This is a TOTAL SPORTS project! Coach one or more different sports - the
choice is yours...
For sports lovers everywhere there is no better way to volunteer then by
sharing your passion with equally enthusiastic children in China. This
is an excellent opportunity to coach with a professional international
organisation in the centre of Shanghai. You'll work at after school
clubs with children from all over the world, helping them to hone their
skills and perhaps even learning something yourself...
This project is quite unique in that you can teach many types of
sports. You can also get involved in any or all of these projects
and thus get a very broad and diversified experience while on your
placement.
You don't need any qualifications to do this project, just a knowledge of
the game and lots of enthusiasm.
If you feel more at home on a pitch or a pool than in a
classroom a structured and professional coaching placement with us in Shanghai
will certainly allow you to make your mark… and have a lot of fun in the
process!! For sports lovers everywhere there is no better way to
volunteer then sharing your passion with equally enthusiastic children in China.
You don’t need any qualifications just a love of sport and
an enthusiasm to share what you know.
Teaching through sports is valuable on many different
levels including social interaction and increasing confidence and self awareness
for the children. Sport promotes a natural feel-good factor and a healthy high.
By allowing these children to embrace sports and improve
their individual performance you give them direction which will have positive
roll over effects on the rest of their life.
In Shanghai, we work with an organisation that runs sports
projects for expatriate communities all over Shanghai, and it’s these children
that you will be coaching, not just Chinese students. That doesn’t just mean
children from Western countries however – kids come here from all over the
world, and you may find yourself teaching Chinese, Brazilian, Israeli, British,
Indonesian and Argentinean children in one class. It really is a truly
multicultural setting.
The children tend to be really well behaved and a joy to
work with, which is the prefect setting in which to improve your coaching
skills. The coaches are also professional and highly qualified – some of them
are ex international sportsmen and women, and so you’ll also be able to learn a
lot from them.
Most of them are also young, full of life and enthusiasm
for the sport they’re coaching, and it’s likely that you’ll also become friends
while on your placement. It’s a great opportunity to work within an
international and professional company, and live within an entirely Chinese
community – you’ll experience the best of both worlds.
All lessons are taught in English by their Full time
international staff, who are all qualified Physical Education coaches in
addition to being qualified in various specialist disciplines such as
Gymnastics, Trampolining, Soccer, Tennis or Swimming. All staff are CPR and St John’s First Aid qualified. These
are the coaches you’ll be working with on your project with Multisport. Their
guiding principal is to develop as many positive attitudes towards sport and
physical activity as possible and so instil a love of sport that lasts
throughout life.
Unless you have exceptional ability/qualifications, you
will start work as an assistant to one of the existing coaches. There may be the
opportunity to take classes on your own towards the end of your placement, but
you will more often than not spend your time assisting and working with existing
staff.
Why not combine your placement with a visit to the 2008 Olympic
Games in Beijing??!! Become a spectator at the games, see one of the world’s
most dynamic cities AND feel a part of the proceedings by coaching some of
the nation’s budding stars??? See
http://en.beijing2008.cn/ for the games’ English language website. You
can also volunteer at the games!
We work with an expatriate operated professional sports coaching company who
have been operating in Hong Kong for over twenty years and commenced operations
in Shanghai in January 2006. They work with international schools, clubs and
residences to provide a wide range of coaching programmes primarily for children
aged 3-12 years. Their lessons are taught in English by their Full time
international staff who are all qualified Physical Education coaches in addition
to being qualified in various specialist disciplines such as Gymnastics,
Trampolining, Soccer, Tennis or Swimming. All staff are CPR and St Johns First
Aid qualified. These are the coaches you’ll be working with on your project with
Multisport.
Their guiding principal is to develop as many positive attitudes towards sport
and physical activity as possible and so instil a love of sport that lasts
throughout life.
You will not be working with Chinese children on this placement. On this placement, we work with expatriate communities all over Shanghai,
and it’s these children that you will be teaching. That doesn’t just mean
children from Western countries however – kids come to us from all over the
world, and you may find yourself teaching Brazilian, Israeli, British,
Indonesian and Argentinean children in one class. It really is a truly
multicultural setting.
The children tend to be really well behaved and a joy to
work with, which is the prefect setting in which to improve your coaching
skills. The coaches you’ll be working with are also professional and highly
qualified – some of them are ex international sportsmen and women, and so you’ll
also be able to learn a lot from them. Most of them are also young, full of life
and enthusiasm for the sport they’re coaching, and it’s likely that you’ll also
become friends while on your placement. It’s a great opportunity to work within
an international and professional company, and live within an entirely Chinese
community – you’ll experience the best of both worlds.
Your work will take place in a mixture of centres,
schools and residential communities, which are mostly located in the Pu Dong New
Area, but there are some lessons which take place in Pu Xi. You’ll have to
travel to the various centres each day on public transport (further details
below).
