Teaching Volunteer Program

For volunteers with an intermediate level of Spanish we offer the possibility of working in a school, either in Intag or in Pedro Moncayo.

For each position, we ask for a minimum of one month commitment in order that the work can be valued and built upon by either other volunteers or the teachers of the schools.

During the program volunteers will live with a family in the same community as the school and participate in the daily activities of the family whilst not teaching. For further information of the family homestay please see the cultural exchange program.

The work:

We work with small schools, called "Unidocentes" meaning there is just one teacher and also those with two teachers, “Pluridocentes”. These schools have between 20 and 55 pupils whom are normally taught in either one or two classrooms. As the age range is from 4-11 years this provides quite a challenge for the teaching staff, managing between 3 and 6 grades simultaneously. Simply the presence of a volunteer will help alleviate the daily pressures; by taking charge of just one age group, the local teacher will be afforded additional time with the others.



Thus in these circumstances volunteers will help take classes, working with the children of varying ages, on set tasks in all the subjects, as well as provide additional English and computer tutoring for the older children. Of course those with skills in the other subjects will certainly be given the spotlight to teach, either during school or perhaps in free time in the afternoons.

Subjects taught are: mathematics, natural sciences (including environmental studies), language and communication (covering reading, grammar and writing of the Spanish language), history and social studies (covering aspects of Ecuador including geography), and physical education.

Volunteers will be guided by the teachers, but will have a lot of freedom as to the subjects they teach and how they teach them – here is where your creativity really counts. There will also be some specific plans to follow, in line with the national curriculum. We emphasise that the schools are different, and the teachers are different, each with their own policy on schooling and how to best occupy the volunteers time. However in all your placements your time is extremely valued, both by the teachers and the community.

The foundation is continually gathering information to help guide volunteers in their work, and so volunteers are expected to update the teaching folders, detailing their own work and recording any useful information about their experience. This will be passed on to the following volunteer allowing for a smooth transition. Please click here to view some revealing extracts from one of the folders.

In the afternoons we encourage volunteers to either help prepare classes or run additional educational programs for the kids; extra English classes, educational games, something creative like theatre or art. As a rest maybe needed, afternoons can equally be spent with the family or in other community activities.

School hours are from around 7.30am until 12.30pm with a 45 minute break mid morning which usually includes and “almuerzo escolar” (school lunch) frequently provided for by the community or if not the Ministry of Education.


The schools:

We work with several schools and are continually expanding the program to involve more schools, to give more children the opportunity of a better education. Therefore it is likely that new schools will be added to the current list.

Schools in Intag:

There are currently three unidocente schools in Intag; they are in the communities of El Paraiso, Magdelena and Pucará. School sizes vary from 18 to 35 children. The school term for this area is approximately 1st April to the 15th February with a one week holiday every three months. Also there is a 4th school in El Cristal, with 4 regular teachers and over 70 students, click for more opportunities here.

Please see community details for more information about the Intag area.

Schools in Pedro Moncayo:

In this county there are three schools with whom we work; Picalqui, Cubinche and Guaraquí. The class sizes range from 20 to 55 children, the larger schools having two teachers. The school terms are approximately 1st September until 22nd December and then 2nd January until 15th July.
Also in this county we are working with another organization called “Desarrollo Juvenile”. The focus of this organization is to improve the development of the local youth through innovative teaching methods dealing with problem solving and mental dexterity, in a program called “Aprender Jugando”. Volunteers will be given the opportunity to learn some of these methods and to use the materials during their classes.
Additionally the volunteers will be able to participate in frequent afternoon workshops for school children (aged (9-12 normally), with the local youth groups (aged 12-28) and assist in home work classes for children whose parents are at work until late.

Please see community details for more information about the Pedro Moncayo area.

Things to bring

The schools we work with are generally short of materials, and as such pens, pencils and work books are always in demand. This also relieves costs for the children’s parents. Additionally, one of the main observations from former volunteers is the lack of creativity in the current curriculum that would usually aid teaching and help maintain the children’s interest. Any reading books (children’s stories, comics in Spanish etc), creative materials, and other exercises you can bring, will help with the development of a central resource library and of course spice up the classes for the kids.

**Please note that you are not obliged to bring additional materials. Your participation is our main concern and any additional help with materials is a bonus.

To contact former volunteers and learn about their experiences please follow the link to the volunteer contacts page.

For answers to your specific questions please write to us by email: info[at]fbu.com.ec

Please see the fees page