SPORTS WORK EXPERIENCE INTERNSHIP IN KNYSNA

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SPORTS WORK EXPERIENCE INTERNSHIP IN KNYSNA	SOUTH AFRICA
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This placement combines coaching in a variety of sports with gaining valuable work experience in a well set-up Sports School. You'll coach full time for the underprivileged community, as well as assisting in the management and running of the school and possibly playing for various teams based at the school.

Areas you'll be involved in include Sports Administration & Management, Organising Sports Events, Sports Development and Grounds Management, amongst others. The experience you gain on this internship will be an excellent entry into your CV, making you stand out in the crowd of job seekers.

PLACEMENT OVERVIEW

Location: Knysna, on the Garden Route
Start dates: Available all year round, subject to school term dates. You choose your start date
Duration: From 2 weeks to 12 weeks or longer, subject to visa requirements
Requirements: No qualifications required, but you should have enthusiasm and a good knowledge of your sport. Minimum age 17.
Compensation: Unpaid
Price: £995 for 2 weeks, ranging to £2,995 for 12 weeks. Full Price List and other Currencies

What's included:
►Arranging the internship,
►Full pre-departure support and assistance,
►Payment Protection insurance
►Accommodation
►Food
►Meeting you at the nearest airport/station
►Transfer to your accommodation
►Transport to and from your project
►In-country team support and backup
►24-hr emergency support
►Certificate of Completion.

What's not included: Flights, travel insurance, cost of visa, return transfer to the airport.

The Sports School is situated in a beautiful location, overlooking the Knysna Lagoon. Being out in the fresh air and playing sports with such panoramic views is enjoyable, uplifting and quite unique! The School has excellent facilities, including a pavilion, cricket and hockey ground.

The School was established in 1992 as a sports promotional tool for the previously disadvantaged community. It provides term-time coaching to boys and girls and works closely with the children from the underprivileged community and townships.

As well as coaching, the school also organises a number of sports events which brings visiting teams to Knysna to play against local teams. These occasions are always lots of fun, ‘teaming’ with good, strong competitive spirit (pardon the pun!).

The mission statement of the sports school is: “The promotion of sportsmanship, fellowship and self-respect among children in Knysna through the medium of a healthy sporting ethos and environment, and the development of their skills in their chosen sport.”

WORK CONTENT:
You'll get involved in a number of different activities during the day. Apart from coaching, there are also aspects of sports administration and management, which the school needs assistance in, including:

Monthly sports festivals at the Sports School - schools from around the country come to take part in these festivals!
Matches between schools and clubs.
Matches for overseas touring sports teams.
Sports facility maintenance
General paperwork and administration

This Sports School is dedicated to the development programme which it implemented to help the underprivileged children in the community.

You will have the opportunity to coach and play a variety of sports, including: Archery, Bowls, Cricket, Cycling (mountain biking), Football, Golf, Hockey, Squash and Tennis. You can also get involved in a number of different roles:

Sports Administration & Management
Organising Sports Events
Sports Development
Grounds Management
Maintenance

ABOUT THE SPORTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME:
The Sports School has a well established sports development programme which aims to allow children from the surrounding townships to come to the facility and receive free coaching. They also have children from more affluent backgrounds attending the Sports School so there is a wonderful interaction and benefits for both groups

There are a number of qualified coaches at the school who you will be assisting, so if you're not a very experienced coach, or you lack confidence in your coaching skills, you can learn and develop your own abilities by working alongside these coaches. you can choose to coach one or more different sports and you can do a placement for any length of time, from two weeks upwards. The sports are divided into seasons as follows:

Summer (between October and April, with a long break in the middle from around 1st December to around 15th January) Archery, Bowls Cricket, Cycling, Golf and Tennis
Winter (April 10^th approx to 22^nd September approx) Archery, Bowls, Cycling, Football, Golf, Hockey, Squash and Tennis

During the start of the school year (February & March) you'll go into the township schools with the coaches to do talent spotting to identify children who have talent in a particular sport. These children are then encouraged to come to the sports school to receive coaching.

"Working at the sports school was a great way for me to learn how to coach in a professional environment and improving my coaching techniques as the coaches at the school really helped me and I in turn could help the children. The sports school is an excellent placement for those who want to really get stuck into sports full time coaching whilst learning new coaching techniques and playing sport." William Dawson

SCHOOL TERMS IN SOUTH AFRICA: Dates for the 2012 school terms (semesters) are given below.

