Project Overview
In this remote mountain village, the primary and secondary school are understaffed and the children do not have a good base in English. The problem is that there is no money for good qualified Teachers and it’s hard to find teachers who want to work in the mountains. English is not only important for the children of Yanasara, but also for adults who hope to be able to welcome tourists visiting the hot springs.
The secondary school ‘Colegio 80142 Juan Velasco’ teaches around 70 to 80 children (11 to 22 years old). The primary school has around 120 children. You will be guided by Enrique Castello, the headmaster of both schools and teacher of the primary school. He is very friendly and has a good heart, but he only speaks Spanish.
Besides teaching English there is always a chance that they will ask you to teach Physical Education, Arts or any other subject. The level of English of most children is practically zero. So, the emphasis is mainly on teaching them the basics.
This project offers free housing; a shared room with other teachers.
Yanasara is a remote mountain village with hot springs. It is situated two hours from Huamachuco in the province of La Libertad. The village is surrounded by three rivers and lovely mountains, but the main attraction is the thermal baths.
Volunteer Roles/ Working Hours
The main task for volunteers is teaching the English lessons and any preparation required to complete this task.
- 10 teaching hours/week or 2 hours/day.
- Time is also required for class preparation.
- Extra hours maybe required to teach Physical Education or Arts.
- Offer encouragement to the students and other members of the community interested in the school’s progress
The schools are open Monday to Friday starting at 7:20am until 1:00pm. Classes in the schools normally run during term-time from early March to mid December with some brief holidays in between.
Volunteer Requirements
- Age 20+ on arrival.
- Intermediate Spanish is required.
- Minimum commitment: 1 month.
- Teaching experience an advantage, TEFL certified is a plus.
- Volunteers should be fully fluent in English and be sufficiently self-reliant, adaptable and confident to work alone with minimal support in a small mountain village. May require criminal record check.
- Empathetic, responsible, pro-active and strong enough personality to deal with unexpected situations and ask for help when necessary.
- Affection for working with children (11-22 years old) and sometimes younger.
