Pueblo Ingles Special Edition: Teacher Programs
Volunteer with us and teach english to teachers in Spain
What is a teacher’s Pueblo Inglés Program?
Pueblo Inglés for Teachers is a special language immersion program to help Spanish teachers with their English skills (with teacher-oriented workshops).
They have been incredibly popular for the teachers (our students) as well as our volunteers, who both express the privilege it is to help and learn not only about how to improve English, but also how to make education itself better. The result is a program that offers fun activities and an exchange of ideas that are fascinating!
A ‘Teachers’ program is simply a combination of our normal Pueblo Ingles immersion program mixed with teacher-focused workshops. Our objective is simple: help the teachers to better teach in English and thereby help the country to improve as a whole. It is a great way to find out what’s happening at the educational level in Spain in multiple disciplines. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to meet incredibly hospitable people who are usually quick to invite you to visit them and show you around their home with pride…no better way to learn about a culture than from a friend who lives in it!
WHO IS THIS FOR?
The program represents a great opportunity for all native English-speakers who want to spend 1 or 2 weeks abroad this summer enjoying culture, conversation, and connecting with people.
Pueblo Inglés Teacher Programs this summer will be dedicated to Primary and Preschool teachers, as well as Vocational/Technical teachers.
All native English speakers are welcome at Pueblo Ingles Teacher Programs, especially all those +22 years old related to education: teachers, language teachers, as well as vo-tech-related carreer experience in: IT, audio/visual media, gaming, hotel & tourism… But even If you don’t work in this area, we encourage you to participate!
So, If you are fun, chatty and enjoy meeting people, then you could be the perfect volunteer!
- Do you love conversation (up to 15 hours per day!)?
- Are you patient & supportive enough to help the language learners?
- Are you armed with stories and experiences?
- Do you have an intellectually stimulating character?
If the answer is yes, we are looking forward to meeting you!
PROGRAM DETAILS
These are programs to help these teachers improve their level of English, which will allow them to later teach Spanish students with a better accent and greatly improved grammar.
They will take place in the months of July and August and it is our wish that the majority of Volunteers are connected, if possible, to the world of teaching, which would facilitate one-on-one interaction with the students, since all they are school teachers. As usual, we’ll mix in group activities, short presentations, fun role-playing, and even a bit of drama to spice things up.
Our teachers are always impressed by the generosity of the English-speaking volunteers and how it changes their entire relationship with the English language. This, in turn, has helped them teach classes in English with greater efficiency and confidence.
Volunteers see how their volunteer work reaches its greatest value. You have described the experience as “highly gratifying”, one of the “best experiences of my life”, very satisfied with the “improvement of the English of the Spanish participants”, “seeing the effort of the Spanish and their daily progress with my language It has been the best of the course”, etc.
As native English speakers you will be able to attend some of our workshops and watch classroom simulations and presentations in English, which is a great way to see first-hand how our teachers are doing. improving their English skills day by day.
DAILY ACTIVITIES
All of our daily activities are organized for you so you’ll never have to plan further ahead than your next fun activity or meal!
HOW IS A TEACHER’S PROGRAM DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PUEBLO INGLÉS PROGRAMS?
The Pueblo Ingles teacher programs are the same Pueblo Ingles spirit and dynamic with a slightly different focus. The program is still based on one-to-one interaction with native English speakers where the native English speakers are catalysts for a variety of conversational themes (teaching related and not). As usual, we mix in group activities, short presentations, fun role-plays, and even a bit of theatre to spice things up. The main difference will be with rotating workshop sessions during the day whereby our workshop leaders aim to 1) help improve their English level of our teacher friends in the form of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, as well as 2) help their method of instruction with relevant activities and correction toward a more ‘authentic’ English dynamic.
You as the native English speakers get to sit in on some of our workshops as well as observe class simulations and presentations, which is a great way to see directly how teachers are improving their English abilities. Your support throughout the week as native English speakers is instrumental in helping the teachers improve, who will in turn help their students, and thereby the local region of and country of Spain as a whole!
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY IN PUEBLO INGLÉS LOOK LIKE?
WHEN?
Dates for Pueblo Inglés Teacher Programs 2024 are still to be confirmed.
WHERE CAN I VOLUNTEER?
All the venues are different, some are liked more than others, but the venues that we now use, and that we have been using for more than 10 years in the summer months, all meet the level of quality that we demand, the lunch and dinner system is identical in all of them, they are far from heavily populated areas, in the middle of the countryside and in the middle of nature, but for all of you who are veterans I have to tell you that they are different from La Alberca, the favorite site for many of you.
Our volunteers are transported to their course venues from hub cities like Madrid or Valencia so it’s a great chance to combine an interesting city-visit with rural and cultural elements.
The pick up and drop off points will vary by venue: La Hortizuela – will leave from Valencia City; San Miguel & El Cason – will leave from Madrid.
Unlike the rest of the Pueblo Ingles programs, in these courses that we now offer, there will be two excursions to a nearby place, because that is what is agreed with the Regional Government.
Rural Hotel La Hortizuela is located in the heart of Cazorla Natural Park, Segura, and Las Villas. Known for its leafy, full forests and breathtaking mountain peaks, this location is a great place to go for a stroll or hike.
