Steven Tito Academy (STA) is a small charity-funded, English-medium primary school that serves a very special population of students in Bagamoyo - those who have displayed a high aptitude for learning but who cannot afford tuition.
In secondary school in Tanzania, students are required to learn all subjects using the English language. Students at STA are taught in English from the very first day of school to help prepare them for success in secondary school. Students start at STA when they are 5 or 6 years old. They start in 'Prep', a year designed to prepare the students with the English language skills they need to commence standard (grade) 1. Most of our students start their Prep year with little to no English language skills.
We need passionate, enthusiastic, hard-working, flexible teachers to instruct our students in their first year at STA. We need teachers who believe that all children deserve the very best education and have a right to quality teachers and quality learning in a safe and encouraging environment.
Responsibilities
- Teach a grade of maximum 26 prep students
- Work with and guide volunteer teaching assistants (some with no prior teaching experience or qualifications)
- Attend twice-weekly meetings
- Teach from 8am until 4pm, Monday-Friday
- Use the STA curriculum to plan lessons and units of work in collaboration with other teaching staff
- Use assessment to inform teaching
- Collaborate with other classroom teachers to improve teaching practices, to meet the needs of all students
- Know the school values and foster these values in the students
Qualifications
- Degree/Diploma in Education (preferred)
- At least 1-2 years teaching experience
- ESL/EAL teaching certificate
- Native English speaker
Remuneration
You will receive a small living allowance. The allowance will be enough for basic items but will not be sufficient to fund travel in Africa or a 'Western' lifestyle.
You will be provided with shared accommodation (up to 3 people) with other volunteers in a circular 'banda'. The banda is basic with a shower and 'squat' toilet. There are occasional water and power outages. Volunteers may wish to find their own accommodation in town, with costs incurred by the volunteer.
What does it cost me?
Prep Classroom Teacher Volunteers are required to make a US$650 contribution to STA before arriving. This contribution will cover the cost of administration and getting a Visa permit. Upon completion of your contract, the contribution will be reimbursed.
Volunteers will need to cover their own airfare and travel/health insurance costs.
Duration
For this position we require a commitment of at least a year, starting January 2018. From past experiences we have found that this is the minimum period of time to ensure that the post is beneficial to both the volunteer and the children of Steven Tito Academy and The Baobab Home. There is the possibility to start earlier than January 2018. This can be discussed at the time of interview.
Challenges
Flexibility - Tanzanian culture is very different to that of Australia, the US, Canada or the UK and as such teachers need to be flexible and able to adjust lesson plans, and whole planned days at short notice. At STA we try as best we can to avoid last minute changes and minimize disruption to the school's programs and daily structure, however as is the case in many schools, unexpected changes and events can occur. Teachers at STA also need to have flexibility when teaching to ensure that they are meeting the needs of the students.
Living Conditions - Living conditions in Tanzania will most likely be very different to what you are accustomed to at home. The food is different with the staple foods being rice, beans and ugali. Also accommodation is very basic and sometimes may not have electricity and running water.
ESL/EAL - All of the students at STA are learning English as a second language. For many, school is the only place they are exposed to English. As such, teaching at STA is very different to teaching at other schools. The students are very enthusiastic and love learning English but require a lot of scaffolding and oral language support. Teachers at STA need to have patience as well as respect and empathy for the students on their road to English language acquisition.
Resources - Many teaching aids that you may be used to are not readily available in Tanzania. While we do our best to equip our school, often by sourcing items internationally, there remain many teaching and learning resources that we do not yet have. At STA we do not let this restrict our teaching or the learning of the students. However, teachers must work hard to provide quality instruction and facilitation with limited resources.
While there may be challenges, the students and teachers at STA are passionate and enthusiastic about learning. The teachers work hard to foster a love of learning in each child and every student values the opportunity they have been given to get a quality education in a country where this is not always possible.
We NEED committed, passionate and experienced teachers to help our students reach their full potential. We NEED teachers who believe that all children deserve the very best education and have a right to quality teachers and quality learning in a safe and encouraging environment.
If you believe you are what we need then please apply for this fantastic opportunity!
To Apply
Send the following:
- Resume/CV
- Cover letter including philosophy on education
We will only contact people who send us a resume/CV and cover letter.
Applicants will be interviewed via Skype/phone call. There will be many varied opportunities for dialogue, so candidates can learn about the school, the responsibilities of the position and the community it helps to support.