TEACHING: Challenging Projects with Underprivileged Communities around the World

Teach your choice of subject to children and adults, usually in the poorer section of society, in Schools, Orphanages, Social Care Centres, Crèches. Children’s Homes, and more, and always with the objective of helping the local community. You’ll benefit the children and also gain valuable skills and experience yourself. Your help is always appreciated because  the schools generally have a lack of teachers, high illiteracy rates and poor funding. Teaching the children is hugely satisfying, a high feel-good factor!

You don't need any qualifications to teach. We have teaching projects in many countries, the hardest part is choosing! If you'd like any help, guidance or advice, please contact us by phone, Skype or email. We're here to help you. If you're a teacher taking a break, you may like to know that many schools regard our teaching programmes as professional development, and that this may be used in appraisals or performance management interviews. Read How my Teaching Placement in Sri Lanka helped me get my PGCE.

Make a difference ... get involved!

GHANA

• Teach Conversational English in the capital city of Accra. You can also teach most academic subjects - in fact, almost anything you have good knowledge about)

• Teach IT and Computer related activities

• Summer Camp: Have fun with the kids and at the same time teach them English, games, sports, arts/crafts, drama/music, magic, face-painting ... and more.

• Coach Sports to children in poor schools with little or no equipment - challenging but very rewarding.

KENYA

• Teach Conversational English in Mombasa on the coast with its golden beaches.

• Teach most academic subjects - in fact, almost anything you have good knowledge about!

• Teach IT and anything related to Computers

• Coach Swimming: Despite being on the coast with lots of beaches, most children can't swim. You can help them stay safe.

MOROCCO

• Teach Underprivileged Children In Errachidia You'll work with children from 13 to 18 years old  who will benefit enormously from your help! You will be teaching them English that they wouldn't have the chance to learn otherwise!

MOZAMBIQUE

• Teaching, Community Development & Home Building Project: A very worthwhile and satisfying project, which has a very tropical feel involving various aspects of teaching, community and development work in and around the coastal town of Vilanculos.

SOUTH AFRICA

• Teach Conversational English - Choose from a number of locations that are very different to each other, some with a tremendous cultural experience and others with a buzzing social environment.

• Teach most academic subjects - in fact, almost anything you have good knowledge about)

• Teach at a Deaf School in Cape Town that caters for partially and fully deaf children. Your help and support are appreciated by everyone, but mostly by the children! The school is very poor with a few classrooms, library and a hall.

• Teach IT and anything related to Computers in a school located in Knysna on the Garden Route. This is a very sociable placement.

• Teach Design Technology in Knysna on the Garden Route

• Teach Music, Dance and Drama and inspire the poor township children. Located in the holiday resort of Knysna

• Coach Sports Choose from a number of locations that are very different to each other, some with a tremendous cultural experience and others with a buzzing social environment..

ZAMBIA

• Conversational English in Livingstone, a location very close to the awesome Victoria Falls - a must-see attraction!

• Teach Orphans at a very poor school that needs as much support from volunteers as possible. Children's ages range from 7 to 19. You can also teach other academic subjects, as well as Sports. A worthwhile, enjoyable placement.

CAMBODIA

• Teach Poor Children in Angkor Wat in Siem Reap: Teach at an NGO school near Cambodia’s most popular national treasure, Angkor Wat. You can teach English, Music, Sports, Drama and Healthcare.

• Teach Deserving Children in Beautiful Sihanoukville Work with children from 3 years old upwards. By doing this project, you’ll also be providing 3 very poor children with FREE education! This is an excellent and very rewarding project. No qualifications required.

CHINA

• Teach Conversational English in vibrant Beijing OR in the lesser known and delightful city of Yangzhou.

• Teach Visually Impaired Children: in Beijing and help them to improve their English and pronunciation. A wonderfully satisfying project.

• Teach Drama, Music and/or Dance: A fantastic opportunity to really become part of a professional Arts and Drama school in the centre of China's Capital City!

INDIA

• Teach Conversational English, Art or IT and combine with Music, Drama, French, Arts and Crafts. An extremely rewarding project based in the fascinating town of Madurai in the South of India!

• Teaching Drama to School Children: A very satisfying project where you can watch their confidence grow as they learn and develop new skills.

MALAYSIA

• Teach Conversational English in a rural(ish) village on the island of Borneo in the South China Sea

NEPAL

• Teach English to Underprivileged Children in Bhaktapur - Teach English and other subjects to children at a range of schools and districts in Nepal from 2 weeks to 3 months! Nepal is a very diverse country - filled with stunning landscape, diverse climatic zones and endless sights to explore.

