English Teaching Tutor

Education is a priority for the Ghanaian government. The implementation of FCUBE (Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education) between 1996-2005 in Ghana has allowed many poorer families to send their children to school. However, severe classroom overcrowding, lack of educational materials and an overall weak infrastructure are common problems that the Ghanaian educational system face.

PMGY volunteers are placed at Divine International school. Volunteers can work with children of all ages, from the age of 4 right up to the age of 16. You will work as a teaching assistant and also have the opportunity to lead your own classes.

You’ll find the children extremely excited to see you and eager to learn. Whilst resources are limited, if you are creative and determined then you can really make a difference. Volunteers play an important part in supporting local teachers and providing a new lease of life in the classroom through creative thinking and innovative teaching techniques. To be greeted everyday by the children running over and hugging you makes everyday at the school a special day.

The common teaching practises in Ghana are largely repetitive and often result in the children memorising the information without really understanding it. It is important to understand that discipline and teaching styles are quite different to those in the UK. Furthermore, conditions are poor and classes are extremely overcrowded. This may be a culture shock for some. Your role is to create a more student-orientated approach to teaching, which is more interactive and engaging. It is important to have an open mind and recognise that change is slow but your efforts to promote best practise will lead to improvements in the long run.

Essential Programme Information

As for all our volunteer programmes in Ghana, it is possible to combine multiple projects during your time with us. If this is something you’d like to do, then please apply for the main programme you’d like to take part in but also outline in your online application the details of the other projects you’d like to do. Our local team will finalise the details of your placements during your in-country orientation.

For the majority of our programmes you can apply at any time. However, we advise that you apply as soon as possible to ensure we have availability on the programme – particularly if you’re looking to travel between June and August, as spaces can fill up very quickly during this period.

It is best that you apply sooner rather than later as some of our programmes only have a limited capacity and spaces get filled very quickly. 

Travel tips

The majority of your time will be spent teaching the core subjects; English, Maths and IT. However, there is always the opportunity to initiate extra-curricular activities such as sports; PE is usually a regular Friday afternoon activity at the school! 

Volunteers will also get the chance to join with the younger classes and spend time leading more creative and relaxed activities such as sing songs, dancing, storytelling and colouring. Volunteers provide a great valuable cultural resource for the children where they can learn about different people, places and traditions.

The people in Boabeng and Fiema consider the monkeys to be sacred and in the 70s actually came together to pass a law prohibiting causing harm to the monkeys. The sanctuary holds about 400 Colobus and Mona monkeys. They come into the village all the time to steal things, but as the people are not allowed to hurt them, they simply get away with it!

The guides at the sanctuary will take you on a tour of the rainforest and local village, where you will see monkeys everywhere. There is also a monkey cemetery in the forest, where the priests of the village have been buried alongside monkeys that have passed away.

FURTHER AFIELD

LAKE BOSOMTWI

A popular retreat for volunteers at the weekend looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Kumasi. The lakeside area has a range of decent, inexpensive hotels that you can go to for a night or two. You can take a boat trip, go swimming, or just chill out by the lake.

BEACHES & SURFING
Not far from Cape Coast you’ll find no shortage of great beaches such as Anomabo, Elimina and Busua.

And if you fancy your hand at surfing then Busua is a small, laid back coastal village with surfing at its heart. As surf destinations go, Busua really is a frontier town: it’s home to the only two surf shops in Ghana, and almost every one of the country’s surfers live in the village. Not that there are very many of them.

With gentle waves, warm water and an absence of sharks, the beach is an alluring proposition for anyone looking to learn to surf in a tropical destination off the usual circuit. It is perfect for beginner to intermediate surfers, but the more experienced can make easy trips along the coast to find more challenging and potentially unridden waves.

KAKUM NATIONAL PARK

From Cape Coast, it is highly advised that you take a day-trip to Kakum National Park.