Program history and overview

Since 2010, we have sent recent Michigan graduates (one or two at a time) to Bucharest, Romania to teach English as a second language at Laude-Reut, a private K-12 Jewish school in the heart of the capital city. While the contract runs for one year (September through August), all program participants to date have decided to stay longer.While contracts run for 12 paid months, summers and holidays typically amount to extended periods off, amounting to about 2 months, allowing candidates plenty of time to explore Europe.

Laude-Reut leadership is well-versed in the training of new teachers. Friendship Program teachers will receive ample onboarding and continuing classroom support.Salaries, to be discussed in more detail during interviews, are exceptional by Romanian standards. The school provides housing free of charge (typically very central in the city of Bucharest) and coordinates the legalities of working and living as a foreigner in Romania.While many Friendship Program teachers have been English or Education majors, or have had classroom experience, none of these things are a prerequisite for application.

Tova Ben-Nun Cherbis

Tova Ben Nun-Cherbis is the President and Founder who began her work in 1997 to revive Jewish education in Romania. She is dedicated to providing young people with excellent education in a professional, multicultural, and supportive environment, fostering both academic discipline and self-confidence as part of the Lauder-Reut school community.