
Teach English At Catholic Schools In Europe For A Month This Summer
What are Vulgate programs?
Vulgate partners with K-12 Catholic schools to offer short summer programs that focus on English language immersion and a deepening of the students’ Catholic awareness.The programs are designed to help your students grow in confidence with their English skills while deepening their Catholic Faith — all in an engaging, interactive summer experience led by native English-speaking college students from faithful Catholic universities in the U.S.
Who is the ideal Vulgate instructor?
Vulgate instructors have the following qualities:
Current U.S. college student or recent college graduate (18+ years old).
Strong interpersonal skills, able to engage and inspire students.
Love their Catholic Faith and are excited to share it with young people.
Resilient and ready to embrace new challenges.
Eager to travel and teach in Europe for a month.
If this sounds like you, we’d love to have you be part of Vulgate’s mission!
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Vulgate
Source instructor candidates and connect them to schools
Provide curriculum and program structure using excellent Catholic resources
Provide funding for instructors’ travel & living expenses
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Schools
K-12 schools abroad with a strong Catholic identity
Select instructors and host the summer programs at their campus
Promote programs, manage student enrollment and all program logistics
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Instructors
College students or recent graduates from the U.S. who are excited to share their Catholic Faith with others
Provide classroom leadership and implement curriculum
Volunteer for 4 weeks with travel & living expenses covered by Vulgate
What does the funding of instructor expenses cover?
Since instructors give of their time, we have defined a basic level of covered costs, which are the majority of instructor expenses, depending on their individual spending habits and personal preferences.
Flight, up to a defined reasonable amount;
Housing, either procured by the program or selected by the instructor;
Travel health insurance;
Local public transport card;
Meal stipend, which will cover some food expenses.
Program Structure
Course Duration: Students enroll for 1-week courses, available each week for 4 weeks between the program dates offered each summer. In 2025, programs are offered for 4 weeks between June 28 - July 26, 2025.
Instruction Schedule: Instructors and students spend 8 hours per day in the classroom, split into two sessions:
Morning session: 4 hours
Break: 1 hour
Afternoon session: 4 hours
Schools can choose the exact timing of this schedule, as long as each pupil has 40 hours of instruction, since the curriculum is designed for that, and as long as there is a midday 1 hour break for lunch.
Class Size: We leave the ideal class size up to the school, but we recommend groups of 12-20 students per week-long course, resulting in a minimum of 48 students enrolled over the 4 weeks of the program.
Gender-Specific Groups: For various reasons, we work with single-gender groups of students. If a school enrolls both male and female students, they may choose to run two classes simultaneously with different instructors (one male and one female). The curriculum is slightly tailored for all-male and all-female classes.
Religious Education: By virtue of the Vulgate curriculum and mission, programs are naturally evangelical in nature. Students who enroll should already be receiving religious education, and this program is meant to be in addition to that. Our hope is that students enroll for the English Immersion component, but leave the program enriched and more excited about their Catholic Faith.
Curriculum
The curriculum emphasizes full English language immersion using outstanding Catholic educational resources. Students engage with scripture-based lessons, faith-inspired stories, and conversation activities designed to strengthen both language proficiency and their understanding of the Catholic faith.
Total English Immersion – Students will spend up to 40 hours engaging exclusively in English while exploring rich Catholic resources, strengthening both their language skills and their understanding of the Faith.
Engaging, Discussion-Based Learning – The curriculum is built around reading, watching, and discussing, ensuring an immersive and interactive experience that strengthens English skills and offers exposure to excellent Catholic resources.
High-Quality Catholic Content – All materials used by instructors are faithful to Church teaching and carefully selected to be engaging, accessible, and spiritually enriching. Students will engage with:
Videos – Talks from Bishop Robert Barron, Fr. Mike Schmitz, and other trusted Catholic voices.
Readings – Scripture, the Catechism, and writings from modern and historical Catholic thinkers, such as:
Excerpts from the Church Fathers & Doctors of the Church
Simple selections from St. Augustine & St. Thomas Aquinas
Stories from the lives of the Saints and their writings
Easy-to-read spiritual poetry
Articles on current events in the Church
Works by C.S. Lewis and other faith-inspired authors
Certificate of Completion – Students who attend every session and arrive on time will receive a certificate of completion. The program is not graded, encouraging full participation without academic pressure.
A Transformational Experience – Our goal is that students come for the English, but leave inspired by the Faith. We hope that at least a percentage of students walk away saying, “This was a life-changing experience for me from a Faith perspective.”
Instructor FAQs
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Current U.S. college student or recent college graduate (18+ years old).
Strong interpersonal skills, able to engage and inspire students.
Love their Catholic Faith and are excited to share it with young people.
Resilient and ready to embrace new challenges.
Eager to travel and teach in Europe for a month.
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Any! You do not have to be an Education major to be considered. We believe that anyone who is a native English speaker from the U.S., has high growth mindset, is mature and responsible, and wants to develop their leadership skills can thrive while teaching a Vulgate program. The transferable skills gained through this experience can serve you, regardless of your intended post-graduate profession.
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Instructor candidates are selected by K-12 Catholic schools in Europe to teach a 4 week English immersion course. These young people volunteer their time to do so, and are able to visit beautiful southern European countries. In order to make this opportunity accessible, Vulgate provides funding for much of the instructors’ travel and living expenses (see below for the full list of what is covered). The hope is that, although instructors wouldn’t be making money to save during the 4 weeks they are visiting Europe, they would still all have basic expenses covered, and return home with a priceless personal and professional experience.
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Since instructors give of their time, we have defined a basic level of covered costs, which are the majority of instructor expenses, depending on their individual spending habits and personal preferences.
