Education, Training, and Library

1) Everyday is different! This may not be a “pro” for some but I like having some spontaneity and flexibility within my work day. Even though we have our daily routines, no day is every exactly the same. 6 and 7 year olds are very curious and for the most part eager learners, so they make things fun for me.

2) Benefits: The school district (Renton, WA) that I work for offers great health plans, dental, retirement, etc.

3) Vacation: I am paid for 182 work days and get the same vacations that the kids to, which is really great! We start school after Labor Day and school gets out mid June. I look forward to my week long breaks throughout the year, just when I am getting tired of work a break comes up and then I can return re-energized and relaxed.

4) Impact: Teaching is very rewarding for me. Kids spend so much of their day in school that it is crucial for me to provide as many opportunities as possible for students to be successful. Developing reading skills is huge in first grade; it is amazing to see the progress that students make and then to see how reading helps them grow in other subject area. Teaching to me is not just about academics and state standards but it is also about teaching students to become good citizens. At the beginning of each school year I spend a lot of time teaching students how to get along with one another, how to communicate effectively, and how to solve their own problems. Teaching this early on makes learning easier for students, of course we have to practice these social skills throughout the year but it is a great way to get everyone on board with how to build relationships in and out of school.

1) Free Travel - The American government guarantees a round-trip ticket to your host country regardless of whether or not you finish your two year service.

2) Free Training - When you sign up for Peace Corps they don't just throw you into bush village at the start of your job. Instead, they will give you an 8-10 weeks of training. The training course involves training in the relevant sector you have been assigned -- either Small Business, Health, Education, Fish Farming, and Agriculture. You will also be given training in the local customs and language. During the duration of you training you will be staying with a host family where you will have ample opportunity to practice the language you have been learning and observe first hand the local customs.

2) Work - After training you are then sent out to your site you where you expected to spend two years working in your sector. For my job, I was in the education sector working as a teacher at a Monkey Bay Secondary School in Malawi -- a country in south eastern Africa. As a teacher I was responsible for teaching Biology, Math, Chemistry, and Physics to grades 9-12. My school had virtually no resources -- no text books for students, overcrowded class rooms (70+ students in my largest class), no electricity, etc. In the face of such adversity, you are forced to be creative in your classes -- come up with your own labs using local resources and look for funding to build a science lab. All of this may sound intimidating, but I found that it was extremely rewarding working with the staff and students as they are all eager to learn.

3) Community Involvement - In addition to teaching I also was greatly involved with the community. I coached boys soccer, was a mentor to a local Youth Group, and even played on the local semi-pro soccer team. The Youth group I worked with was in a village along the lake and the only way to get there was by boat or by hiking for 1hr. Usually I would go there before lunch and then catch a boat back to the main village with one of the fishermen. The area is absolutely stunning!

4) Opportunities for travelling - Peace Corps gives you 2-days a month of vacation which gives you ample time to travel around the area. While I was in Malawi, I had the opportunity to travel to Mozambique, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana.

5) Rewarding Experience - After serving two years in your host country, the whole community will come together to say good bye to you. At this point you finally realize how much of a positive effect you had on your community. When I left the students put on a play where they acted out me having to deal with a corrupt principle who eventually had to leave the school and then after the play the staff at the school had a big feast for me as a way of saying thanks.

It’s great part-time jobs ( 20-24 hours per week). Management is very flexible to accommodate days off for staff family needs. Majority of our staff are members of AFSCME ( Association of Federal/ State/ County/Municipal Employees), thus we are considered government employees benefiting numerious paid holidays and vacations and other paid leaves. Decent medical and Dental coverage as well as 401 K .

For those who don’t enjoy desk job, this is ideal. Library Assistants are free to move about within the library. We constantly move from the Service to Check-out desk and back and other parts of the Library whenever patrons need assistance locating materials.

And for those who enjoy working with the public, this is it. Everyday, we encounter and deal with the general public from all walks of life and ethnic backgounds, with different needs, different inquiries.

If you love reading and knowledge, the Library is great place to work. There is unlimited of reading materials and information. It is the Library that general public go or call to seek out just about any information , current and past., local, national, and global.

The best sellers materials are right under your nose. Library Staff have the first availability to them.

friendly staff, high standards in teaching, kids are good overall, teach Christian principles, fun and safe learning environment overall.

-allows me to review past information I learned

-most of the grading is on my own time

-flexible

-work with people

-relaxed and casual work environment

Vacation, Work Day Length