Community School Teacher

Help children from the poorest backgrounds learn and develop to their fullest potential. The school is more than 100 years old and helps those marginalised from the society. Started to provide relief through education, the school has expanded to encompass health care needs of the children and their families. For all classes till Class 8, the medium of instruction is Tamil. It switches to English from Class 8 to give them a head start on completion of their studies. Volunteers are needed by the school to be activity leaders, develop special projects and help with spoken English.

Your role: As a volunteer you have an opportunity to make a real difference here. There are many factors that conspire to keep these children from school and just the fact that you are present every day will be a motivator for students to attend. The management of the school is very clear as to the benefit of having volunteers and has many ideas for activities to be undertaken with all classes.

This school is unusual in that it teaches in Tamil up to class 7 and then switches to teaching in English up to class 11. As a volunteer there is a lot of scope for interaction in all classes but especially with the older children of age 11 to 15.

In the primary school you can be involved in activities such as learning through painting, songs and games. In the secondary school the Director is especially keen to see cultural exchange happen through volunteers developing and undertaking special projects. Objectives would be set for these projects to show the learning outcomes expected by the children and the subject of the project would depend on the volunteer’s skills and interest. Examples of activities and projects could be devising and undertaking quizzes with the winning group being taken on trips away, researching a current affairs topic with the children, teaching the children about your home town and country or organizing and undertaking class photographs of the children (not as easy as it sounds!).

There is also a community hospital that is run by the same Trust, opposite the school. The hospital wants to undertake health screening of all children and follow up interventions. If you have an interest the Director of the hospital is very happy for volunteers to be involved in this program.

What you Gain: This is a wonderful opportunity to see how interacting with children from the poorest backgrounds can help in developing their future potential. The school is very supportive of volunteers coming to help at any level as they are convinced that just one spark is all that is needed to motivate the children to higher things.

You will be developing your own projects and activities, be asked to work on your own initiative, with guidance from the teachers. This will give you valuable experience and will help in your future career, whether it be teaching or a different profession.

You will be based in Bangalore which is a great location for getting out and about to see South India with its wealth of holy sites, wildlife parks and palaces

Going to a new country can be unnerving. But it’s a great experience when you have the basics taken care of. At GapGuru, we have arranged for what we believe will make for a comfortable trip.

What’s included?

• Country and Project Guidance – There is so much to choose from! Our team gives you a run down on destinations and projects that you are tempted to go for, so that you can choose the right placement. If you are not sure of what you want to do or where you want to go, our experienced team is there to guide you all the way.
• Pre Departure Briefing – Before you leave for your chosen destination, we will arrange for a pre departure briefing where we help you out with extremely helpful details. Things like – what clothes are suitable, peculiarities of people, food that you could get, safety of the place and precautions if any, how much should you pay for a cup of coffee – simple things to make your life easier !
• Guidance for processing visa – GapGuru will arrange for all the relevant documents and guide you through the visa process.
• Airport Pick Up – Arriving in a new city and not knowing where to go and how to go can be quite unsettling. A GapGuru representative will meet you at the nearest airport or train station and take you to your place of stay.
• In country Orientation and Welcome Pack – When you arrive in the city, you will have an orientation where you could meet other gapers from GapGuru, know all about the city, how to find your way around, where to get SIM cards for the phone, small bits that you will need help sorting out in the first few days.
• In Country Support – Our local co-ordinators act as a friend and guide through out your stay. Whether you feel home sick or just want some local information, they are there to make sure you have a memorable experience.
• Accommodation – In most cases, you will be staying with a local host family. It gives you a taste of the daily life of a local and sample some delicious come cooked food. In some cases accommodation is provided with the projects.
• Breakfast and Dinner

Not included: ( But we are happy to assist you with)

• International Flights
• Visa and Travel insurance fee
• Vaccination
• Local Transport and Travel
• Personal Expenses

Next Steps
If you like this project, you can apply now here.
If you have some questions, send us an enquiry or call us and we’ll be happy to help.

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