Applicants should review the eligibility requirements before submitting an application.

Applicants submit an application for a specific academic year cycle; it is possible to be selected for more than one Virtual Educator project during the academic year cycle. To be considered for a project in another academic year, applicants must resubmit their application.

Availability and Current Location: Applicants can return to the application at any time to update this specific section to ensure the program has their most up-to-date availability for project duties and current location (i.e. time zone);

Personal Information:  All applicants are asked to complete a brief Personal Information section.

Background Information:

• • Current Address and Contact Information
  • Criminal Conviction History – Applicants who, at the time of application, or at any subsequent time prior to becoming a Virtual Educator, have been convicted of commission of a felony or a misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations), must inform the program. 
  • U.S. Government Affiliation, as it relates to the applicant’s eligibility to apply for the program.
  • Previous U.S. Government Grantee Information – Whether the applicant has previously been a recipient of another U.S. government grant. This can include, among many others, receipt of a Fulbright grant as an ETA, Student, Scholar, etc.; or serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
  • Language Skills – Additional language skills are not required, but they can be helpful for projects in certain regions.
  • Affiliations and Awards – Affiliations to organizations or professional associations relevant to the field of TESOL, such as TESOL International, regional TESOLs, NABE, or others; relevant awards or accolades received throughout the course of the applicant’s career.

Education/Credentials:

• The applicant’s academic background, including relevant degrees, certificates, diplomas, state ESL endorsements, or other required credentials for eligibility.

References:

• Contact information for at least two professional references from the applicant’s professional life within the last five (5) years.
• At the moment an application is submitted, references are automatically emailed a link to an electronic questionnaire with six questions to complete.
• Applicants should reach out to their references to ensure receipt of the email.
• One of the two references should be a current or most recent supervisor who has observed the applicant in the classroom.
• Both references should be able to speak to the applicant’s ability to succeed in the Virtual Educator Program by providing examples of the applicants work ethic, initiative, leadership skills, resourcefulness, flexibility, judgment, classroom management skills, and overall strengths and weaknesses.
• Reference responses are confidential.
• An application is not complete, and will not be reviewed, until the two required references have submitted their responses.

Regional Preferences:

• Applicants can indicate regional preferences in the application; however, the program cannot guarantee a match to a project that fits those preferences.
• Applicants are matched to projects based on their professional skill set, experience, and the needs of the project, including the applicant’s availability to carry out the project duties (time zone, daily schedule, etc.)
• Applicant preferences are taken into consideration where possible, but the more flexibility applicants indicate, the greater their chances are of being selected for a project.

Professional Experience:

• This section gathers details regarding relevant professional experience, including employer name, city, state, and country, as well as the applicant’s title, employment dates, average hours per week and instructional hours (if applicable).
• Professional Experiences is reviewed alongside the Resume/CV, so the two should match.

Professional Capabilities:

• This section provides the applicant the opportunity to describe the applicant’s professional capabilities in as many of the categories below as are relevant to the applicant’s background and experience.
• Each question asks for evidence of specific outcomes of the applicant’s work, unique contributions the applicant made, recognition the applicant received related to the applicant’s capabilities, etc. Each entry is limited to 70 words or fewer.

• • ESL, (domestic) English as a second language;
  • EFL, (international) English as a foreign language;
  • K-12, (domestic) e.g., SIOP, bilingual schools, ESL aid/assistant;
  • K-12, (international) e.g., international schools, bilingual education, language schools, language tutoring centers;
  • Content-based instruction, e.g., STEM/STEAM, current affairs, arts;
  • Higher Education, e.g., universities, community colleges, IEPs, vocational or technical schools;
  • Adult Education, e.g., language schools, community language classes, professional language institutes;
  • Presentations/workshops/other, e.g., state/regional conferences, presenting at staff professional development meetings, leading voluntary professional development meetups;
  • Teacher training, e.g., teaching methodology classes for an MA TESOL program, conducting an in-service professional development program for a school district, teaching a TESOL certificate course;
  • Training of trainers, e.g., district-wide training events, leading best-practices workshops or classes for TESOL professionals who train pre- or in-service teachers, teacher education MOOCs or series;
  • Materials and/or resource development, e.g., course modules, online lesson development, textbook material;
  • Syllabus evaluation/design/development;
  • English for Academic Purposes, e.g., academic writing, research, publications;
  • English for Specific Purposes, e.g., law, business, journalism, tourism;
  • Online teaching experience, e.g., communicative activities conducted in a virtual classroom, leading or facilitating webinars, moderating asynchronous discussion boards, creating recorded instructional video content;
  • Online tools and platforms, e.g., teaching online courses, designing an LMS for your program, integrating digital platforms in classroom teaching;
  • Testing and assessment development, e.g., at the district, school, or classroom level;
  • TOEFL or IELTS test prep or scoring.

