TEACHING ENGLISH IN INDONESIA
After experiencing multiple volunteering projects throughout Costa Rica and Africa you would think that by now we would feel quite confident when heading to the next one. However, this was not the case when we arrived to our project in Bali, as all previous projects had focussed on specifically working with wildlife. How would we go teaching Indonesian children English?
Why Indonesia, Why Bali?
Indonesia, particularly Bali, is an incredibly beautiful part of the world when you decide to head out of the main tourist attractions and into the rural areas - particularly Ubud. Here you find green terraced rice fields, forests filled with coconuts and beaches you could spend weeks exploring.
Teaching English Abroad: What To Expect
Your volunteer contribution at this particular project is split into four areas and you will choose one to be your main focus during the duration of your volunteer stay. Of the four projects, two of them take place inside the classroom and is split between the ages of 2-5 (kindergarten) and ages 7-11 (primary school).
You will work with the local teachers to prepare and create lesson plans which will then be used in a classroom environment to teach and tutor the children. Some days will involve you assisting the teacher whilst others will be full classroom leadership.
Seeing the faces of the little kids light up at the kindergarten will always be a fond memory of mine abroad and certainly assisted in boosting my confidence in the classroom.
Building A Kindergarten in Asia
If I knew that my time in Bali would include leaving my mark by assisting in the construction of a physical kindergarten - I would've called you crazy. The construction project is the 3rd choice and includes improving the local infrastructure through repairs and also assisting local workers in construction of new buildings.
It was quite hard to wipe the smile of my face that night knowing that once the project would be complete there would be a school ready for the local children to learn in.
Medical Project
The 4th area of choice is the medical side of the project. Due to time constraints we unfortunately did not participate in the medical project which includes encouraging local children to take better care of their personal health and hygiene.
Organising Volunteering Abroad
If you are interested in volunteering abroad we feel the best way to do this is with an organisation that can set you up with a project of your choice. We teamed up with GoEco who help people that want to volunteer abroad do just that. You simply tell them what kind of volunteering you are interested in experiencing and what country you would like to travel to and they will help find you your perfect project.
If you are interested in the volunteer project we experienced check out the Education & Community Work in Bali with GoEco.
Our Experience
As always, we filmed our entire experience here at the project. If you want to see exactly what it’s like to work with children in Indonesia you can watch our experience below.
Please note that due to a tight schedule we were only able to experience two days at the project instead of the full week. But we think this will give you a good idea into what it's like to volunteer abroad with children in Bali.
Day 1: Building a Kindergarten in Asia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3mf3QuIK4Y
Day 2: Doing Something Incredible!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVa-cdrVJh0
You can book your volunteer experience in Bali for $740USD per person, for two weeks.
Have you ever volunteered abroad? We would love to read about your experience below.
Thank you to Go Eco for allowing us to experience this incredible volunteer project in Bali. Our opinion is, as always, our own.
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