Teach English to Youth and Adults

On the European continent's Iberian Peninsula along the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal ascended to the status of World Power during the "Age of Discovery," - only to lose most of its wealth through subsequent foreign attacks. Overcoming recession and political instability, the country emerged in 1140 as the first nation-state in Western Europe - and has since remained unified in language and culture.

Today, Portugal is a European leader and founding member of NATO, OECD, and EFTA. As a Global Volunteer, you experience Portugal through her people...as a teacher of youth and adults in Beja's classrooms and municipal learning centers. This is an engaging family volunteer opportunity! You can connect with local people as a "non-tourist" - providing a service that isn't available locally. Each volunteer is a "link in a chain." No single link is useful unless it is firmly connected to the one preceding it and the one following it. While you might not notice a significant progress that your students will make in two weeks, their language skills improve greatly after a few years of classes with our volunteers. No matter your background or skills, your personal efforts will help us lay the foundation for a long-term partnership with this welcoming community!

“Each day has been a bit like unwrapping a surprising package. After lunch, we had our library time—thinking that it might be a bit lonely. That didn’t last.  Before we knew it, we were surrounded by students eager to talk, listen and help us with our visitor’s map.  We let them circle anything of interest as long as they talked to us. Needless to say, we now have a map with lots of museums, churches and parks circled."
~ Irene Finnegan, Portugal volunteer