Give an Hour a Week
One hour a week, no lessons to prepare, and someone gets to practice being understood. What volunteering on TEEI Language actually asks of you.
The programme
On this page
Teaching English … has been one of the most rewarding things I've done in my career.
Heidi B. Volunteer Mentor / Language Partner
Film, 1 min 13 s, with captions
You do this already. Every time a colleague reaches for a word in a meeting and you wait, or quietly hand it to them, you are doing the work this programme runs on. The difference is that here, the person across the table is building a life in a new country, and the hour is set aside just for them.
Key facts
- One hour a week, at times you choose.
- No lessons to prepare, no homework to grade.
- Staff review every volunteer application.
What the hour asks
- Show up at the time you offered.
- Talk like a person, not a teacher.
- Listen more than you correct.
It fits where you say it fits. You set the hours you can give and learners book them. There is no syllabus waiting for you and no preparation owed the night before. The video room is built into the site; you open it and say hello.
Fluency and an hour. That is the ask.
On the other side of your hour is someone who understands far more than they can yet say, and knows it. An hour of being listened to, patiently and without grades, moves that faster than another exercise ever will.
When you apply, you choose the volunteer door and our staff review every application before you meet a learner. It usually costs you a few days of waiting; it is how we keep the room safe.
The scarcest thing in language learning is a patient person with an hour. You might be holding one right now.