Are You Bilingual and Looking To Teach? Volunteer as an English Tutor and Build Your Resume
No prior experience required, volunteer at Tutoria today!
There is a quote by Frank Smith that resonates with me and it goes like this — “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” When I was much younger, my parents moved countries several times for work-related purposes. Each time we moved, I had to learn a new language and culture in order to fit in.
Suffice to say it was not easy but the good thing was I was able to pick up the native dialects thanks to tutors.
As an immigrant, acclimatizing myself to the language and culture in the US came with its own set of challenges despite the fact that I speak fluent English. It was mostly to do with my accent and pronunciation. Knowing firsthand the challenges faced by immigrants, I decided to become a tutor for immigrants who have little to no English. My work includes coaching those who need help with their English in order to attend interviews or to obtain a better job.
Enter Tutoria, a free community based online platform that connects volunteer tutors with clients who need help with learning English, preparing for their citizenship test, and legal aid.
Tutoria is a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2017 by Alex Sulyevich and run by an all-volunteer team. Anyone can volunteer to be a tutor as long as they are fluent in English.
Tutors need not be based in the US and if you have no prior experience, that’s okay too as teaching resources are available at Tutoria’s website as well as the Tutoria Medium Page.
This is an entirely free service where both the clients and volunteer tutors decide how they want to meet once a connection has been established on the platform. It can be in person, by phone, or online via third-party applications like Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, or WhatsApp.
“English is more than a commodity. It has the power to transform nations” — Dr. Surin Pitsuwan
5 reasons why there is high demand for the English Language Instruction
A recent article published by The International TEFL Academy shares some interesting facts which emphasize why being able to communicate in English in this rapidly globalizing world has become fundamentally important not only in opening doors in terms of opportunities but also as a valuable asset from a career viewpoint:
- According to the British Council, one of the largest providers of English classes in the world, approximately 1.7 billion are learning and using English worldwide in 2015. That will rise to 2 billion by 2020.
- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong stated in June 2015 that more than 300 million Chinese are learning English.
- In 2009, Mexico introduced plans for more than 12 million school children to be learning English within 6 years. According to the British Council, similar plans have been enacted in Thailand and in dozens of other countries worldwide.
- According to a 2013 study by GSV Advisors for Pearson English, one of the largest English language training companies in the world, English language instruction for non-native speakers is a $63 billion a year industry.
- Japan (a nation of 127,000,000 people) has made English language instruction a required subject in primary education. In addition, millions of Japanese adults also take English classes each year.
TESOL instructors are not only in high demand for teaching school-aged kids but also at the corporate level. The main reason for this is the expansion of non-English speaking economies as a result of which having a good handle on business English has become essential for negotiations, correspondence, and socializing purposes.
It, therefore, comes as no surprise that TESOL is considered a gold standard certification for those seeking a career in teaching English.
By matching tutors with students depending on their specific needs and preferences, be it in person or via online tutoring, Tutoria makes it easy for future teachers to quickly meet their TESOL certification requirements and gain valuable real-life experience. Not only that it also gives a future teacher a distinctive edge when applying for jobs be it abroad or for EdTech companies.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can” — Arthur Ashe
Ready to hear a tutor talk about their experience as a volunteer tutor?
Then check out this YouTube video!
Whether you are working on your TESOL/TEFL certification and looking for teaching opportunities to fulfill your requirements or willing to donate a few hours of your time to help someone learn a new language consider signing up to be a volunteer with Tutoria and visit Tutoria’s Medium page for ESL Resources.
