kindergarten China
| country: | China |
| departures: | Departures can be arranged anytime throughout the year |
| price: | From £695 (2 weeks) - £1695 (12 weeks) excluding flights. Extra weeks are £95 per week |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
If you can't get enough of the energy and zest for life of little ones, join us at Shanghai Happy Kindergarten! This placement requires no qualifications and would suit anyone who has a lot of energy and enjoys the company of younger children. The name says it all really… you’ll be working at the Shanghai Happy Kindergarten, which is located in the South of Shanghai. Whether you want to work in early years education, or if you'd just rather teach English at a more basic level, this project is the one for you.
You'll be teaching and caring for younger children from ages 0-6 - bring a big smile and your creativity... Happy Kindergarten is located in a large and colourful building and you can feel the fun atmosphere as soon as you walk into the entrance hall. Your work will mostly focus around teaching the children some basic English through games, songs, stories and other fun activities. You may also be asked to help out in caring for the children (ie accompanying them to the toilet, helping them get ready for nap time etc) and playing with the children when they do sports, games and activities such as colouring or playing in the ball pit. However, your main role is that of an English teacher.
The walls at the Kindergarten are covered in drawings, paintings and murals done by and for the children and each room is filled with equipment to assist the children’s learning. There’s a large indoor playground, 2 music rooms, a science room, a dressing up room, lots of classrooms and bedrooms for nap time.
The Kindergarten has stressed that playing games is the most important thing to do, although you do need to be careful with safety as the children are so young and get over-excited very easily! If you play an instrument and wish to bring it with you to play to the children, please do so. There is also a dance room so if you are any good at any kind of dance, you may be able to take a lesson or demonstrate your dancing to the children. The Kindergarten has internet, tape, video and VCD facilities.
The Kindergarten opens from 7.45am – 4.30pm every day, and you’ll work for 8 hours of this time. Your lunch break will take place while the children are napping at lunchtime. Approximately 250 children attend, and there will be around 20-25 children in each group. The children are aged between 0-6 but you will mostly be working with the older age ranges. There are already 2 English teachers at the school – 1 foreign and 1 local, so your lessons will compliment theirs.
You don’t need any language skills to take part in the project, but as the children are so young and don’t have very good command of English yet, it would be of benefit to you to know as much as possible. Take lessons or use a tape and book before you leave, or speak to your Project Co-ordinator if you’d like to take some Mandarin Lessons before or during your project.
Accommodation
You will live at a flat which is walking distance from the Kindergarten. The accommodation is clean and comfortable, and you may be sharing a room with other volunteers or Chinese teachers of the same sex. You will be provided with a meal budget to cover all your food. You can buy your meals from one of the many delicious restaurants around the flat, or prepare it yourself in the flat's kitchen using ingredients from the nearby street markets or supermarkets!
You'll be teaching and caring for younger children from ages 0-6 - bring a big smile and your creativity... Happy Kindergarten is located in a large and colourful building and you can feel the fun atmosphere as soon as you walk into the entrance hall. Your work will mostly focus around teaching the children some basic English through games, songs, stories and other fun activities. You may also be asked to help out in caring for the children (ie accompanying them to the toilet, helping them get ready for nap time etc) and playing with the children when they do sports, games and activities such as colouring or playing in the ball pit. However, your main role is that of an English teacher.
The walls at the Kindergarten are covered in drawings, paintings and murals done by and for the children and each room is filled with equipment to assist the children’s learning. There’s a large indoor playground, 2 music rooms, a science room, a dressing up room, lots of classrooms and bedrooms for nap time.
a day in the life of a volunteer
During your first week or so, you’ll watch lessons and assist a little. After this, you’ll teach lessons of your own design. A teacher will usually give you a task for the lesson, and then assist you in planning a lesson which fits around this topic. For example, you may be asked to teach a song, play a game, or teach the children about Christmas in England. You’ll usually have a Chinese teacher present in the classroom with you to assist you.The Kindergarten has stressed that playing games is the most important thing to do, although you do need to be careful with safety as the children are so young and get over-excited very easily! If you play an instrument and wish to bring it with you to play to the children, please do so. There is also a dance room so if you are any good at any kind of dance, you may be able to take a lesson or demonstrate your dancing to the children. The Kindergarten has internet, tape, video and VCD facilities.
The Kindergarten opens from 7.45am – 4.30pm every day, and you’ll work for 8 hours of this time. Your lunch break will take place while the children are napping at lunchtime. Approximately 250 children attend, and there will be around 20-25 children in each group. The children are aged between 0-6 but you will mostly be working with the older age ranges. There are already 2 English teachers at the school – 1 foreign and 1 local, so your lessons will compliment theirs.
You don’t need any language skills to take part in the project, but as the children are so young and don’t have very good command of English yet, it would be of benefit to you to know as much as possible. Take lessons or use a tape and book before you leave, or speak to your Project Co-ordinator if you’d like to take some Mandarin Lessons before or during your project.
Accommodation
You will live at a flat which is walking distance from the Kindergarten. The accommodation is clean and comfortable, and you may be sharing a room with other volunteers or Chinese teachers of the same sex. You will be provided with a meal budget to cover all your food. You can buy your meals from one of the many delicious restaurants around the flat, or prepare it yourself in the flat's kitchen using ingredients from the nearby street markets or supermarkets!
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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This project aims to work alongside the local people in China to provide assistance, but without leaving a negative footprint on the community. We employ local staff to co-ordinate arrangements for your program, and we use local transport and accommodation services at all times. We encourage all volunteers to learn Mandarin Chinese while on their placements and provide lessons on request, to enable further integration into the community. You’ll live alongside teachers and pupils in school accommodation, which will give you the opportunity for cultural interaction and integration into the community – there is no doubt that this will be a highlight of the experience.
You will be briefed in detail about culturally sensitive subjects in the UK, and on arrival in China in order to make sure you are familiar with and can follow local customs. We also lay down guidelines on energy usage, the best places to spend money and the many ways which you can reduce your negative impact on the community during your stay. The project aims, in all ways, to leave only a positive footprint on the local community. |
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