Wherever there are missionaries serving, teachers are needed. Missionary Kids need a proper education. Schools, started by missionaries, need to be staffed. More schools need to be started. Education can be a powerful fuel for the Gospel. All kinds of teachers and school administrators are needed in all kinds of places. If you have a passion for teaching and a passion for sharing Jesus, perhaps God is calling you to become a missionary teacher.
Do I need a Special Degree?
Teaching outside of the USA can look drastically different depending on the country and the context. But of course, the primary objective of shaping young minds, remains the same. For some positions and countries, an education degree could be required, for others, it’s not needed. Don’t disqualify yourself without asking, with the vast array of needs around the world, you may have the perfect skill set for one of the teaching roles that exists.
On AskAMissionary.com the question was asked, “How Could I Use an Education Degree in Missions”, here are few of the options that were provided by missionaries:
Many missions organizations need special education teachers
“As a trained teacher, you are incredibly well-suited to support any missions organization, and help them in an area where there is a gap. As a special education teacher you would be one of the only SPED teachers in an entire country. Your use for God’s kingdom is potentially quite amazing, especially if you are willing to serve the neediest of the special needs population, those who are severely and profoundly disabled. We have enough work for three lifetimes, so your usefulness can be happily promised (at least by our limited experience here in Zambia)! “
(Answer from Holly who has served with Special Hope Network in Zambia for eight years.)
Teach missionary kids in a school or as a tutor
My wife and I are both teachers. The way that we got into missions was at an ACSI Association of Christian Schools International convention we were both attending. There we found dozens of schools desperate for teachers willing to work on the mission field teaching the children of missionaries. In fact, lack of educational resources for children is the number one reason many missionaries leave the field.”
(Answer from George, serving in Costa Rica with Latin America Mission.)
Help missionaries stay on the field.
One of the big challenges that missionaries on the field face is that of providing education for their kids (MKs). It can be so frustrating that some valuable people have to return home because they do not have the skills to home school (or, if they do, may find that these responsibilities overshadow their ministry purpose). Some missionaries choose to send older children away to boarding school because of the lack of qualified teachers nearby.
(Answer from Rob, who has served for four years with Operation Mobilization.)
Serve with Team Expansion
We always have a need for missionary teachers; you can browse our specific teaching opportunities here. By serving with Team Expansion, you would go through the same missionary training and preparation that all our workers commit to and have the support of our 30+ International Service support missionaries. We want you to thrive not only in teaching, but also in adapting to a new culture and being an intentional Christ-follower.
Some teaching positions are paid and do not require support raising, others would require you to raise and maintain support, just like all our 300+ workers around the world. Either way, we’ll help you get wherever God calls you to serve.
Are you ready to begin the process of uniting your passion for teaching and missions? Let’s start a no-pressure conversation and prayerfully move to the next step.
