A student finishes an English exercise on the white board at a volunteer teaching placement in Peru.

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Volunteer Teaching in Peru

Work a at schools in Peru and help young students and teachers improve their English language skills

Destination

Peru

Age

16+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

Requirements

You need to speak basic Spanish.

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

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Starting at £1,495 for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

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Trip Overview

Improve education outcomes

Support teachers to improve education and opportunities for young people in Cusco. Gain valuable teaching experience in a different cultural context.

Build your classroom capacity

Lead lessons, create engaging activities, and give individual support to students to quickly develop your teaching capacity.

Community and cultural immersion

Enjoy life with a host family in Cusco, giving you instant access to local recommendations, culture, cuisine, and community.

Explore the Andes

Discover the beauty of the Andes Mountains during your free time. Visit Machu Picchu, hike Inca trails, and explore traditional villages.

Enhance local English skills

Encourage students to practice their English language speaking and listening skills through interactive games, songs, and discussions.

No experience needed

Receive guidance from teaching supervisors. Join and contribute to positive change. All you need is a positive attitude and enthusiasm.

What you need to know

Overview

This project is perfect for anyone looking to get hands-on teaching work experience in a classroom setting and help where it’s needed most. It will also help give your CV an extra edge, and demonstrate your commitment to education. This is extremely helpful if you’re planning on pursuing a career in teaching.

You don’t need any experience or qualifications to join. All you need is an enthusiastic attitude and a dedication to helping students and teachers improve their English. Projects Abroad staff are there to give advice if you need it, and you’ll have a supervisor. We also run regular workshops for our Teaching volunteers, where you can get guidance and talk about any challenges you’re facing.

Our teacher training programme runs between January and February every year during school holidays in Peru. You’ll work directly with teachers on their pronunciation and discuss classroom management techniques. You can also share new ideas for classroom activities and games.

This project runs year-round, and you can join at any time. We encourage you to stay longer to make a bigger impact on your students and the teachers. It’s also a chance to gain even more teaching work experience while in Peru.

Please note that formal classroom teaching is not available during school holidays, from December to March, and in July and August. During this time, you can participate in our teacher training programme, or work with students at extra summer classes.

A Day in the Life

In Cusco, you’ll start the day with breakfast at your host family’s home. Then, you’ll make your way to your placement using public transport, or walking if you’re close enough. On your first day, we’ll show you the easiest way to get to work.

A typical day at schools runs from 8am to around 1:45pm. At some schools, you’ll have the opportunity to get involved with extramural activities in the afternoons. For example, you could choose to coach a sport like football.

Your day will involve assisting teachers with their English classes, or leading classes with their help. We also recommend setting aside time for lesson planning and putting together activities. Being prepared for your classes will give you confidence, and let you be a better source of support in the classroom.

If you’re participating in the teacher training programme, you’ll have a different schedule. Each day runs from 8:30am to about 5pm. You’ll get a lunch break and plenty of time to take breathers in between sessions.

After your productive day’s work, you will return to your host family. You’ll share a tasty home-cooked dinner and tell stories about your day.

In your free time, we encourage you to explore Cusco. There’s plenty to see and do, from hiking and river rafting, to traditional Andean theatre and dance performances.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to help local teachers and students improve their English.

Peru has a thriving tourism industry. This means that understanding and speaking English is an important skill and can open the door for better employment opportunities. In addition, many local teachers struggle with their own English and need help to improve.

We work with schools in disadvantaged areas, making sure that students here have the opportunity to learn and succeed with English. We also work with teachers to develop their skills.

As a volunteer, you’ll gain practical teaching work experience in Peru, while being part of our efforts to boost English education for those who need it most. The project will also give you a deeper insight into the challenges of learning English in a developing country.

In Peru, we’ve identified three long-term, sustainable goals that we’re working toward:

Improve English
Improve teaching techniques
Improve classroom support

You can help us achieve these goals by joining us on this Teaching Project in Peru.

