Teaching in Sri Lanka with Projects Abroad

  Sri Lanka

Colombo Central,  Galle,  Kandy,  Negombo,  Ratnapura,  Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: All Year Round (you choose the start and end dates)

Description: The increasing popularity of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination combined with its economic progress has made the teaching of the English language a priority in Sri Lankan schools. When the tsunami hit in 2004 it was feared that this would be a major setback, but thanks to help from the international community and the unbreakable spirit of the people of this beautiful country, Sri Lanka has come through the troubles and English-speaking volunteers are very much in demand.

Sri Lanka's schools require volunteers to develop their students conversational English abilities. You can help without any previous teaching experience and we do not ask you to do a TEFL course. You can volunteer with Projects Abroad during your gap year, career
break or extended vacation. You will have an important role to play, working alongside students and colleagues who value the time that you give to them.

Volunteer Opportunities Teaching English in Schools with Projects Abroad

We work in schools outside Sri Lankas capital, Colombo, with schools located in small towns along the western coast and schools in and around the hill town of Kandy. We can place you in a coastal village school or at a school in the hills for the children of tea planters. Some of the schools are close to the beach; some are even based in temples!

Students are generally aged from 10 to 14 years old and the majority speak Sinhalese as their first language. They will often be able to speak some English but your focus will be to develop their confidence and fluency. If a student is able to understand and speak confidently to their English teacher it is a real step forward, and your continued presence will also increase the local teachers confidence in his or her own language abilities.

The Sri Lankan school day runs from 8am - 2pm, and is broken down into eight separate 40-minute periods, with a twenty-minute break for an early lunch at around 11am. Volunteers in Sri Lanka are expected to teach for about 18 hours per week, so most volunteers teach around four periods per day, and spend the rest of the time marking papers and preparing for the next days lessons. Many volunteers also choose to spend some of their time working in a local orphanage or in some areas, tsunami relief camps, helping with homework and organizing games and sporting activities. The camps welcome volunteers from 3pm to 5pm each afternoon, after the end of the school day.

As a volunteer teacher in Sri Lanka, you are needed to encourage the children to practice their pronunciation and to get them regularly speaking and using the English language. Their English lessons will often have given them a good grounding in the basics of the language - the grammar and the vocabulary - so you may find that they make progress very rapidly. You will see the delight on their faces as they start to communicate more easily with you, and this provides immense satisfaction from the work you are doing.

Volunteering on a Teaching Project in Sri Lanka

If you have skills in other areas please let us know. Many schools are eager for volunteers to help with extra-curricular activities, and you might be able to teach how to play the guitar or train the school soccer team. By providing more than just English teaching you will become a great asset to the schools, who will use their limited resources to support you in any new directions you wish to take.

If our local staff can help you with anything then please let us know; we are always happy to help our partner organizations. Who knows - you may find yourself setting up a drama club for a group of eager students or helping older students with their math. The more you can tell us about yourself when you apply, and in further conversations with our Sri Lankan staff, the better we can find the right placement for you.

Whatever skills and talents you have, volunteer work in Sri Lanka will give you the opportunity to put them to good use. Be sure to prepare your classes thoroughly and be imaginative with your teaching to make learning fun and enjoyable for the students.

Highlights: Sri Lanka, Emerald Isle of the Indian Ocean, is home to heavy warm air, sweet fruit scents and incense and bright colours pouring out of every nook and cranny. From the extraordinarily lush foliage and bright offerings of flowers outside temples, to orange robed monks under their umbrellas and glamorous Sari's whizzing past on the back of motorbikes (normally with the limbs of their child peeping out between the mother and the driver!), there are many fascinating and beautiful sights to be enjoyed.

All accommodation is organized, paid for and monitored by Projects Abroad. All project placements are regularly visited and checked. We require high standards of supervision and accommodation, which are verified before you arrive in Sri Lanka.

This project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications: no qualifications or experience required

Cost in US$: From US$2,245 up

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Open minded with a desire to travel

Age Range: 16-70

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Sri Lanka Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992