Co-teach English as a Foreign Language in Public Secondary Schools

Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) have successfully co-taught and co-planned English in public educational institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic for 30 years. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic would like to strengthen the English skills of teachers, directors, and regional educational authorities who have expressed interest in the Virtual Service Pilot, especially in areas where in-country PCVs cannot be placed due to safety and security issues, such as radiation zones and the risks within the region of Batken.

The Ministry is requesting 20 Virtual Service Pilot Participants (VSPPs) to address the four skill building areas of 1) teachers improving English teaching skills, 2) teachers improving their English conversation skills, 3) students improving English skills, and 4) improving Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills in communities. The VSPPs will be paired with one English teacher counterpart with whom to co-teach at either the school or university level. They will work on lesson planning with their counterpart teacher and conversation practice with both their counterpart and students. Once engaged, VSPPs will be introduced and paired with their respective counterparts and students in each region during orientation.

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic has previously worked with PCVs and VSPPs, and they understand that the role of a VSPP is very different than a two-year or Response Volunteer.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in any field

Experience: Teaching or tutoring students from K-12 to adult learners

Intercultural skills and motivation: Flexible, strong cross-cultural agility, high tolerance for ambiguity, able to work independently, resourceful, creative, and genuinely motivated and capable to serve virtually

The Ministry of Education and Science strives to ensure that all citizens have access to high-quality education, scientific research, and innovation programs that prepare them for success in the modern world.

1) Mirbek Rahmatildiev, Lead Specialist, Preschool, School, and Extra-Curricular Activities Department
2) Hadicha Shambetalieva, Lead Specialist at the Department of Higher, Vocational, and Post-secondary Education/ Ministry of Education

This engagement will connect VSPPs with counterparts at one of the selected educational institutions.

The VSPP will engage in the following tasks, in collaboration with their host country partners:

• Co-create a work plan for co-planning and co-teaching in English with teachers at a ministry school or university
• Co-develop approximately 2–3 English lesson plans per week
• Co-teach a minimum of one English lesson per week during the school semester through December 2026

VSPPs are expected to engage on the tasks listed above for an estimated 5–15 hours per week. This engagement is estimated to be 5 hours per week.

Online collaboration will generally occur between 8:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Kyrgyz Republic time (10:30 p.m.–8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time). Specific times will be determined during orientation.

The host country counterpart will have access to Zoom, WhatsApp, and email for regular communication and collaboration.

Per the Child Protection Code of Conduct, when engaging online with minors (0–18), two adults must be present.

Experience:
• Virtual engagement and communication
• Training ESL/EFL teachers
• Curriculum development
• Developing classroom management practices
• Teaching English as a second language
• Distance learning