Activities

In Peru, you’ll support students and encourage them to practice their English. You can get involved with the following activities at your placement:

Assist teachers with English lessons to boost students’ confidence and career prospects
Help teachers advance the local curriculum
Facilitate workshops at a teachers’ training college to improve teaching standards
Attend teaching workshops and networking sessions to discuss education in Peru

At your volunteer Teaching placement in Peru, you will be involved with these main activities:

Assist local teachers with English lessons to boost students’ confidence and career prospects

You’ll work at a primary or high school in Peru. Here, your main role will be to support teachers with their English classes. You’ll help put together lesson plans and think of activities and games that will encourage students to practice speaking and improve pronunciation. You’ll learn a lot from working with an experienced teacher. If you’re confident enough, you’ll be able to lead classes yourself.

Help local teachers advance the local curriculum

The Peruvian Ministry of Education has a set curriculum for English that local teachers implement. However, this proves to be a challenge in disadvantaged schools where teachers struggle with their own English. With your English skills, you’ll be a source of support for teachers in the classroom. You can help with planning, and creating resources like flashcards and posters.

Facilitate workshops at a teachers’ training college to improve teaching standards

We run a training programme for local teachers in January and February every year, during the school holidays. The programme helps teachers improve their English and they attend workshops on classroom management. This is a great opportunity to share any ideas for activities and games they can use in their classrooms.

This programme has been enormously successful in previous years, and we always have a large number of teachers looking to enroll. The more volunteers we have, the more teachers we can help!

Attend teaching workshops and networking sessions to discuss education in Peru

Once a week, you can join our teaching workshops where we discuss how to continue improving the work we do at schools. We also run monthly workshops to with local teachers to share new ideas about how to improve English teaching in Peru.

Map & Location

Step into the home of the Inca Empire, where the Andes Mountains meet the Amazon Rainforest. Peru is the third-largest South American nation and about 60% of it is covered by rainforest. It’s also the origin of the mighty Amazon River.

Peru is a popular tourist destination for its rich history and culture, incredible biodiversity, and, of course, Machu Picchu. If you aren’t persuaded yet, this ought to do the trick: it’s home to about three-quarters of the global alpaca population!

Cusco

Cusco, nestled in the Andes in southeast Peru, was the capital of the mighty Inca Empire. Now home to half a million people, the stunning city welcomes over two million tourists a year, many of which hike the nearby Inca Trail to find the famous Machu Picchu.

Thanks to a high elevation and subtropical climate, Cusco benefits from comfortable temperatures year round. You’ll also find a lively city centre with busy social spots, a fascinating mix of architecture, and easy transport access.

Food & Accommodation

We’ll take care of all the essentials during your time in Peru. You’ll have a comfortable living space with a carefully selected host family, three nutritious meals a day, and access to safe drinking water. We’ll also organise all your travel to and from your placement.

Your host family’s home will be clean, safe, and secure, and you’ll be welcomed as a local from the moment you arrive. Share your stories and culture with your host family and other Projects Abroad participants over incredible home-cooked meals and experience Peruvian culture and hospitality every day.

We will try to match you with another person of the same gender and similar age so you can share your experience with a like-minded traveller. Who knows, you might just make a new friend (or a few) on your travels!

Meet your team

Free Time and Leisure

Peru is a vibrant country with a mix of activities for every kind of volunteer. Whether you’re into arts, culture, history, or nature, there’s sure to be something for you!

One of the biggest attractions of Peru is the Inca history. There are awe-inspiring archaeological sites like Coricancha, Tambomachay, and of course, Machu Picchu (which is easy to get to from Cusco).

Over a weekend, you can take a trip to the village of Pisac, where you can browse bright, eye-catching textile markets. Don’t miss out on seeing the llamas and alpacas too!

There are also lively restaurants everywhere you look, the perfect place to spend an evening chatting to the locals, relaxing, and enjoying local cuisine, like ceviche.

We run a variety of projects in Peru so you’ll likely meet many other volunteers on your trip. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect and travel as a group. However, you’re welcome to travel independently if you prefer.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Peru Arrival Procedures page.