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.

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.

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.

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.