Home School Helper

Providing home school support for a missionary family in Western Mongolia

Key Features

Children and Youth, Serving Third Culture Kids

Length

6 weeks to 6 months

Job Description

The family working in the child development project focuses on marginalized children in the community and is seeking a home school helper for three months or longer. With three children, they follow an (American) English curriculum, allowing the parents to dedicate more time to language learning and expanding their ministry, which includes a construction element. The children are hardworking, creative, and have adjusted well to the Mongolian lifestyle after living in the country for a few years.

The role will enable the family to concentrate more on their ministry, including community outreach and project expansion, while the children can engage more actively with the local community. The children will continue their homeschooling for 4 hours each morning, with the provided curriculum and additional materials to enrich their learning. This support will allow for both educational progress and deeper cultural integration.

In Khovd, depending on the time of year, you could live in a traditional Mongolian ger or a modern apartment. The city is situated in the heart of the community, yet just a short walk from the river and surrounded by stunning rocky mountains. The area has a unique mix of shamanistic, Buddhist, and minority religious practices, offering a fascinating cultural landscape. Khovd offers both a quiet, scenic environment and a rich cultural context for ministry and community engagement. In the hot, dry summers, thousands move their gers to live by the river, creating a dynamic and picturesque community. The cold winters offer a chance to connect deeply with families in their homes, blessing them through meaningful relationships. With a mix of apartment blocks and gers in walled yards side by side, it’s a unique and inspiring place to serve and witness life in all its beauty and challenges.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibility will be assisting with the children's homeschooling, ensuring they follow the English curriculum for 4 hours each morning. This will include helping with lesson planning, providing additional materials and ideas, and supporting the children’s creative and educational activities.

The homeschool helper will also help maintain a structured environment conducive to learning and encourage the children in their academic pursuits.

Beyond homeschooling, the role can also involve community outreach, and ministry activities, particularly in expanding their local development project, which includes a construction element. The helper will also engage in occasional family and community activities to build relationships and foster integration into the local culture.

There are a number of other families in the area who have had some lessons together in the afternoons shared between the parents and other homeschool teachers.

Qualifications

To be successful in this role, the candidate should have experience or an interest in teaching children, especially across different age groups. While formal qualifications in education are not essential, a background in teaching or working with children in informal settings, such as tutoring or assisting in homeschooling, would be beneficial.

The role does not require extensive experience, but familiarity with basic educational practices and the ability to adapt teaching methods to suit the needs of children aged 6-10 years will be important.

A passion for helping children learn and a positive, flexible attitude towards supporting a family in a cross-cultural environment will be key to fulfilling this role effectively. The age or gender of the person is not a primary consideration; however, living and working in Mongolia can be challenging. Therefore, prior experience and a willingness to adapt to a lifestyle outside of modern norms are essential.

Living Situations

Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential to connect with the family first and then with the local and expatriate communities. A positive, patient, and flexible attitude, along with the ability to work independently and take initiative, is key to succeeding in this cross-cultural role.

The role may also involve occasional travel to local sites or community events, offering opportunities to immerse in the natural surroundings and local way of life. The family is a European, cross-cultural unit, and reliability and having excellent time management is essential in providing consistency of teaching the children to maintain focus and academic rigor.

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