Support Teach For Bulgaria Teachers

“I decided that if I was going to grow professionally somewhere, I wanted it to be where I could contribute the most.”, shares Ivana, a participant in the Teach For Bulgaria program, currently teaching English in Vetren.

In the past few years many aspiring people, who study or work abroad, have decided to transition and continue their life and career paths in Bulgaria. Such is the case with many Teach For Bulgaria participants, who have decided to pursue professional development in Bulgaria after years of international experience. To many of them, teaching is a way to apply their experience and skills to help students, who can benefit from their support the most. Teaching, on the other hand, is also a way for them to grow professionally and develop leadership skills by working in a new and challenging environment.

Ivana is a 22-year-old professional, who spent three years in London, studying Art History at University College London. She also worked for an organization, called Bulgarian Careers Fair, where she managed their blog and the social media of the organization. Even though she enjoyed London, Ivana was certain that they “were not compatible for a long-term relationship". "I wanted to build a life and start a family in Bulgaria some day and I knew that I had to contribute in order to enjoy my life here,” Ivana adds.

Ivana found a way to contribute by becoming a teacher. She teaches English at Primary School “St. Cyril and St. Methodius” in the town of Vetren. “I decided that this was something useful I could do for myself right after university,” she shares. “My job as a teacher is a way to grow, to leave the social bubble I used to live in, and to do something good for someone else.”

In her first days at school Ivana discovered one of the advantages of living in Bulgaria. “I was surprised how easy it was to make things happen here – when we invite guests in our classes, for example, it can happen very quickly and we don’t need to plan it two months in advance.” She also shares that it is easier for her to achieve work-life balance here. “I expected to be happier, calmer, and to fit in better here and that’s exactly what happened,” Ivana concludes.

Ivana is one of many inspirational Teach For Bulgaria participants, who devote their time to improving the educational outcomes for students in Bulgaria.

Your generous support allows us to attract, train and support aspiring professionals like Ivana to become teachers in high-need schools in the short-term and long-term leaders and change agents in Bulgaria.

Should you want to support TFB teachers by becoming a role model in their classrooms, or a mentor – do not hesitate to reach out to us and express your interest.

You can find additional information about TFB’s on our website and Facebook page.

Links:

• Teach For Bulgaria Website
• Teach For Bulgaria Facebook

Dear Teach For Bulgaria supporters,

On September 15, 59 Teach For Bulgaria participants, who successfully completed their training over the summer months, began teaching. They joined 108 second-year teachers and for 2017/2018 academic year, Teach For Bulgaria participants will be teaching in 80 partner-schools in 12 regions of the country.

TFB continues its ongoing efforts to increase its reach by including new regions and for the first time in 2017, the organization partners with schools in Pleven and Veliko Tarnovo.

So far, 163 people have graduated from the program, the majority of whom continue to be professionally engaged in education through work in schools, NGO organizations, social entrepreneurship and though participation in policy making.

Another key highlight from the past months was the annual Conference Education 2017, which took place on November 10 in Sofia. The conference was organized by Teach For Bulgaria, Education Bulgaria 2030 and the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria. Its main focus this year was on recruiting, selecting and retaining effective teachers. International and local experts took part in the discussions and the event was attended by more than 400 people. The Bulgarian Minister of Education, who opened the conference, stressed on the importance of investing in teachers and ensuring that the institutions are working effectively. He also added that it is essential to ensure access to quality education for all children. 

Prior to the conference, the Ministry of Education requested from TFB to prepare a White Paper, outlining TFB’s learnings and recommendations for policies and best practices regarding the recruitment, selection, training and retention of highly motivated and effective new teachers. TFB's Chief Officer for Public Partnerships engaged a team of 11 TFB teachers and alumni, some members of our Executive Board and 4 TFB team members in the writing and editing of the document. The report was well-received by the Minister and his staff with a stated commitment to use some of the best practices described as they shape their updated policy on new teacher recruitment, training and retention. You can review the document in the attachments below.

We would like to once again thank you for your support, which allows us to support motivated people to become teachers and develop best practices to share with our extended community, including public and private institutions.

If you would like to learn more about our latest work –please visit Teach For Bulgaria’s official website below.

Links:

• Teach For Bulgaria Website
• Conference Education 2017
• White Paper [BG]