Essays

• Statement of purpose: This is an opportunity for the applicant to explain the applicant’s motivation to be a Virtual Educator; what the applicant hopes to contribute as a cultural ambassador and English language teaching professional; the applicant’s cultural adaptability; and how a Virtual Educator experience will contribute to the applicant’s future goals in 500 words or fewer.
• Short answer questions: This section consists of four questions to assess the applicant’s ability to succeed as a Virtual Educator. Applicants are asked to provide examples of their work ethic, initiative, leadership skills, resourcefulness, flexibility, judgment, and classroom management skills. These examples may include intercultural contexts both in the U.S. and abroad in 250 words per question.

Lesson Plan and Teacher Training Module

• Lesson Plan: Applicants must include one ESL/EFL classroom lesson plan with their application. A lesson plan from an online course that you have prepared/taught is preferred.
• Teacher Training Module: An additional teacher training module is optional; however, it is required if an applicant wishes to be considered for projects that are primarily teacher training.
• In both cases, these must be original lesson plans or modules that the applicant has personally developed and used in the applicant’s work.

Resume/CV: A copy of the applicant’s resume/CV is required. The resume/CV should be up-to-date with all relevant professional experience, and should include experiences that help define the applicant’s professional background, such as full-time and part-time teaching experience, adult education, volunteer language instruction/tutoring/clubs, and classroom experience in fields outside of TESOL.

Transcripts and Certificates: Applicants must also upload the transcript for their qualifying graduate level degree, and, if applicable, TESOL certificates and/or state K-12 ESL credentials. Additional information can be found in the Eligibility section of the Application Process page.

Additional Documentation: Applicants can upload any TESOL related professional presentations, publications, honors or awards, leadership activities, or other information from relevant projects they have led or contributed to.

Additional Experience Abroad: The applicant’s relevant experience abroad, details related to the country(ies), purpose of the visit/trip, type of position (study abroad, volunteer, presentation/conference, or other), and dates must be provided.

Recruitment: How the applicant learned about the Virtual Educator Program.

Once the application opens each year, applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis for the relevant academic cycle.

Application Timeline for the 2025-2026 Academic Cycle

March 10, 2025 – Application for the 2025-2026 academic cycle opens

May 15, 2025 – Project matching begins for projects that start August 1, 2025 and beyond. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications as early as possible in order to have the best chance of being considered for all available projects for that cycle.

December 31, 2025 – Application for the 2025-2026 academic cycle closes

The application closes each year for updates before reopening in the spring.

March 2026 – Application for the 2026-2027 academic cycle opens

Online Application:

• Applications for the Virtual Educator Program are accepted only through the online English Language Programs Portal.
• Through the Portal, applicants can create a new application or access an existing application using their original login information.
• Applicants should carefully review the requirements for a complete application. Failure to follow instructions will delay the review of the application.
• Applicants must accurately reflect their skills and experience; material omission or misrepresentation of any information submitted may be grounds for removing an application from consideration and/or rescinding an offer to participate in the program.
• Applications do not need to be completed in one sitting; applicants can begin an application at any time, save the information, and come back as many times as is required before submitting.

Returning Applicants:

• Returning applicants must log in to the Portal to review/edit the information saved from a previous application, and complete any new sections or questions, before submitting again.