Teach at a school in the largest city in New Zealand, Auckland. You will be teaching at a school where the children are from underprivileged countries and communities. Many of the children come from different backgrounds and countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia and the South Pacific islands.

You will work as an assistant teacher, helping small groups of children in a variety of subjects. You may also be asked to work one-to-one with some of the children who particularly need help. This close interaction and undivided attention from you plays a very beneficial part in helping to raise their standards of education. This is a very worthwhile project that will give you lots of personal satisfaction.

Veronica van der Straaten, Deputy Principal, says: "2007 saw the start of our association with Travellers Worldwide. We had three volunteers work in our school, mainly listening to children read and assisting with our physical education and sports programmes. This year we have six volunteers for two months. At the start of the year with our busy swimming programme they have been welcomed with open arms. I cannot speak more highly of their commitment and dedication to our school and the children. They are making such a difference.'

►SUMMARY FACTFILE
Start Dates	All year round - you choose your start and finish dates! Placements may be subject to school terms and sports seasons
Duration	From 4 weeks to 1 year, subject to visa requirements. .
Requirements	No qualifications or experience required, but you must have a very good knowledge of your sport and lots of enthusiasm!.
Price	From £1,295 for 4 weeks, ranging to £2,295 for 12 weeks. Full Price List and other Currencies
What's included	►Accommodation ►Meeting you at the Airport ►Transfer to your accommodation ►Full pre-departure support ►Local in-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support  ►Free T-shirt.
What's not included	Flights, Food, Insurance, Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and assistance), Transport to and from your project, Return transfer to the airport.
Who can do this Project?	All projects are open to all nationalities. You need to be 18 or over to participate in this project

PROJECT OVERVIEW
You will be working at a school in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Auckland is known as the city of sails and is surrounded by beautiful islands and extinct volcanoes. There is a shortage of teachers in New Zealand so you'll really be able to help make a difference here.
 
You will work as an assistant to the main teacher and will get involved in a variety of subjects. We are working with several school in Auckland that are all “low decile” schools. Some of the school has a large number of ethnic children who are classed as the under-privileged community in Auckland. There are children from many different communities and countries at the school such as children from the Maori communities and from countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Tonga and Samoa. These children generally come from lower socio-economic areas of Auckland.

"As a trained teacher in America I was interested to see how other county's education systems are run and I was immediately taken in and accepted as part of the “family”. I got to spend time in 6 different classrooms a week working with children of different ages and abilities. I learned more about education and myself than I could have expected and I have Travellers to thank for that. I would have never done something like this and got the wonderful experience I did without this program. I made long lasting relationships with some staff members and the children really touched my life. I can't wait to get back to my classroom in America and use some of the techniques I learned in New Zealand!" Andrea Mangione

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into New Zealand and you'll learn about the Maori culture that makes this country so fascinating!

• The enormous satisfaction of also 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!

"Annette was amazing, she made us feel so at home and was always there if we needed her. She went above and beyond, we all loved her" Amy Elizabeth Smiles – teaching in New Zealand

YOUR WORK
You will have the opportunity to work one-to-one and in small groups with the children to really give them the attention they need. Class sizes vary between 20 and 30 children in each class and you will be teaching children between the ages of 4 and 17. As an assistant teacher at the school you will be involved in a number of different subjects, such as:

• Sports

• Music

• Drama

• Math

• Art

• Geography

• History

• English

• ... and possibly other academic subjects.

If you'd like to teach a specific subject that is not listed here, please let us know and we'll arrange it for you.

Thanks from a School Principal to Travellers' NZ Organiser:
"Hi Annette, Just a quick note so say how much the staff enjoyed having Jennie and Delyth and are still enjoying having Adria. They all fitted in really quickly and have been a tremendous help to us.  As well as helping children read, assist in class and so on, we had a new child arrive who was very needy and Jennie and Delyth were able to work with him separately at different times while we were trying to organize support. This meant the teacher was assisted greatly and could concentrate more on the rest of the children. Just wanting to pass on all the school's thanks for the volunteers and hope there are many more to come. Kind regards, Diana Tregoweth"

PROJECT DATES AND TEACHING TIMES:
The school dates for 2012 are:

• Term 1: 30th Jan / 7th Feb – 5th April       

• Term 2: 23rd April – 29th June       

• Term 3: 16th July – 28th Sept       

• Term 4: 15th Oct – 20th Dec    

The school dates for 2013 are as follows:

• Term 1: 28th Jan / 7th Feb – 19th April       

• Term 2: 6th May – 12th July       

• Term 3: 29th July – 27th Sept       

• Term 4: 14th Oct – 20th Dec  

The lessons you'll teach generally last for 40 minutes and the school day runs from around 8:55 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The length of your working day will be around 4 to 5 hours of teaching and preparing for your lessons.  

REQUIREMENTS:
Within New Zealand Law it is compulsory for all volunteers who work with children to undergo a police check. These checks are done to ensure the safety of children in New Zealand.