SRI LANKA

• Teach Conversational English to very poor children in Ja-Ela on the West Coast of Sri Lanka

• Teach Conversational English to village community children in Rural Wasgamuwa - A truly Cultural Sri Lankan Experience!

• Coach Football in poor schools with little or no equipment - challenging and yet satisfying.

THAILAND

• Conversational English in the rural village of Muak Lek in this exotic country. You can also teach some other subjects, if you wish.

AUSTRALIA

• Teaching English to Children in beautiful Perth, including some refugee children from war-torn countries.

• Coach Sports in schools in Perth. Many different sports to choose from, or you can coach a mixture of different sports. You may also get involved in teaching as well, giving you a varied experience.

NEW ZEALAND

• Teach English in buzzing Auckland. You'll work with small groups of children and possibly some one-to-one with children who need extra help. A very enjoyable and worthwhile project!

• Coach various different Sports to underprivileged children in schools in Auckland and you'll probably also have the opportunity to play with a local club.

ARGENTINA

• Teach Conversational English in schools, orphanages and social centres in the cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires. You can work with children, single mothers and adults who need your help. A very satisfying placement.

BRAZIL

• Teach Conversational English in Rio any one or more of a variety of subjects to children or adults in pulsating Rio de Janeiro.

• Teach Conversational English in Foz in this hot tropical paradise to deserving children and adults who need your help!

• Teach Art, Drama or Music to children or adults in pulsating Rio de Janeiro.

• Crèche Projects in Rio de Janeiro. A very deserving project with adorable young children

ECUADOR

• Teach Conversational English in Quito plus subjects like Music and Drama in a wonderful school for 5 - 14 year olds in beautiful Quito.

• Teach Conversational English in the Galapagos Island, one of the most fantastic places on the planet! A truly amazing experience! Your work will be very varied - you can help teach English to children between the ages of 4 and 11 years old, and if you have any special interests (Art, Music or Sports, for example) you could assist in these areas too! The school also has facilities for disabled children and you could help with any of three disabled classes.

About Teaching...

Anyone can do these projects, from 17 to 70+, and from any country. You don't need any qualifications and we provide you with a Teaching Guide which we have had written especially to help you plan lessons and give you ideas of topics.

Your main resource will be the fact that you're a foreigner. The children will bombard you with questions about your home town, your family, your school (or ex school) and they'll want to know all about famous places in your country.

You'll teach in classes and sometimes informally outside the classroom. Teaching usually takes place in State schools but we do have some private schools as well. We also sometimes work in orphanages and crèches, or in teaching centres.

Class sizes can vary, depending on school and country. Your teaching hours can range from 5 to 20 hours per week, usually over 5 days but occasionally over 6, depending on the school.  You will be expected to prepare lesson outlines, but the Principal and teachers will help you with this.

How your teaching benefits the children:

Your teaching will help the children in so many ways, and they want to learn because they know that the end result will be greater opportunities in life for them, whether career-wise or, for the luckier ones, possibly getting into a better university.

Travellers also makes donations to most of our poorer schools (and also some that we don't work directly with). Sometimes we sponsor the children's education by paying their school fees, or we provide money directly to the school. We also buy necessities, such as food, books, uniforms, computers and other teaching aids for the kids.

And this is only possible because our volunteers have chosen to do a voluntary project with us!

And what do you gain? You will gain valuable skills during your placement, or improve the skills you already have. You'll get experience in how to interact with children and yet retain authority, a boost to your confidence, and the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a huge difference to the children and their abilities.

As one of our volunteers said, "I'm a teacher by profession and every year I go on a Travellers project to teach children in disadvantaged countries. Why? Because they want to learn! Do you know how good it is to teach children who want to learn? It refreshes my spirit and reminds me why I joined the teaching profession in the first place."

Nervous about standing in front of a class and teaching for the first time?

We also provide you with a Teaching Suggestions Guide which we've put together for our volunteers. It is packed with guidelines to help you plan lessons and has many examples and ideas for topics and games to use in class to help the children gain confidence in using English. 

"So far so good. I've just had the most incredible day. The warmth I was given by the children and staff was quite something. Don't think the kids had seen anything like me before. They either pointed and smiled or just came up and hugged me. A number of them asked me if I was a pop star!" Adrian Tate, teaching in South Africa

TEFL WEEKEND COURSES WITH CERTIFICATION:

"From the first day onwards we enjoyed every day of our stay. The atmosphere at the school is very nice and we really feel part of the community." Augusta and Carlijn on their teaching placement in Southern India