WorldTeach was a non-governmental organization that provided opportunities for individuals to live and work as volunteer teachers in developing countries. Approximately 300 volunteers were annually placed in year-long and summer programs, with more than 7,500 placed. World Teach was founded in 1986 by a group of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

students, including prize-winning economist

Michael Kremer Michael Robert Kremer (born November 12, 1964) is an American development economist who is University Professor in Economics And Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He is the founding director of the Development Innovation Lab at the Be ...

. In April 2019, WorldTeach ceased its volunteer operations.

Programs

All volunteers for year-long programs must be enrolled in or have completed four year college programs, with most volunteers being recent graduates. Most volunteers teach the English language, and some teach information technology, mathematics, science, accounting, and HIV/AIDS education. Typically WorldTeach partners with Ministries of Education, who identify the needs that WorldTeach volunteers can help them address. Volunteer placements vary widely in the size of the community (300 people to 7 million), age of the students (elementary to adult), and living situation (homestay or apartment). Like the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

, volunteers may go to a wide range of countries, and WorldTeach volunteers apply to and are accepted to particular country placements. WorldTeach currently has year-long programs in

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

the Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. For year-long programs, which require a four-year college degree, costs are shared between the hosting educational organization and WorldTeach volunteers. Included are housing placements, visa sponsorship, health and emergency evacuation insurance, 24-hour field staff support, three-four weeks of in-country orientation (including language and teacher training) and a monthly stipend roughly equal to a local teacher's salary. Summer programs are in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Volunteers need not have a college degree, although most are current college students. These programs are not funded by WorldTeach's in-country partners and students usually pay for them through scholarships, out-of-pocket, or obtain college credit.New York Times, A Year Abroad - WorldTeach
/ref> In April 2019, WorldTeach's board of directors voted to cease in-country programs, a model which proved to be unsustainable given the scale, cost structure, and the current market.

References

{{Reflist

External links

WorldTeach website

WorldTeach reviews at GoOverseas.com
Educational organizations based in the United States Educational institutions established in 1986 1986 establishments in Massachusetts