WorldTeach is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded by a group of Harvard students in 1986 in response to the need for educational assistance in developing countries. It also addressed a growing interest among people in the U.S. and elsewhere to serve, teach and learn as volunteers overseas. Since its inception, WorldTeach has placed thousands of volunteer educators in communities throughout Asia, Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Pacific.
 

WorldTeach offers the benefits of a well-established volunteer organization, while also providing more comprehensive, personalized support and training as a small NGO. In each of our programs, volunteers are placed in schools and host communities in developing countries that specifically request WorldTeach volunteers and would otherwise be unable to afford or locate qualified teachers. Volunteers receive training, language preparation, and field support, empowering them to make an impact that will last long after they leave. WorldTeach is an independent NGO registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
 

Approximately 400 volunteers are placed yearly, with more than 4000 placed to date. All volunteers must be enrolled in or have completed four year college programs, with most volunteers being recent graduates.
 

Most volunteers teach English, and some teach information technology, mathematics, science, accounting, and HIV/AIDS education. Typically WorldTeach partners with Ministries of Education, who identify the needs that WorldTeach volunteers can help them address.
 

Volunteer placements vary widely in the size of the city (300 people to 3 million), age of the students (elementary to adult), and living situation (homestay or apartment). Like the Peace Corps, volunteers may go to a wide range of countries, but unlike the Peace Corps, WorldTeach volunteers apply to and are accepted to particular country placements.

WorldTeach currently has year-long programs in American Samoa, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Kosrae, the Marshall Islands, Namibia, Pohnpei, Rwanda and Thailand. Costs are shared between the hosting educational organization and WorldTeach volunteers.