Flight, up to a defined reasonable amount;
Housing, either procured by the program or selected by the instructor;
Travel health insurance;
Local public transport card;
Meal stipend, which will cover some food expenses.
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Safe Travel Best Practices. We encourage instructor candidates to learn about safe travel best practices, and ask that they consider enrolling in the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), offered by the U.S. Department of State. You can also use the resources offered by the Department of State to compare how different countries are assessed for safety and which are considered safe for travelers.
Be Responsible and Mature. Regardless of the destination—including the U.S.— travelers should remain vigilant, exercise good judgment, and recognize that their personal decisions significantly impact their safety.
Safety in the U.S. vs. Europe. Whether traveling domestically or internationally, travelers should adopt prudent habits to enhance their safety. That said, the European countries are generally as safe as, or safer, than the U.S. We encourage travelers to review the Global Peace Index ratings for their destination country. While no destination is without risk and caution is always advised, European countries tend to have lower crime risks overall.
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A passport is required to travel outside the U.S. Since instructor candidates volunteer their time, a visa may not be required. Candidates are encouraged to check both the local and U.S. State Department requirements, and to coordinate with their placement school representatives.
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Housing is an item covered by Vulgate’s funding for instructors’ expenses. Housing locations are either vetted and recommended by Vulgate, or instructors are invited to make use of their housing budget to book the accommodations that they are comfortable with.
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Since the programs are so short (only 4 weeks), minimal preparation is required. Selected instructors attend a brief orientation given by Vulgate and receive the recommended curriculum that includes a basic lesson plan and set of materials for classroom use. All other orientation and logistics are handled by the school that the instructors are placed at.
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Exact classroom experience varies by school and placement, but in general instructors will be placed in K-12 classroom environments. Programs are conducted entirely in English (as is the nature of immersion programs); therefore, knowledge of the local language is not required. In nearly all cases, as is common in Europe, classes will be separated by gender (i.e. female teachers teach all-girl classes and male teachers teach all-boy classes).
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No, prior teaching experience is not required. Teaching with Vulgate is the ideal chance to share your Catholic faith and native English speaking skills with young people in Europe.
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Submit the short interest form here.
If selected to progress, submit resume and 1min video introduction.
If selected to progress, participate in any additional application, interview or screening procedures required by Vulgate or individual K-12 schools.
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The application process is highly selective. We look for candidates that embody all of the qualities listed on the candidate profile.
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Now: Apply to become a Vulgate Teacher
March-May: Instructor selection
June-July: 4 week programs run in Southern Europe
Program FAQs
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In Summer 2025, programs at all locations take place from June 28 - July 26, 2025.
For instructors, arrival day is Saturday, June 28, 2025, which generally means departing the U.S. on Friday, June 27, 2025 to arrive in Europe on Saturday. Departure day is Saturday, July 26, 2025.
For students, instruction days are on weekdays from Monday, June 30 through Friday, July 25, 2025.
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Programs take place a K-12 Catholic schools in Southern Europe, primarily in major cities in Spain and Portugal.
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Vulgate connects instructor candidates with K-12 Catholic schools abroad. The schools make the final instructor selection decisions and coordinate the logistics of each individual program and student enrollment.
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Vulgate partners with K-12 schools in Southern Europe that are both authentically Catholic and seriously academic.
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The K-12 school that selects instructor candidate(s) to visit there school for 4 weeks and lead the English immersion program is fully responsible for program logistics.
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Vulgate partners with K-12 schools and can place instructors at any level within that range. However, in Summer 2025, programs are being offered to schools for either grade level 7th and up or 10th and up.
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Vulgate provides recommended curriculum and resources that are high quality and focused on deepening the students’ Catholic awareness, including a basic lesson plan and set of materials.
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The curriculum is focused on providing an English immersion experience to the students, by virtue of the teacher being a native English speaker from the U.S. To support the teachers, Vulgate provides a basic lesson plan and a set of materials that include Catholic videos and readings. These readings may include selections from the Bible, writings of the Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church, excerpts from St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, stories from the lives of the Saints, easy spiritual poetry, and other relevant articles and resources.
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Vulgate helps instructors and schools be successful by:
Providing the top instructor candidate profiles to K-12 Catholic schools for selection.
Providing onboarding advice to schools for welcoming instructors to their campus in Southern Europe.
Providing a basic curriculum to instructors, including a simple lesson plan and set of excellent Catholic materials, and basic onboarding assistance.
Providing funding for much of the instructors’ travel and living expenses.
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Schools select instructor candidates and host the programs.
K-12 schools abroad with a strong Catholic identity select instructors from among the candidates provided to them by Vulgate.
Host the summer programs at their campus in Southern Europe.
Promote programs and manage student enrollment, including collection and retention of any fees the school wishes to charge their students for use of their facilities.
Responsible for all program logistics and onboarding of instructors.
Summer 2025 Programs
Dates
Programs are 4 weeks from June 28 - July 26, 2025.
Locations
Multiple locations in Southern Europe, particularly in Spain and Portugal.
Curriculum
English language immersion using excellent Catholic resources.
Why Teach with Vulgate?
Share Your Faith – Inspire young students at K-12 Catholic schools in Southern Europe
Gain Professional Experience – Volunteer for 4 weeks as an English immersion instructor
Travel Affordably – Vulgate provides funding for travel & living expenses
All Majors Welcome – No previous teaching experience needed
Have a question?
Vulgate’s name originates from St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible and he has been adopted as patron of it’s programs. St. Jerome, pray for us!
St. Jerome, Patron Saint of Translators