English Teaching Assistant in the Ecuadorian Amazon
internship Overview
In Ecuador, education, including higher education, is free. Despite government investment, there are still many children (mostly in rural areas) who have difficulty getting to school, and many public schools and universities suffer from a lack of teachers and access to resources like school supplies and technology. For that, many parents choose to pay tuition and send their children to private institutions; even so, private schools struggle to provide resources for their students.
Interns work in the Napo province in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The province ranks in the middle in illiteracy rates compared to other provinces, and it has one of the highest high school dropout rates. In Napo, English-learning is one of the most demanded educational areas for students and professionals and, often, is the most under-resourced.
Interns work as English teaching assistants and support with lesson plans by adding creative games, activities, and experiential learning components. Interns empower students by helping them learn English from a native speaker. Students who learn and speak English often have better, more profitable career opportunities, especially in tourism and business fields. Interns also serve as cultural ambassadors to their respective countries, thereby teaching cross-cultural communications skills. Internship benefits:
Work as an English teaching assistant at a public or private school, pre-school to university; depending on availability, option to work at institution of your preference
Support local English teachers with their lesson plans
Practice and hone teaching, classroom management, curriculum development, and cross-cultural education/communication skills
Forge meaningful relationships with local teachers, students, and community members
Opportunity to support teachers in other subject areas and school activities, depending on interest and level of Spanish
Research & dissertation support available with partner organizations and universities, if requested
***NOTE: The English Teaching Assistant position is NOT available from mid-June to mid-September each year due to student summer vacation.***
Daily Life
Internships begin with an orientation in the city of Tena. After, interns spend the first few weeks getting to know their host family and internship. Depending on the needs of the internship, potential activities include:
Assist English teachers and create fun, English-learning games, activities, and arts and crafts to complement daily lessons
Design one or two lesson plans that focus on experiential English learning
Organize a class project related to English learning
Organize a class field trip or outdoor activity related to English learning
Opportunity to support teachers in other subject areas such as math, science, literature, environmental studies, etc. [Depending on interest, need, and Spanish ability]
Opportunity to get involved in after school activities and clubs such as:
School garden
Sports clubs - soccer, volleyball
Trash clean ups
Music and art clubs
Research best practices in English-teaching abroad and classroom management and share with teachers
Organize English [or another language] lessons with teachers and staff members who are eager to advance their language skills and receive Spanish and Kichwa lessons from them as well
An average day for an English teaching intern looks like:
***NOTE: Schedules can differ based on the intern’s assigned tasks. The following sample schedule is based off of past interns’ experiences.***
Wake up and have breakfast with host family (***If you are with a very traditional indigenous family, you can wake up with them at 4 or 5am and share in the ritual of drinking guayusa tea as a family***)
Head to school or university around 7am
Assist in the classroom until noon or 1pm
Lunch with host family (***OR: When interns are in the field they can buy lunch or bring a packed lunch***)
Go back to the school or university to assist with evening classes, get involved in an after-school activity or sport, OR do independent research
Return home around 5/6pm for dinner with the family (***We encourage interns to spend as many evenings and weekends as possible with their host families to make the most of their immersions, learn about the culture, and practice their Spanish***)
Other activities to get involved in after work and on the weekends: sports, clubs, teaching English, meeting up with other interns, going on weekend trips to nearby tourist destinations, swimming in rivers, rafting, hikes to waterfalls and swimming holes, chocolate-making
Interns need to bring extra spending money for their transportation, meals not eaten with the family, and activities and travel outside of the program. The cost of living and transportation costs are explained in more detail in the intern manual provided to incoming participants to help them calculate how much extra money they should bring.