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Description
Volunteers who plan to stay for 1 or 2 months are preferred.
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In the Academia , we firmly believe that Education is a powerful transformational tool. We offer English language courses from A1 to C1 level. Most of our students are teenagers and we also run a program for kids (7 to 11 years old). We are an accredited institution with more than 30 years of experience in the region. Our goal is to help members of our educational community become excellent individuals who thrive to create a better society.
In particular, we would love to host volunteers who can help us in our English language classes. Your mission as an English teaching volunteer will be sharing your culture with the students and teachers, co-teaching English lessons to students from diverse proficiency levels and hosting English conversation clubs.
You are expected to be in the classroom for about 4 hours per day. We will provide you homestay in a furnished apartment, where you will have internet access. Also, we will give you a $100K COP weekly stipend .
On weekends, we might take you to enjoy outdoor activities and to visit some beautiful places, which offer great landscapes, so that you can have a good time. We are located in Florencia - Caquetá, Colombia, a small city with around 200.000 people in the south of Colombia. A flight from Bogotá ($80- 100 USD) will take only 1 hour, and we will pick you up at the airport. You will never feel alone. If you decide to come by bus from Bogotá ($30 USD), it will take you 12 hours approximately to our city and we will pick you up at the bus terminal station.
Florencia is growing year by year, we have three universities, three hospitals, more than 15 schools, the most common means of transportation in the city are motorcycles and cars, but also many people just walk, because everything is nearby.
The apartment you will be living in is next to our institution, that means it will take you less than one minute from your place to the building.Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Teaching
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Our volunteers have the opportunity to share with local people and enjoy their warmth, as this is a small and not very busy city. Not many people speak English, so you will have to use your Spanish in your daily live. There are lots of opportunities to try a wide variety of typical food, you will discover a green paradise with great rivers and landscapes.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
As an English language teaching fellow you are expected to co-teach students from different profiency levels during maximum 4 hours a day, from Monday through Saturday. We kindly ask you to prepare activities to foster students' listening and speaking skills. Some classes will be paid (private tutoring sessions). You could also lead cultural activities for the school community and co-lead social projects with children from underprivileged areas.
If you hold a TEFL certificate or have an education background and plan to stay for at least 2 months, you could be a teacher for an advanced (C1) course.
We expect you to be an enthusiastic teacher who thrives to motivate pupils so that they enjoy their learning process. The minimum duration of your stay will be 1 month, but we can be flexible as well. The dress code for classes is casual. Please, avoid wearing shorts or flip-flops. Closed shoes/sneakers and jeans or pants are highly recommended.
While helping students become proficient in the English language, you will have a great opportunity to practice Spanish with them. Not many people know English in the city, so you will need to use some Spanish to move around.
A TEFL certification would be an asset.Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Portuguese: IntermediateAccommodation
A comfortable furnished shared apartment, with three bedrooms. There are two shared bathrooms, a kitchen (with useful items and cutlery), a washing machine and a refrigerator. We expect volunteers to keep this place clean during their stay, with particular emphasis on the bathroom and kitchen areas. People who are not part of the volunteer program should not stay overnight in the apartment, unless they have been authorized to do so.
During the time you are in the apartment, you might have to buy items for your personal use such as toilet paper or towels as well as ingredients to cook your own meals. We will give you other elements like washing powder or dish soap.
We will give you a weekly allowance to cover your meals from Monday to Saturday (100K COP). You will also have access to an internet connection. We will pick you up from the bus terminal or the airport. Please, be mindful that the weather in Florencia is hot and humid, so we highly recommend you to use deodorant and to take showers every day.What else ...
Outside activities: Swimming in rivers, cycling, volleyball, dancing, drinking if you want, go clubbing, visiting the whole city, BBQ's, camping, horse riding, canoeing, fishing, hiking, climbing, kayaking. Our city has a tropical weather.
Rates: Taxi 2 USD, Bus 1 USD.
National beer: 1 USD.
We have around 30 touristic places to visit; most of them are located around the city and are related to ecotourism.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (47)
I am so grateful that the academy gave me the opportunity to teach my own French class, it was a very rich experience that I won’t forget! They trusted me… read more
The teaching staff where all amazing, friendly, welcoming and fun to work with and the kids were great, super excited to get to know you and to show you around Caquetá.
The shifts were usually 4 hrs a day which gives you plenty of time off… read more
Sadly it was raining a lot during my… read more
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.8)
I am so grateful that the academy gave me the opportunity to teach my own French class, it was a very rich experience that I won’t forget! They trusted me… read more
The teaching staff where all amazing, friendly, welcoming and fun to work with and the kids were great, super excited to get to know you and to show you around Caquetá.
The shifts were usually 4 hrs a day which gives you plenty of time off… read more
Sadly it was raining a lot during my… read more
Thank you so much,… read more
Thank you so much for joining our project, we wish you the best for your next adventures!
We hope your Spanish keeps… read more
He… read more
All the teachers I worked with made the classes fun, engaging, practical and informative for the students and I… read more
She is… read more
Lauren is a fantastic and authentic person. She was always… read more
Matilda hizo muchos amigos mientras estuvo aquí; Hizo su… read more
When the time to leave arrived, my heart broke!
I found much more than a workplace...I found a family.
