As a volunteer teaching English in Nepal, you will make a positive impact at a community level. In addition, you will immerse yourself in a fascinating local culture. From kindergartens to primary schools, you can lead classes and assist lessons to educate and inspire the next generation, preparing them for a better future.
BACKGROUND TO THE TEACHING PROGRAM
As a volunteer teaching English abroad in Nepal, you will encourage students to develop a skill that will help them to achieve their future goals. By conversing with fluent, native English speakers, their language skills will greatly improve, which is essential for future employment. Therefore, education is the key to driving economic, political and social development. With the help of your volunteer work in Nepal, you can help to achieve this via the younger generation.
However, the education system in Nepal is of an extremely low standard. It seriously lacks real investment and many teachers are under-qualified, particularly English teachers. The sad result is that 41% of the Nepalese adult population is illiterate, leading people to basic jobs involving labour and low pay.
Tourism is Nepal’s biggest industry and source of employment, aside from agriculture. In addition, working in tourism brings in serious money and offers huge employment opportunities. However, a key requirement for a job in tourism is the ability to speak English. As a result, being able to speak English opens so many doors for young people in Nepal. Nonetheless, the level of English in government schools is poor, so effective English tuition is only a viable option for children from wealthy backgrounds in international schools.
As a volunteer teaching English in Nepal, you will expose the children to more opportunities in their future. Consequently, giving hope and inspiration to the young minds who do not have access to private school education. If you need motivation for volunteer gap year options, then our projects in Nepal provide some fantastic opportunities.
TEACHING VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT EXAMPLES
On your Nepal volunteer program, you will be placed at one of the local schools or kindergartens that provide education to some of the most deprived communities. Depending on your placement location and needs of the projects at the time, there may also be the opportunity to get involved in working at a day-care centre, which involves providing care and basic education to children of pre-school age.
Smart Kids Kindergarten - Located within Kathmandu Valley, this kindergarten was set up in 2015 with a strong focus on education in a child-centred infrastructure. They aim to provide an enriching and exciting environment for young children aged 3+. Although, they often have minimal resources and limited English communication. As a volunteer teaching English in Nepal, you can offer your language skills and passion to help boost the children's education from a young age. The activities here are focused on high interaction and engagement, underpinned with a focus of fun, as the children will not be so confident or able in English.
Chitwan Primary School - Our volunteers teaching English in Nepal may be based in the south, at a small local school within Chitwan town. The class sizes generally range from around 20 - 30 children, with ages varying from five years old up to lower teens. You will often be paired with one teacher for your whole placement, although this usually depends on the need and availability at the time. Additionally, there is usually a curriculum that you can follow at school. Otherwise, you may be free to design and lead your own classes. During your volunteer work in Nepal, you'll find the resources at the schools can often be quite limited. Consequently, it's good to find props and use your imagination.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER TEACHING CHILDREN IN NEPAL
More Independent Experience - Due to the rural nature of the projects in Nepal, volunteers should be aware that this destination offers a more independent experience compared to some of our other locations. Participants are placed at various project locations around the country that often offer a basic level of accommodation. Our team are based in Kathmandu city where they support our team virtually online and via phone. Therefore, if you are looking for a highly social experience with a high level of support and daily in-person contact with our local team then we recommend considering an alternative destination. Nepal is perfect for people looking for a unique experience where they can immerse themselves in a completely different culture and are less concerned about the social aspect of the program.
Experience - For the English teaching program, teaching experience is not essential as the mere presence of a native English speaker is invaluable. As long as you are creative, determined and resourceful you can have a constructive impact on the development of the children’s education.
TEFL Course - We encourage volunteers to prepare as much as possible for their teaching program overseas. You can make the most out of your time by completing our convenient, inexpensive and international accredited 60 hour Online TEFL Course. The cost of this course is only 150 USD.
Resources - On the teach English in Nepal project, resources can be very limited. Volunteers are recommended to bring materials to the project each day to maximise their productivity and day to day involvement. It is therefore important for volunteers to prepare well in advance to get the most out of their teaching English project experience.
Project Location - When you volunteer in Nepal you may have the option to choose which location you will be placed in. This will be determined during your orientation day when you arrive at Kathmandu - a staff member will discuss the current need, availability and any preferences you might have. You may meet other volunteers in your orientation who you enjoy spending time with too!
Weekends - Your project work in Nepal runs from Monday-Friday and weekends are free. You are welcome to relax and hang out at the volunteer accommodation but most participants will use this time to travel and explore the country. As a result, you can check out our Nepal Weekend Travel Guide for top tips on how to spend your weekend.
