It’s our busiest time of the year for recruiting new volunteer tutors. Our team and student committee members are all out and about in Bristol and Oxford at freshers’ events, chatting to students about volunteering as a tutor with Jacari.
It’s wonderful to be doing these events in-person and getting to meet you all! We’ve attended freshers’ events at the University of Bristol, UWE and Oxford Brookes already and have more coming up at the University of Oxford over the next week.
And it’s not just students who can volunteer with Jacari. We are also open to non-student volunteers, ideally who have a degree level qualification and some relevant experience in either education or the charity sector. We’ll be at Oxford’s Older People’s Day Full of Life event at Oxford Town Hall next week (Wednesday 5 October) hoping to meet some prospective over-50s volunteers.
Why volunteer with Jacari?
Volunteering as a tutor is an exciting opportunity for you to be involved in real, positive change in Bristol and Oxford through supporting children with English as an additional language to increase their language skills and confidence.
You’ll get to know a young person from a migrant, refugee or asylum-seeking background, as well as their family. It’s a really good opportunity to leave the university bubble once a week and see a different side of your city.
You will also gain valuable experience, including teaching and mentoring skills, as well as helping to tackle educational inequalities.
What do Jacari volunteers do?
You will be matched to a young person aged between 6 and 16 who uses English as an additional language and is struggling at school. You visit them once a week during term-time, either in their home or school, and do fun, informal tutoring. You can support them with language skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking; building vocabulary; playing fun games; having conversations; and generally boosting their confidence in using language.
What do you need to volunteer with Jacari?
No previous teaching experience is necessary, just enthusiasm and a willingness to commit to at least 1 hour a week of tutoring during term-time.
Volunteer tutors need to have a high standard of written and spoken English – if English is not your first language, you should have an IELTS score of 7.5 or above.
You will need to be friendly, with excellent communication skills and an interest in learning about different cultures.
What support do I get?
Jacari will provide you with a thorough induction and introduction to teaching skills. We also organise teaching workshops throughout the year. We have a library of teaching resources and games in each of our offices which you can borrow, as well as lots of online materials.
We also conduct a DBS check and provide safeguarding training. You will also have the support of one of our coordinators throughout your time volunteering with us.