High School Math Teacher - Volunteer Position - Onsite in Sierra Leone - 2 years, plus 3 months training
Peace Corps
United States
Posted on Aug 2, 2025
About The Job
Apply by :
January 1, 2026
Know By
March 1, 2026
Depart On
July 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
KABOH or welcome! The tropical country of Sierra Leone sits on the west coast of Africa. Sierra Leone is a multiethnic society with about sixteen languages spoken among its populace. When a Sierra Leonean greets you with “KUSHE” or “KABOH”, they are welcoming you to the love, kindness, and care deeply felt in the heart of the average Sierra Leonean for strangers.
The Peace Corps has partnered with the government of Sierra Leone from the beginning, and since the first Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) arrived in 1962 over 3900 have served here. Sierra Leone sees a strong Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) component of the educational system as key to building a modern society that can meet the challenges of globalization, as well as providing productive futures for their nation’s youth. Peace Corps’ current Math and Science Education project in Sierra Leone aims to partner PCVs with teachers and community stakeholders inside and outside of the classroom to strengthen students’ math and science skills. The goal of the project is to aid students in attaining the math and skills necessary to effectively access opportunities in the math and technology fields.
In prioritizing STEM education, the government of Sierra Leone supports shifting from traditional lecture-based, call-and-response, and rote memorization methods to collaborative student-centered approaches, in classrooms with limited resources and typically large class sizes. This context provides PCVs and their Sierra Leonean counterparts flexibility for creativity in teaching. The Peace Corps provides training in co-teaching and behavior change techniques for effectively engaging students through small group activities that help foster the development of self-study and critical thinking. PCVs may also work closely with teachers and students in informal settings to build and practice teaching techniques and facilitate student-centered approaches.
In schools, with grades similar to U.S. grades 7-10, High School Math Teacher Volunteers partner with local counterparts to:
PCVs collaborate teaching and supporting math classes, focusing on strengthening STEM teaching skills, increasing students’ math skills, preparing students for national tests, and improving critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They work in the following subject areas:
Outside of the classroom, PCVs are encouraged and empowered to co-lead afterschool programs supporting students in continuing to improve their English skills. PCVs are trained in using participatory analysis to understand and support project priorities their community identifies to address their needs. Examples include malaria prevention education, youth empowerment camps, gardening, and nutrition education.
PCVs partner with Sierra Leonean counterparts to promote culturally-grounded awareness on how men, boys, women and girls interact and how to support them. PCVs are trained on issues faced by men and women in Sierra Leone and can co-develop and implement contextually appropriate activities relating to the equal treatment of men and women, boys and girls. As part of their work, PCVs also report on these efforts and their impact.
Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
Apply by :
January 1, 2026
Know By
March 1, 2026
Depart On
July 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
KABOH or welcome! The tropical country of Sierra Leone sits on the west coast of Africa. Sierra Leone is a multiethnic society with about sixteen languages spoken among its populace. When a Sierra Leonean greets you with “KUSHE” or “KABOH”, they are welcoming you to the love, kindness, and care deeply felt in the heart of the average Sierra Leonean for strangers.
The Peace Corps has partnered with the government of Sierra Leone from the beginning, and since the first Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) arrived in 1962 over 3900 have served here. Sierra Leone sees a strong Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) component of the educational system as key to building a modern society that can meet the challenges of globalization, as well as providing productive futures for their nation’s youth. Peace Corps’ current Math and Science Education project in Sierra Leone aims to partner PCVs with teachers and community stakeholders inside and outside of the classroom to strengthen students’ math and science skills. The goal of the project is to aid students in attaining the math and skills necessary to effectively access opportunities in the math and technology fields.
In prioritizing STEM education, the government of Sierra Leone supports shifting from traditional lecture-based, call-and-response, and rote memorization methods to collaborative student-centered approaches, in classrooms with limited resources and typically large class sizes. This context provides PCVs and their Sierra Leonean counterparts flexibility for creativity in teaching. The Peace Corps provides training in co-teaching and behavior change techniques for effectively engaging students through small group activities that help foster the development of self-study and critical thinking. PCVs may also work closely with teachers and students in informal settings to build and practice teaching techniques and facilitate student-centered approaches.
In schools, with grades similar to U.S. grades 7-10, High School Math Teacher Volunteers partner with local counterparts to:
- Co-develop and support promising STEM and English teaching strategies including critical thinking, resource development, and student-centered activities with teachers
- Collaborate with teachers on the use of culturally appropriate practices that relate to boys/men and girls/women
- Increase the achievement of students in math
PCVs collaborate teaching and supporting math classes, focusing on strengthening STEM teaching skills, increasing students’ math skills, preparing students for national tests, and improving critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They work in the following subject areas:
- Numbers and operations
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Trigonometry
Outside of the classroom, PCVs are encouraged and empowered to co-lead afterschool programs supporting students in continuing to improve their English skills. PCVs are trained in using participatory analysis to understand and support project priorities their community identifies to address their needs. Examples include malaria prevention education, youth empowerment camps, gardening, and nutrition education.
PCVs partner with Sierra Leonean counterparts to promote culturally-grounded awareness on how men, boys, women and girls interact and how to support them. PCVs are trained on issues faced by men and women in Sierra Leone and can co-develop and implement contextually appropriate activities relating to the equal treatment of men and women, boys and girls. As part of their work, PCVs also report on these efforts and their impact.
Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in math
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with secondary certification in math
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Math, Engineering, or Computer Science
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with a minor or equivalent (15 semester/22 quarter hours) in math