SOLA – School of Leadership Afghanistan – is seeking women volunteer teachers for our program. We are a small school located in Karte-Seh, Kabul, and our goal is to prepare the best Afghan students for study in US universities. We currently have 48 students (28 women and 20 men). At the moment, we need volunteer teachers who can also mentor our young women in leadership. The classroom experience here is unique, given that our male and female students interact openly and often engage in debates on subjects critical to Afghan society. This provides a stimulating environment for volunteers as well as insight into a rapidly changing Afghanistan. The staff are lodged in the school, so we have frequent interactions with our students, and though we do not live cordoned off or behind concrete barriers, we work in a highly secure environment.

We currently offer classes in TOEFL, writing, mathematics, and public speaking. Volunteer teachers would be able to propose the types of classes that they would like to teach, and should be open to working with students one-on-one three or four hours a week. Given that SOLA is a new school staffed entirely by volunteer teachers and directors, volunteers will have to fund their trip here. Many teachers come with their own goals (research, journalism, language study etc.), and we are supportive of this and make sure that they have time for their individual pursuits and networking; this is also an extremely good environment for learning Dari. We are very flexible when it comes to teaching load. We suggest that teachers offer four 1.5 hour classes or discussion groups a week, but many arrange their schedules to fit their own needs. We offer teachers room and partial-board (breakfast and lunch), and we are looking for people interested in coming for a trial period of 2-3 months; longer periods can be negotiated after the trial.

Please send C.V. and cover letter to ted@sola-afghanistan.org