Volunteer ESL Teacher Assistant (Remote) 

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Volunteer ESL Teacher Assistant (Remote)

YOU MUST BE AN ILLINOIS RESIDENT IN ORDER TO APPLY!

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights is a service-based, human rights organization that provides housing, health care, human services, and human rights protections to the most poor and vulnerable people in our society, and uses its 118 years of experience to advocate for social justice.  =

Heartland Human Care Services' (HHCS) Adult Volunteer Literacy (AVL) Project provides English as a Second Language instruction, emphasizing language fluency and competencies that are relevant to the daily lives of the adult students served. The AVL project is an essential component of HHCS' Refugee and Immigrant Community Services (RICS) department.  

ESL classes are held online and taught via Zoom. Volunteers ESL Teacher Assistants (TA) provide classroom support via breakout rooms and facilitate small group activities and/or 1on1 instruction for adult learners. 

 

RICS is currently seeking Volunteer ESL Teacher Assistants. 

 

Time commitments: 

• TAs work in a classroom for 2 hours, one or more days a week for a minimum of 6 months. TAs can choose a 2-hr block from the following schedule:  

Monday to Friday: 9:00am-11:30am  
Monday to Thursday: 1:00-3:00pm, 4:00-6:00pm, or 6:30pm-9:00pm  
Saturday: 9:00am-1:00pm 

• TAs collaborate with teachers before/after class for a total of 1 hour a week (e.g. discuss lesson plans) 

 

Responsibilities of this position include: 

• Supporting lead teachers (staff) during class on Zoom.   

• Maintaining and submitting records of tutoring hours to volunteer coordinator.  
• Depending on the lead teacher, you might be asked to review the lesson plans and check in with them at least 2 hours before class with any questions. Lead teachers provide detailed lesson plans and materials 24 hours in advance.   (If volunteers are interested in developing plans and bringing in materials for their class, they are always welcome to coordinate this with staff.) 

• Informing the lead teacher 24 hours in advance if they will not be able to attend a class. 

• Conducting small groups or 1on1 activities in breakout rooms, depending on the lesson plans and needs of the students in attendance. Example models are:  

Small Group:

• TAs work in a breakout room with 2-10 participants on an activity that is different from or the same with the main room  
• Groups may be divided by language affinity, English proficiency, returning/new students, topic, or randomly  

1on1 tutoring: 

• Working with a student on phonics/literacy 
• Working with a student who:

-has a specific goal (e.g. practice Civics questions for Citizenship interview or mock job interview) 
-is more advanced than their class level  
-is quiet or less participatory in a large class  
-has been absent from class 

• Other assigned tasks as needed 

 

Qualifications: 

• Must be at least 18 years of age  

• Computer proficiency and/or willingness to learn apps like Zoom, Google Classroom, Kami, or other online learning tools  
• Must have reliable internet connection
• Excellent communication and organizational skills  
• Patience and flexibility in a busy and dynamic environment that often changes at the last minute  
• Interest in working with immigrants in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-ethnic environment 

• Some knowledge of ESL and teaching or tutoring experience is helpful 
• Language proficiency in Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, or Burmese is helpful, but not required