Term 1: 11th Jan – 23rd March
Term 2: 10th April – 22nd June
Term 3: 16th July – 28th Sept
Term 4: 9th Oct – 7th Dec

Please note: You won't be able to coach sports during the school holidays, instead you will be involved in running the sports festivals for the Sports School.

PLAYING SPORTS:

As well as coaching sports, you may also have the chance to train (and possibly play) for the sports schools senior/men’s teams, if you're considered good enough. The sports school has teams in a number of sports. If you would like to compete and train in a specific sport, the dates for the different sports sessions are as follows:

Bowls: All year round
Cricket: January – mid March, and September - mid November
Tennis: April – end of May
Squash: April – mid September

This placement would suit someone who has a keen interest, not only coaching sports, but getting involved with the sports administration and management role as well. It is open to anyone who has, or intends to study sports.

This is a very professional and intense sports placement where you can really benefit by learning sports administration, management and coaching. At the same time you will also be providing a benefit to the poorer community through the sports development programme

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into Africa and the many diverse cultures in South Africa

The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and knowing that you made a difference to them.

New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

‘By the way, keep my details because I will certainly be going again. BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!!!!’
Ryan Hammond

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO WHILE ON THIS PROJECT:

5-DAY OR 7-DAY SAFARI from Cape Town up the renowned Garden Route: taking in Dolphin and Whale Spotting, visits to many tourist attractions, such as a visit to a brewery(!), the Bloukrantz Bungy Jump (reportedly the highest in the world), and a guided tour of the Cango Caves.
1 WEEK WHALES, SHARKS AND DOLPHINS Project: This is an extraordinary and exciting project in a beautiful location, surrounded by white beaches and blue ocean. And two hours from the world's third favourite city - Cape Town. What more could anyone want?
SURFING COURSES: In the buzz city of Durban.
PARAGLIDING COURSE: Soar over the impressively beautiful Drakensburg Mountain. You'll get a licence at the end of the course which qualifies you to do solo paragliding around the world.

FREE COACHING MANUALS
As a volunteer sports coach with Travellers, you have access to a large number of coaching manuals for each sport - these manuals have been produced in-house by our Sports Manager. These manuals are very useful and will help you to plan coaching sessions for your students

Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

Ryan Hammond – Sports Work Experience - Jan 09
'These children were completely awesome and they were very willing to help with everything at the athletics track I was at.’

Enhance your Programme with some exciting activities:

Ryan Hammond – Sports Work Experience - Jan 09
‘‘This one really puts my heart in my mouth, on the last day the kids would not let me leave until I had a photo with them and it was class!’

Dance & Music Projects South Africa, Cricket Work Internship, Internships in South Africa, Teach English South Africa, Marine Research Work Internship South Africa, Gap South Africa, Sports Coaching South Africa, Coach Sports in South Africa, Orphanage Care, Teaching in South Africa, Maintenance DIY Handyman Project South Africa, South Africa Journalism Internships, Study Abroad in South Africa

ACCOMMODATION AND TRAVEL

Knysna: For this project you will live in our volunteer house with other Travellers volunteers. You may either have your own room or will share a room with one or more other Travellers volunteers. It will depend on how many people are there at the same time that you are. This is a comfortable house with good facilities and a beautiful view of Knysna Lagoon. You will be provided with a food budget, so that you can buy your own groceries and cook and prepare your own meals at the house, this makes for a great social event.

When accommodation is limited, we occasionally place volunteers in a local Guest House which is very comfortable and convenient for access into town. Please note that occasionally the house that we use may change owing to availability.

There are several good, inexpensive steak houses and lots of good Chinese, Italian and other ethnic restaurants all over South Africa. Seafood, of course, is often fresh and plentiful.

"Thank you so much for all the time and effort you have put into making this a fantastic stay for us. We will never forget this experience!" Cat Dunlop and Liz Lunn

DISCOVER SOUTH AFRICA:
To enhance your cultural experience and to take advantage of exploring other regions of this vast, beautiful country, you can combine this project with many of our other projects.

TRAVEL:
To read about Travel arrangements and what happens when you arrive in your new country, please click here.

Support & Backup: To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.
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One of the Volunteer houses in Knysna

Monkeys in the garden of a volunteer house in Knysna

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Got any questions? Please email us: info@travellersworldwide.com

Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring Road, Worthing,
West Sussex, BN12 4AP, England
Tel: +44 (0)1903 502595 Fax: +44 (0)1903 708179
Email:info@travellersworldwide.com