LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORS IN A VARIETY OF LANGUAGES (WASHINGTON DC AREA, FULL AND PART-TIME)
Reports To:
The Language Instructor will report to the on-site Program Manager.
Position Overview:
A language services company headquartered in Fairfax, VA, is seeking Language Instructors in a variety of languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, German, Japanese, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Arabic, Turkish—up to 80 foreign languages) to provide language and cultural instruction to US government personnel, including diplomats. The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor’s degree, at a minimum, and possesses at least 3 years of experience teaching foreign languages to US government or military personnel. Must be a US Citizen or hold a valid green card with at least one year of legal work authorization remaining. Candidates must be located within a 25 mile radius of Washington DC as this is primarily an on-site classroom instruction position between the core hours of 9 AM – 4 PM Monday-Friday.
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Language Instructors will be responsible for the following primary tasks:
- Prepare and conduct small and/or large group language and culture classes using a wide variety
of language teaching methodologies and techniques, stressing speaking, listening
comprehension, and reading skills. In most cases, the teaching materials are provided. - Use established training materials and work collaboratively and closely with other instructors
under the guidance and oversight of the client. - In collaboration with client leadership and others, adapt teaching techniques and approaches to the students’ individual learning styles and needs – “student-centered or collaborative approach.”
- Provide constructive feedback and analysis of the students’ progress and/or issues to the client supervisor and to instructional and other staff, as appropriate.
- Apply classroom management techniques to provide a respectful, student-centered
environment conducive to learning. - Conduct informal and formal progress evaluations and/or administer weekly quizzes and assessments to evaluate student progress.
- Attend all section and other client staff meetings as appropriate.
- Incorporate the use of instructional technology into the instructional program as appropriate and in collaboration with the client.
- Serve part-time, as requested, as an online mentor/coach to distance learning students with client approval.
- Collaborate with staff in the Learning Consultation Service (LCS) in whatever way deemed appropriate by the client. The LCS specializes in student learning styles and accommodations to assist students in retaining material.
- With pre-approval by the client, plan and/or participate in non-classroom activities in the Washington DC area. Activities may include visits to foreign embassies, local community organizations, community centers, neighborhoods, shopping areas, and restaurants where heritage speakers live and congregate, and often involve pre-visit training and after-action follow up.
- Participate (on a voluntary basis as desired) in the planning and delivery of language
immersions. Immersions may consist of one or more days of activities that take place outside of the Washington area, either domestically in the United States or overseas, and contain substantial non-classroom-like activities that foster practical, natural use of the language. - Participate in part-time materials and curriculum development as well as testing of students, as requested by the client, which may include the following activities:
- Assist with the creation and testing of new reading kits to be used in face-to-face, telephone or field testing.
- Participate in producing audio or video materials for use in conjunction with LTU testing training.
- Conduct end of training tests at one of the client’s field schools overseas.
- Adhere to all guidelines and follow all procedures regarding testing material security and safeguarding test score data.
Required Qualifications:
- A minimum of 3-7 years of experience teaching adult learners the foreign language they will be providing to the client in a classroom setting (2 or more students).
- BA/BS, MA/MS or Ph.D., or foreign equivalent degree in relevant language education field with demonstrated expertise through experience or publications in one or more of the qualifications required for language instruction (i.e., curriculum development, proficiency assessment, task-based teaching and learning, adult language learning, educational technology in FLE, etc.)
- A minimum of 1 year of experience designing proficiency-based curricula.
- Minimum English proficiency level of a 2:2 on the ILR proficiency scale (TOEFL or CEFR scale equivalents are considered acceptable).
- Must be an educated native or near-native speaker of the language instructed (preferably Level 4:4 or higher on the ILR proficiency scale).
- Must be a US Citizen OR eligible to work in the United States with a minimum of one year remaining in U.S. employment eligibility.
- Possess the cultural background of the specific country or geographical region where the language is spoken that is being instructed that comes from being raised or educated in said country, by living in a cultural enclave or heritage community in another country, or by demonstrating through work experience or academic preparation a deep understanding of the region.
Additional Preferred Qualifications:
- It is desired, but not required, that contractors should have spent their formal educational (secondary school and beyond) years in the cultural environment and have been schooled there through the equivalent of American secondary school.
- Experience incorporating a variety of educational technology in teaching preferred.
- Experience teaching blending learning activities a plus.
- Experience integrating social media applications for educational purposes preferred.
- Experience administering proficiency-based assessments a plus.
- Experience teaching with vocabulary-based language learning materials preferred.
- Experience delivering training targeted to needs of diplomatic community a plus.
Core Hours:
Language Instructors must be available to work on-site in the DC metropolitan region during the core hours of 0900 and 1530 ET, regardless of schedule variations. Instructors must be flexible in order to meet the ongoing, daily demands of the unit of assignment. will be provided, in writing, by the client in accordance with the programmatic needs.
Location: Washington DC region with occasional CONUS and OCONUS language and cultural immersion trips
Pay: This position is a full-time opportunity with an excellent compensation and benefits package. Pay is based on experience and will be discussed during the screening process.