ECE Teacher Mentor - Timor-Leste

Mentor for ECE Teachers – Timor-Leste
Share your early childhood education expertise in Timor-Leste, helping teachers create inclusive, child-centred classrooms where every child can participate and learn.
Te Whāinga | Our Purpose is: Te Hono Tangata – Te Huringa Ora.
Ka hono a Te Tūao Tāwāhi i ngā tūao pūkenga ki ngā whakahaere me ngā hapori i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me tua atu, hei tautoko i ngā wawata kua tautuhia ā-rohe, ā, kia tutuki ai te panoni toitū.

Connecting People – Transforming Lives.
Volunteer Service Abroad connects skilled volunteers with organisations and communities in the Pacific and beyond to support locally identified aspirations and achieve sustainable change.

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About the role:
This is an opportunity to become a VSA Volunteer and use your early childhood education experience to support teachers in Gleno, Ermera, Timor-Leste.
We are looking for an experienced and adaptable ECE professional who is passionate about inclusive education, play-based learning and helping other teachers grow their skills and confidence.

Working alongside teachers at Instituto Universitário Naroman Esperança, you will provide practical training, mentoring and classroom support to strengthen inclusive teaching practices for children with diverse learning needs, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

A key part of your role will be helping teachers turn knowledge into everyday practice through coaching, modelling and practical demonstrations.
Because Naroman Esperança operates both a teacher training college and a school, your contribution has the potential to reach beyond the teachers you work alongside directly. Knowledge and approaches developed through the assignment can also be shared with pre-service teachers preparing for their own careers in education.

This is an 18-month in-country assignment.
VSA will support our volunteers by funding and organising flights, visas, insurance, accommodation, a living allowance and utilities while on assignment.

Ngā tino Pūkenga/Wheako | Essential skills/experiences for the role: For this opportunity, we're looking for someone with strong experience in early childhood education and a passion for supporting other educators.
Ideally, you will bring:

• Strong experience in early childhood education and teaching practice
• Knowledge of inclusive education and supporting children with diverse learning needs
• Understanding of pedagogical assessment and observation in an ECE setting
• Experience with child-centred and play-based learning approaches
• Confidence training, coaching or mentoring other teachers
• Ability to model practical teaching strategies and classroom activities
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• Patience, flexibility and cultural awareness
• A genuine interest in sharing skills and building sustainable local teaching capability

Tā Mātou Hoa Rangapū | Our Partner Organisation: Naroman Esperança is an educational centre in Gleno that incorporates a teacher training college alongside Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary schools.
The school was established in 2019, followed by the Teacher Training College in 2023.
Naroman Esperança uses experiential learning and student-centred education to prepare teachers while providing education to children and young people.
Its work responds to an important need in Timor-Leste for well-trained preschool and primary teachers with the specialised teaching approaches required to effectively support young children.
Having the teacher training college and school together also provides an opportunity for teaching knowledge and practice to be shared with the next generation of Timorese educators.

Te Tūnga | The Assignment:
At the heart of this assignment is a simple goal: help teachers create an ECE environment where children with different learning needs can learn and participate alongside their peers.
You'll work alongside teachers to build their knowledge, practical skills and confidence in inclusive education.
Your work will include:

• Assessing current teacher knowledge and practices around pedagogical assessment
• Providing practical training in ECE assessment and observation
• Modelling how to observe children, document learning and use those observations to inform teaching
• Coaching teachers through practical assessment activities
• Strengthening teachers' understanding of inclusive education
• Modelling inclusive teaching strategies and classroom activities
• Supporting teachers to respond to diverse learning needs, including those of children with special needs
• Strengthening the practical use of play-based learning in preschool classrooms
• Helping develop or adapt useful teaching resources

Most importantly, this is about working alongside teachers rather than doing the work for them, building confidence and capability that stays within the organisation.

By strengthening the skills of today's teachers and sharing those approaches with teachers still in training, your contribution can help shape more inclusive early childhood education for future generations in Timor-Leste.
Te Whenua | Timor-Leste:
Your home for this assignment will be Gleno, in the municipality of Ermera, Timor-Leste.
An 18-month assignment gives you the opportunity to do far more than simply visit another country. You'll have time to settle into your new environment, develop genuine relationships with the people you work alongside and experience everyday life in Timor-Leste.
International volunteering requires curiosity, patience, flexibility and a willingness to listen and learn just as much as you teach.
In return, you'll have the chance to become part of the community you're working alongside while sharing professional skills that can continue to make a difference after your assignment ends.

You'll arrive with ECE knowledge to share, but you'll also have plenty of opportunities to learn from the people, culture and community around you.
Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply:
Please apply for this opportunity through our website. For more information, or if you have any questions about this assignment, you're welcome to email Kiri Henare at [email protected].
Please note that due to VSA funding requirements, our volunteers must be a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident to progress further in our recruitment process.