Introduction to teaching English in Palestine
Whether you’re on your gap year, on holiday between university semesters or you simply want to build a career in teaching English overseas, Palestine is a great place to teach English.
Despite the geopolitical tensions which are prevalent here, there is so much potential in this country and the desire for individuals to improve themselves through training and education is palpable. This means that when you do good work here, the impact you create is all the bigger and more visible.
How to find a programme teaching English in Palestine
First of all, we would recommend as with any overseas volunteering or work, that you thoroughly research the organisation with which you intend to join.
You have to balance the needs of organisation with your own needs to ensure a happy and fulfilling experience. Be sure to research all volunteer testimonials and online feedback before making your decision.
Do I have to have a qualification or experience to teach?
You absolutely do not need to have qualifications or experience to teach English in Palestine. However, you are unlikely to receive a paid teaching role without them here.
A background in teaching will give you more flexibility to take your pick of the roles on offer. However, doing a volunteer teaching position is an equally viable option if you are looking to begin a career in ESL (English as a second language) or simply just to help the locals living in a difficult situation.
How to prepare for teaching English in Palestine
Palestine is a fascinating country full of rich historical tradition and unique culture. Do some research about the place – particularly about the local customs so that you know what to wear and how to behave appropriately.
It is not acceptable for example to wear shorts or drink alcohol in some of the more conservative areas of the West Bank. You should consider as well when you are visiting – Winters in Palestine can get quite wet and cold during the night, while the summers can reach up to 35 or 40 degrees, so take these aspects into consideration when evaluating your clothing choices!!
Some tips for the classroom
The most important thing to consider is that you will be teaching monolingual classes (i.e. all the children will be primary Arabic speakers), so you really have to run the lesson in English to immerse them in the language learning experience.
Assuming you are working with young learners, your primary task is to engage them in practise of learning English. If they are bored or disinterested, it is not possible to meaningfully teach them anything.
This means playing games, running competitions and high energy learning activities to up their participation levels and make sure everyone has fun while they are learning together. You need to create inclusive language learning community in the classroom that everyone enjoys being involved in.
Teaching English in Palestine porgrams
The Excellence Center can be a great opportunity if you are looking to teach English in the West Bank (Gaza is not accessible at the time of writing due to ongoing security issues).
The centre offers flexible programmes depending on the individual’s existing commitments and goals and ambitions. There are volunteer posts for those with minimal teaching experience; these range from a couple of weeks up until to three months (which is the maximum time you can stay in Israel Palestine on an Israeli tourist visa).
Alternatively there are paid roles available, but these tend to be more for individuals who have already done work with the centre and proved themselves an asset to the centre’s work.
On arriving for one of the programmes here, you will be assigned a liaison manager to oversee your teaching work and a dedicated personal Arabic tutor to oversee the development of your Arabic language learning.
The teaching work is widely varied – there are group lessons at the centre, private one on one lessons with individuals, teaching in the countryside around Hebron and teaching in local public school (a programme that’s run in conjunction with the Palestinian Ministry of Education in Ramallah).
Any Questions?
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact at Rafat@excellencenter.org
Whatsapp:+972599479880
For more information, please visit our website: https://excellencenter.org
Excellence Center’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter
Excellence Center’s Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron
Watch us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQSLdFZWZcBm6Uj0XMYuKg
Visit and Explore Palestine: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorePalestine
