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TBC ESL Ministry
ESL Volunteer

Information about volunteering with the ESL Ministry at Trinity Baptist Church is provided here.

ESL General Staff Descriptions
ESL Volunteer Regulation Policy
Volunteer Application Process
ESL Application form: PDF or online in the Contact section

ESL General Staff Descriptions:

Teachers:	Responsible for teaching English and the Bible. Lower level teachers are usually Mandarin-speaking. Prospective teachers are double-interviewed by Administrator and Pastor for logistics and for spiritual suitability.
Substitute Teachers:	Take care of classes when the regular teacher is unavailable. Arrangements in advance are attempted.
Teaching Assistants:	Assist teachers in student conversations, aid in maintaining class discipline and help give personalized attention to students with difficulty. Position used to train prospective teachers/subsitutes.
Office Helpers:	Dealing with student registrations, questions, and paperwork. Also guiding students to classes, creative projects, and teacher requests. Speaking Mandarin is an asset, but not entirely necessary.
Tea Time Helpers:	Setup, serve and clean up ESL tea times. Also, talk to the students to help their conversation abilities.
Special Events Helpers:	On call helpers for special events, e.g., opening / closing ceremonies, registration days, seminars.
Library Helpers:	Assist students in taking out and returning Christian books from the church library. Organize ESL library materials. Recommend possible books.
Interviewers:	Only for experienced staff. Tests students’ English abilities to see what level / class would best match them.
Administrator:	In charge of coordinating entire program. Ensure all reports are filed, deal with major problems, ensure adequate staffing & equipment, classroom assignments, interviewing prospective staff, and coordinating with church staff.

ESL Volunteer Regulation policy:

This is the most current version of our ESL Volunteer Regulatory Policy. We take seriously our relationships with our students and want to prevent/correct any situations. This policy is also available in PDF format.

Trinity Baptist Church
ESL Volunteer Regulatory Policy v.2019-c

Ministry Goal: The ESL ministry at Trinity Baptist Church has the purpose of teaching English and sharing our faith in Christ through songs, Bible stories, Bible verses, our experiences & behaviours, etc.

General Teaching Responsibilities:

ESL teachers are responsible for their classes from 10 am to 12 pm on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Classes that are co-taught may split up the dates and/or times.
ESL classes focus on practical English lessons, including occasional "field trips", and assist students integration into Canadian culture, AS WELL AS learn English trhough Bible stories, Christian songs, and an introduction to Christian faith. Generally, the first half is English lessons and the second half is Christian learning.
Please prepare your lessons well and let ESL Office know generally what teaching materials you are using for the upcoming Term. For example: the textbook you use, the focus of your lessons, a sample of your lessons, etc. This will greatly help the office in interviewing and placing the right students into a right level of class.
Please remember what you are doing is a ministry. It is important for you to try to remember each student's names and to pray for their salvation.

Special Cautions for all Volunteers:
(e.g., teachers, substitutes, office helpers, administrators, tea time helpers, etc.):

No volunteer is allowed to solicit any business from/for the students while they study language here at Trinity Baptist Church. For example:
- ESL volunteer will NOT promote, advertise, or distribute literature or business cards connected with any business or financial venture.
- ESL volunteer will NOT sell any products, including insurance, realty, financial planning, or investment.
Teachers should exercise discretion in handling relationships with the students. This is a voluntary teaching ministry. Please keep in close contact with ESL Office and Pastoral team as well.
- ESL volunteers will NOT ask students for money or financial benefits.
- ESL volunteers are heavily discouraged from engaging in romantic relationships with students. There is a power imbalance between the students and the staff; students feel obliged to comply with teachers’ biddings. We need to behave in a very professional manner so that the students have a safe learning environment.
- ESL volunteers and students need respect one another. Harassment, inappropriate language, innuendo, sexual advances of any kind are NOT tolerated.
Watch your own spiritual life and walk close with God. He who has not been changed cannot change others.

Office-Related Responsibilities for Teachers:

Please let the ESL Office know the maximum number of students you would like to have in your class before pre-registration.
Teachers are allowed to permit extra students into the class, if they give permission. If teachers have difficulty saying no to the students, please notify the ESL office so the office can impose a strict limit; however, if the teacher continues to give special permission, the office cannot be expected to follow the strict limit.
If the teacher cannot come to class or will be late, the teacher should contact the ESL Office at least one day ahead. Please try to arrange a substitute for your class.
If the ESL Office is not able to find a suitable substitute teacher, the class may be closed for that day or merged with another class (if another teacher is willing).
If the teacher cannot come for the class for an extended period of time (e.g. over one week), the class may be closed until next term. If not closed, please be aware that your students may transfer themselves to another class.
Kids are allowed to take our ESL classes only if a legal adult from their family is with them. For students bringing their non-registered kids into the class, it is up to the teacher to decide whether to allow it. The ESL helpers are NOT able to look after the children while students are in class.

Volunteer Application Process:

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the ESL Ministry at Trinity Baptist Church. The following are the steps involved in becoming a volunteer with this ministry:

Fill in the Volunteer Application form
This can be through the online form or the in-person form during ESL office times or the PDF form.
After the form is sent in, the ESL Administrator will get in contact with you
He'll discuss your interests and determine whether it is logistically possible for you to volunteer (e.g., time conflicts, ability issues). Any missing details in your application will be filled at this time. Feel free to ask him questions at that time.
Special Note: If you sent in your application, but the ESL Administrator didn't contact you, then try contacting him directly about it. There may have been a communication hiccup.
Once past the ESL Administrator, one of the church pastors will get in contact you
This is for a more in-depth discussion (e.g., where you are on your walk with Christ, what work you've done, talking about references).
Finally, your references will checked.
If everything is okay, you'll be contacted about being accepted as an ESL volunteer.

Extra note: Can a non-Christian become an ESL volunteer? Yes, we have had some people who were not yet Christian become volunteers. However, this is done on a case-by-case basis. If approved, that person would have to be paired with Christian volunteer until pastoral okay is given.

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If you have questions or comments, please contact us through our General Contact form.