Located in the Amblés Valley, on the banks of the Adaja River with spectacular views of the Sierra de la Paramera and the city of Avila and its spectacular walls.
Hotel Puerto Magina is located near Torres, in a magical, natural environment in the heart of the Sierra Mágina Natural Park (Jaén) –a mountainous region with five peaks over two thousand meters.
The Casón de la Pinilla is located in the province of Segovia, 100km from Madrid. It is a cozy rural accommodation with 12 rooms, recently renovated and decorated, with personalized service, a perfect space for small groups and a quiet and natural environment.
What’s covered in the cost of the program?
The only cost of the program is your travel expenses to get to the programs’ departure city the day before the start of the program and any accommodation or travel from after the program ends. The program includes three meals a day and a basic travel accident/health insurance. Any additional expenses for drinks outside of meal times are on you.
In recent decades Spain has emerged from the rather introverted years of the Franco bubble and has rapidly become an active leader in the European Union, joining the international community woven together largely by an English-speaking business and travel oriented network. Companies have had to look outside Spain for sources of revenue and opportunities. Adults are still having to play catch-up and are looking for ways to improve as efficiently as possible. Additionally, the economic crisis of 2008 has forced parents and the government to re-think the future of the young generation and their abilities to participate the global market.
As a result, they have been investing lots of money and effort to make sure the youth are getting more and better English skills than their parents. The situation of training teachers to speak better English comes from the country-wide governmental initiative of the “Integral Program for Learning Foreign Languages” or the ‘bilingual’ system. The idea is to transition schools into bilingual learning environments. This makes English education accessible to all students, not just the ones who can pay for private classes and courses. As an example, Madrid currently as achieved the mark of 50% of its schools being bilingual. Most other regions, however, are still further behind.
There is, of course, some controversy with these changes since not all teachers are fully qualified to teach their material (be it history, science, math, etc.) in English and the resistance and criticism is that the kids won’t learn English or the subjects they have studied in English. Teachers who make the voluntary shift to teach in English get paid a little more, so there is some incentive. The sensible answer seems, ‘Why not get native English speakers to teach in the schools?’ The problem with this is that the application process to become a certified teacher in the public school system is dictated by the same civil servant testing system which is extremely rigorous (think law school) and is a complete deterrent for native English speaking teachers, who are given no break in the reducing the barriers to applying through this system, such as accepting other degrees and teaching qualifications from other EU countries. In the end, the ultimate goal is good, but teachers are feeling the pressure to improve as quickly as possible.
No. We only work with the teachers who are all adults.
Check the duration of the program on the calendar.
We provide transportation to the venue leaving from Madrid or Valencia by bus the first day of the program as well as the return trip to Madrid/Valencia at the end. If you do want or need to travel to the venue directly you must do so in order to arrive by the designated start time and by your own expense.
Departure times will vary depending on the venue and its distance from the departure city. The official start time of the teacher programs is usually not until afternoon/evening, which may allow you to arrive to the departure city the same day of the program start date.
As a general rule, however, we recommend arriving to Madrid/Valencia the day before as to allow for any travel complications and delays, not to mention some down-time before the intense week. We will provide more details about the departure time of each respective venue soon!
The short answer is, no. We try to combine a balanced mix of professions, nationalities and ages as usual that don’t necessarily have to be in the educational field… as long as they have the mindset of helping those in the teaching profession! If the idea of influencing the younger generation does not excite you, or if you are a purely business-minded person, this program is probably not the ideal match for you.
Understandably, we specifically do want people who are teachers, or who have been involved in educational profession, whether younger or older. Our primary objective is to try to match volunteer profiles that enable the program dynamic for sharing professional insights and secrets of the trade that will help the teachers up their overall game!
The teachers in our programs can be from all levels of schooling. Primarily they are teachers in the primary and secondary schools, but can also be for preschool (ages 3-4), as well as for vocational programs (ages 18-30). They may be teachers of general subjects, English, or very specific subjects (ie. maths, science, art, physical education, philosophy, music, etc.).
Sometimes we have concentrations in a particular week of a particular type of teacher, for example only Secondary. Sometimes we have mixes of all levels. We organize sub-groups respectively for our workshops or relevant activities.
We usually have an idea of the types of teachers before the program, but on occasion are not sure of the mix until a month or weeks before the program. If we do know we will try to let you know before, if is relevant to your particular interest or background.
Yes! This year on the Teacher Programs there will be an excursion. The excursions will vary by venue, making the most of the unique opportunities each place has to offer. The excursions will typically start shortly after breakfast and finish in time to have lunch at the venue. Examples of previous years’ programs include: a guided tour of the nearby city; a visit to the waterfall; a tour of a unique local business premises. These offer a nice break from the venue and an opportunity to see a different side to the local area!
We provide volunteers with accommodation for the duration of the program (not the days before or after). Although the facilities provided vary slightly, the rooms themselves are generally 3-4* hotel standard.
Based on hotel capacity, the likelihood of needing to share a room is high. Therefore, couples or room-sharers will be given preference when assigned a program.
How do I register?
If you’ve been to a Pueblo Inglés before just click on the Volunteer Zone button below. If you’ve never been to a Pueblo Inglés volunteer program before, please apply by clicking the button below to register. Click on See Full Year Calendar to see all program dates.