Your Guide to Where You Can Teach English in Palestine 1´13 weeks

Your guide to where you can teach English in Palestine: Many people, whether they are native English speakers or if they have learned the language as a second language, find the prospect of teaching abroad fascinating. It is the opportunity to live an independent life, explore new cultures, meet new people and develop a set of skills which will be useful in future life. Palestine can be an interesting place to teach English for a variety of reasons so in this guide we will cover the best places to teach English in Palestine.

For those pursuing a career specifically in TESOL, TESL, TEFL or related English language teaching positions, this is the perfect internship program for acquiring hands-on experience while building your skillset as an instructor. This teaching internship is also ideal for those with colloquial fluency in English who are interested in the Middle East, especially in regard to the Israeli – Palestinian situation, and who would like to participate in a volunteer program while traveling.

Volunteering as an English teacher in Hebron, West Bank is an excellent opportunity to support people in vulnerable communities who are looking to increase their academic and professional options. Volunteer teachers do not need any experience or qualifications in teaching English. Our only requirement is that participants have a firm grammatical and colloquial understanding of the English language. Everybody is welcome to participate!

Requirements for our volunteer English teachers

To intern as an English teacher in Palestine, you’ll need to meet the following criteria:

Be 18+ years
Have a bachelor degree or diploma (in any subject), or be a current undergraduate
Be fluent in English
Have the ability to volunteer for a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 3 months.

However, we do not require:

The ability to speak Arabic
Travel experience
Teaching experience
Being a native English speaker

Additionally, upon completion of the program, the Engage in Palestine will provide you with a certificate and letter of recommendation, able to be used for resumes or for acquiring university credits.

Your Guide to Where You Can Teach English in Palestine

Why Palestine for teaching English abroad?

Palestine is an amazing country with such an intricate and troubled history, that it is a brilliant place to visit in and of itself even before you get to the teaching side of things. It has a unique culture, even for the Middle East and for people interested in international relations, the ongoing Occupation is a prime case study in the nature of power relations and violence.

Then there is the traditional food which is fantastic here and the warm hospitable Arab welcome you are sure to receive. If you are interested in your history, you can follow in the footsteps of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Ottomans, Lawrence of Arabia and many more to personally uncover the history here.

Voluntary English teaching vs a paid role

This question really depends on your experience and qualifications – most of the time, you will start with a volunteer role until you have proved yourself capable as an English teacher, but it is possible that you can find a paid role straight up if you have been teaching for a while. Don’t worry about taking a voluntary role though, this will likely lead to a paid role in the future, if that is indeed your goal!

Different organisations for teaching English in Palestine

It is possible to teach with a range of different organisations – NGOs, language schools and refugee camps are all included. Each one comes with its own distinct advantages and disadvantages: a language school is more likely to provide paid roles and be run in a distinctly professional way, but you can see more visibly the impact you are making at a refugee camp or with a NGO and be confident that you are helping the people who need it the most.

Tips for the classroom when teaching English here

It can be a tricky to prospect to teach classes in Palestine, where the students are monolingual (that is to say all the students in your class will speak Arabic and will regress to Arabic if you are not careful). It’s therefore crucial that you engage your students: if you are working with young learners, this will mean playing games with them, whereas with mature learners it may mean focusing on the topics they really want to learn about. As long as you can find the right access point to ensure the students have ‘bought into’ your teaching methods, you can be satisfied that they are really going to sit up and listen when you start teaching them something new.

Teaching English in Palestine with Engage in Palestine

Engage in Palestine in Hebron, West Bank (or Al Khalil as the locals call it) runs voluntary English programmes in the heart of a major city, situated on the frontline of Occupation. The Engage in Palestine is a language and training school dedicated to providing the skills local people need to be successful in their lives. The centre was founded in 2011 and offers a mixture of paid for courses as well as free outreach teaching in local schools in conjunction with the Ministry of Education in Ramallah.

