ESL volunteer in Sicily at an English School

ESL volunteer / teacher in training / student teacher – 20 hours per week / fully furnished apartment shared with one other volunteer

We are an English community in Sicily, Italy. We are looking for two volunteers to come for a 90-day period during the academic year, from September to the end of July.

We are looking for native English speakers who may be interested in learning how to teach ESL, are curious about ESL, or are already ESL teachers and would like to give a hand by assisting in small, creative conversation classes.

What category best describes your hosting arrangement?

• School / educational project

Location (city/town, region, country)

Sicily, Italy

What are you looking for help with?

• Teaching support / language exchange

Sensitive activities clarification

The director or head teacher will always be in the classroom. We are looking for someone who can help with teacher assistance for all levels and all ages.

Some of our classes include children. As mentioned, the director or head teacher will always be present. We are looking for someone who can help with activities, songs, reading books and engaging in fun games that help with repetition of the English language.

With our teen groups, the director or head teacher will always be present. We ask volunteers to help with speaking practice. This can help students learn how Cambridge speaking exams are done and give them valuable practice.

Tell us about your project or hosting place

I live in Sicily, Italy, and have more than 20 years of experience working in ESL internationally.

I have opened a language community center here. We hold different groups of classes based primarily on conversation. Whenever there are students below the age of 18, there is a head teacher or director in the classroom.

We want to give this experience to native English speakers who are interested in trying out ESL or would like to gain some experience before fully committing to a full-year contract at a school.

Due to work visas in Italy being difficult to attain, I decided to create a community cultural exchange program with our school.

Volunteers can expect to help 5 days a week, with a total maximum of 20 hours per week. It is a very easy curriculum to follow: either follow a book or create a fun game, exercise or activity that can help tie in with the lesson.

I and the director are always at the school. We work together as a team, brainstorm ideas together and mentor our volunteers.

Volunteers have a few teaching hours a day. On some days, there may be only one class. We want to continue our fun and dynamic energy at the school, so we are looking for volunteers who are positive, motivated and excited to learn and grow with us.

Volunteers are free to watch the head teacher teach lessons in order to learn different methods and understand Cambridge levels, including examination practice, theory and teaching approaches.

We also teach Italian lessons and allow our volunteers to participate as often as they would like if they are interested in learning Italian, free of charge.

Once a month, we hold fun events that our volunteers are invited to participate in. For example, wine and painting, board game nights, book club, movie club and other events related to festivals and holidays. These activities are free.

We also give cooking classes with a private chef and invite our volunteers to take part if they are interested in learning how to cook Italian cuisine. These are also free.

If volunteers are interested, we can also set up language exchange dates at our school where a native Italian can speak with our volunteer in a more relaxed and fun atmosphere, so both can learn: one learning English and the volunteer learning Italian.

We often invite our volunteers to come over and have dinner or lunch at our house, or to come on day trips with us if they are interested.

When our volunteers arrive, we plan a meet-and-greet happy hour with our native Italian students and friends, and they are welcomed into our community.

Our volunteers are given a fully furnished apartment with utilities and Wi-Fi included and no deposit needed. We also provide basic groceries such as rice, pasta, salt, oregano, olive oil and vinegar, as well as cleaning supplies such as sponges, dish soap, cleaning products, laundry detergent, recycling bags and trash bags, plus bottled water.

We also offer a SIM card with an Italian phone number and a phone plan including data, calling minutes and SMS.

We are based in a beautiful historic town in Sicily. It is small and everything is within walking distance. The apartment is about a 10-minute walk from the school and town center, around 8 minutes from the bus and train stations, and about 2 minutes from the supermarket.

Notes about requirements and accessibility

We require native English speakers, preferably people interested in education, ESL, culture and/or languages.

How many volunteers could you host?

• 2 volunteers, including couples or friends

When do you usually need volunteers?

• Mid-September to mid/end of December
• January to April
• April to June
• June to the end of July

The usual stay is around 90 days.

How many hours of help per day?

• 4-5 hours/day, typically

How many days of help per week?

