News

VSA is looking for experienced secondary school teachers as part of a new push to fill volunteer assignments in schools in Melanesia.

In particular we are looking for maths and English teachers to work in secondary schools in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville and Papua New Guinea.

VSA’s volunteer recruitment manager Carolyn Mark says the assignments would involve classroom teaching as well as providing mentoring to colleagues.

“We want trained, experienced teachers who can work in the classroom but can also provide professional support to the other teachers and to the principal, to help raise the standards of teaching at the school,” she says.  “It’s about modelling good teaching practices.”

Carolyn says the assignments are slightly different from VSA’s other education assignments, because they are classroom-based rather than being focused on teacher training.  They have been developed in response to requests from partner organisations.

“There’s a real shortage of well-trained teachers in the Solomon Islands and Bougainville in particular, and also a real desire for education. Our recent focus has been on teacher training, but we have realised that classroom teaching is still a crucial area for development in both these countries. Putting good teachers into a school can really make a difference.”

Carolyn says the assignments would be ideal for experienced New Zealand secondary school teachers looking for a new challenge.

“You’d be working in a place where education is really valued, and the students are really keen to learn. It’s a great opportunity to use your skills to really make a difference.”

Find out more about these assignments