The checks are a simple process and we will provide you with all the details of what identity you need to take with you. On your arrival in Auckland, our New Zealand manager will complete the checks with you and take you through the process. As soon as you have registered, you'll be allowed to start working with children.

The fee for the checks is included in your project price and we will ensure that you have all the relevant information before you come to New Zealand.

The school that you'll work with in Auckland has a real variety of children from different countries and backgrounds

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

RUGBY WORLD CUP IN NEW ZEALAND
9 September to 23 October

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

'As the day begins there are screams and laughter coming from the school pool as children at 9.15 a.m. plunge into the cold depths and race around trying to get warm. Meantime in the music room nearby the music teacher is setting up instruments in front of each eager face as the music lesson for a junior class is about to commence. As you walk around the school you notice one or two groups of children reading to an adult while busily in class children are learning, with the help of the adults in the room. In the office area children who are running late are having their names recorded in the absence register, while the telephone rings and a parent with a new five year old waits patiently to have his/her child enrolled. In the resource room volunteers, teacher aides and a parent stamp and bind new books ready to be categorised and to be put onto the shelves ready for teachers to use. In classrooms children are reading, writing, and/or working on their maths.

This is the start of a typical day at Owairaka Primary School situated in the central city district of Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand.  A busy multicultural school with 320 children, some of whom were born in New Zealand, many of whom have English as a second language or have parents from non- English speaking backgrounds, some are refugees.  As  you look around the classes and playgrounds there is a vision of the United Nations with Ethiopian, Somalian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island, English, Maori,  European children, and many more cultures, intermingling, playing and learning together.

At the swimming pool, while the class teacher is instructing a group on how to use arm strokes to swim, a volunteer is working with a group of children teaching them how to float. In the music room another volunteer assists the music teacher with her programme, encouraging and assisting the youngest children. The adult listening to the small group of children read is a volunteer from England. He realises the importance of his role because for some of these children reading to a parent to whom English is a second language is difficult. In the office another volunteer is typing up a policy document that is needed for the next Board of Trustees meeting while her friend is working in the resource room, stamping and taping new readers for classes to use. In a year 3 and 4 class, the last volunteer is working alongside a child who needs help to write his news for the day while the class teacher helps the other children.

We are very fortunate at our school. This term we have had the benefit of having six extra adults in our school. They are making a difference! Two of the volunteers from Travellers Worldwide are assisting our music specialist; all of the volunteers are involved with classes so there are at least two adults at the pool at any one time teaching the children to swim. All of our volunteers have children who read to them daily and from last year’s testing we know this has and does make a difference to their learning progress. At lunchtime we have volunteers supervising the free swim time as well as taking the school cricket and softball teams. One of our volunteers works in the library for part of the day binding books and assisting children in the selection of books. All of our volunteers work alongside children in classes at some time during the day. There is variety in their programme and their strengths and interests are utilized.

2007 saw the start of our association with Travellers Worldwide. We had three volunteers work in our school, mainly listening to children read and assisting with our physical education and sports programmes. This year we have six volunteers for two months. At the start of the year with our busy swimming programme they have been welcomed with open arms. I cannot speak more highly of their commitment and dedication to our school and the children. They are making such a difference.'  Veronica van der Straaten Deputy Principal

Front view of the Hostel


Dining area of the Hostel

You'll live in a centrally located hostel that is friendly and relaxing, making it ideal for long-term stays. You will be sharing a room with other volunteers. There is a communal kitchen and storage area for cooking meals and plenty of space to relax.

Entertainment at your accommodation includes cheap internet access, TV and free pool table. You are literally a stroll from the Sky Tower, harbor and waterfront. Accommodation is very central and close to the main train station and shopping district. Buses are also only a few minutes away to take you to parts of Auckland and New Zealand or to the many other ‘things to do’!

Food is not provided on this project, but Auckland has restaurants to suit all tastes - the most popular cuisine is New Zealand lamb which can be ordered at many restaurants around the city and is well worth it. For meals in local restaurants, a trip to Auckland's inner city centre is well worth the effort - it bustles with activity and offers a range of choices of restaurants. 

The city centre boasts great shopping, restaurants and pubs or head over to the viaduct for more pubs, nightclubs and multicultural cuisine. You'll get to work via bus, which is close to your accommodation.

Maori settlement in Auckland was at least 800 years ago where by different tribes built there fortifications on the various volcanoes in Auckland. When the British arrived in 1840 they claimed Auckland as the capital city of New Zealand until Wellington became the capital 25 years later.The city is modern and vibrant - a fun and friendly with beautiful surrounding islands and harbour.

Some of its more famous attractions include the sky tower, Rangitoto island, the harbor, theHauraki gulf islands and the many extinct volcanoes that are in Auckland which provide great views of the city.

You will fly into Auckland where you'll be met by our local organiser. From the airport you'll be taken to your accommodation. Several days later, once you have settled in and recovered from the flight, you will be introduced to the staff on your project.

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.

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.

VISAS: We will liaise with you about specific requirements, if any, and make the Visa process very easy. 

To read about the excellent Support & 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!