Below you will find some of the common questions asked by those interested in being teachers.

Q. Where is Tabligbo, Togo?

A. Togo is found in West Africa between Ghana and Benin in West Africa. We live in a small town a little over an hour from the capital city of Lomé.

Q. What is your area like?

A. We live in a beautiful tropical area. Being near the coast and close to the equator, we have a warm and humid climate for most of the year with a few rainy and cooler months. Our town has running water, telephone (fast enough for email and internet on most days), and electricity.

Q. What about tropical diseases?

A. Endemic to tropical areas are tropical diseases, but nearly all of these can be prevented and treated. We provide a list of recommended vaccinations upon hire as well as a list of anti-malarial drugs available.

Q. What languages are spoken in your area? Does the teacher have to speak these other languages, or is English acceptable?

A. The local language of our area is Evé. The national language of Togo is French. We do have a few local people who speak English. Because the primary role of the teacher requires interaction with our children and members of our team, English will serve the teacher well in most situations. Among the nationals, missionaries can serve as interpreters. Some French knowledge would be helpful, but is not a prerequisite for working here as the teacher.

Q. Is your area of Togo affected by tribal problems and war?

A. In 1994, our team intentionally chose a very peaceful area to work in. Although problems on a national level have occurred, we have only one incident of political violence in our area in the past 11 years. Even with this, our families feel very safe living and working in Togo.

Q. What about crime in your area?

A. The people in our area are very friendly and we have few safety problems. Although there have been some items stolen from the yards of teammates, we have not had any violent crime. We have the equivalents of both a police station and a sheriff's office in our town to fight crime. The teacher house also has a night gaurdian and a Togolese working in the house during the day. Tabligbo is a safe place to work and live.

Q. What accommodations exist for the teacher(s)?

A. For the teachers, we have a fully furnished 3 bedroom house with all utilities. There is also a vehicle provided.

Q. What financial arrangements are made for the teachers?

A. As our teachers have come over the years, we have been amazed with the way God has provided for their needs. Although we are able to provide for the basic living expenses for the teacher (rent, utilities, food, and other household expenses), we do not have sufficient funds to provide a full salary.

Teachers need to raise funds for health insurance, taxes, passports, visas, shots, travel expenses and other personal expenses such as school loans. Teachers will also probably want to have some spending money available for recreation, occasion travel opportunities, and souvenirs.

Many of our past teachers have raised funds from churches and individuals to provide for the personal expenses that are currently not provided by our team. As our teachers raise money, we can help them through the fund-raising process. Don't let the fear of fund-raising keep you from coming to Togo. God is good and has always provided for our teachers!

Q. What is the school setting like?

A. Please see our pictures and school video available on our website to get a personal glimpse of our 3 room school house. Our school house is complete with computers; all needed curriculum, teacher aids and supplies; library books, a basketball court, and a playground. We try to make it feel like a normal school setting so that one day, as our children return to the USA, the will make a comfortable transition into the American classroom.

Q. Can you give me more information about the children?

A. During the 2006/2007 school year, we will have 6 children in grades K-6. We need at least one teacher for these children and would pray that God provides us with two. As far as our children go, we are biased; however, we have had confirmation from all of our teachers that our children are all good students. They all love school and are still young enough to think their teachers hung the moon:)

Q. What is considered acceptable dress for teachers?

A. Women: In the local community, we ask that women teachers wear skirts, dresses, or long skorts. There are times when shorts are appropriate in public—beaches, pools, exercise in town, etc. At home and at the school, the woman can wear modest shorts (approaching knee length). When around teammates, the expectation is for modest apparel. Pants, although growing in popularity in Togo, are still not considered modest apparel for women and should be reserved for team functions and other appropriate occasions. Although tank-tops and sleeveless shirts are fine in practically all settings, it is preferred that these be modest. Swimsuits are fine at pools and beaches.

Men: Shorts are appropriate in the home, at school, at team functions, and in most settings. Most church functions are best attended in pants. T-shirts, polos, and button shirts are all appropriate.

Q. What can a teacher do outside of the classroom?

A. We encourage our teachers to get out in the community. Living overseas is a unique opportunity few ever will have. We have had teachers learn some of the local language. Some teachers still have local friends they correspond with. We have a huge open market in town every Wednesday, which many of our teachers have enjoyed.

We also have a team day-off. Since many of the teammates are in the villages on Saturday, our normal day-off is Monday. Teammates often go to Lomé, the capital of Togo, for shopping and leisure. There are private beaches, hotel swimming pools, golf, and other activities available.

Sunday morning worship in the villages allows teachers to get a unique view of African rural life while worshiping God in another culture and language. The churches where we work are usually out in the bush although we do have a couple of more urban congregations. In addition to Sunday worship, our team has a weekly worship in English just for our team.

We hope that these questions and answers give you a little more information about our teacher position. Please look through all of the information in our website. Then, take some time to pray about the option to teach our children. Then, if you feel God's leading, please fill out the application (one for each person applying --even if married couples). Then, please return the application to us by email (address provided in the application). After receiving your information, we will let you know the date on which we will respond to our applicants.

Again, we are very thankful that you are interested. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us.