You’ll work approximately 20 hours per week coaching, and
this will usually be spread over Monday-Friday and Saturday mornings. Usual
hours during the week are 3:45pm-7pm, as you’ll be working with children’s after
school clubs. Because of your working hours, you’ll have mornings free – the
ideal opportunity to learn Mandarin or get involved with some of our other extra
activities. If you haven’t combined your project already, speak to your Project
Co-Ordinator for opportunities to do so.
Groups vary in size, from very small (5 or so children)
to much larger. Whatever the group size, there will be adequate staff numbers,
and so you’ll always have the support you need. You’ll be coaching children of
ages 4-10. Unless you have exceptional ability/qualifications, you
will start work as an assistant to an existing coach. There may be the
opportunity to take classes on your own towards the end of your placement, but
you will more often than not spend your time assisting and working with existing
staff.
If you'd like to read more about the
Beijing Olympics, please go to the official website:
http://en.beijing2008.cn/ It's an excellent site and all the latest
news about everything to do with the event.
Additional Weekend Sports Options Information sheet about sports you can play or coach at the weekends
while on any project in Shanghai!
BASKETBALL
No qualifications required, but you must have a good knowledge and love of
the sport
Children benefit enormously from playing basketball,
developing valuable ball skills and coordination while learning team
cooperation. Our Basketball programme focuses on teaching the rules of
the game, introducing and developing skills and drills while building
children's confidence and fitness in a fun non pressure environment.
FOOTBALL
No qualifications required, but you must have a good knowledge and love of
the sport
The soccer programmes are specifically tailored to
children from 3 to 10 years of age. Our qualified Physical Education
coaches specialize in coaching young children and shall teach the
fundamentals of soccer through fun, age related ball skills drawn from
leading soccer platforms to develop the bread and butter of the game.
Specifically designed weighted balls are used for various age groups to
encourage passing, receiving shooting and dribbling. All lessons finish
with a group game to encourage participation, co-operation and
sportsmanship.
GYMNASTICS
No qualifications required, but you must have a good knowledge and love of
the sport
Gymnastics is an excellent physical activity encouraging
co-ordination, strength, agility and flexibility and is an invaluable
start to any child's education. Our Gymnastics project is a Recreational
programme for boys and girls from 3 year-old beginners to the advanced
junior gymnast covering fundamental skills such as travelling, balance
and jumping through to vaulting, floor and apparatus work.
Our gymnastics programme is endorsed to award the British
Gymnastics Badge Scheme which provides the opportunity for gymnasts to
achieve progressive awards. These award schemes are not only a great
incentive and motivator for participants, but also provide a systematic
approach to gymnastics. The following age groups give an indication of
class description although streaming of classes in line with ability and
awards shall take place particularly in the senior age groups.
MINI TENNIS
No qualifications
required, but you must have a good knowledge and love of the sport
You’ll be coaching mini-tennis – a version of tennis that
we run as a basic introduction to tennis for young children. Through the
use of specialist light weight equipment and a series of fun related
games and specifically designed exercises, children develop hand eye
coordination, movement patterns and motor skills essential to tennis and
many other sports.
The Mini-Tennis programme is designed for children
aged 4-10 years and structured around Lawn Tennis Association
Mini-Tennis guidelines whereby students are divided into 3 progressive
stages through which they should advance. This allows young tennis
players to play at a standard that suits their abilities along with
other children at a similar skill level. Each stage uses different size
racquets, specialist tennis balls and increasing court dimensions.
Quality, consistency and of course fun are the keys to progression.
SWIMMING
No qualifications required, but you must have a good knowledge and love of
the sport
Our swimming programme aims to teach the fundamentals of
water safety and develop the necessary skills to swim efficiently and
gracefully with confidence. Children may progress from Parent and Baby
classes through to swimming confidently in the four principal strokes
and will also have the opportunity to advance through the Amateur
Swimming Association badge award scheme. The National (U.K) Plan for
Teaching Swimming (NPTS) award schemes are not only a great incentive
and motivator for participants, but also provide international
assessment against clearly defined criteria. The following class
descriptions provide an indication of suitable level although streaming
of classes in line with ability and award level shall take place. All
current coaches are ASA or Aust-Swim qualified swim teachers.
TRAMPOLINING
No qualifications required, but you must have a good knowledge and love of
the sport
Trampolining is an exciting and fun way to develop and
improve strength, stamina and particularly coordination skills while
promoting good posture, body awareness and self confidence.
The trampolining programme follows the British Gymnastics Trampoline
Award Scheme that provides the opportunity for participants to achieve
progressive awards.
This ten level award scheme is not only a great incentive scheme but
also provides a systematic approach to trampolining. Safety is a primary
consideration and quality international trampoline and matting equipment
shall be used. Maximum of 6 students per class.
