WorldTeach is a non-governmental organization that provided opportunities for individuals to live and work as volunteer teachers in developing countries. It was founded in 1986 by a group of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

students, including economist

Michael Kremer Michael Robert Kremer (born November 12, 1964) is an American Development economics, development economist currently serving as university professor in economics at the University of Chicago and director of the Development Innovation Lab at th ...

. Approximately 300 volunteers were annually placed in year-long and summer programs, with more than 7,500 placed. In April 2019, WorldTeach ceased its volunteer operations to continue exploring how best it could champion its work in serving the global community with education.

Programs

All volunteers for year-long programs must be enrolled in or have completed four year college programs, with most volunteers being recent graduates. Most volunteers teach the English language, and some teach information technology, mathematics, science, accounting, and HIV/AIDS education. Typically WorldTeach partners with Ministries of Education, who identify the needs that WorldTeach volunteers can help them address. Volunteer placements vary widely in the size of the community (300 people to 7 million), age of the students (elementary to adult), and living situation (homestay or apartment). Like the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

, volunteers may go to a wide range of countries, and WorldTeach volunteers apply to and are accepted to particular country placements. WorldTeach currently has year-long programs in

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

the Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. For year-long programs, which require a four-year college degree, costs are shared between the hosting educational organization and WorldTeach volunteers. Included are housing placements, visa sponsorship, health and emergency evacuation insurance, 24-hour field staff support, three-four weeks of in-country orientation (including language and teacher training) and a monthly stipend roughly equal to a local teacher's salary. Summer programs are in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Volunteers need not have a college degree, although most are current college students. These programs are not funded by WorldTeach's in-country partners and students usually pay for them through scholarships, out-of-pocket, or obtain college credit.New York Times, A Year Abroad - WorldTeach
/ref> In April 2019, WorldTeach's board of directors voted to cease in-country programs, a model that proved to be unsustainable given the scale, cost structure, and the current market.

References

{{Reflist

External links

WorldTeach website

WorldTeach reviews at GoOverseas.com
Educational organizations based in the United States Educational institutions established in 1986 1986 establishments in Massachusetts