Volunteer Your Native Fluency Skills For Room And Board In Spain

If you want to get a taste of TEFL while on vacation in Europe (or, hey, if you want to head out to Spain just for this), and without the commitment of a long-term contract or even a course, Vaughn Villages might be just the ticket for you. The founders have set up several English villages throughout Spain where locals enroll for eight-day sessions to be totally immersed in English. Who provides that English language immersion? Native speakers who receive, in exchange, free room and board for the duration of the session.

Be warned that native speakers who do not speak any Spanish (which would make it too easy for local participants to fall back on their own language)and are not EFL teachers (whose language or accents sometimes change or dilute with teaching experience) are preferred; exceptions may well be made, though speaking Spanish on site in strictly forbidden. The point is, volunteers do not need any special training or language skills, and in fact the lack of these is an advantage. Volunteers do not teach grammar or vocabulary, they just speak all day with different participants in English. Where’s the catch? There isn’t one! Well, you have to pay your own way to Spain and may have to fork out for a hotel for the nights before and after the program, but the rest is free…and the surroundings look beautiful.

A typical day is apparently filled with lots of activities, walking, and conversation…and often lasts up to 15 hours, so come prepared with walking shoes and conversation topics! The organization maintains files of materials with ice-breakers, conversation topics and roleplays to assist. Sessions run throughout the year and the application process, which can take from three to eight weeks, is completely online…so what are you waiting for?