Volunteering at The Welcoming

Our volunteers support English classes, friendship groups, health and wellbeing activities, sustainability activities, and events.

Volunteers and participants walking together in a park as part of a community wellbeing activity.
Volunteer assisting a participant during an English language class at The Welcoming in Edinburgh.
A group of people gardening and planting seeds at an allotment site.

Volunteer with us

Volunteer ESOL Teachers for New Scots

Are you passionate about language and committed to supporting your local community? The Welcoming is looking for volunteer ESOL teachers to lead weekly English classes for New Scots (refugees, asylum seekers and migrants) in Edinburgh.

Who we’re looking for

We need dedicated volunteers who can help New Scots build confidence in English, develop practical daily-life language skills, and feel more connected to life in Scotland.

We are recruiting teachers for three classes:

📅 Wednesday Afternoons – Beginners
⏰ 2-4pm
📍 St Martin’s Resource Centre

📅 Wednesday Evenings – Intermediate
⏰ 6–8pm
📍 University of Edinburgh

📅 Thursday Afternoons – Complete Beginners
⏰ 2–4pm
📍 The Welcoming, Edinburgh

We’re happy to be flexible. Volunteers can teach every week or on alternating weeks, depending on availability.

Volunteer responsibilities:

  • Plan and deliver engaging English lessons.
  • Create a supportive and inclusive learning environment.
  • Help learners develop practical language skills for daily life.
  • Encourage confidence and participation.

Requirements:

✔️ Strong English language skills.
✔️ Patient and understanding, with a good sense of humour.
✔️ Supportive and encouraging attitude.

Start Date: Start of January 2026

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of New Scots, support their integration, and gain valuable teaching experience in a supportive charity environment.

If you’re interested, please contact David (ESOL Coordinator) at [email protected] to find out more.

Do you want to support our work?

There are many meaningful ways you can support our work and help us create a more welcoming Scotland for New Scots.

You can support The Welcoming by making a donation, partnering with us through fundraising or in-kind support, or by sharing our story to help raise awareness.

Have a question about volunteering?

To find out more about other types of volunteering, please contact [email protected]

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General information for volunteers

ESOL Volunteer at The Welcoming
A group of refugees, migrants and volunteers standing in a park in Edinburgh.
Refugee Festival Scotland Event - a group of three volunteers standing and smiling at the tea station.

Volunteering opportunities with our partners

We work with a range of organisations across Edinburgh and Scotland. Sometimes, our partners have volunteering opportunities that are relevant to our volunteers. When these opportunities become available, they will be listed below.