Start date
September 14, 2026

End date
March 19, 2027

Duration
27 weeks

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

Activity/project background

Two government organizations in Ukraine work to support and promote effective English Language teaching and learning across the educational communities in their regions. They aim to create a respectful caring environment that values all perspectives, experiences, and contributions, where teachers can engage and learn through meaningful communication and find emotional and psychological support during the war. They provide teacher training courses for teachers in regional schools to pass certification successfully. Teachers strive to support students’ personal and professional growth developing their soft skills, problem solving, critical and analytical thinking, leadership, and social cooperation. During the war, the number of teachers and students increased in the region because many of them had to flee to find a safer place in the western part of the country. There are a lot of intentionally displaced families hosted here.

Through participation in the TEFL Virtual Service Pilot (VSP) project, education partners from both organizations intend to support English teachers from village and small-town schools by providing an opportunity to communicate with native speakers, while improving their conversational skills and developing a communicative approach to teaching. Together with its partners, VSPPs will co-develop and co-plan interactive training sessions on various topics for conversation, as well as promote the study of new approaches to teaching conversational language. The partners hope that by cooperating with VSPPs, they will attract more English teachers remotely for intercultural exchange and an enriched understanding of American life and traditions.

One of the organizations has previously collaborated with the Peace Corps, including with the Virtual Service Pilot. One of the organizations is collaborating with the Peace Corps for the first time through this engagement. Both organizations understand that the role of a VSPP is very different than a Peace Corps Volunteer or Peace Corps Response Volunteer.

Engagement and tasks

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

• Co-facilitate an initial meeting with partner teachers to assess their priorities and interests
• Co-plan and co-design 90-minute biweekly methodological sessions relevant to the needs and interests of English Language teachers on teaching approaches, modern techniques, raising students’ motivation, formative and summative assessment, teaching in difficult times, remote teaching and learning, etc.
• Co-teach biweekly 90-minute virtual English as a Foreign Language (EFL) session to groups of 10–15 teachers
• Co-develop at least 10–15 session outlines with relevant resources in cooperation with Ukrainian counterparts while preparing for virtual meetings (approximately 2–3 hours weekly) and share with teachers
  
  

VSPPs are expected to engage in the tasks listed above for an estimated 5–15 hours per week. This engagement is estimated to be 5–8 hours per week.

Online collaboration will generally occur between 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Ukrainian time. Specific times will be determined during orientation.

The Host Country Counterpart will have access to WhatsApp, Zoom, 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.

Optional Additional Activities

The Peace Corps mission is to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:

• To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
• To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
• To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
  
  

Goal 1 will be achieved through the VSPP's engagement and completion of the above tasks. The counterpart and VSPP may also choose to identify an activity that aligns with Goal 2. Additionally, the VSPP may identify a Goal 3 activity to implement during their engagement. See recommendations and tools for Goal 3 activities.

Essential Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in education

Experience:

• 2 years of teaching secondary school
• Facilitating/conducting online lessons
• Strong communication skills
  
  

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