Indoamerican Refugee & Migrant Organisation
Unit 8, Warwick House, Overton Road London SW9 7JP
Tel: 020 77339977
E mail:
www.irmo.org.uk
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ESOL Computer Based Teacher
English for Work Project
Role Specification
Role Title: ESOL Computer Based Teacher (Volunteer position)
Hours: 3 hours per week
Days: Mondays from 10am to 1pm and/or Wednesdays 5pm to 8pm
Term: A minimum commitment of 3 months
Reporting to: Project Manager
Start date: September 2016
Other requirement: Experience and/or ESOL teaching qualification,
Good knowledge of basic IT skills (e.g. Word™, mail account, search engine, on line services and so on).
Role Summary
As an ESOL Computer Based teacher in our English for Work project, you will be teaching basic IT and ESOL skills to individuals with very little or no knowledge of computing and English.
Through these lessons, you will help vulnerable adults to gain the necessary proficiency in IT skills English to integrate into broader society and to improve their lives. Essential to this role is to be able to engage students and to create an inclusive environment, imparting knowledge in an informal, friendly and lively way. Classes will be of mixed ability and age-group; creativity, positivity and patience are vital for this role. For this position fluency in English and basic IT skills are essential. Certifications such as Level 3-4 in Education and Training or CELTA are desirable but not essential.
IRMO Vision
Latin Americans living in the UK are empowered to fulfil their potential and are able to fully and equally access services and opportunities.
Our Mission
IRMO is a community-led organisation that provides Latin Americans with tools and information in an empowering process to build fulfilled, independent and integrated lives in the UK using a rights-based approach.
We do this through a flexible and comprehensive approach addressing a wide range of needs at a number of levels. Our work with the community spans four main areas:
· Education, training and employment
· Advice and case-work
· Wellbeing
· Campaigning for the rights of all migrant communities
Building on over three decades experience, we aim to build a stronger and more resilient community.
Our Values
INCLUSIVE: We believe in inclusivity, ensuring everyone has equal opportunities and celebrating one another’s differences. Our doors are open to everyone: Spanish and Portuguese speakers, local residents and anyone who is in need.
COLLABORATIVE: We believe in taking a participatory approach to decision making, working with and for the community, our staff and volunteers. We believe that we can achieve more when we collaborate with others.
WELCOMING: We believe in creating an open, welcoming, friendly, safe environment in which everyone is treated with respect and feels supported.
FLEXIBLE: We believe in responding flexibly to the changing needs of the community whilst maintaining high standards in all our services.
COMPREHENSIVE: We believe in taking a comprehensive approach to tackling problems, addressing a range of needs at a number of different levels.
EMPOWERING: We believe in an empowering process in which we can work with the community, providing tools, information and social support, so that individuals can feel confident in accessing opportunities and information to build better futures.
SOLIDARITY: We believe in standing in solidarity with Latin Americans around the world and with other migrant and disadvantaged communities.
We rely on a small team of dedicated staff and over 80 talented volunteers who do everything from English teaching to running women’s groups and activities for children.
About the English for Work Project
IRMO's English for Work project was started in 2010, to provide our students with free English classes, combined with IT training, support in seeking employment and professional development with the aim of helping newly arrived Latin American migrants in London overcome the barriers to successful economic integration.
Our activities are:
English classes: these are split into three levels Beginner, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate. Each class has lessons 2 to 3 times a week. Classes are generally offered six days a week (morning, afternoon and early evening). Timetables may change at the beginning of term depending on students’ needs. At the end of each term there is a final exam and a certificate of attendance.
Conversation course (“Chit-Chat”): English drop-in conversation course for 3 hours a week. Open to all levels, it focuses solely on conversational skills (speaking and listening) on real life topics.
IT classes: these aim to provide users with knowledge and confidence to perform basic tasks on computers. Emphasis is placed on word processing (Microsoft Word) and web browsers.
Job hunting sessions: individual sessions of an hour, provide general information on how to approach the job market - including writing CVs, cover letters and using online search engines.
Workshops: regular sessions to give users skills to attain self-sufficiency, including employment skills, social welfare, debt management, food and health, employment rights.
