What's the context and purpose of the role?

We urgently require the skills of a qualified and experience Land Surveyor to instruct students in Asmara, Eritrea. You'll teach all aspects of theoretical and practical surveying to students aged 17-22. Your technical skills will support our efforts of providing practical and useful skills to help students gain employment after the course.

Job summary

• Daily teaching of theory and practical surveying lessons.
• Continue to develop teaching materials and provide learning on areas such as: Introduction to surveying, surveying field notes, measurements of horizontal distances, introduction to level and theodolite, angular measurements, levelling, tachometric survey & traverse survey.
• Make ample use of the workshop using both areas for theory instruction and practical demonstrations. There is a good surveying work shop with mechanical levelling instruments, electronic and mechanical theodolites and some surveying software like AutoCAD, eagle point and total station
• Ensure students are given practical training and are able to operate classical and modern instruments and surveying software.
• Promote the idea of learning for practical use post-graduation, with the aim of producing technicians out of the students who will go on to become engineer assistants.
• Take the students to organisations that have Global Positioning System (GPS) to allow the students to see how GPS is used in practical terms.

What skills, experience and personal qualities are needed for the role?

You'll have a minimum of a City & Guilds Craft Certificate or General National Vocational Qualification Certificate in the field of surveying. You'll also need three years of practical experience especially in land surveying and some building surveying experience. You'll need experience such as on site data collection and plotting as well as computerised planning. You'll need to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills to adequately convey your lessons to your students and keep them involved. You'll need to be able to be flexible when things inevitable go wrong (!) and adaptable to a completely new way of working and living. You'll also need to be ready for the most exciting job of your career!

And the rest…

Sierra Leone borders Liberia to the southeast, the Republic of Guinea to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. The people of Sierra Leone are naturally very friendly and accommodating and greeting is part of Sierra Leonean culture. When meeting people you know, it is polite to enquire about their, and their family's well being in great detail! You'll be based in Lakka, a seaside village just 30km drive from the Capital Freetown. At Lakka, there are a number of small bars and restaurants on a wide sandy beach. Nearby Freetown is known for it's beautiful scenery and natural beaches and boasts a wide range of shops, markets and leisure facilities.

We'll ask you to commit to 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we'll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local salary, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends. www.vso.org.uk/volunteering

To apply please go to http://www.vso.org.uk/volunteering/stepthree/ and complete our online application form or call us on 0208 780 7500 to request a paper application form.