Bolivia: Volunteer English Teaching and Work-Experience

You can work as an English Teaching volunteer in Bolivia without a formal teaching qualification, and you do not need to have a TEFL certificate. Whether you want to volunteer teaching during your gap year, career break or as part of an extended holiday period, you will have a role to play on one of our volunteer placements.

Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. With English being the language of much international business and commerce, students are very keen to learn. The standards of conversational English teaching are usually not high, so students are keen to develop good spoken language skills wherever possible, which is where you can help as a volunteer English teacher.

Any volunteers who speak good French can also teach some French classes. Volunteers speaking languages like Italian, Dutch, German and Japanese have the opportunity to arrange introductory language courses in these languages.

Teach English Language in University and Schools with Projects Abroad

Volunteers taking part on our teaching placement in Bolivia can choose between working at a local school or at the University of San Simon in the town of Cochabamba.

Projects Abroad has been supporting the Universidad Mayor de San Simón through volunteer assistance since 2002. As a volunteer teacher at the University in Bolivia, you can expect to teach between about 18 and 20 hours a week, but remember you'll need more time to prepare a structured lesson. Teaching students who will often be a similar age to you is often fun and rewarding. They have chosen to study at University and so want to be there, and just because they are not school children it doesn't mean they won't enjoy playing games in your lesson - it will certainly make a change from their regular lectures! Your supervisor will be happy to guide you with lesson ideas if necessary.

Teaching volunteers working at the University also provide extra-curricular courses based on topics covered in classes, including intercultural topics and world issues. Volunteers also assist both professors and students in carrying out additional educational and academic activities related to language learning or the present curriculum, for example helping students prepare presentations, correcting language in a thesis and assisting with organising student fairs.

Projects Abroad also works with local primary and secondary schools providing an education to children from low-income families. Volunteers can therefore help to provide a head-start for pupils at these schools. This is an opportunity for you to be as creative as possible, helping to make learning English fun and enjoyable; in exchange you will learn a great deal about the Bolivian culture. Whether you are assisting a teacher, have a class of your own or are taking extra curricular classes, your help will be greatly appreciated by your students and colleagues. If you speak good Spanish you can also help out with other subjects like maths and science if you wish.

The main school and University holidays take place from mid December to the end of March. During this time we run our own popular Projects Abroad language classes. These are entirely programmed and run by Projects Abroad and are managed by Bolivia Director, Daniela Viljoen.

Volunteering on a Teaching Project in Bolivia

The level of English in Cochabamba, a vibrant university town in the central highlands is generally low. This is because Quechua - a language indigenous to this region of the Andes - is the native tongue for most local people; Spanish is their second language. However, English is viewed as an increasingly important language to learn.

English is seen as a gateway to learning - to more books, to different professions and ultimately to international jobs. Away from the tourist trail, Cochabamba doesn't generally attract a lot of native English speakers so, as a Projects Abroad volunteer, you will be welcomed with open arms!

At the University the levels of English vary from beginner to advanced, so do let us know if you have a teaching preference. Similarly, if you are - or have been - a university student yourself, let us know the subject area you studied and we may be able to match you up with groups of students from that discipline. Then you can use your common interests for conversation and to help them build up a relevant vocabulary.

Taking part on a teaching project is also a great way to improve your level of Spanish. By working at a school or University, you'll make friends with Spanish-speaking students and teachers, with whom you may want to socialise. You'll stay with a Spanish-speaking host-family which will also improve your Spanish language skills immeasurably.

You can also join a Teaching Music in Bolivia Project, where you will teach music to children in an orphanage.