Volunteer teaching in Brazil, Teach English with Projects Abroad

English Teaching Volunteer Work Abroad in Brazil

Brazil's economy is currently experiencing something of an economic boom, but the financial prosperity is failing to filter down through society, with an estimated 55 million Brazilians still living under the poverty line. Exploitation of these classes is rife and there have even been accusations of slave labour still existing in some parts of the country. With poor public services and an unreliable social security system, Brazil looks set to remain very much a third world country for the foreseeable future.

For Brazil's children, one possibility for a better future lies in the learning of the English language, which can allow them access to so many areas of future employment. In a Portuguese-speaking country, on a Spanish-speaking continent, there has never in the past been a great deal of importance placed on learning English, but more recently this has changed, as globalisation has taken effect. Unfortunately the better English tuition tends to come at a price which has restricted it to the middle-classes. As a Projects Abroad volunteer you can help to address this imbalance.

As a volunteer, English-teaching in Brazil will give you an amazing new perspective on this incredible country. You can gain invaluable development work experience without any previous qualifications, and you are not required to have undergone TEFL training. Whether you are coming to volunteering during your gap year, career break or an extended holiday, you will have a role to play in one of the schools that we work with, and you will be able to make a real difference.

Teach English Language in schools with Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad Brazil is based in the State of Rio de Janeiro. Here we work in schools, with children who have varying levels of English. They will all have had some English language teaching in the past, but often it will have been with teachers who did not have particularly good standards of English themselves. Consequently they may have a very good grasp of the grammar and structure, but lack the confidence to actually speak the language. This is where our volunteers come in. By running lessons in English and making them fun and inclusive you can really help to develop the pupils' confidence. They are sure to be interested in you and British life, and you can take advantage of this to get them talking to yourself and each other.

In most schools you will begin as a classroom assistant, supporting the teacher in lessons. However, as you get to know the children better and start to grow in confidence you will want to take on more responsibility. If you have any other interests - such as art, music, drama or sport there will be opportunities to incorporate this into your classes too.

Volunteering on a Teaching Project in Brazil

Whatever your skills, as a volunteer in Brazil you will make an important contribution by improving students' spoken English and giving them the confidence that comes from being able to communicate with a native speaker. The impact you have on the lives of your students will be obvious and long-lasting, but you will also be part of a much larger volunteer network, which is making a really positive contribution to the wider community. It will be an experience you never forget!