Teach English in Portugal to Youth & Adults

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Beja is a remarkable small town in southcentral rural Portugal. It is modest by most standards, but it is a wonderful place to live offering families good schools, a safe environment, centuries-old culture, and a vibrant society. It is not exactly heaven, but those who live there think it is close by.

Nevertheless, for Beja and its people, English is increasingly interconnected to the community’s educational opportunities, economic development, and future hopes and dreams. You are needed to help students and young people improve their conversational English language skills so they can go on to university and trade schools and improve their employment prospects close to home.

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The relationship between the Municipality of Beja and Global Volunteers began in 2006. After a nearly two-year pause, the community reached out to Global Volunteers and the partnership resumed in September 2026. The renewed agreement offers Beja students opportunities to interact more fully with fluent English-speaking volunteers and ensures a strong commitment to cultural exchange, intercultural learning, educational cooperation, and spectacular food, wine, and hospitality.

On the first Saturday of the service program, you’ll stay in a modern 4-star hotel located near the Atlantic Ocean and within walking distance of one of the largest indoor aquariums in Europe. While in Beja, your home will be at Residencial Bejense, a delightful 3-star boutique hotel which volunteers greatly enjoy.

Portugal meals are absolutely wonderful, every dish is a delight, and if you enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner, you will not be disappointed. Portugal wines are among the very best! Culture immersion activities abound; particularly intriguing is a museum built over the top of ancient Roman ruins covered by a glass floor that allows you to look into the past from the top down.

  • Maho and music lover, Pedro. (acts of kindness)
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“We all arrived in Portugal with our dreams of helping to wage peace with another culture through mutual communication, interaction, and respect. I truly believe our dreams came true during our two weeks in Beja.” Leon Youngpeter, Portugal Volunteer

“I especially enjoyed seeing the growth in the students’ confidence throughout the two weeks. It was the perfect opportunity to use my skills as a teacher!” Janice Hemen, Portugal Volunteer

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PORTUGAL SERVICE PROGRAM INFORMATION

Genuine development projects to help children thrive. Exceptional service-learning for families, groups and individuals.

Teach Conversational English in Lively Classrooms


Why Volunteers Are Needed

Portuguese youth want to improve their futures, and they realize that in today’s academic and economic environment, knowing English is essential for their success. Parents understand this as well, but they, like most families, want their kids to stay there and raise their families close to home.

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Because Beja is known for its strong work ethic, international companies are interested in investing there, but they need employees who can communicate confidently in English. Local businesses, the mayor, and other government leaders want to bring investment to Beja to create new opportunities for young people and expand the tax base, but English is a requirement. An aircraft company considering establishing a business in the area, for example, has identified English-language ability as one of its conditions.

English is also increasingly important to Beja’s developing tourism activities where visitors expect local service providers to be able to communicate in English. Expanding international markets for local products – cheeses, wines, olives, and olive oils – also requires the ability to communicate across languages and cultures. English is that language.

Consequently, there is increasing emphasis on English instruction in Portuguese schools. Classroom instruction provides the essential foundation, but local educators recognize that many children struggle to speak English. Classroom instruction provides an essential foundation, but it most often doesn’t offer the chance to listen to and speak the language.

So, the Mayor of Beja has asked Global Volunteers for our assistance in helping students improve their English so tourists will feel more at home, more students will go on the university and trade schools, international companies will feel comfortable establishing businesses that employ local people, and more young folks will raise their families in Beja. Local leaders want their kids to discover that English is a living language used by people around the world.


The Difference You Make

During the school year, volunteers assist English teachers in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. You’ll provide students with opportunities to practice conversational English, improve pronunciation, and expand vocabulary. It’s all about having conversations in English. The goal is to give students meaningful occasions to interact with fluent English speakers while building their confidence using English in real-life situations. The local teachers guide you on how best to assist with their lessons and activities.

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During the school year, volunteers assist English teachers in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. You’ll provide students with opportunities to practice conversational English, improve pronunciation, and expand vocabulary. Its all about having conversations in English. The goal is to give students meaningful occasions to interact with fluent English speakers while building their confidence using English in real-life situations. The local teachers guide you on how best to assist with their lessons and activities.

You’ll tutor individual college students, helping them strengthen their confidence communicating in English. Pronunciation, vocabulary, idioms, and syntax along with advanced level reading and writing in English all help teens and young adults improve their skills.

This personalized time allows students to focus on their individual learning needs and educational and professional goals. These sessions also stimulate spontaneous conversations on topics of interest to the students and you. You’ll learn first-hand about Portugal, Europe, world events, pop and culture from the perspective of a young western European college student.

You can also support adults who are continuing their education after leaving school earlier in life, or prisoners who are completing their education while incarcerated. Part-time evening classes focus on English tutoring, conversation, and practical activities which help these learners strengthen their English skills and gain confidence in their ability to communicate.

And sometimes, just showing up makes all the difference. One student participating in the prison program told Paula Lança, the municipal government’s program coordinator, “Because someone came from across the ocean, it means we are worth something.” This simple observation expresses the profound personal significance volunteers make.

For more than 30 years, Global Volunteers has conducted English Language Camps in collaboration with community partners in multiple countries. Through games, activities, conversation, songs, and cultural exchange, children have an enjoyable opportunity to use English in an informal setting. Any fluent English speaker can contribute to this effort regardless of age or educational level. It’s just having fun with the language and making friends that sometimes last a lifetime.

This coming summer will be the first English camp for children in Beja. For many children, simply meeting and talking with fluent speakers can make English more interesting and attainable. It gives them a personal connection to the language and an experience they can remember long after the camp is over.

Based upon past experience, we know that these Portuguese kids will be thrilled to learn about this unique opportunity and they will be excited to participate. Volunteers will also enjoy the time of their lives.


Impact

Over the years, students who first encountered English through their participation in Global Volunteers English language programs have grown into confident English speakers, using the language in their education, careers, and everyday lives. Some students who began learning English with Global Volunteers as a child have developed excellent fluency in the language, demonstrating how sustained exposure to English and opportunities to practice can contribute to lasting results.

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For children and young people, meeting fluent English speakers is often a turning point in their relationship with the language. What may initially seem like a difficult academic subject becomes a means of communicating with people from other parts of the world, discovering different cultures, learning new ideas, and imagining possibilities for the future. Through conversation, encouragement, personal connections, and practice, volunteers help students overcome hesitation, develop confidence, enjoy the language, and recognize their own potential.

The benefits extend throughout the community. Primary and secondary school students pass the obligatory university English entrance exams. College students gain practical skills that support further education and future employment. Adults have opportunities to strengthen their qualifications and expand their possibilities. Prisoners completing their secondary school education experience the encouragement of people who believe in their potential and recognize their worth.

For Beja, stronger English-language skills help prepare the next generation’s participation in an increasingly interconnected world. Whether welcoming foreign visitors, supporting local businesses seeking international markets, pursuing higher education, or entering an international workplace, residents with greater confidence in English access opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach.

Equally important, the process creates lasting human connections between people of different countries and cultures. Students discover that English is not simply a subject in a textbook, but a language that links people across oceans, from the north to the south, and east to west. Volunteers, in turn, gain a deeper understanding of Portuguese life, the aspirations of Beja’s residents, the country’s role in Europe and the world, and the value of community-led educational initiatives. The impact is a win-win-win for all involved.

Volunteer Voices: Read and Hear What Volunteers Say About Serving in Portugal

volunteer in Portual booklet
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Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

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