Which are the requirements for volunteering abroad with One, Two… Tree! ?
Please check under each Teaching Program the specific requirements.
We look for proactive, autonomous and independent individuals, full of energy and enthusiasm to make a difference. Volunteers with a passion for education, openness to new cultures, and a drive to learn new skills
To volunteer as an English Teacher, it is important to have a fluent level of speaking and writing, since teaching 100% in English is the most effective way to expose students to the language and develop their listening and speaking skills which are the foundation of learning a language.
Through all of our programs, we ask volunteers to get their own travel insurance as well as to provide us with a Criminal Background Check Report (since you’ll be working with children).
How to get started for teaching English abroad with One, Two… Tree! ?
Has the above captured your attention and you are now thinking about how to get started to become an English teacher volunteer in Central America?
Firstly, get in touch with us either through this website form or by sending us an email to hola@onetwo-tree.com or to the respective email of the program you would like to apply to. We will guide you through the process and answer all your questions.
Additionally, we ask that you get familiarised with our methodology for teaching English to kids. Our volunteers have put together this post to give you an introduction. We won’t get tired of saying if you can only remember one thing it would be English only.
Before coming to volunteer we will be sharing with you a more detailed training pack and you will have through your stay teaching materials and an already developed curriculum to follow. We will coach you through your participation in the program, first modeling classes for you, and after your first week reflecting together on your teaching style.
What to expect from our volunteer English teaching program?
From the first step, you will be supported in your journey by our team of volunteers. Once we receive your inquiry, we will share information with you about the project and ask for your CV so we can leverage your skills and offer you suitable tasks to support the local project. Then, we will set up an interview with the volunteer coordinator to get to know you and answer any questions.
After the interview, we will share information about the host families and ask for the required documentation: criminal record check, a picture ID, and an insurance policy.
A month before arriving, we will share an introduction package with everything you need to know about the organization, living tips of the town you will be teaching in, as well as training material that you can use to start preparing for teaching.
The coordinator will help you plan your journey. Upon your arrival, you will receive teaching material and supplies, your teaching timetable as well as a volunteer buddy to shadow on your first week. In your second week, you will get to lead the classes with support from other volunteers, who will provide you with feedback to master your teaching skills.
Additionally, you will be able to collaborate with other local organisations if you wish to, as well as prepare and plan for activities that bring you joy.
By the end of your stay, you will have had the chance to explore and work on your teaching style, unleash your creativity, get to meet people from all around the world, have new views and perspectives of the world and educational approaches, participate in community and local projects and much more.
All volunteers receive volunteer certificates and we are happy to sign recommendation letters and Linkedin reviews.
We can’t wait to meet you!
Our volunteers and students talk about us!
Would you like to meet some of our volunteers and students? Head to our Reviews section to read more about their thoughts.
In particular, we would like to highlight these Blog entries to give you a snapshot of what volunteering and learning at One, Two… Tree! is like:
You can also support remotely!
We are volunteers supported by volunteers! Your support is always welcome, please feel free to contact us if you wish to support us in any way. We are keen to keep improving and collaborating with the community.
These are some areas where we could use a hand from a keen volunteer, look at the last one, it may be your call!
- Donate: As there are no management or administrative costs in One, Two…Tree! your donation goes directly into the classroom and students. Click here to donate!
- Donate books: Do you have spare English books that you no longer use? We are creating a library so children, teenagers, and adults can borrow books and keep learning at home.
- Online conversation lessons: Would you be free to have a weekly 30 min 1:1 conversation for a month with one of our adult students? Practice makes the master and our students are very keen to keep practicing while meeting new people. Reach out to know more!
- Design: Do you like our website? Are you able to improve it? We want to hear from you!
- Programming: This webpage is made with Joomla thanks to Jose Luis’ help. There is always room for improvement!
- Administration: If you are a Spanish accountant, lawyer or you have any experience in internal companies or foundations compliance (annual accounts, tax returns, etc) this is where you can help the children that benefit from our projects. We desperately need someone to help us with these tasks.
- Organise events: If parties and events are your best skills, you could help us fundraise and share our project with the world. We’ll support you with resources and marketing materials for your fundraising events. Send us your idea!!
- T-shirts: We are looking for someone who can help us get T-shirts and have them printed with our logo. Please consider that this is a small NGO that can only pay small prices.
- Marketing material: Flags, banners, stickers… we need a printing company who can support us with this. Please refer to us any person you think may want to help us.
- Your project: If you have your own idea to change things and help to collabrate better with local communities, we want to hear from you. You may use our structure and our support to develop your dream.
In addition to being part of the positive change, you would like to see in the world, learning more about Central America and collaborating with a great team: if you are a company, we can add your logo and link to our donors’ banner and for individuals, we are happy to sign recommendation letters and Linkedin reviews.
All suggestions for collaboration should send us an email including your contact details, an explanation of how could you support us, how much time would you be able to dedicate to the project, and which of the options above would you be interested in.
For on-site volunteers look at our Guatemalan Project page for more information on what One, Two, … Tree! offers.
More info
FAQ’s
What is a volunteer teacher?
A volunteer teacher takes up a vacant teaching spot when necessary to support a specific educational program. In the case of English teaching, fluent English-speaking teachers are scarce in countries where English is not officially spoken. While these skills are acquired by local teachers, volunteer teachers help bridge the gap. By definition, the volunteer teacher actively takes on the responsibility and task of teaching, while collaborating with institutions, teachers, and other volunteers on the overall educational project.
Why do you want to volunteer in teaching?
This is an important question to ask yourself as it will be what keeps you going while volunteering. We leave you here some of the responses of our previous volunteers but it is important to reflect on your own motivation:
- Passion for education, human connection, and a desire to become a teacher (or experience on what being a teacher feels like)
- Some of our volunteers are already teachers and what to share all the expertise they have learned through the years, keen to make a positive impact and collaborate worldwide
- Wanting to take on a challenge, share your knowledge, and be part of a community
- Learn new skills, gain confidence, reflect on your own journey and meet other like-minded people
Just remember, it’s important to have a patient, calm and accepting demeanor and attitude. Volunteering as a teacher requires flexibility to adapt to different ways of learning to ensure the best experience for the students.
Can I teach English abroad without experience?
Yes, you can! As long as you are fluent in English, are passionate about working with people of various ages to facilitate, motivate and increase their language skills, and are interested in coming to Central America to have a new experience, then you will be able to make the most of this opportunity.
An attitude to learn is key, as you will be learning how to teach with the support of our training and mentoring. Our core values are collaboration, initiative, adaptability and respect and it is important to us to work with volunteers who have similar values.
We require volunteers to have a passion for education and be autonomous and independent while being ready to make a difference. These qualities may even be more important than having prior teaching experience.
Is TEFL worth it without a degree?
Absolutely! We accept volunteers without previous teaching experience or training, however, we strongly encourage volunteers that are looking to teach English professionally to take out TEFL so we can provide teaching hours for you to put all your learning into practice. We are happy to sign off teaching hours as part of any training program you are taking part in.
Does a volunteer teacher get paid?
Volunteer work means working without monetary compensation. There are other non-monetary types of compensation involved with volunteering, such as gaining human connection, feeling useful to others, enriching your view of the world, gaining life experience, becoming confident with public speaking, making new friends, and many more.
At One, Two… Tree! we will cover the cost of teaching supplies and traveling such as public transportation if needed to reach a remote community.
