WorldTeach is a non-governmental organization that provides opportunities for individuals to live and work as volunteer teachers in developing countries. Approximately 300 volunteers are annually placed in year-long and summer programs, with more than 7,500 placed to date. World Teach Founded in 1986 by a group of Harvard University students, including prize-winning economist Michael Kremer.
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 English, 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, age of the students, and living situation. Like the Peace Corps, 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, Ecuador, the Marshall Islands, Namibia, Thailand, and Vietnam. 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 and a monthly stipend roughly equal to a local teacher's salary. Summer programs are in Ecuador, India, Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa. 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.. In April 2019, WorldTeach’s board of directors voted to cease in-country programs, a model which – given our scale, cost structure, and current market - had proven to be unsustainable.
