Meet Margarita a lawyer and CELTA certified English teacher from Colombia. Margarita recently completed her virtual human rights internship with our partner NGO in Cusco, Peru. We caught up with Margarita to get the inside scoop on what it’s like to intern in a virtual setting and to learn more about her experience with us.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m from Colombia, I’m a lawyer and also a CELTA certified English teacher.
Why did you decide to intern in Education abroad?
Since I discovered that teaching English is a passion of mine, I wanted to get more teaching practice, aside from the one that I already had teaching at the CELTA program. I wanted to be able to experience first-hand what it’s like to teach the language in a non English speaking country that wasn’t my own.
Tell us about your internship placement
My internship placement was to collaborate with an NGO in Peru, teaching the English language to refugees using a virtual setting.
What has been your role at your placement?
I had the chance to teach English classes to Spanish speaking students aged 12-50 from Monday to Friday. To plan and teach lessons for three different levels (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) to small (8+) classes. To create homework, quizzes, and progress tests, and to grade them. And to guide an English teacher assistant to prepare activities and materials for the Basic level classes.
All of these roles were part of what I expected to be doing in a teaching internship. I also had the support from incredible teachers (Marco, Sara, and Claudia) that helped me ensure that all of the students were successfully progressing throughout the program. They were always available to answer any questions I had.
Did you realize any cultural differences in a teaching environment abroad?
I didn’t notice a particular cultural difference. I think it has to do with the fact that the teaching internship was done in a virtual setting and that my country’s customs are very similar to the one of my students. But I did learn a lot from their culture and noticed how grateful they are to be given the opportunity to be taught the English language.
What was the most interesting thing you learned during your virtual internship?
That even though you are teaching through a virtual setting, when you give yourself to others, when you share your talents with other people, you still get to experience a lot of fulfillment.
What were your concerns about a virtual education internship?
I was concerned that they wouldn’t attend or concentrate, but they did.
Would you recommend interning online to others?
Yes, I highly recommend it. Obviously there is nothing compared to teaching in person, in a classroom, but like I said, the feeling of fulfillment is still there.
Any last thoughts or comments?
I feel with this program, that I was given a gift, because I was able to not only grow as a person, as a teacher, but to contribute to the development of my students.