Why Teaching in Argentina?

Argentina is a country who's vast expanse of land is rich with breathtaking scenery and diverse landscapes. From its extensive coastline, to its colourful deserts, to its beautiful glaciers, to the stunning Andean mountains, Argentina has been blessed by nature in almost every way possible. Although it has maintained its South American traditions, there is a strong European influence present in Argentinean culture. For over a century, Buenos Aires has been an eclectic mix of Italians, Basques, Welsh, English, Ukrainians as well as others. The result of this is that foreigners find it easier to relax as they are fairly inconspicuous.

Volunteering in Argentina

Projects Abroad first started sending volunteers to teach in Argentina in February of 2006. Projects Abroad are based in the town of Unquillo in the province of Cordoba. Cordoba is a landlocked province in central Argentina, and is very popular with Argentinean tourists who come to visit the city of Cordoba and its mountainous backdrop, the Sierras de Cordoba, or Che Guevara's house. Teaching volunteers are sent either to primary schools or secondary schools, so could be teaching any age group between 6 and 17. Although they will mainly be required to help with English lessons, they will also be encouraged to teach sports such as football.

Why do voluntary Teaching?

Voluntary teaching is beneficial to everyone involved. Firstly, it provides our volunteers with the opportunity to work in an environment culturally different from their own. This provides volunteers with an experience that is unique to Argentina and they will return home with a far greater understanding of the way in which millions of the world's population think and act. They will more importantly have an understanding and appreciation for Argentinean youth culture and during their teaching classes will gain an insight into the way in which their students think, live and interact. Teaching will ultimately equip them with fuller and better cross-cultural understanding.

Secondly our volunteers are providing an important skill for the students they teach, that of conversational English. Having a native English speaker is a massive advantage and very helpful to the schools in which they teach. Both students and staff members alike wholly appreciate the language skills and enthusiasm our teaching volunteers bring to their classes. The students also use the opportunity of having a foreign teacher to learn about the customs and practices of the West.

We hope our teaching programme will provide an opportunity for two different cultures to learn from each other. In the 21st Century the importance of greater cultural and linguistic exchange cannot be underestimated. We hope to provide new language skills for the students in the schools in which we place volunteers and also for the volunteers themselves to learn and gain knowledge from the classes in which they teach.