About The Job

Apply by :

October 1, 2025

Know By

December 1, 2025

Depart On

June 11, 2026

Duration

2 years, plus 3 months training

ELIGIBILITY: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a U.S. citizen.

Project description

Situated in West Africa with a rich and complex history, Liberia was founded in the early 1800s by formerly enslaved African Americans. Liberia holds the unique distinction of being Africa’s first and oldest modern republic. The country has faced significant challenges, including two civil wars in the late 20th century and the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Through all this Liberia and its people have shown remarkable resilience and a strong spirit of recovery and development.

This is an exciting and challenging time in the history of Liberia. The Peace Corps Education Project is supporting Liberia’s education sector during a time of reconstruction as the country aims to meet the nation’s educational goals and help ensure every Liberian child is able to obtain a quality education. In addition to teaching science, Volunteers may engage with their schools in a variety of additional ways, including, small group teacher trainings, digital literacy, school improvement activities, afterschool programs, school gardens or school environmental clubs.

Skills

Peace Corps Liberia’s Education Project places Volunteers as High School Science Lab Co-Teachers in schools teaching students 7th through 12th grade and supporting teachers in conducting and teaching hands-on science. Recently, the Liberian government adopted a national exam called West Africa Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (WAEC), which has a hands-on science component. Volunteers will support teachers in preparing students for the exam. While most of the work will depend on the needs of the school and the Volunteer’s skill set, the main focus is to work alongside Liberian partners to build students' labs skills, comprehension, and critical thinking skills through basic science concepts, including:

• Life Science
• Earth Science
• Physical Science
  
  

A majority of the schools with science labs are located in larger towns and cities with populations of around 30,000. High School Science Lab Co-Teachers will be responsible for teaching different grade levels in classrooms that typically have between 50-90 students in each class with limited teaching resources. Ninety-five percent of Liberian students in public schools are considered “over-age” for their respective grade level. Students in high school will range in age from their teens to their mid-20s.

In addition to teaching science and training teachers in hands-on science, Volunteers may engage with their schools in a variety of additional ways, including

• Small group teacher trainings
• School improvement activities
• Afterschool programs
• Math/science experiential learning activities
  
  

In addition to primary sector work, many Volunteers find constructive outlets through engaging in supplementary projects. While Volunteers are free to explore their personal interests, such as music, art, and sports through community engagement, Peace Corps Liberia works to provide basic guidance to Volunteers interested in school-based agricultural and nutrition education, girls’ empowerment, malaria prevention campaigns, and environmental clubs.

While Volunteers will spend much of their time on the activities described above, they will also be developing relationships with their community. They will be picking mangos with neighbors, learning to build a cook fire to make cassava gravy, playing sports with their community members and getting clothes made of the traditional “lappa”.

Required Skills

Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with concentration in any science
  
  

OR

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with secondary certification in science
  
  

OR

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Engineering
  
  

OR

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any physical science or any biological science or equivalent
  
  

OR

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with a minor or equivalent (15 semester/22 quarter hours) in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics