Overview
Vacancy: Teach and Trek in the Himalayas
Company: Oyster Worldwide
Category: Community Projects (Childcare, Schools & Education, Teaching English)
Dates: Departures in January, May, June and September. Others may be possible
Cost : From £2125 for 4 months
Description
Oyster has been sending gap year and career break volunteer teachers to Nepal since 2000. We work with schools that are based in the Kathmandu valley in villages that are a short journey from Kathmandu city.
The Teaching
Our priority is to make sure that you are working in a school where you can make a real contribution to school life and to children’s lives. In most of the schools you will have the option of teaching primary and secondary age children. The teaching medium in all of the placements is English. Your ability to speak and write good English is therefore a huge asset. Much of your teaching time will be spent teaching English although past volunteers have taught a range of subjects including Art, English Literature and Geography.
A large part of your time will be spent organising extra curricular activities for the children. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own interests with them to Nepal, be that sport, music, drama or art. The children will be fascinated by your skills (however basic you feel they might be!) and will be very keen to learn from you.
Accommodation
You will live either in basic accommodation with a local Nepali family or in school boarding accommodation. Both options give you the ability to immerse yourself into Nepali life for 4 months. You will be able to make friends with the teachers and other local people and in the past volunteers have been invited to weddings and religious festivals in the area.
Explore Nepal
Our representative in Nepal has designed a package of extra trips for volunteers to do whilst in the country. The trips include an 8 day Himalayan trek, 8 day cultural tour of Tibet and a 3 day white water rafting trip and Chitwan National Park safari. These trips are spread throughout your 4 months program and cost an extra £1100 in total. Our advice would certainly be to sign up to these trips as they are a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Oyster Support
On application you will be contacted by our experienced Destination Manager who will be able to answer any questions that you have. We will arrange a suitable time for you to have a one to one informal interview either at our office or over the phone. At this stage we will show you lots of photos and tell you all about the project in more detail. About 3 months before departure we will invite you to a pre departure course where you will meet the rest of your group and find out far more detail about your flights, the project, how to stay healthy and safe and, importantly, how to teach!
On arrival in Kathmandu you will be met by our representative at the airport and given a thorough orientation course. The representative will become a helpful friend to you and be able to help you with any problems you might have during your program.
The Cost
For 4 months including return flights from London and all of the trips, accommodation, food during the week and support throughout the cost is £3925.