Can Canadian TESOL teachers work in Cuba?

Question: Are global TESOL teachers from Canada allowed to work in Cuba?

Answer: Several Canadian programs exist which provide the opportunity for Canadian volunteers who want to do short-term teaching of English as a Second Language in Cuba.

One is run by Philip Theriault, a retired teacher with 32 years experience who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since 2009, he has brought in one group a year, usually in March, for a one month program of volunteer ESL teaching at the Facultad de Lenguas Extranjeras (FLEX, or the Faculty of Foreign Languages), which is part of the Universidad de La Habana. Participants include retired teachers, ESL and TESOL teachers and others. If you are interested, you can contact Philip by email at pmtheriault@ns.sympatico.ca

Another program is ESL Cuba Volunteer which was established in 2005 by Cuba Education Tours. This three-week program is for retired teachers and ESL professionals prepared to donate their time and skills to each Cuban youth English. Again, the Cuban counterpart is FLEX. For more information about this program, you can check out their website at www.cubavolunteer.com