching English language classes.Establishing and facilitating one or more Communities of Practice.Facilitating or co-facilitating extracurricular activities for English language learning, such as conversation clubs or cross-cultural events.Delivering workshops, or presentations in English for faculty members and students, to increase their awareness or knowledge about cultural or social topics while improving their English language skills.Mentoring and providing career counseling to students, including reviewing English-language resumes, practicing English-language job interviews, and helping to edit and proofread student papers and presentations in a way that empowers them to improve their own English.Providing information about academic and professional development opportunities for school staff, faculty, and students through our strategic partners.Volunteers mainly co-teach but may occasionally be asked to substitute teach to take the place of a university English teacher who is sick or who must attend a conference or training event.
Peace Corps Mexico's public universities are located mainly in central Mexico and are often established on the outskirts of medium to large size cities; the communities to which Volunteers are assigned have populations that range from 15,000 to 1,500,000. Some universities are near industrial parks where students have internships or are adjacent to networks of small communities that provide access for students from rural areas. Others are in small towns tucked away in the mountains. Whether in a large city or a mountainous rural community, Education Volunteers in Mexico have meaningful opportunities to support language-learning and for cultural exchange.
Required skillsQualified candidates will have a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline and a strong desire to teach English
AND
• 3 months, 10 hours/month, or 30 hours of English, foreign language, or literacy tutoring experience with primary, middle, high school, university students or adults.
Desired skillsCompetitive candidates will have at least one or more of the following:
Master of Arts (MA) in English, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Teaching English as a second language (TESL), or Linguistics.MA/MAT in any foreign language.Co-planning/co-teaching experience.Teacher training experience.Experience teaching high school, university, or adult students.Effective classroom management techniques.Knowledge of teaching techniques such as: collaborative learning, project-based learning (PBL), or case method.Experience with Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL).Experience providing written and/or verbal feedback, mentoring, and support to address challenges faced by students and faculty.Academic or work experience in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or business administration.Experience working at the community level.Experience in monitoring and evaluation, including the use of data collection and reporting tools.Required language skillsCandidates must meet one or more of the language requirements below in order to be considered for this position.
Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework within the past 8 years.Completed minimum 2 semesters of Spanish college-level coursework within the past 6 years.Native/fluent speaker of Spanish.Candidates who do not meet the language proficiency levels above can take the language placement exams to demonstrate their level of proficiency. Competitive applicants must attain a score of 50 on the Spanish College Level Examination Program CLEP exam or a score of Novice-High on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL OPI). Candidates must meet the minimum language requirements to be considered for an invitation. Spanish is essential for a successful, satisfying, and safe service. Candidates who have more than the minimum Spanish required are better able to integrate into their communities and work environments.
Living conditionsSPECIAL NOTICE ABOUT CITIZENSHIP: Candidates who are either dual citizens of Mexico and the U.S., or who were born in Mexico and became U.S. citizens after 1998, are not eligible to serve with Peace Corps Mexico. Volunteer safety is of paramount importance, and the protections of U.S. citizenship promote Volunteer safety.
Living conditions in Mexico vary greatly. Larger cities or towns may be more progressive, while rural areas and small towns tend to have traditional and conservative values; these could be quite different than what most Volunteers are accustomed to and require significant adaptation.
A Volunteer's assigned community could be located 8 or more hours from the Peace Corps Mexico Office. From where they live, Volunteers may need to commute up to an hour on public transportation to reach their universities, although such a long commute is not common. Limited bus schedules could make it necessary for some Volunteers to stay on campus more hours than others.
All Volunteer communities have some form of communication, whether by landline or cell phones, telephone booths, satellite phones, or internet access. However, due to the isolation of certain communities or adverse weather conditions, service can be weak or intermittent, and may even be inactive for several days.
In most of the central region of Mexico, especially in mountainous areas, it can be cold in the evening throughout much of the year. Daytime highs can be very hot, but a jacket and hat are often useful in the early morning or late evening. Temperatures can range from freezing to the upper-90s. Layering is a good strategy year-round, and Volunteers should be prepared for rainy weather.
Host family stays are required during the 10-week Pre-Service Training (PST), and during the first three months of service, to promote community integration and language learning.
Does this sound like the opportunity for you?
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