• 5 days/week

Notes about the work, schedule, and house rules (optional)

• Work hours vary from day to day. The schedule may be Tuesday to Saturday, or Monday and Tuesday off followed by Wednesday to Saturday.
• Saturdays are usually from 9:00 to 13:30.
• Weekday hours can be 10:00 to 11:30, 14:00 to 16:00, or approximately 16:00 to 19:00/20:30.
• The total number of hours each week will always be 20 hours or less.

Typical tasks include creating worksheets on Canva, photocopying and printing worksheets, attendance, giving students a book and recording the title, event planning with the team, co-teaching lessons at various levels and leading conversation classes.

Volunteers have access to their own PC, as well as Wi-Fi at the school and at their apartment.

Are accommodation and food included?

• Yes, food and accommodation are included

The apartment is a guesthouse shared with another volunteer. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room area and bathroom, with full amenities and utilities included. We ask volunteers to be mindful with the air conditioning and heaters and to turn them off when they are not home.

What type of accommodation can you provide?

• B&B / guesthouse

Diet – nutrition information

We can accommodate vegetarian diets and allergies as long as we are notified beforehand. Food is included in the sense that we supply basic groceries and also invite volunteers for meals at my home, but meals are not provided daily.

Fee transparency (required)

NO fee

Visa support – Are you able to assist with visa support, information, or provide invitation letters?

No. Volunteers must arrange visas independently.

What volunteers receive (in addition to food/accommodation)

• Mentorship and training in ESL teaching and Cambridge exam levels from A1 to C2.
• The opportunity to work closely with our head teacher, who has more than 20 years of international ESL experience.
• Experience with different teaching methods, experimental teaching and ways to bring creativity, fun, music and dynamic energy into a classroom.
• Access to various learning platforms and tools, including Cambridge, Kahoot, Baamboozle, Oxford and Canva.
• Weekly Italian lessons with an Italian teacher, with materials included. These may vary from private one-to-one lessons to small group classes.
• Weekly language exchanges with native Italians.
• Cultural activities with our native Italian students and foreign students learning Italian.
• Cooking classes, including learning recipes and about wine from the Sicilian region.
• Monthly cultural events in our community.
• A SIM card with an Italian phone number and a phone plan with data, minutes and SMS.
• Basic groceries, cleaning products and bottled water, including delivery.
• Airport pickup if volunteers arrive at the nearest major airport between 9:00 and 12:00 during the week.
• A local community card offering discounts at various small businesses in the area, including gyms, restaurants, cafés, bars and other local shops.

What are the available activities during free time?

• Beaches are around a 10-minute drive from our town, or approximately 20 minutes by bus.
• There are historic and cultural sites nearby, as well as numerous places to visit throughout the area.
• There are many beautiful hiking trails through mountains, valleys and canyons, vineyards, natural reserves and weekly markets in our town and neighboring areas.
• There are also local festivals and celebrations throughout the year.
• Many beautiful towns and cities in Sicily can be reached by bus or train.
• There is also access to various gyms, boxing gyms, a public swimming pool, tennis and padel courts.
• There is so much to do here in Sicily. The list goes on and on.

Languages spoken on site

• Native English

Geography

Our area has access to cities, towns, beaches, mountains, canyons, lakes, historic sites, coastal areas, countryside and mountains. Orange, lemon and almond trees are everywhere, and there are many beautiful natural reserves.

• The climate is very hot from around mid-June to the end of August. September is hot but less so, and it is still great weather for swimming in the sea from May to October. Some people also swim throughout the year.
• It is mostly sunny. The period from September to March can be rainier, although it really depends on the year and climate conditions.
• From November to March it can be a little chilly indoors, so it is useful to dress in layers. Outside in the sun, it can feel much warmer.

How to get to your site

The best way to get to our area is to arrive by plane at the nearest major airport in eastern Sicily. There are public transport connections to our town. Full arrival information can be shared with volunteers before travelling.

Is there internet access?

• Yes, reliable Wi-Fi