PCV
North Macedonia
North Macedonia
Bachelor's degree in special education.
OR
Bachelor's degree in any discipline with state certification in special education (general or with an emphasis in working with people with visual or hearing disabilities).
OR
Bachelor's degree in education with experience working with people with disabilities, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychological disabilities.
OR
Bachelor's degree in any discipline with 1 year full-time experience working in classrooms or residential homes with people with disabilities, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychological disabilities.
Ministry of Education and Science
None
Volunteers will live in a small village, town, or a larger city. Volunteers will live with a host family during training before moving to live with a new host family or in modest independent housing. Volunteers should expect to participate in host family events and daily chores, and respect the rules of each household, especially being frugal in the use of utilities because of the high cost of electricity.
No
24
Yes
No
Yes
No
Gain valuable experience implementing behavior management strategies and specialized teaching techniques in a new country.
Develop a proficiency in Macedonian and Albanian through daily interactions.
Make lasting connections with educators and community leaders while appreciating the country’s culture.
Support special education and mainstream teachers to strengthen teaching approaches.
Create or adapt educational resources and lesson plans.
Train school staff on lesson planning, behavior management, differentiated instruction, and classroom adaptations.
Coach staff on effective ways to encourage families to take an active role in the learning process.
Provide parental support through workshops and support groups.
Educate community members on ways to support individuals with special needs.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as supporting youth leadership clubs.
As a Special Needs Teacher, you will learn about the country’s education system, appropriate resource development, and effective methods for engaging students with special needs in the classroom. Peace Corps/North Macedonia will teach you Macedonian and/or Albanian to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community. You will also receive language resources and learn Turkish, Serbian, Roma, or Vlach based on your community placement.
After 11 weeks of training, you will move to a rural or an urban community where you will collaborate with a resource center or elementary school to assess the special education learning needs and develop long-term solutions based on the curricula.
Only heterosexual couples can be accepted for this program.
Couples who are selected for the same sector will live together but work with different local partners, which may be in the same community or in neighboring communities (not more than 30 minutes apart).
Couples will live together during training but may separate occasionally for field-based activities.
Each person must apply separately and qualify for a position in a different sector than their partner.
As the preeminent international service organization of the United States, the Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in Education, Health, Economic Development, Agriculture, Environment and Youth Development. Through their Peace Corps experiences, Volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a lifelong commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans of all ages have served in 142 countries worldwide.
