Volunteer ESL Tutor - No teaching or foreign language experience needed!

Are you friendly, optimistic, and ready to make a difference?

Become a volunteer tutor today!

Transforming Lives

Language makes all the difference for people longing to connect and contribute at home, at work, and in our community.

Imagine if you couldn’t:

• Get a driver’s license.
• Go to the grocery store.
• Talk to your child’s teacher.
• Help your children with their homework.
• Fill out a job application.
• Make a doctor’s appointment.

Literacy DuPage provides free, customized English tutoring to help adult learners reach their life skill goals.

DuPage County Literacy

Low literacy is defined as being unable to read, write, speak, compare and contrast, paraphrase, and make low-level inferences. All skills necessary to complete daily tasks.

According to the 2022 American Community Survey, there are 907,127 individuals living in DuPage County:

• 53,162 adults do not have a high school diploma.
• 250,805 residents speak a language other than English at home.
• 87,614 speak English “less than well”.
• 70,756 residents live in poverty.
• Additionally, children of parents with low literacy levels have a 72% chance of achieving only the lowest level of literacy when they become adults, creating a cycle of illiteracy and poverty that can span generations.

Who are our Learners?

Learners come to us with English language skills below ninth-grade level. Some are native English speakers, yet most are immigrants.

• Our learner base represents 29 different native languages and 40 countries.
• The average age of our learner is 43.
• 49% are seeking employment or are underemployed.
• 79% are female.
• 51% are parents of minor children.
• 60% of Literacy DuPage adult learners have some post-secondary education in their native language. However, many are unable to find careers in their fields of study due to their lack of English skills.

Become A Tutor

You are just three steps from a lifechanging volunteer opportunity! https://www.literacydupage.org/volunteer

1. Attend a 45-minute Meet & Greet session.
2. Complete 15 hours of training (11 hours self-paced and online).
3. Meet with your learner 2 hours a week.

No teaching or foreign language experience needed!

FAQ - VOLUNTEER TUTORING

What are the tutor qualifications? Mostly, patience and compassion. Plus:

• Be at least 21 years old and live in or around DuPage County.
• Have earned at least a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Demonstrate the ability to speak, read, write, and understand English to communicate at a native proficiency.
• Be sensitive to the adult learner and other cultures.
• Be dependable, friendly, optimistic, interested in helping others and respectful of confidentiality.

What is the time commitment?

• 45-minute Meet & Greet session.
• 15 hours of tutor training.
• Meet 2 hours each week with your adult learner: minimum tutor commitment of six months.
• Minimum of two in-service, professional development workshops each year.

What are my responsibilities as a tutor?

• Meet with your learner regularly and punctually each week.
• Prepare each lesson to meet your learner’s goals and life-skills needs, integrating his/her special interests.
• Attend assessment meeting after every 35 hours of tutoring.
• Submit volunteer hours online on a quarterly basis.
• Contact program staff for support at any time. We look forward to assisting you!

Participant Safety

• Tutor/Learner pairs meet in a public location, usually a local library.
• Tutors and volunteers must complete background check.

Register for a Volunteer Tutor Meet & Greet Session!

If you are interested in becoming an English language tutor for adults, join us for an upcoming information session about the Literacy DuPage program.

Sign up on our website https://www.literacydupage.org/volunteer/register-orientation to learn more about the work that we do and how you can become involved.

About Literacy DuPage

Mission - To help DuPage County adults achieve their life goals through accessible and customized tutoring that improves their English-language speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills.

Vision - We envision a world of adults, families, and communities empowered through literacy.

Literacy DuPage was founded in 1972 and granted 501(c)(3) status in 1992. Learn more on our website at www.LiteracyDuPage.org