Position Summary
Under the supervision of the Education Program Manager, and in close collaboration with RI’s remedial education team, English teacher volunteers will provide high quality English instruction to classes of Syrian refugees in 4ththrough 12th grades. As native English speakers and experienced teachers, international volunteers will contribute to the teaching team through creative, student-centered instruction and authentic English language interaction. English teacher volunteers will be expected to teach a fulltime course load, involving lesson planning and prepping for multiple grade levels. For compassionate educators looking to gain experience in the field of refugee education, volunteering with RI offers a unique opportunity to contribute skills and expertise within a targeted, effective education initiative while developing mutually transformative relationships with refugee students and fellow teachers.
Position Responsibilities and Duties
· Volunteer five days a week, potentially including Saturdays, from 9 am – 3:30 pm plus transportation time to camps.
· Instruct three to four English language classes of different grade levels in one of RI’s education centers in either Azraq or Zaatari.
· Develop active, student-centered lessons with limited materials and resources.
· Modify lesson plans and activities to appropriately meet a variety of levels in each class.
· Effectively manage classes of 20 to 25 students with limited English comprehension.
· Collaborate with Syrian and Jordanian English teachers to develop additional classroom materials and strategies for meeting students’ needs.
· Organize and participate in English language events, conversation hours, and extracurricular opportunities for students and parents.
· Devise and produce new materials, including audio and visual resources, to improve learning outcomes.
· Attend and contribute to training sessions with other English teachers.
· Perform other duties as needed.
Qualifications and requirements:
Minimum requirements:
· Bachelor’s degree in one of the following majors/ fields: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English, Education (elementary or secondary), or Linguistics.
· Certification in TESOL, TEFL, or ESL instruction.
· Experience and passion for working with children, adolescents and youth.
· Strong organizational skills and written and oral communication skills.
· Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, effectively and professionally.
· Mature judgment, strong sense of integrity, initiative, and self-starter.
· Flexible, understanding, and adaptable; able to work in a low-resource environment.
· Must be a native English speaker; additional Arabic skills preferred.
Preferred:
· Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English, Education (elementary or secondary), or Linguistics.
· Two or more years of English teaching experience.
· Previous work experience in conflict/ post-conflict environments, in the Middle East, and/or with refugees.
· Intermediate to advanced Arabic proficiency.
RI Values:
We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence.
We value:
· Inclusiveness
· Transparency and accountability
· Agility and innovation
· Collaboration
· Sustainability
All qualified candidates need to send their up-to-date CV and motivation letter explaining how their qualifications and experience match requirements for this position.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online, phone, or in-person interview. RI is seeking applicants for the following teaching terms:
Spring semester
Mid-February
Mid-June
Summer minimester
Mid-June
End of August
Fall semester
September
December
Winter minimester (2019)
January
Mid-February
Please specify in the application which semester(s) or minimester(s) you prefer. The initial contract is for 4 months, with advantage given to volunteers who can stay more than a minimester or semester. Possibility of extension is contingent upon the candidate’s performance and availability of funds. RI will provide volunteers with:
Free transportation from Amman to camps
A modest living stipend
A certificate upon completion of volunteer experience
The opportunity to learn the basics of education humanitarian response
This volunteer role is a unique and rewarding opportunity to work directly with refugee children and youth in a humanitarian response context. With the support of a welcoming team, volunteers will be able to engage in the Syrian refugee crisis in a meaningful way, contributing specialized skills, teaching experience, and a passion for education to ongoing relief efforts.
About RI: Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in roughly 20 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty.
Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.
