Volunteer

Become a volunteer

Beaverton Literacy Council is an all-volunteer organization helping over 500 adult learners from 50+ countries improve their English and connect to community.

We hope you can join us for next school year!

To volunteer in '26/'27, please register here (This form asks about your contact info, prefered timeslots and levels, online vs in-person, etc. New volunteers may also sign up for an info session on this form.)
If you simply want to learn more, please use this form to sign up for an info session or to talk with a volunteer coordinator. You may also just contact Linda with specific questions: LindaB@beavertonliteracy.org, 503-468-7809)

What's required?

There are many options! Volunteers may teach:

Once or twice per week, mornings or evenings
Leading or assisting classes
Online or in-person
In a core or enrichment class

The time commitment ranges from 3 to 15 hours per week, depending on your choices. Classes run from mid-September to Memorial Day. We ask for a minimum 3-month commitment. Subs are available!

Volunteers need to be fluent, open-minded English speakers. They must live or have lived extensively in the US. You don't have to be a grammar expert, speak another language, or have even have teaching experience, but you do have to love learning and helping others learn.

It's helpful but not required to have:

Teaching experience of some kind
Experience learning another language at any level
Experience being an outsider
Comfort with basic technology

Online teachers need a laptop or desktop computer with a stable wifi connection. (Sorry, tablets and phones don't work well for this.)

Training and support

We have training and mentoring specifically for new volunteers, and we encourage ALL volunteers to participate in ongoing formal & informal training opportunities:

Observe other teachers and communicate with the mentor teacher (required for new lead teachers)
Attend in-person all-volunteer workshop in August (if at all possible)

Participate in roundtable workshops & discussions online and/or in WhatsApp groups with same level teachers
Use the textbook to guide lesson planning in levels 0-4

Types of clases

Core classes meet twice per week online or in-person

Teach reading, writing, listening & speaking
Levels 0-4 use a textbook; supplement lessons with BLC paid online subscriptions
Evening in-person: near the main Beaverton library
Morning in-person near the corner of Allen Blvd & Murray Road
Morning in-person at North of Hwy 26, east of 185th.

Enrichment classes meet once per week online with Zoom

Primarily conversation groups, but volunteers may offer book groups, pronunciation, grammar practice, or other options.

A few more details

Classes run from mid-September through late May.

Volunteer responsibilities
- Lead teachers / Assistant teachers
Required Volunteer Acknowledgments
BLC Volunteer Handbook
BLC Calendar

Teaching resources

See teacher training resources here (self-paced trainings, videos, workshops, and tech help including Zoom, WhatsApp, Wordwall, etc).
Current teachers: see our whole suite of resources at the BLCteach page (check your Teacher Info Sheet (TIS) or ask your mentor teacher for the URL).

All Beaverton Literacy Council students and instructors must be at least 18 years of age. With that exception, the BLC does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.

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