What does teaching English in Guatemala look like in 2022?

Our objective in 2022 is to provide more English lessons in Guatemala

Teacher Pauline with students

You may be wondering what our programs and teaching English in Guatemala will look like in 2022, entering a new year with the pandemic still ongoing. 

Our objective remains the same: to introduce English lessons in public schools in Santiago Atitlán, one of the Maya indigenous communities on Lake Atitlán, as a tool for the future of kids and teenagers.

At this moment, we are still collaborating with elementary schools in Santiago, and we have also established a relationship with our first secondary school, where our volunteers will teach English to teenagers of various ages in 2022. Through these lessons, we are preparing the students for their English classes in school in the following years. They can also use this knowledge in their future professional lives, as English is soon becoming more and more important in Central America.

How does the pandemic affect volunteer teachers?

English lessons in Santiago Atitlan

The pandemic impacted our work greatly, however, we did reactivate our programs in 2021, and we are looking to expand our work again to maximize our impact in Central America as soon as possible.

Currently, our teaching schedule in public schools is subject to the local authorities’ decisions regarding covid restrictions and safety measures. Due to this, we have part-time opportunities available, which gives you, the volunteer, more flexibility to work on personal projects or part-time work. We also have full-time opportunities available for those who want to immerse themselves completely in our work and help out where restrictions allow.

Enhance your volunteering experience in Guatemala

Volunteers participating in local projects in Santiago, Guatemala

Although classroom time in schools may be restricted due to changing safety protocols, we also teach English to adults and teenagers through collaborations with local projects and encourage volunteers to participate in community-building activities in other ways as well.

There are multiple chances to help the community grow and to immerse yourself in local culture by getting involved in local projects, such as taking care of the environment, helping at a local community farm, coffee cooperative, or artisan cooperative.

We have collaborations with Cojolyá, a collective of women artisans; CoAtitlán, a coffee cooperative; Amigos del Lago, an environment preservation program; and ADECCAP, a local community farm, and organic waste management program.

Become an English teacher volunteer with One Two…Tree! in 2022

Although the situation on the ground in Guatemala is constantly changing, there are many opportunities for volunteers to join us in 2022.

In the communities in which we work there continues to be a large number of projects with which to collaborate. Your volunteer experience with us will not go to waste. Whether you are teaching in classrooms or helping with local projects, we are dedicated to the development of Santiago Atitlán.

If you are interested in learning more about volunteering in Guatemala this year, please contact us at: guatemala@onetwo-tree.com 

Volunteers in Guatemala