Are you passionate about literacy and keen to make a real difference in your community?
At the Rural Youth and Adult Literacy Trust (RYALT), their volunteer literacy coaches are the heart of what they do. One coach. One student. One life steadily expanding.
About RYALT students
Their students are everyday people who haven’t had the opportunity to fully develop their reading and writing skills.
- They range from learning the alphabet to working towards essay writing, with most somewhere in between.
- Many struggle with the literacy skills needed for daily life, work, and further study.
- Ages range from 13 to 65, from all walks of life and backgrounds.
RYALT take care to match you with a student you’ll feel comfortable working with. Your enthusiasm, patience, and commitment matter far more than prior teaching experience.
As a volunteer literacy coach, you will:
- Work one to one with a student via video conference.
- Teach foundational reading and writing skills.
- Commit approximately 2 hours per week of coaching, usually one main session plus 1 to 3 shorter catch up sessions.
- Allow additional time for light preparation.
- Participate in online professional development workshops and ongoing training.
If you believe literacy changes lives and you’d like to be part of that change, RYALT would love to hear from you.
Requirements
You don’t need to be a qualified teacher. Training and ongoing support is provided.
The qualities that matter most are:
- Friendly and encouraging
- Patient and reliable
- Analytical and willing to learn
- Passionate about helping others succeed
- Excellent spoken English and reading/writing skills
- Good level of tech knowledge eg. Slack, online video conference. Coaches use Slack for communication and access our online resource library. Tech support is available, but using these tools is an essential part of the role.
A Ministry of Justice background check is required for this role.
Time commitment
- 3 hours a week, 2 hours with the student and 1 hour preparation
- The training is approx. 15 hours online, done at your own pace
- Professional Development done via Webinar - 1 per school term
- This position requires a minimum commitment of one year. While it does require consistency and time, it is flexible and deeply rewarding.
Getting started
The first step is to express your interest by filling out the form below.
We will then put you in touch directly with the organisation for more information on the role and how to proceed.
Enquire about this role: