More photos from this internship can be found here.
Join the international teaching team at The London School of Languages and Culture in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Since 1998, this private school has been providing an immersive language experience for professionals and students seeking to improve their English, as well as providing local language courses (Russian, Kyrgyz, or Uzbek) for visitors.
Native English speakers are invited to join the team of English teachers for one or more terms. Classes take place entirely in English and Interns can take advantage of the free homestay option and will also receive a living stipend. This is a great opportunity for those interested in Kyrgyz culture, Russian language, teaching, EFL, and adult education.
The London School of Languages and Cultures is a small, private organization and the city’s foremost language school. It is centrally located in the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic (one of the former Soviet Union Republics), Bishkek. Established in 1998 with a focus on training employees of international companies and organizations, the school has grown to include classes for students of all ages. The school offers 20+ modern classrooms, a multi-language audio-visual library, a resource center, and international staff from the UK, US, and Kyrgyzstan. The school partners with other organizations such as The School of Russian and Asian Studies, CHI, and EFSE of the UK.
The London School offers Russian, Kyrgyz, and Uzbek language courses for foreigners, and English language courses to local students. The students are generally hard-working and many are taking English lessons to help secure good jobs in the future. Six levels are available for English language learners and the schools serves youth and adult populations. Classes are conducted solely in English, using a communicative technique and immersive environment for teaching, helping students to develop their skills in writing, reading, conversation, and understanding.
General English courses are available for students of all ages and the school is also a certified Educational Testing Service (ETS) for IBT TOEFL tests. Special English for Kids classes are also available for students between 6 and 11 years. Beyond traditional classes, the London School also hosts grammar and conversation workshops, peer tutoring, and a cultural exchange program (homestay). Students are also able to utilize the on-site Resource Center for independent study as well.
To learn more about the London School of Languages and Cultures, visit their website or Facebook.
Native English speakers are needed to help teach English as a foreign language. This is a full-time position which includes 24 hours of lessons each week (including a conversation workshop) and two placement test interviews each week. If there is no interview, interns are expected to do two hours office work instead. Interns will work from either 8:00am to 5:30pm or 11:30am to 8:30pm.
Interns will primarily teach adult language learners or high school students. Classes typically have between 6-9 students and may include a mix of teenage and adult students. All interns will go through a weeklong training period upon arrival to learn more about the school, the students, and the curriculum. Classes are taught based on the books from Oxford University Press, mainly Headway, although a variety of other books are also used. Interns should be prepared to develop lesson plans and supplemental activities to complement the curriculum.
All students are placed into one of seven levels (Beginner, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, Advanced, or Master Class). 80-minute lessons are conducted four times a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays) and an intensive course lasts for four weeks. On Wednesdays, there is either a talking club/workshop for advanced levels or a phonetic class for beginners. Each level is expected to be completed within 4 to 5 months.
Classes are conducted only in English. No Russian is to be spoken by either students or teachers in class. Students are used to having high standards for their lessons at university and in grade school and have generally been exposed to learning languages through grammar rules. Reading is to be given as homework and can be discussed the following lesson. The school has three unpaid holidays: Christmas (two weeks), Easter (one week), and summer (one or two weeks, depending on the school’s calendar).
Interested interns may also have the opportunity to take local language courses (Russian, Kyrgyz, or Uzbek) with native speakers at a discount.
This internship is open to students from all fields of study but a background in Education, Teaching, English, Linguistics, or TEFL is recommended.
Prior teaching/classroom experience is strongly preferred, as is experience with adult learners, classroom management, and curriculum design. Interns must be familiar with English grammar (can brush up prior to internship as needed). The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic and flexible, and able to adjust to the local culture.
The teaching internship is available only to Native English speakers. Russian or Kyrgyz language skills are helpful for daily life, but not required for the internship itself (classes are conducted only in English).
Candidates will be interviewed (typically via telephone) by the school Director. Selected interns will need to obtain a Kyrgyz visa for the duration of their stay.
Interns receive a $150/month stipend and free housing in a homestay with some meals included. Interns who stay six or more months are eligible for a flight reimbursement upon completion of the internship (up to $100/month).
Interns are invited to stay in local homestays arranged and paid for by the school. Interns who wish to live independently are responsible for arranging and paying for their accommodation.
“Professionally, the internship really helped me to develop good planning skills. Every class had to be planned because there was enough material for a backbone, but we were not always given enough to comprise a whole class. Additionally, every class of students was so different, that I had to learn not only how to plan lessons, but how to plan lessons that had something interesting for most, if not all of the class. Teaching has also been a great help for patience and learning how to communicate in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Personally, the biggest benefits I’ve seen come from this experience is how I look at people who are learning English (or any language) as a foreign language. I realized that in order to get to know my students, I have to be able to see past who they are in English, and look at who they are in Russian, or in Kyrgyz, or in Turkish - which for some languages is something I might not ever be able to do.”
- Rebecca, University of Washington, six month intern
Summer: January 25
Fall: April 15
Winter: September 1
Spring: November 15
- Education, teaching, Linguistics, or English background recommended
- Prior classroom and lesson planning experience preferred, especially with adult learners
- Russian/Kyrgyz language helpful but not required