English Teaching in a Monastary

  Nepal

• Kathmandu: 
Kathmandu
• Pokhara: 
Pokhara

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 3-6 months
Dates: ongoing

Description: Teaching English at Buddhist Monastery / Nunnery

Program at a glance:

Project:         Buddhist Monastery / Nunnery
Program:         Teaching English at Buddhist Monastery / Nunnery
Start Dates:         1st and 15th of each month
Language Requirements:         English (Basic Nepali is provided)
Food and Accommodation:         Nepali standard at the monastery / Nunnery
Key Activities:         Teaching English, organizing creative and fun activities, sanitation work
Beneficiaries:         Munks / Nuns age bet 6 to 30
Working Hours:         3 to 5 hours a day / 5 to 6 days a week
Required Qualifications and Skills:         Teaching, Passion to sharing culture, flexible

"My experience with VIN was positive in many ways.The VIN staff is comprised of great people who are fun to work with.The projects are also very interesting and inspiring. My primary work was teaching English to local monks at the Osel Ling Monastery in Kathmandu.It was fascinating to live among them and experience their lifestyle and traditions - both of which were completely unknown to me before my time in Nepal. I also had the chance to spend some time at the orphanage playing with the kids there.Helping them spell their names with blocks, playing volleyball, and the other activities we did with the kids to bring a smile to their faces is an experience I'll always remember. If you're coming to Nepal, take some time to volunteer - it greatly enriches the experience and one's knowledge of Nepal & its people."
Marc Nestor, USA Mechanical Engineer

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More than 130,000 Tibetans live in exile in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and nearly 20 percent of those exiled live in Nepal. Although they are now free to practice their religion and rebuild their cultural heritage, they still face many problems in Tibet's neighboring countries, especially in Nepal.

Education for Tibetan children is a high priority and the biggest challenge for them. Primary education schoolscalled Tibetan Children's Villageswere established by the Tibetan community in Nepal. These schools support religious Tibetan practices and provides education schooling in Buddhist philosophies as well as a variety of other areas such as English and computer skills. The structure and subjects taught vary from monastery to monastery.

As a volunteer in Teaching English to Buddhist Monks Program, you will provide basic conversational English instruction to Tibetan and Nepali children. Volunteers also organize games, paintings, drawings, and other creative activities. As a unique facet of this placement, volunteers will witness and participate in traditional Buddhist rituals when happening in the monastery.

Teaching English to Buddhist Monks has been especially designed for volunteers interested to learn from and about Buddhist culture. Volunteers will work in six different monasteries and nunneries outskirts of Kathmandu, and other monasteries for a period of one or two months up to 5 months- the longer, the better. The duration of the involvement will be decided upon by VIN and the volunteers. You will teach English to both junior and senior monks, as well as teachers, for around two to three hours per day and 5 to 6 days a week. We do not accept volunteers less than a month.

In turn, the monks will share their philosophy and culture with the volunteers as much as their English allows them to. Volunteers have access to a small library of Dharma (religious) books and can join the monks' practices and ceremonies. Additionally, there are many pilgrimage sites in and out of the Kathmandu valley that can be visited: Namo Buddha, Boudhanath Lumbini and Swayambhunath, Baudhanath, Pashupatinath, Patan Darbur Square are just a few of them.

Swayambhu stupa lies in the East of Kathmandu and, being over 2500 years of age, is one of the most ancient Buddhist sites in the world and one of Kathmandu's main attractions. Osel Ling Monastery is situated nearby on a hill overlooking the stupa and the entire Kathmandu valley. Volunteers will live in the monastery with the monks which give them the unique opportunity to become a real part of the close monastic community. In some monasteries, there are not enough rooms and volunteers may have to stay outside the monastery in a flat but will share the food with the monks/nuns.

Volunteers are more than welcome to pass on any of their knowledge about mathematics, the sciences, medicine, computing, etc. too. Most of the monks have solely been educated in Buddhist subjects and greatly appreciated any skills that will enable them to manage the monastery, its business and everyday life in an increasingly modernised world entirely on their own.

Knowledge about the Western world, but especially the English language which is continues to become more and more important in any domain, will enable the monks to impart their Buddhist expertise to Westerners. The programme's focus is thus on the exchange of spiritual and secular knowledge from which both sides will benefit, monks as well as volunteers.

Before volunteers leave for the site, they will be given intensive Nepali language and cultural classes, as well as daily teaching orientation (TEFL). They will also be taken to the holy sites around the Kathmandu Valley. After the program orientation, the volunteers will be placed in the monastery with the monks.

Note: Monastery life is very different from what you think from thousands of miles away. The schedule is pretty flexible. They usually do not inform people in advance on what is going to happen and sometime you may know that there is no class but something about their traditional rituals! There will be many festival, rituals and visit during your stay in the monastery. You should run as they run and you sometimes should have creat the jobs yourself and do something creative for them. You might get frustrated if you expect the strict schedule. You should therefore be very flexible. If there is more gap due to different reasons and no work then you may go to the VIN's main working site Jitpur (15km away from monastery) and work for children's and women's clubs, teachers and early childhood development classes. You might enjoy working these NEEDY groups as well.

Are you interested to learn about a different culture? Are you keen on tasting Tibetan thukpa and chia (tea), seeing the sun rise behind the Buddha Shakyamuni statue and teaching English with a photograph of His Holiness the Dalai Lama overlooking the class?

Do you want to know what life in a monastery is like?

Find out for yourself and join hands with VIN.

Highlights: Nepal is the Birth Place of Lord Gautam Buddha. You can enjoy different life whileworking with the monks.
Before volunteers leave for the site, they will be given intensive language classes and teacher training everyday. The volunteers can choose between Nepali and the language of the monastery-Sherpa, Lama, etc. The monks are able to speak both languages; it is therefore really a matter of the volunteer's preference. However, most overseas people find Nepali easier to learn. During their language and cultural classes, the volunteers will be taken to the holy sites around the Kathmandu Valley. After two weeks, they will be placed in the host family near to the monastery.

Qualifications: Anybody having English background and has interest to work with monks in the monastary can apply for the post.

Cost in US$: 300 to 1000 USD

- Administrative charge
- Transportation: Pick up from the airport
- Pre-service and in-service training (e.g. Nepali language and Culture, environmental training, teacher training (e.g.TEFL) and teaching practice
- Accommodation and Food during training
- Accommodation and Food during placement
- Regular support and supervision at the site
- Local Communication from the office
- Stationaries during training and volunteering
- Support for local volunteers
- Support for ongoing projects
- The fee does not cover:
- Flight costs
- Trekking, rafting other adventure activities
- Visa (a 60 day tourist visa is only USD 30, extensions are USD 30 per 30 days with three renewals possible)
- Your health expenses
- Travel Insurance

You will also need a weekly budget of up to USD 20 to cater for all your other expenses like bottled water, personal items, beverages and entertainment.
Airport tax when you go back to your hometown around USD 23
Other expenses in incidental cases

VIN is solely funded through the Program Fees paid by volunteers like you, and individual sponsorships for children. VIN receives no funding from donor agencies. Independent donations are welcomed and will be applied toward various projects established by VIN. If you are interested in providing a donation, please contact us.

Salary / Pay: Volunteers will be placed in a village with a welcoming family.

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18 +

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Nepal Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 3-5

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Volunteers Initiative Nepal's Mission Statement: Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, with a focus on women and children, through enhanced education programmes and whole community training to achieve democracy and raise economic productivity.

Year Founded: 2005