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INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER TEAM

At Cofradia's Bilingual School, we depend on our international volunteer teaching team to bring our vision of quality multicultural education to life. We carefully select teachers who have a wide array of skills and experience, and the resulting cultural mix is always as equally rewarding for the teachers as it is for the students. The varied and International make-up of our team is one of our highest priorities since it is this team who have the responsibility of shaping young minds and showing all the people of Cofradia how wonderful it is to really be part of a Global Family. Being part of the CBS team means being an ambassador for your country and culture during your stay with us. It is much more than just another teaching job.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

We provide our volunteer teachers with a rich cultural, educational and team experience. We provide accommodation in 2 spacious group homes situated in the centre of town, approximately 10 minutes walking distance from the school. Both homes have outdoor terrace areas for relaxing and are walled for security. All utilities, food and living expenses, local phone calls and Internet use are part of the package. Volunteers are expected to cover their own costs for traveling to Honduras, any required health insurance and for weekend trips. We do provide free luxury bus tickets to many destinations in Honduras and Guatemala, generously donated by a local bus company. Some of our volunteers choose to supplement their incomes by teaching adult English classes in the evenings, and find that through this they can make enough for all their weekend traveling. Some have even managed to make enough to recoup their International travel but this does take some serious after school dedication.

LIVING IN COFRADIA

Cofradia has a population of approximately 40,000. Friendly residents, colorful homes, brilliant flowering hedges, towering palm trees and dusty, littered streets with wandering chickens and dogs characterize the community. The residents of the town come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and some families are truly destitute. Cofradia is surrounded by green mountains and tropical cloud forest, and experiences sunny, hot weather most of the year. The rainy season is July- November, when there are deluges almost every evening. We are approximately 40 minute by bus from San Pedro Sula, Honduras' second largest city (and "Industrial Capital"), and about 1 hour from the Caribbean coast. Our volunteers spend many of their weekends exploring the beach communities of the coast where there are traditional Garifuna communities, the nearby tropical cloud forest of Cusuco national park, or visiting the Mayan ruins two hours away in Copan, among many other interesting destinations. We have a number of longer holidays during the year, where volunteers have up to two weeks to explore the neighboring countries of Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador if they are feeling adventurous!

QUALIFICATIONS

While the majority of our teachers have experience teaching and/or have teaching degrees, we do consider applications from those who have had experience working with children in other capacities. We also look for team members who have an interest in helping the community at large and reaching out to the town of Cofradia through the programs at our school. Many of our teachers have a background or an interest in community development, and have experience volunteering elsewhere, often internationally. We are most interested in individuals who are enthusiastic, dynamic, resourceful, flexible, work well in group situations and above all have a love of teaching children. It is also very helpful for teachers to have some experience teaching English as a Second Language. Because we use a language immersion approach to our English classes, we ask that teachers speak as little Spanish as possible with the students. Consequently, there is no need for our teachers to know Spanish, although everyone invariably acquires a good grasp of the language by virtue of living here! Some teachers also arrange private lessons with members of the community where they teach English and the Honduran teaches them Spanish. This is often one of the most positive experiences for our teachers, as they develop real bonds with community members while learning the language and the culture.

APPLICATION PROCESS

In order to start the application process, please send the following information to Mirna Udy, the school administrator. (multiple points may be included in the same document if you like):