Sandblast Arts — English Language Teaching Assistant / Creative Education Facilitator

Sandblast Arts is seeking a thoughtful, flexible, and creative person to support Desert Voicebox, our after-school English and music programme for Saharawi refugee children in the refugee camps near Tindouf, southwest Algeria.

Desert Voicebox supports children to build English communication skills, confidence, creativity, self-expression, and a stronger sense of voice. The programme is led by local Saharawi women teachers, with support from international educators and visiting education practitioners.

We are now recruiting for a Teaching Assistant / Creative Education Facilitator role for the 2026–2027 school year.

About the position

Location: Saharawi refugee camps near Tindouf — Algeria.

Student ages: 8–16 years old.

Placement period: Placements may take place during the 2026–2027 school year, between approximately late September 2026 and mid-May 2027. Placements will typically last around six weeks, with the possibility of extending longer by agreement, depending on programme needs, availability, and fit.

This is a placement for someone who has experience teaching or supporting English learning with children, ideally primary-aged children, and who can also bring a creative or child-centred skill that could be developed into workshops.

Responsibilities: The person selected will support English classes alongside local Saharawi teachers and an experienced English Language Co-Teacher / Teacher Trainer. This may include helping prepare classroom materials, supporting children during lessons, assisting with pair work and group work, helping with reading, games, songs, homework, pen-pal letters, and small-group activities, and helping create a warm, encouraging, English-rich classroom environment.

Please note: This is not a lead English teacher role. It is best suited to someone who is happy to support, observe, learn, assist, and contribute as part of a team. The right person will be patient, practical, humble, culturally sensitive, and comfortable joining an existing Saharawi-led programme rather than taking over the classroom.

Creative and child-centred workshops: In addition to supporting English classes, the Teaching Assistant / Creative Education Facilitator will plan and lead creative or child-centred workshops with children on two workshop days each week.

These workshops should not simply be extra English lessons. They should use creativity, play, expression, movement, storytelling, arts, music, sport, SEND-informed practice, wellbeing activities, or another child-centred specialism to help children build confidence, communication, imagination, teamwork, and self-expression.

Requirements

This role would suit someone who is adaptable, warm, creative, and genuinely interested in learning from and contributing to a Saharawi-led education programme in a low-resource refugee camp setting. It would be a strong fit for someone who can be useful and supportive in English classes, while also bringing their own creative or specialist skills to meaningful child-centred workshops.

Essential criteria — Applicants should have:

• A TEFL, TESOL, CELTA, or similar English language teaching qualification.
• At least one year of experience teaching or supporting English learning with children, ideally primary-aged children.
• Experience working with children in a group setting.
• A clear creative, SEND, trauma-informed, youth-work, sport, arts, music, storytelling, movement, or other child-centred specialism that could be developed into workshops for children.
• A flexible, practical, and respectful attitude.
• Willingness to support rather than lead the overall English programme.
• Ability to adapt to a low-resource and culturally different environment.
• Strong teamwork and communication skills.
• Sensitivity to local culture and community knowledge.
• Willingness to live with a Saharawi host family during the placement.

Desirable experience: Experience in low-resource, refugee, migrant, community, creative education, SEND, youth work, or cross-cultural settings is especially welcome. Arabic, Spanish, or French language skills are helpful but not required.

We are especially interested in applicants who can bring one or more of the following: storytelling, creative writing, drama, theatre, music, singing, rhythm, percussion, dance, movement, sport, visual art, drawing, painting, collage, photography, crafts, recycled-material art, reading clubs, children’s literacy, spoken expression, student voice activities, SEND support, trauma-informed education, emotional regulation, wellbeing-focused activities, behaviour support, youth work, summer camps, clubs, or children’s activity leadership.

Benefits

For the agreed placement period, Sandblast Arts can provide:

• Food and accommodation with a Saharawi host family (covered up to approximately £630 for a six-week placement).
• In-country transport from Tindouf airport to the refugee camps.
• Programme orientation and support from the Desert Voicebox team.
• Guidance on acquiring a visa, preparing for the placement, and adapting activities to the local context.

Applicants should expect to cover:

• International flights to and from Tindouf, Algeria.
• Travel insurance.
• Personal spending money.

How to apply

If you’re interested in this position, please send your application along with the items listed below to: commssandblast@gmail.com

• CV/Resume
• A short workshop proposal, outlining the kind of creative or child-centred workshops they would be interested in offering children during the placement.
• Your preferred placement dates and duration, including whether you would be available to begin in late September 2026 or would prefer to be considered for a later placement window.

Kindly also include that you came across our job posting on World TESOL Academy.