General Information

  • Volunteer Opportunities / Responsibilities: The Washington English Center (WEC), a DC-based nonprofit organization, is looking for volunteers to teach and/or tutor ESOL to adult immigrants and refugees! WEC serves several hundred adult language learners each term, including many recently resettled refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Venezuela. Consider joining our community of over 400 volunteers to teach either online and/or in person in downtown DC!

    Our program supports hundreds of adult language learners each term, including many recently resettled refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Venezuela. We believe your community would greatly benefit from knowing about these impactful opportunities.
    As a WEC volunteer, you’ll not only contribute to vital language education but also immerse yourself in diverse cultures. You'll gain access to free teacher training and enjoy connecting with fellow volunteers through our happy hour socials, both in-person and online. No prior teaching experience is needed—we’ll pair you with a co-teacher and provide continuous support.

    As a WEC volunteer, you’ll have the opportunity to be exposed to new cultures, attend free teacher training, and meet like-minded people at volunteer happy hour socials in-person and online throughout the term. No prior teaching experience is required, as you will be paired with a co-teacher and receive ongoing training and support from our staff.

    ESOL group classes run September 23rd through December 12th, 2024, however, our tutoring sessions happen on a rolling basis and have flexible start and end dates. We also have the opportunity to substitute teach, which does not require a once a week 1-3 hour commitment, and provides volunteers with the flexibility to get involved at their own convenience. We are happy to work with your schedule and accept volunteers throughout the year!

    Volunteers must be 18 years of age and a fluent English speaker to participate. We also welcome non-native English speakers and encourage them to volunteer, in fact, we have many volunteers who are former or are current students teaching at lower levels. At WEC, we value the multilingual skills student-volunteers bring to our classrooms!
    If interested in reading more about volunteer roles, descriptions, and responsibilities, please visit our website at https://www.washingtonenglish.org/volunteers/. For any other questions, please feel free to contact Yaritza Abrego, Associate Director of Programs at yabrego@washingtonenglish.org.

    Thank you for your interest!
  • Types of Volunteers Needed: individual/adult; individual/college; adult groups of less than 5
  • Hours Needed: business hours during the week; evenings during the week; daytime on the weekend