Teach English in Yongledian Zhen - Beijing

Volunteer teachingI chose this subject because on the base of my personal experiences I have opinions to share about volunteer teaching. I don?t have interesting observations to tell about teaching in underdeveloped countries, though. Besides approving of the persistent need of English teachers in non-profit organizations, I?d like to take the opportunity with this article to make recognize and emphasize the necessarity of voluntarity in teaching English even in our close environment. I?ve always dreamt about teaching or helping children or adults somehow in a poor country. For some reason - I haven?t been brave, self-confident or determined enough ? I haven?t joined in any volunteer program, yet. Since my profession belongs to the healthcare field, I could say that a part of my dream has been achieved. I work at a small hospital in a village in Hungary. I?ve got acquainted with hospital workers with sad, complicated family and/or with poor financial backgrounds ? notwithstanding that with better circumstances than in many other countries, of course. They are young (35-50 years old) who attended school during the communism and studied Russian which if they remember, can?t really use nowadays. They live the disadvantages of not speaking a foreign language every day: they can?t help their children who study at least one foreign language at school now; they need a continuous help while using computer programs at work or internet at home, they meet many products, names coming from abroad that they don?t understand, they are afraid of traveling abroad, they can?t think about working abroad (though they would have a chance), they would feel like exercising their brains besides their work. They hunger for possibilities of recreation. They cannot really be in the mood of being choosy as villages can?t provide wide range of facilities, as their work doesn?t let them or they just can?t afford to travel to the nearby cities to enjoy a even a free course (dance, sport, language, etc) or a hobby regularly. So there stood a manifest way to step in: I didn?t have to travel far to help since I could offer these people to teach them English for free. And they were happy. They are still happy, to be precise. We?ve been a class for more than 3 years now. I can undertake an hour a week. All of the five permanent students are at a different level because of the diversity of their aptitudes. This fact slows down progressing and also gives me a challenge to satisfy each level at the same time from lesson to lesson. We?ve got to know the present, past and future simple and continuous tenses and some auxiliary verbs. They don?t use grammar perfectly, some of them tend to mix up words (train with brain; snowman with showman, etc.) but one of them understands short stories, songs without a problem, the other could help a tourist, while another is perfectly happy if he remembers a word we have met for the 30th time. Their respect for each other helps them and me as well. None of them has lost his/her curiosity about the language which confirms that this kind of volunteer service was required and has come through, already. I know that this kind of voluntarity differs from the typical volunteer teaching: it?s more comfortable and doesn?t offer the same experiences. But regarding the undoubted role of the English language nowadays I believe that this village is not, these people are not unique in countries like mine where help is needed. And if I won?t have the chance to teach English in poor countries as an EFL teacher I have the chance to use the knowledge provided by the tefl courses to teach English better to the delight of my close environment and for their gratitude. The chance is given.