Teach for Palestine English teaching programme

If you take the Teach for Palestine English teaching programme, you will be responsible for the provision of up to 10-15 hours quality teaching per week, teaching a mixture of group classes with young learners as well as workshops and private one on one lessons with older students. Material and curriculum is all provided and the main things we look for in our volunteer English teachers is enthusiasm, a positive mental attitude and the ability to cope with adversity and adapt to new situations.

Furthermore, although preferred, in order to teach English in Palestine, academic degrees (such as university teaching, college degrees or English degrees), are not necessary. You are also NOT required to have any teaching certification such as:

ESL: English as a Second Language
TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language
TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
CELTA: Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adult

Volunteer teaching English programmes

All volunteer teaching English programmes include accommodation, food and some visits around the city of Hebron as a standard. This is a fascinating city, with a history stretching back (so they say) to Abraham and Sarah. However, this torturous history has led to competing claims on the land by Palestinians and Israelis. 20% of the city has been designated H2 where the Israelis may live in addition to the original Palestinian inhabitants. Despite the presence of Israeli soldiers here and occasional clashes, the city actually feels safe most of the time with any problems localised in one specific area.

The Engage in Palestine welcomes many volunteers all year round and we find that the mixture of internationalist volunteers along with the permanent Palestinian staff at the centre makes for a culture melting pot with many volunteers making lifelong friends in this atmosphere. The Teach for Palestine programme is always strongly recommended by former volunteers and we would encourage speaking to Rafat Shantir on the details below and thoroughly researching former volunteer testimonials and feedback to get a feel for the centre.

Teaching English to Palestinian Refugees	Teach English to Palestinian children internship
Summer teaching English programs in Palestine	Palestine and Israel in Context Internship
Palestinian Laws & Legal Practices Internship	Volunteer to teach English in the West Bank
Teach English & Study Arabic (1-13 Weeks)	Teach English for Palestine Program

What do you get from Engage in Palestine?

12 hours of Arabic lessons for each month you intern or 3 hours a week

Accommodation with a Palestinian host family or a shared flat

Breakfast with other participants (6 times a week)

Pre-departure and support during your time in Palestine

Visits to various sites in the city of Hebron (including refugee camps, the old city, different factories, etc.)

Understanding of Palestinian politics and the experience of occupation in the West Bank

Getting to know the human rights situation and helping the Palestinian refugees.

Engagement in educational, social and community activities

Palestinian hospitality and a pleasant climate

Living and gaining impressions from one of the most politically divisive and ambivalent regions of the Middle East

The opportunity to visit unique tourist attractions with a native perspective – including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilyah, Jenin and the Dead Sea in Jericho

Visiting nearby cities both nationally and internationally such as Akko, Herzliya, Beersheva, Eilat, Tiberias, Netanya, Safed, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Masada, Amman, Aqaba, Wadi Rum, and Nazareth

Help from well-qualified, attentive Arabic teachers with excellent educational backgrounds

A certificate upon completion

Summer Volunteer Programs In Palestine

For people looking to teach English over the summer months in the West Bank, Palestine or Israel, Engage in Palestine offers great volunteer teaching opportunities from May to August. These volunteer programs are ideal for students, native English speakers or anyone looking to volunteer during an extended visit or on a summer break .

The summer volunteer programs in Palestine combine an Arabic language focus with an immersion and engagement in Palestinian culture, politics and history. It includes visits to Bedouin areas (Susiya), Palestinian refugee camps, local villages and community centers.

Summary

The Volunteer to Teach English in the West Bank program is ideal for anyone wishing to teach English to non-native speakers. Teaching English to Palestinians is a unique opportunity to make a difference while challenging oneself in a new environment.

By volunteering in the West Bank, participants will broaden their understanding and knowledge of Palestinian culture. They will get to hear new perspectives on global affairs and life under occupation which may inspire them to change their outlook on the world. If this program description has piqued your interest, please do not hesitate to apply, and we can begin the process today!

How to apply

Please send an email to Rafat@excellencenter.org, writing Teach English, Study Arabic Program in Palestine in the subject line. We will then send you the application form.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact info@eceurope.org