Different career paths within TEFL: Volunteering in the Calais refugee camp

Have you ever considered volunteering as a TEFL teacher?  There are numerous organisations around the world offering you the opportunity to volunteer as a TEFL teacher in remarkable places with remarkable people.  teflhub is going to run a series of articles and interviews to help you decide if you’d like to take the next step in what must be an incredibly rewarding experience. The first article is from a volunteer with Care4Calais who taught English at the Calais refugee camp. 

I’D LOVE TO TEACH ENGLISH IN THE CALAIS REFUGEE CAMP, BUT…

(A brief guide to what to expect and how you can help.)**

But I’m not a teacher…

Don’t worry if you have little or no experience teaching , what you do have is invaluable; that is the ability to speak, read and write in English (or French). This is what the refuges desperately want - the opportunity to practice and learn with a native speaker.

If you are friendly, respectful, good humoured and patient you will be rewarded with learners who are polite, grateful, hospitable and amazingly motivated to learn. They will hang on your every word! It will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

But… who will I teach?

It is very likely you will be teaching males, many from Sudan and Afghanistan, aged 18-30. You may be surprised to find many have a sound knowledge of the alphabet and key words or phrases etc., and some skills in writing and reading. Most likely you will be working either with a small group of 2 or 3 or teaching 1:1. The size of group will be fairly fluid, but for 3 hours you will be pretty busy! Normally you teach from 2-5pm.  

But… where will I teach?

The ethos of Care4Calais is to seek out and respond to need. It has a very flexible approach, based on knowledge of the camp. You will go with a small group of other volunteers, usually 5, including an experienced team leader. The team leader will select a spot to teach; maybe under a tree or beside a tent, blankets are laid down and you wait for “customers”. They will soon arrive wherever you are!

But… what do I teach?

Don’t worry and remember as soon as you start speaking you have started teaching! However, you will be provided with a teaching pack- this will include a guide to levels of ability, atlas, reading book, flashcards, grammar book, alphabet, number square, wipe boards and marker pen, pencil case with pens, colours, rubber etc.  These are there only if you need them, “go with the flow.” TIP- asking the refugees to teach you some of their language is a good ice-breaker and is good for their self-esteem on a number of levels.

But… what do you mean go with the flow?

You could start off by introducing yourself; name, age , where you come from, use this to model an introductory chat -though it might be best not to ask about family or their journey , unless they offer. You can use this “chat” to get an idea of their level of ability. Then you could ask them what they would like to start off with- reading, writing or speaking .

But… can I do anything before I leave?

Oh …. if you have time that would be great . Many of the resources at Care4Calais are more suited to younger children. So if you have time you might want to bring: photos / pictures of age appropriate interests - cars, sport esp. football, adverts, tickets, shopping receipts, food, instructions e.g.  start-up guides for a laptop or mobile.  Simple reports or articles from magazines and newspapers are a good resource, but would need to be checked for any written content, pictures or topics that might offend - (a large number of refugees will be Muslim).  Also forms to practice filling, inc. tick boxes.

But… my grammar is hopeless!

 Most foreign languages are based on a set of grammatical rules that have very few exceptions - this is certainly true of Arabic.  English, however, is a nightmare mess of exceptions, homophones and gobbledegook!  So don’t worry if, like most British people, you have little or no grammatical knowledge. But don’t be surprised if the refugees find this astonishing. If you have time you could mug up on some basics like parts of speech, though you may never need to use this knowledge. (Remember, there will be grammar resources for you to use.)

**Hopefully, some of the above will help with teaching French or Art.

To find out more about volunteering in the Calais refugee camp visit http://care4calais.org/ .  The charity would like to point out that a volunteer may have to carry out other tasks as well as teaching English in order to help with the day-to-day running of the charity.