Teaching projects in Southern India

You don't need any qualifications to participate in a teaching placement in India. This is a totally flexible programme tailored to suit you! We have teaching placements in both the North and South of India - choose your preferred location and we'll do the rest! You are sure to gain memories of your placement that will last a lifetime.

You may work in either primary or secondary schools and you will normally help out with all age groups. We provide you with a Teaching Guide and suggestions on inexpensive resources to take with you (e.g. cassettes, magazines, etc., which are very popular with Indian children). The school Principal will discuss your teaching programme with you before you start and will try to incorporate your own interests and specialities into your teaching schedule. Both staff and children genuinely appreciate your help. Teaching arts, drama, music and other subjects in South India: If you have some know-how, some initiative and lots of enthusiasm, you can also get involved with teaching Drama, Music, Dance or Arts and Crafts lessons. If you enjoy being creative, then you can share your talents and enthusiasm at the various schools we work with. Teaching arts subjects is an excellent way of engaging children’s imaginations and encourages them to communicate with few constraints. What’s more, it is very satisfying to watch their confidence grow as they learn and develop new skills. You can either teach one or more of these subjects for the whole of your placement, or you can combine one of or all of these subjects with teaching conversational English. Volunteers have found that producing short plays written by the children that address local social issues has been a successful means in educating the children on issues such as AIDS awareness, cultural relationships, peer pressures, and bullying. It gives the children an informal forum and a means of sharing their concerns and learning to deal with issues. You can either teach one or more of these subjects for the whole of your placement, or you can combine one of or all of these subjects with teaching conversational English.

Teaching in South India: In South India, all of our schools are set in and around the small town of Madurai - some of which are set amongst incredibly scenic areas. Nearly all schools have basic facilities (including some general teaching aids and equipment) and sports fields for football and cricket are common. Some of the schools that we work with are very poor and lack facilities. During the school holidays, we hold classes for about 60 to 80 children in summer camps. These are informal classes where you can use your imagination to get your English learning across - in drama lessons, or music or sports. Because summer camps take place during the holiday period you have a greater freedom in how you conduct your classes!

Teaching in North India: In North India we have worthwhile Teaching placements in several states, around Delhi, Dehradun, Rajasthan & Himachal Pradesh. Unless you specifically ask to be placed near other volunteers, the chances are that you may be the only volunteer in a school – or even in a town. But, if you want to be placed with or near other volunteers, we can arrange this for you. Schools are both secondary and primary and you will generally help out with all age groups. Some schools are set in incredibly scenic areas and have excellent facilities including swimming pools, tennis courts, football and cricket fields, as well as indoor sports facilities. On the other hand, some schools are very poor and lack facilities - so the children appreciate your help even more! Teaching is not available during school holidays in the north of India. Most volunteers use these days to take a break and do some exploring and sightseeing.