You'll work in a school in Cape Town that has
many children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and poorer parts
of the community. Your help and support are appreciated by everyone, but
mostly by the children! General facilities at the schools are somewhat
limited although the school does have computer facilities and so would
also very much appreciate the help of volunteers with computer
experience!
►SUMMARY
FACTFILE
Start Dates
All year round (subject to school
terms/semesters) - you choose your start and finish dates.
Duration
Minimum stay 2 weeks and up to 1 year, subject to visa
requirements
Requirements
No qualifications needed, just a
big dose of enthusiasm for conservation and the outdoors.
Price
From £795 for 2 weeks, ranging to £2,495 for 12 weeks.
Full Price List
What's included
►Accommodation
►Food
►Meeting you at the Airport
►Transfer to your accommodation
►Full pre-departure support
►Local in-country team support
and backup
►24-hr emergency support
►Two
free T-shirts.
What's not included
Flights, Insurance,
Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and
assistance),
transport to and
from the projects, return transfer to
the airport.
Who can do this Project?
All our projects are
open to all nationalities.
Unless otherwise stated, you need to be aged between 17 and 70+
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Our teaching project is located in a suburb, called Observatory,
situated at the bottom of Devil’s Peak (so named because of its shape).
This peak makes up the left-hand formation of the famous Table Mountain,
so named ‘tablecloth’ of clouds that cascade down its slopes. The view
of the peak from the school is quite spectacular.
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!
WORK CONTENT: Our Cape Town teaching placement is located in one of the Southern
Suburbs called Observatory and is conveniently positioned only a 10
minute walk from your accommodation. Cape Town has everything to offer with its
stunning beaches, great surf, penguins, great nightlife and of course
Table Mountain!
The average class size is between 28 and 40 and sometimes
classes will be split into smaller groups when you are teaching and more
often than not you will be needed to take small groups of children or
individuals out of the class and work with them privately.
Classes tend to last between 30 - 60 minutes. Standards are generally
very high and the enthusiasm of the students and colleagues more than
makes up for any hardships they may experience.
Observatory Primary mainly caters for the poorer African children that
come from the township areas of Cape Town. These are the most needy and
make up 98% of the school's children. You can also coach sports as well
as English teaching and language enrichment, music, art or any other
subject that you have particular knowledge in.
Observatory Junior is a multi-cultured and racial school and mainly has
children at the school between 5 - 13 years of age. English is not the
children's mother tongue, but their general standard of language is
about Fair to Good.
The school also runs the SHINE Centre – (Support and Help In Education).
This is a volunteer programme with local and international volunteers
who assist their learners with numeracy and literacy. This Centre has
been running for approximately 4 years and is fully sponsored.
Volunteers interact with learners on a one-to-one basis according to the
times and days that the volunteers are available. They interact with the
same learner/s throughout the year.
This is an excellent outreach programme and they always welcome new
volunteers to give their assistance. You will have the opportunity to
get involved in this programme if you wish to, in addition to the main
stream teaching programme. The students have a never-ending enthusiasm
and energy, which is amazing considering the hardships they may
experience at home.
“I loved the teachers and the children there, and felt very much at
home. Teaching art in afternoons was excellent, I loved having the
freedom and responsibility of looking after my own class and arranging
the lessons myself, planning and providing lessons and materials that
otherwise the children wouldn’t have access to."
Hannah Cooke
SCHOOL TERMS IN SOUTH AFRICA:
Dates for the 2010 school terms (semesters) are given
below.
Term 1: 13th Jan – 26th Mar
Term 2: 12th Apr – 9th June
Term 3: 13th Jul – 23rd Sept
Term 4: 4th Oct – 10th Dec
Dates for the 2011 school terms (semesters) are
given below.
Term 1: 19th Jan – 1st April
Term 2: 11th April – 24th June
Term 3: 18th July – 30th Sept
Term 4: 10th Oct – 9th Dec
Teaching is not available during school
holidays, so if you're planning to participate in a placement, please
take the above school term dates into account when planning the timing
of your project. On the other hand, if a holiday falls during your
proposed placement, you could use this time to do any independent
travelling and sightseeing. This is the choice that most of our
volunteers make to gain some additional experience and knowledge of the
region or, indeed, the country.
If you're a little unsure about the idea
of standing in front of a class and teaching, you can,
before you leave, enroll in a
1-day
intensive open teacher training course (optional) to help you teach if you
have no previous experience and would like to gain a little
teaching knowledge.
Nervous about going somewhere new?
Or about teaching?
Read Adrian Tate's description
of his arrival
in South Africa to teach Sports.
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?
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.
Volunteer Andrew getting squashed in a crowd of
children
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
OPTIONAL ADD-ONS
ACCOMMODATION AND LIVING IN CAPE TOWN
Nestled under the mountain near the
city, is the trendy and arty suburb of Observatory, the student Mecca of Cape
Town. We have chosen this location as an accommodation base and make use of 33
South Backpackers Lodge, where you will be staying. It’s distance from the
projects, safety conscious attitude and very friendly staff make this the ideal
home away from home.
33South is not just a backpacker’s lodge, it’s an experience! With secure
access, 24hr managers on duty, they uphold a very high safety and security
standard. The night manager is also a lovely welcome ‘home’ after a night out...
and bakes fresh muffins for your breakfast!
The staff are very friendly and will always help you where needed. They can
answer any questions and can even help when you need some TLC because you feel a
bit homesick!
33South has differently themed rooms from the township vibe to old Victorian and
even a ‘harbour’ room complete with seagulls and fishing motifs. Hotel-quality
bedding is provided and towels are available on request. The rooms are serviced
once a week and lined/bedding is changed.
The back of the house has a beautiful palm-tree covered terrace, where you can
soak up the sunshine and enjoy a real South African “BRAAI” (BBQ). There is even
a private bar, chill-out room where live musicians play on Friday nights!
The lodge is also situated in the heart of Observatory and a short stroll away
from a large supermarket, internet café, pharmacy and Laundromat. The perfect
home away from home.
Food: A healthy self-serve breakfast of cereals, toast and tea/coffee is
included every morning, and you will be given a food allowance to buy your own
food for lunch/dinner. The lodge is also equipped with a self-catering kitchen,
with all the necessities to cook a good meal.
PLEASE
NOTE: The World Cup kicks off in June 2010 in
Cape Town and accommodation surcharges WILL apply during this period. We can
advise you on the extra cost closer to the time.
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?
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.
TRAVEL:
You'll fly into Cape Town where you'll be met at the airport by one of
our staff. From the
airport you'll be taken to your work and your accommodation and introduced to your
hosts. You'd be well advised to prepare yourself
for an almost overwhelmingly friendly welcome!
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 Limited, ATOL No. 6856.
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: For many nationalities, visas are not required for a stay of 90
days or less. If you’re not sure whether you need a visa or not, please visit
http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/visa_schedule.asp
to see whether your country is exempt. If you do need a visa, we will assist you
and help make the visa process as easy as possible.
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.
To read about the excellentSupport
& Backup we provide before you leave and during
your programme,
please click here.
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!
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
.