Your Role as ESOL Computer Based Teacher
We run our IT courses in partnership with UK Online Centres (www.ukonlinecentres.com). This allows us to use an efficient platform (“Learn my way”) that is really successful with our beneficiaries and provides them with certificates. The areas covered will include basic use of PC, how to send an email, keeping children Safe on the Internet and how to use Social Media and use a search engine. As well as this you will incorporate ESOL contents linked to the Learn My Way platform areas. Your students will have the opportunity to simultaneously improve their IT and ESOL skills in a practical and original way.
Basic IT literacy is not only a fundamental prerequisite for some occupations, but it is also often essential for finding a job in the first place. The increasing number of opportunities posted online immediately excludes those without the means to access them. Your job will be to give those potentially left out in the cold the basic computing knowledge and increase related ESOL areas such as vocabulary or basic grammar structures. This will enrich their ESOL learning scope and allow them to make the most of online services in the UK and around the world.
In addition to the satisfaction derived from guiding students through their IT development, your own CV will be significantly enhanced by you occupying a position of considerable responsibility. Teaching requires and develops many of the transferrable skills sought in today’s job market, in positions as diverse as consultancy to sales and public relations. This is not only personally enriching, but also demonstrates to prospective employers your willingness to go beyond the comfort zone of many more traditional voluntary roles. Your ability to communicate with people of different abilities and backgrounds will also be greatly enhanced and you will gain confidence in leading an important project to its conclusion.
Duties & Responsibilities:
The following points are a guide, rather than a definitive list, to help with role definition.
Job hunters are expected to:
General
- Treat all information about beneficiaries as confidential.
- Treat all beneficiaries equally and be sensitive to cultural and religious differences.
- Respect the privacy of the beneficiaries.
- To appropriately befriend beneficiaries.
- To be available at the times agreed in advance with the Project Manager.
- To abide by the ethos of IRMO.
- To develop and maintain appropriate boundaries of confidentiality with team members and service users.
- To immediately report any concerns/difficulties regarding beneficiaries directly to the Project Manager.
- To attend appropriate training courses and one-to-ones (with the Project Manager) if needed.
- To be available for regular reviews.
- Supporting Spanish or Portuguese speakers with writing their CVs, cover letters and job applications.
- Providing job searching and research using various sources including the internet, local press, IRMO’s and the jobseeker’s own network of contacts, etc.
- Creating and maintaining a data base of employers in collaboration with the project coordinators.
- Providing support to Spanish or Portuguese speakers searching for voluntary positions on Internet.
- Running workshops and training in employment skills development if required
- Provide advice for users on validating their professional qualifications
It is important to understand there are certain roles that a volunteer must not undertake - these include:
- Counselling and advice work.
- Any work that is usually done by a skilled professional, e.g. taking responsibility for someone’s financial OR legal affairs.
- Physical help of any kind if you have not been trained.
- The work of a healthcare professional.
Person Specification
Knowledge/ Understating:
- Preferably we ask for either a formal teaching qualification OR equivalent experience in teaching English to foreigners.
- For this position fluency in English and a good level of Spanish are essential.
- Some basic awareness of the issues facing migrants in UK (desirable)
- Experience of working with vulnerable people in a similar capacity, either paid or unpaid (desirable)
- An understanding of the need for beneficiaries confidentiality (essential)
- An understanding of the need to maintain safe working boundaries when working with vulnerable individuals (essential)
Skills/Abilities
- A genuine desire to support vulnerable migrants is essential.
- Warmth, understanding, sensitivity and a willingness to listen (essential)
- The ability to be supportive and non-judgemental regardless of beneficiaries’ age, race, sexuality, religion or disability (essential)
- A flexible approach to working with beneficiaries whose needs may vary or change over time – (essential)
- To be willing to learn from own and others’ experiences – (essential)
- To maintain strong lines of communication with the Project Manager (Morgana Zuccoli) (essential)
- Strong interpersonal/communication skills (basic written, non-verbal and verbal) – (desirable)
- A commitment to empowering and enabling others (essential)
Benefits of volunteering at IRMO:
- Work experience opportunity to develop new skills.
- Training (in-house and external) in areas related to the role.
- Regular supervision and support.
- Reference after 3 month period of volunteering.
Additional Information
Volunteers are entitled to travel expenses to and from the place of work. Please note expenses will be reimbursed against receipts only.
Registered Charity no.1080813. Registered Company in England no.3931483
IRMO is funded by: