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Fantastic 4.54rating (29)
  • Quality Education

Teach English to Children & Young Monks

location
4 - 20 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Teach English to children aged 6 to 15 in rural schools around Galle, where a shortage of English teachers is the main barrier to their prospects.
  • Spend a day most weeks teaching young Buddhist monks at neighbouring temples and pirivenas - an unusual placement you will not find on many programmes.
  • Plan properly. Classes are 2 to 3 hours a day with 4 to 5 hours a week of dedicated lesson planning, supported by an in-house teaching library.

Highlights

  • Teach English to children aged 6 to 15 in rural schools around Galle, where a shortage of English teachers is the main barrier to their prospects.
  • Spend a day most weeks teaching young Buddhist monks at neighbouring temples and pirivenas - an unusual placement you will not find on many programmes.
  • Plan properly. Classes are 2 to 3 hours a day with 4 to 5 hours a week of dedicated lesson planning, supported by an in-house teaching library.
  • Work with classes of 20 to 30, usually in small groups, alongside an Education Coordinator who goes with you to the school.
  • Live across from Unawatuna Beach with three meals a day every day, and transport to the school included.
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups

    About the program

    Teach English to 6 to 15 year olds in rural schools around Galle, and one day a week to young Buddhist monks at the neighbouring temples.

    In Sri Lanka, English is the language that decides how far a child gets. Parents know it, which is why those who can afford it choose international schools. The rural schools around Galle have free textbooks and uniforms but not enough qualified English teachers, classes of thirty with one teacher, ...

    About the program

    In Sri Lanka, English is the language that decides how far a child gets. Parents know it, which is why those who can afford it choose international schools. The rural schools around Galle have free textbooks and uniforms but not enough qualified English teachers, classes of thirty with one teacher, and children whose interest in the language quietly drains away for want of anyone to practise with.

    That is the gap this placement fills.

    Who you teach

    Children aged roughly 6 to 15, at rural schools in and around Galle, three or four days a week. Classes typically hold 20 to 30 children and you usually work with small groups within that, giving the attention a single teacher cannot.

    Then there is the part that makes this placement different from every other teaching programme we run: most weeks include a day teaching young Buddhist monks at neighbouring temples and pirivenas. They are not available every day, so it is usually one day or none, but it is a genuinely unusual thing to have done and volunteers consistently say it was the part they remember.

    What the teaching actually involves

    You either teach directly or assist the Education Coordinators, depending on your confidence and experience. The approach is practical rather than theoretical: activity-based learning and spoken English first, then building up through the alphabet, forming letters legibly, writing simple accurate sentences, and acquiring the vocabulary a child actually needs for their own surroundings. Grammar, comprehension, pronunciation and spontaneous speaking come in as the group is ready for them.

    Lesson planning is part of the job, not an afterthought

    Classes run 2 to 3 hours a day in the afternoons, and there is a dedicated 4 to 5 hours a week for lesson planning and preparing materials. There is an in-house library of manuals, books and teaching materials at the volunteer house, and the coordinators will help you use it.

    Volunteers who treat the planning time seriously teach much better lessons. Volunteers who improvise get found out by week two — thirty children can tell.

    Who this suits

    You do not need a TEFL certificate or teaching experience, though both help and the coordinators will lean on you more if you have them. What matters is preparation, patience and being willing to stand in front of a class and be a bit ridiculous in the service of getting children to speak.

    Volunteers on this programme are aged 18 to 50. Volunteer World applies a four-week minimum to placements involving children, which suits teaching — a language class that changes teacher every week teaches nobody anything.

    Typical day

    Saturday — Arrival. Met at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and driven to Galle on the shared transfer. Check the timing before booking: there are two shared transfers each Saturday, morning and afternoon/evening, and arriving outside them means a private transfer at USD 100.

    Typical day

    Saturday — Arrival. Met at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and driven to Galle on the shared transfer. Check the timing before booking: there are two shared transfers each Saturday, morning and afternoon/evening, and arriving outside them means a private transfer at USD 100.

    Sunday — Settle in at the volunteer house in Unawatuna.

    Monday — Orientation: welcome presentation, health and safety, cultural briefing, a session on the school and the teaching approach, and an area tour. You are shown the in-house teaching library and helped to plan your first lessons.

    Tuesday to Friday — the working pattern:

    • Morning — Breakfast at the house, then lesson planning and preparing materials. This is protected time, not spare time
    • Afternoon — Classes, 2 to 3 hours. The Education Coordinator travels with you to the school by air-conditioned van or tuk tuk
    • Evening — Dinner at the house with the other volunteers

    Three or four days a week are with school students. Most weeks one day is at a temple or pirivena with young monks, though this depends on their own schedule and some weeks it does not happen.

    Extras the house runs — weekly rooftop yoga, weekly film nights, a monthly bike tour through the paddy fields, a monthly barbecue. All included.

    Weekends — Free. Unawatuna Beach is across the road, Galle Fort is twenty minutes away, and Mirissa, Ahangama, Tangalle, Yala and Sinharaja are all within a weekend.

    Sri Lankan school terms and public holidays move the timetable around; the team gives you notice.

    Free-time activities

    Classes are in the afternoon, so mornings are for lesson planning and then whatever you like. Unawatuna Beach is across the road, the snorkelling off the point is good, and surf lessons are cheap.

    Galle Fort, twenty minutes away, is worth several evenings: Dutch colonial ramparts, small museums, good ...

    Free-time activities

    Classes are in the afternoon, so mornings are for lesson planning and then whatever you like. Unawatuna Beach is across the road, the snorkelling off the point is good, and surf lessons are cheap.

    Galle Fort, twenty minutes away, is worth several evenings: Dutch colonial ramparts, small museums, good food, and a sunset the whole town turns out for. Along the coast, Mirissa runs whale-watching from November to April and Ahangama and Tangalle have the better surf.

    Inland there is Sinharaja rainforest and the Yala and Bundala national parks, all weekend-sized, and the hill-country train up to Ella if you have three days. Given what you are teaching, the temples around Galle are also worth visiting properly rather than in passing.

    The volunteer house runs weekly rooftop yoga, weekly film nights, a monthly bike tour through the paddy fields and a monthly barbecue, all included.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Education Requirements

    at High school level

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check, passport copy and travel and medical insurance

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    No TEFL or teaching qualification is required, though either will get you more responsibility faster. Useful: any experience standing in front of a group - teaching, tutoring, youth work, drama, scouting, coaching. Fluent English is essential since you are modelling it. Bring children's books, flashcards, stickers and coloured pens if you have room; they are scarce at the schools. A clean criminal background check is required.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 13:00 - 17:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    Included in the programme fee:

    • Accommodation in a volunteer house in Unawatuna, with Wi-Fi
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, including weekends
    • Shared arrival transfer from Colombo airport on Saturdays within the set time windows
    • Orientation and training on arrival, including a session on the teaching approach
    • Local transport to and from the schools by private air-conditioned van or tuk tuk
    • An Education Coordinator who travels with you and supports lesson planning and delivery
    • Access to the in-house teaching library of manuals, books and materials
    • Guaranteed placement, experienced bilingual operations team, staff on 6am to 8pm, 24/7 emergency support
    • Weekly rooftop yoga, weekly film nights, monthly bike tour through the paddy fields, monthly barbecue
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information and a certificate of participation on request

    Not included:

    • International flights
    • Sri Lankan ETA (visa) fee
    • The return transfer from Galle to Colombo — arranged for you but paid locally
    • A private arrival transfer if you land outside the Saturday windows
    • Travel and medical insurance, which is mandatory. Buy it through us at extra cost, or bring your own and send a copy
    • Vaccinations
    • Weekend travel and personal spending

    The price shown already includes your application fee – there is nothing further to pay us on arrival. Payment can be split into interest-free instalments, with the balance due 45 days before you start.

    Airport Pickup at Bandaranaike International Airport

    Read this before you book your flight. The arrival transfer is included, but with conditions that catch people out.

    You are collected from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and driven to Galle, about two and a half hours south. The included transfer is shared, on Saturdays only, within two set windows — one morning, one afternoon or evening.

    • Land on a Saturday inside a window and it costs you nothing.
    • Land outside the windows, or on any other day, and a private transfer costs USD 100.

    Timing your flight to a Saturday window is the easiest hundred dollars you will save on this trip.

    The return transfer from Galle to Colombo is not included. The team arranges it and you pay locally in Sri Lanka at the end of your placement.

    Accommodation

    You stay in Unawatuna, in one of two volunteer houses about a hundred metres apart, both overlooking Unawatuna Beach and the Indian Ocean.

    The beachside house is directly across the road from the beach: twelve bedrooms of varying sizes, all en-suite and air-conditioned, most with an outdoor balcony, plus a dining area, lounge, terrace, small garden and an office with permanent staff on site. CCTV throughout and an overnight security team.

    The larger house has thirteen en-suite bedrooms, most with ocean views, and a private forty-foot swimming pool set in tropical planting, along with three kitchens, three common rooms and a large dining area.

    Rooms are shared and all have Wi-Fi. Which house you are in depends on availability.

    Both houses hold the in-house teaching library — manuals, books and materials you will use during your lesson-planning hours — so preparation happens where you live rather than at the school.

    Food & Beverages

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week, weekends included — unusual on volunteer programmes and worth noticing when comparing prices.

    Meals are cooked at the volunteer house and lean Sri Lankan: rice and curry in its many forms, dhal, coconut sambol, hoppers and string hoppers, fresh tropical fruit, and western options in rotation for anyone needing a break from chilli. The fish on the south coast is excellent.

    Tell the team about allergies and dietary requirements before you arrive. Vegetarians are very well served in Sri Lanka; vegans and anyone with a serious allergy should flag it early so the kitchen can plan.

    Lunch usually falls between lesson planning and afternoon classes, so you eat at the house before heading out.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) in Colombo. We assist you to find cheap flights to Sri Lanka. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Sri Lanka provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Sri Lanka you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Sri Lanka. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Start dates — Weekly, year-round, arriving on a Saturday.

    Getting there — Fly into Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB). Galle is about two and a half hours south on the expressway.

    Transfers — read before booking your flight

    • The arrival transfer is included, but only as a shared transfer on Saturday inside two set windows: one morning, one afternoon/evening.
    • Outside those windows, or on any other day, a private transfer costs USD 100.
    • The return transfer from Galle to Colombo is not included — arranged for you, paid locally at the end of your stay.

    Bring, if you can — children's books in English, flashcards, stickers, coloured pens. These are genuinely scarce at the schools and cost almost nothing to pack.

    Dress — Modest clothing for the classroom: shoulders and knees covered. This matters more at the temples, where you will also need to remove your shoes and should avoid clothing with images of the Buddha, which causes real offence in Sri Lanka.

    Visa — Sri Lanka requires an ETA for most nationalities, applied for online before travel. The fee is not included.

    Age — 18 to 50 on this programme.

    When to come — The south coast is driest December to April. May to September brings the southwest monsoon: rain in bursts, fewer tourists, cheaper travel. Schools run year-round with term breaks.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $301 per week 4 - 20 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    4 - 20 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.5
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers

    Location

    Asia > Southern Asia > Sri Lanka > Galle

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    29
    reviews
    4.54
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

      Below average response rate
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    Volunteer Abroad  >  Education  >  English Teaching in Sri Lanka
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