Youth Ranger Instructor

Volunteering at the Trust is no gap year holiday, our volunteers typically work from 08:00 to 18:00 on week days, and occasionally on weekends for training events and action days. We maintain an ethos of hard work and selfless commitment and all of our volunteers are here to serve the local community. However, that doesn’t stop us having a life changing experience whilst we are at it! A typical day starts at 07:00 with breakfast. On Mondays we have a Hub meeting where all of the staff and volunteers come together to plan the week ahead. Following this, you will begin your sessions. If you are placed on the ESL program, you may be teaching or assisting in Kindergarten, which begins at 08:30 or you may be teaching English classes in the afternoon, which start at 14:00. For conservation volunteers on the Youth Ranger, or YSE program, you will be delivering sessions in the afternoons, so the morning is your planning and preparation time, and for our amazing Eco Farmers you will be on the farm all day! Lunch is served at 13:00 each day, (our eco farmers have lunch at Erna’s Homestay). Weekends are your own, however occasionally, for example on events such as volunteer induction, phase review and volunteer debrief. You may also find that the Trust has arranged some incredible activities for your weekend (See section 6). On weekends when you are not walking with elephants trekking in the jungle or rafting down rivers you will have a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Sumatran culture and cuisine, with a range of guest houses, restaurants and even one bar Bukit Lawang has plenty to offer! 

Our volunteers love reading in the hammocks or hanging by the river. It is just a ten minute walk to a beautiful waterfall. During the evenings and mornings it is common for volunteers to read, write, play music, relax, and go swimming in or inner tubing on the river.