The time passed really fast in a surprisingly pleasant way, I got many friends, first among colleagues and students,… read more
I spent about 7 weeks at the academy and from the moment I arrived Diego and the team made me feel very welcome. The teachers are a pleasure to work alongside and are always creating fun and interesting lessons. The students are an absolute delight to teach and eager to… read more
The work is fair and exciting. Diego and his team are always coming up with new fun ways to teach classes and spend time in Florencia.
The nature surrounding the city is amazing and there are always things to do.
Everyone was… read more
Everyone looks after you so well and really accepts you into the family! Diego and his parents invited me to their farm or took me to… read more
Florencia is a cool city, you have everything you need & there is… read more
The teachers and… read more
I genuinely mad so many friends and had so much fun teaching.
The conditions are perfect, you get provided with an amazing apartment close to the school and money for food.
On weekends we did soooo many exciting activities organised by the best bosses ever:… read more
Thank you for your always sweet smile, your good sense of humor, your responsibility and desire to learn and always share, remember that you have a job here in the academy, we have everything ready for you come back as a resident hahaha, for us it has been great have shared with you pleasant moments, remember that you will always be… read more
The other volunteers have covered everything in their comments, so I can only add that I wish so much I could have stayed longer - I definitely plan to return!!… read more
Thank you for existing, you are a great person, always attentive, colleague, willing to do everything to make things go well, your love and commitment to your friends, your joy and sense of humor, your students miss you, like all the family that you left here, remember that you will always be welcome, see you in the marriage of… read more
The teaching is easy and fun. The students are some of the best and really… read more
It has been wonderful to meet you, thank you for being so sweet, special, dedicated, fun and kind to all of us, remember that you will always be welcome to our school, city and homes. POQUE you are part of our family.
Soon we will start with the social project in the school as we speak and of course we will invite you to meet it.
See… read more
I absolutely LOVED my time in Florencia and teaching at the Academy. If you're having any second thoughts about applying for this workaway, don't. The reviews from other volunteers truly reflect what an amazing experience this place was. The people of Florencia are the most kindest, helpful people I have… read more
"When I arrived in Florencia, after I living in other city for two years, I heard there was an English Academy with… read more
It was my first time teaching, so I wanted as much experience as possible... I treated it like a full time job and was able to get plenty of experience in teaching group classes (adults/teenagers/kids), one-to-one classes, independent lesson planning, assisting with oral and listening examinations, and taking part in… read more
Last thing ¡ Dont stop playing ping pong, see soon we must finish the game...
take care.
As a solo traveller I felt particularly safe as the host family really do look after you and there are other volunteers/teachers working with you.
The accommodation is good and you live with other volunteers so there is always a fun vibe. You can cook in… read more
We could write a book about the aventures we had in Florencia with the fantastic duo: Amy & Gemma. Amy is amazing, so is Gemma. They are two beautiful, smart, creative, kind, happy and warmhearted girls.
They had some previous experience teaching English and did a great job in Florencia. Our students and teaching staff loved… read more
He was with us during about one month and this time was enough to realize that he is an excellent person. Brett was eager to help both teachers and students practice English in the classroom and in other settings. As regards his professional talents, his Spanish language proficiency is native-like and his planning and… read more
The classes are great and usually pretty small so it’s not… read more
She has outstanding Spanish language skills and was always ready to help with both teaching and assisting local teachers. We… read more
When I arrived, Diego, Mònica and Dayro came to the airport to welcome and drive me home. I was immediately surrounded by a warming group of people eager to meet me and make me feel comfortable.
The appartment is bright and equipped with anything you need. It includes an… read more
I had a great time working here. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The teaching was fun and the students were awesome and really keen to learn. The accommodation was fantastic a room in a lovely shared apartment. Florencia itself is surrounded with beautiful mountains and rivers & the cost of living there is also… read more
Everyone here, both the teachers and students, were incredibly welcoming and made me feel at home in Florencia. This was my… read more
For example,… read more
She was in charge of teaching both young students and adults, and did a very good job. Our students and us will always be grateful for her help!
We wish you the best, dear Annina!
The city is surrounded by jungle and rivers, there is plenty to see and do, and our hosts went out of their way to take us places. The nightlife in Florencia is fun, and there are plenty of bars and restaurants to explore.
The accommodation was great, we had a room to ourselves… read more
Daniel was both an assistant and a teacher in several courses. His Spanish level is outstanding, he was able to communicate with all of us fluently. He demonstrated… read more
Thank you girls for being so kind and for contributing to the development of our region by teaching this… read more
Donal was both an assistant and a teacher in several courses. His Spanish level is very good. He has strong group management skills and he has the… read more
Well I can only reiterate what Bonny has said below, we were volunteering together the entire time I was there, I ended up spending 6 weeks in Florencia, longer than I had planned. I enjoyed teaching there, there students were a blast and really nice and fun to work with. The host family were so warm and welcoming and kind, thanks again so… read more
It was a tremendous honor to have you as an English language teaching fellow. We were fortunate to host you not just for two weeks -as planned- but for two months! As soon as you arrived you adapted quickly to the atmosphere. We all value your dedication and eagerness to contribute to our educational project. Students were always… read more
Guys, we are grateful for your contributions in our… read more
We wish you the best for… read more
We will miss u Layla,,,,, all student miss you, nice moment we had and we hope that one day u dicide to come back, remember you have a family here.
Take care.