MULTI SPORT
No qualifications required, but you must have a good knowledge and love of sport in general
Multisport is the perfect programme to get
involved in if you don’t have a particular sporting skill, or if you
just adore them all!
This programme is one of
the coaching organisation’s most popular courses combining a wide range
of popular games and activities in an exciting environment aimed at
introducing children to a variety of different sports, while at the same
time receiving a thorough grounding in Physical Education essential for
their future development
During the courses, pre school age classes will have an emphasis on the
ABC's of sport – Agility, Balance and Co-ordination which form the
foundation of children's motor skills. Older children will have an
opportunity to participate in team and individual sports, enhancing key
skills and teamwork with an emphasis on developing positive attitudes to
physical activity in a fun yet challenging and rewarding environment.
FREE COACHING MANUALS AND SUBSCRIPTION TO COACHING WEBSITE
As a volunteer
sports coach with Travellers, we provide you with a
large number of coaching manuals for your placement. We also have arranged for you
to get a year’s free subscription to a Coaching website:
www.grassrootscoaching.com. With
this membership (which normally comes with a price tag
of £39.99), you automatically become a member of the International Coaches
Association (ICA) and join a community of coaches from over 65 countries.
The ICA is
rapidly growing into one of the largest coaching organizations in the world.
This subscription will allow you access to over 4,000 pages of the best
interactive, online soccer and football coaching information.
Although
they deal mainly with soccer/football, the coaching principles are the same for
all sports and will be helpful for you in teaching any sport. This
excellent resource should hopefully be able to give
you a few tips that will benefit both you and the children that you’ll be
coaching, and enable you to gain the maximum enjoyment from your placement.
FOOD & ACCOMMODATION
On this project you'll live at a Travellers Flat in Shanghai while on
your placement. The flat is typical Shanghai style and all the Work
Experience Volunteers live here together. The flat accommodates 5 people
maximum.
The flat has two bedrooms, one of
which is also often used as a lounge room, depending on how many
volunteers are living in it at the time you're there.
Owing to the vast population and shortage of space
in towns and cities, it is common practice in China that flats and
houses have no one room dedicated to be used as a lounge, so one of the
bedrooms is frequently used as a place to gather.
The Travellers flat also has a kitchen with washing
facilities and a bathroom.
You will eat lunch and dinner at the
hotel, and be provided with a meal budget for breakfast. You can buy
breakfast from one of the many delicious restaurants around the flat, or
prepare it yourself in the flat's kitchen!
EXTRA SPORTS YOU CAN TAKE PART IN WHILE ON YOUR PLACEMENT
Whilst on your placement you also have the opportunity to get involved in a
number of social sport teams in Shanghai or do some extra coaching with
children on the weekend. We have links to a number of sports teams that will
allow you to play, train and possibly coach children at various clubs. The
sports that you can get involved in at the weekend are:
Aussie Rules
Cricket
Gaelic Football
Rugby
Touch Rugby
Ultimate Frisbee
The clubs tend to be more on a social level than a serious coaching
placement. However, you can have a lot of fun coaching and playing with
them, and it’ll provide you with a really good way to meet the local and
local expat community as well as keep up your skills.
If you would like to take advantage of any of these opportunities, please
contact your project co-coordinator, ideally before you come out to
Shanghai. This is because we need to send your details over to the clubs for
confirmation that you can join during your project.
If you want more information on any of the sports in particular, just get in
touch with us.
YOUR QUALIFICATIONS
Don’t worry
about not having any coaching qualifications; but if you do you can put them
into good useon this placement. The whole idea of
Travellers is to provide coaching help wherever possible. The emphasis is on
helping the children to nurture their natural talents into making them
better players as well as giving them a better understanding of the sport.
The most important thing is to be
flexible, enthusiastic and eternally patient. You’ll need to like kids and
have a LOT of energy to get the most out of this placement, but if you do,
you can’t really go wrong. Bring a big smile and lots of enthusiasm!
However, if you do have
qualifications/awards etc in the sport you’re coaching, please let us know,
as you may be able to get involved in additional activities or even coach
groups on your own after a while. It’s also beneficial to research
around your placement by reading up about coaching and sports / activities
you will likely encounter during your placement.
Please don’t forget – You can write to us, telephone our office (+ 44 (0)
1903 502595), or email us at
info@travellersworldwide.com if you
have any questions.
TRAVEL
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the
same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other
volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up
before leaving for your placement.
VISAS:. We'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and make the process very easy for you.
You will fly into Shanghai, where you'll be
met by our Shanghai Organiser or one of her staff. From the
airport you'll be taken to your school and introduced to your
hosts.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our
volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination
country.
Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa
and the level of your air ticket,
of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get
a changeable ticket.
We can also arrange your flight
dates
to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a
fascinating and wondrous country!
PRICES
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in China, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
