Teach English, sports or drama in South Africa
| country: | South Africa |
| departures: | Teaching placements are available throughout the year during term time. 2008 terms run 9 Jan - 20 Mar, 14 Apr - 20 Jun, 14 Jul - 26 Sep, 6 Oct - 5 Dec |
| price: | From £745 (2 weeks) - £1995 (12 weeks) excluding flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Live and teach in South Africa and make a difference to the children. The schools travellers work with are mainly for the poorer sections of the local community - your help and support are appreciated by everyone, but mostly by the children!
Or you can chose a teaching project to help a school located in the tranquil Limpopo Province bushveld in the Northern region of South Africa. The school we work with has a 40-hectare campus nestled peacefully on the lower slopes of Man'ombe Nature Reserve.
You don't need any qualifications to do this project. Most of our teaching programmes are located in the towns of Knysna, George and Plettenberg Bay in the Cape Province, on the Indian Ocean coast and about 500 km from the beautiful capital city of Cape Town.
Average class size is between 15 and 40. Standards are generally very high, but in most of the schools we work with, materials and resources may be scarce; however, working conditions are very good. The enthusiasm of the students and colleagues more than makes up for any hardships they may experience.
The Limpopo project is quite unique in that the school also has many outreach programmes in the local disadvantaged sections of the community. This means that you can get involved in any or all of these projects and thus get a very broad and diversified experience while on your placement.
There are three very different categories of work available on this project:
Teaching assistant: For volunteers wishing to teach general topics and assist wherever needed. This can include all subjects from English and Mathematics to Geography and IT in the pre-primary to primary classes, with an age range of 3-13 years. If you have a subject that you particularly like and have some knowledge of, the school would be very happy for you to teach that subject. You will mainly help in the primary section of the school and act as an assistant teacher. However, if you are a qualified teacher then you will be able to take classes on your own.
Total sports: Where you can coach Sports not only in the main school, but also in the surrounding schools that don't have their own facilities but use the excellent facilities at the main school - includes Football, Athletics, Netball and many other sports. People with a drive for sport are warmly welcomed and also encouraged to ‘take over’ the logistics of forming teams, and even Leagues within the surrounding area’s schools.
Total music & drama: The school has a music room and a variety of musical instruments, but a shortage of people to teach the children. If you'd like to teach music here, you will be highly appreciated! Drama and Music has always been an important part of development and learning for children as it enables children to become free thinking, creative and helps them to actively use their imaginations.
And finally, you can combine your work with additional activities in the school's various outreach programmes.
Or you can chose a teaching project to help a school located in the tranquil Limpopo Province bushveld in the Northern region of South Africa. The school we work with has a 40-hectare campus nestled peacefully on the lower slopes of Man'ombe Nature Reserve.
You don't need any qualifications to do this project. Most of our teaching programmes are located in the towns of Knysna, George and Plettenberg Bay in the Cape Province, on the Indian Ocean coast and about 500 km from the beautiful capital city of Cape Town.
the project
The schools are mainly for the poorer African children in the local community. General facilities at the schools are somewhat limited although two of the schools have computer facilities and one school in particular would appreciate the help of volunteers with computer experience! Average class size is between 15 and 40. Standards are generally very high, but in most of the schools we work with, materials and resources may be scarce; however, working conditions are very good. The enthusiasm of the students and colleagues more than makes up for any hardships they may experience.
The Limpopo project is quite unique in that the school also has many outreach programmes in the local disadvantaged sections of the community. This means that you can get involved in any or all of these projects and thus get a very broad and diversified experience while on your placement.
There are three very different categories of work available on this project:
Teaching assistant: For volunteers wishing to teach general topics and assist wherever needed. This can include all subjects from English and Mathematics to Geography and IT in the pre-primary to primary classes, with an age range of 3-13 years. If you have a subject that you particularly like and have some knowledge of, the school would be very happy for you to teach that subject. You will mainly help in the primary section of the school and act as an assistant teacher. However, if you are a qualified teacher then you will be able to take classes on your own.Total sports: Where you can coach Sports not only in the main school, but also in the surrounding schools that don't have their own facilities but use the excellent facilities at the main school - includes Football, Athletics, Netball and many other sports. People with a drive for sport are warmly welcomed and also encouraged to ‘take over’ the logistics of forming teams, and even Leagues within the surrounding area’s schools.
Total music & drama: The school has a music room and a variety of musical instruments, but a shortage of people to teach the children. If you'd like to teach music here, you will be highly appreciated! Drama and Music has always been an important part of development and learning for children as it enables children to become free thinking, creative and helps them to actively use their imaginations. And finally, you can combine your work with additional activities in the school's various outreach programmes.
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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For every teaching volunteer we receive; a donation is made to the schools in the local townships towards school equipment such as furniture, sports equipment and security systems. Not only have the donations been extremely beneficial to the schools in helping their students to progress in their studies, but the children also gain so much from our volunteers knowledge and expertise in the different subjects they teach. Local staff are also employed to co-ordinate the programme and to be there to provide support for you.
By living and working locally, this enables you to really immerse yourself into the country and the culture. You will also have the opportunity to help out at a local orphanage, by helping the children with their homework and by giving them time and attention. You will be given a full induction on arrival which runs through the customs of the area including appropriate dress codes and the school rules, this ensures that you are giving out a positive influence to the students you teach. The school we work with here has a range of sports facilities, but sadly what they lack in is sports coaches; this is where our volunteers are really able to help by coaching sports to students at the school and arranging afternoon activities for the children to join in with. The other focus of this project is the outreach programs that have been set up to help the poorer neighbouring schools in the area. Volunteers have given their own time and experience in providing fun-filled sports lessons for the children at these local schools. Tournaments have also been set up for the children which has not only made an enjoyable experience for them but also given them the opportunity to interact with other teams in the area. You will be provided with a monthly food budget to source your own produce locally which has a positive impact on the local economy. You will also stay near by in the neighbouring village and locally employed staff are on the ground to provide support to you throughout your stay. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |