The Peace Corps Master's International TESOL program offers students the option of enriching their graduate studies with 2 years of Peace Corps service. PCMI candidates complete their first two semesters at the Monterey Institute, then serve 27 months before returning for a final semester to complete an MA in TESOL.
While obtaining valuable international work experience, the volunteer stays in contact with a faculty advisor to make progress reports and coordinate directed studies projects.
After successful completion of Peace Corps service, return volunteers participating in the PCMI program receive a scholarship which covers up to eight of the remaining eleven credits required in the final semester. Prospective PCMI students may also be eligible for a merit-based scholarship from the Monterey Institute in addition to this subsidy.
Applicants must apply to both the Monterey Institute PCMI TESOL Program and the Peace Corps concurrently. Peace Corps applicants must be US citizens.
From Monterey Institute
More information about the process of applying to the PCMI-TESOL program at the Monterey Institute can be obtained via email. Please contact Professor Kathleen Baily, the coordinator of the PCMI program, at kbailey@miis.edu.
From Peace Corps
More information about the Peace Corps Master's International Program can be obtained on the Peace Corps website or by calling 1-800-424-8580 (at the prompt, select option 2 and extension 2226) or (202) 606-9322.
"Countries ask us for English as a Second Language teachers more than any other type," says Joe Therrien, former western regional director of the Peace Corps. While the demand is there, many interested volunteers with bachelor's degrees are not adequately prepared to teach.
In 1994, to help solve this problem, the Monterey Institute signed a "Master's International" (PCMI) agreement with the Peace Corps. Patti Garamendi, director of Peace Corps volunteer programs, had singled out the Monterey Institute as a national leader in training TESOL professionals. Therrien comments further, "Of institutions devoted to international studies, the Monterey Institute is one of the top three in the country. The volunteers get a chance to put their learning to work on a practical basis; and upon returning to the they will be formidable job candidates."
The PCMI program enables prospective volunteers to obtain two semesters of teacher training at the Institute prior to their Peace Corps service, and to return to the Institute after their service to complete the final semester of their MAs in TESOL. In addition to benefits to Peace Corps and the volunteers, the Institute's TESOL program also benefits from the volunteers' experiences. GSLEL Dean Ruth Larimer explains, "We're all so excited when we receive the volunteers' journals and papers. They give us a rare opportunity to learn first-hand about the many issues and challenges of teaching in a variety of developing countries. It truly is a win-win situation for all of us." Since the program's inception, PCMI's have been assigned to China, Benin, Guineau, Ukraine, Maldova, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Mongolia, Mauritania, Morocco and Poland.
|
