AN appeal has been made for volunteers to virtually teach English to Ukrainians in Ireland.

The call has been made by eTeachers Global, a Co Roscommon based English teaching business for adult students.

The team at the company has made the platform freely available for Ukrainians to use and will waive its usual subscription fee for any volunteers.

"Working with our developers, we have made our platform freely available to teachers who wish to help and to Ukrainian adults to use,” said CEO Joan Gilligan.

“The aim is to help Ukrainians adapt to life in Ireland and support them as they learn English for work and for day-to-day living here.” 

The classes will all be taught online and in one-to-one settings or small groups to help cater for individual needs.

“During lockdown, many teachers quickly adapted to teaching online and now have the skills to do so effectively. For any teachers who may need help setting up, eTeachers’ Global IT team is on hand to help,” Ms Gilligan said.

“Covid has negatively impacted on schools with both pupil and staff absences so understandably not everyone is in a position to help.

“It may suit teachers who are job-sharing, on career break or retired and who can commit to as little as an hour a week.

“The booking calendar on the platform is easily adjusted by teachers themselves to reflect their availability.” 

Volunteers should be qualified primary or secondary teachers who are registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland. 

English language education qualifications are also preferred.

Anyone looking to help can email joan@eteachersglobal.com.