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OTZMA: The Israel Teacher Corps Track

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN ISRAELI PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

OTZMA's Israel Teaching Corps (ITC) is a 10-month program for North American college graduates to teach English in under-served Israeli public schools.

The goals of ITC are to:

  • Provide North American college graduates with an opportunity to participate in a grass-roots volunteer/service program in Israel;
  • Impact thousands of young Israelis through people-to-people exposure with North Americans;
  • To provide volunteer teachers in under-served schools throughout Israel, and;
  • To connect ITC volunteers with North American Federation partnership communities and educate participants on the programs Federation invest in and the people who live there.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

 

Participant Profile:

There are many qualifying factors which make up a successful ITC participant, and at the same time, no one participant is the same as another. The selection committee will be driven to look into many of the following areas:

1. Leadership qualities and motivation; strength of character to take on new challenges and see them through; and the discipline to perform necessary, if unappealing, tasks.
2. A minimum of a semester or summer working in an informal or formal educational setting.
3. Ability to relate well to other people, especially adolescents and children.
4. Maturity to handle both an intesive group experience and to share living quarters with others from the group.
5. Psychological strength to handle stressful situations.
6. Independence, but ability to fit into a structured group setting.
7. Flexibility to adapt to life and conditions in Israel.
8. Previous experience living away from home.
9. Commitment to service and to the Jewish community.   

 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

I. Training
The OTZMA ITC program will begin with the other OTZMA participants in an Israel orientation. After this first week, the ITC program will split off and commence a four-week pre-service ITC training and will include an intensive ulpan as well as training in English as a Second Language pedagogy, classroom management, etc. During this training period, ITC volunteers will visit their sites to observe their classrooms and become acquainted with their community.

II. Site-Placement and Teaching
ITC Volunteers will move to their partnership communities after the pre-service ITC training in groups of 3 or 4 and begin teaching. ITC volunteers will serve as English support teachers/ teachers aides/ and/or English Resource Teachers in their schools and will be expected to teach/work with students approximately 35 hours per week. The ITC Coordinator will work with each school to determine the specific role and responsibility of the ITC Volunteer in that school. All assignments will be confirmed prior to the start of the program. ITC schools will include Kfarei No’ar (youth villages), as well as elementary, middle, and high schools. Each volunteer will receive a mentor within the school to advise and support them throughout the year. ITC participants will also be set up with a host family in their community. The goal of this element of the program is to provide the participants with a "home away from home" while exposing them to yet another facet of Israeli society. An additional goal is aiding in the attempt to strengthen Israeli volunteerism, through adoptive OTZMA volunteers. This directly contributes to the ultimate goal of bridging the gap between Israel and the Diaspora.

ITC volunteers must also choose a minimum of one secondary volunteer project for 3-5 hours during the week. These placements can include volunteering with elderly, after-school programs, sports programs, arts programs, etc. The ITC Coordinator and an Education Consultant will be available to work with volunteers on an ongoing basis to help volunteers’ maximize their experience and their impact on the students.

In-Service Training and Trips
One in-service training will take place during the year (February) as well as, participating in OTZMA’s educational days throughout the year. ITC volunteers will enroll in a mandatory ulpan or tutoring for the entire year in Israel.

To view a tentative calendar for the 2009-2010 program, please click here. 

 

FINANCES

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Please note that if you are unable to receive grants or subsidies, participants are responsible for supporting their tuition.  

After receiving MASA and Federation support, ITC participants are responsible for $1,500.

What does this include?
*Housing
*Health Insurance
*UIpan
*A 1-month educational training program
*Cell phone
*Mentorship

What are ITC participants responsible for?
*Airfare to Israel
*Food and Daily Expenses

 

HOW DO YOU APPLY?

Anyone interested in applying can find our application posted online on our homepage (www.otzma.org).

If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about the program and/or has questions about the application process, please email otzma@jewishfederations.org or call our office at 1-877-GO-OTZMA (466-8962).