Info

Work with disadvantaged children who will benefit enormously from your help! Teach English and a range of other subjects (IT, sport, music, art, drama)! If you have a special interest we will try to tailor your project!

Teach in stunning Ecuador! The government school we work with has about 200 pupils aged from 5 to 14 years old. The children come from many different economic backgrounds and family situations. Some of the children are sponsored by the upper class employers of their parents, others cannot attend school everyday as they work as street vendors for part of the week. This school really needs volunteers and you will be greatly appreciated.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
The school is for children between the ages of 5 to 14 years old. It is a public, government funded school, which means that all the equipment, teachers, school uniforms, school lunches and class materials are provided by the government. Because of this the children come from all walks of life - however the majority of them are very poor. The families of these children mainly earn their living from being bricklayers, artisans, housemaids, street vendors or are unemployed. A number of the children are sponsored by their parents employers - in an exchange for their parents services in their homes, the upper class employers sponsor the children so they do not need to work and can receive an education instead. Other children cannot attend school every day because they must support their family by selling candy and other goods on the street.

The school has approximately 200 children, with about 30 in each grade. Every grade has a class teacher and there are also teachers for English, Sports, IT and Music (although at present the Music teacher position is vacant!) The school principal particularly appreciates the help of volunteers as he has a grade class himself, which combined with his responsibilities as the principal, leads to a very stressful mix!

The English teacher is called Gladys. She teaches all grades. She is Ecuadorian but her English is great! She always appreciates the chance to converse with native English speakers though, and your help in her classes is invaluable. The children get frustrated with the subject, as it is hard to learn and understand, so Gladys finds that they lose enthusiasm rapidly. Volunteers help to liven up these classes and make it enjoyable to learn English.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
*An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into the diverse culture in Ecuador.

*The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and knowing that you made a difference to them.

*New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

*An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

*And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

YOUR WORK
You will mainly work as an assistant. The children will really appreciate any attention you give them! Some of the tasks that you may participate in, will include:

-Teach English (from Wednesday to Friday)
-Teach Music (the school doesn't have a music teacher at present so if you have an interest in music this would be greatly appreciated)
-Generally assisting the teachers and the classes
-Teaching sports
-Helping with creative activities, such as Art classes or Drama classes
-Helping during the school lunch
-If you have a special interest please do not hesitate to inform us. We will do our best to arrange that your project is focused on your interests!

As the English teacher is Ecuadorian, any assistance you can give her is much appreciated. Most of the children find the subject frustrating and very hard to learn - by livening up the classes, you could turn the subject of English into the most loved class of the week for the pupils! The children are lovely and very inquisitive! They will ask you lots of questions about your home country, your life and your experiences - any photos you have that you wish to take along will be met with delighted smiles and much enthusiasm! Your presence in the English classes is highly important. Not only will you make the class more active and keep the children's interest, as a native English speaker you'll also be a great support to the teacher. You'll help her to refresh her memory of the language and to improve her vocabulary, pronunciation. You'll also no doubt give her new ideas for the future!

WORKING HOURS:
You will generally work for 5 hours, from 13.15 - 18.15 in the afternoon, Monday to Friday.

SPANISH LESSONS:
If you have no previous knowledge of Spanish, your project will include 2 weeks of Spanish lessons at a fantastic and very well-established Spanish school in Quito. For the first week of your project, you will have 4 hours of group Spanish classes in the morning and will work at the project in the afternoon. For the second week of your project you will have 2 hours of private Spanish lessons . On the third and fourth weeks of your projects, your Spanish will be brilliant and you won't need Spanish classes so will spend all the time at your project!! (Of course, if you wish we can arrange for you to continue with your Spanish classes - please see the prices page for the supplemental cost for this.) All the teachers at the school have taught Spanish for 8 or more years and between them they have developed a great many resources to make the lessons lively and fun. They also periodically organise interesting and enjoyable activities in order to introduce the Ecuadorian and Latin culture to their students - most recently they've been cooking Ecuadorian dishes in classes! It's a great, fun way to learn!

LOCATION:
The project is based in the north of the city, accessible by bus from your accommodation. Quito is a wonderful city, with a population of 2.4 million inhabitants. It is full of exciting history to explore, which is easier to find than in most cities as the most important dates in Ecuadorian history are in the street names - you'll come across 10 de Agosto street, 12 de Octubre street and 6 de Diciembre street!! You then just have to find out what happened on those dates!

There is always something to do in Quito, whether you'd like to experience some culture or join in with the cosmopolitan, modern way of life, there is always something to do or somewhere to visit. Cultural highlights include the old town, the cable car and the equator, along with a multitude of museums and monuments. Modern highlights include a range of shopping malls, a zoo, an ice skating rink, and plenty of restaurants and bars serving wonderful cocktails and tasty food - you'll find anything from traditional Ecuadorian cuisine to Thai and Italian!

Quito is very easy to get around. You can either use the buses, trolley buses or taxis, which are all very cheap and easily accessible.

YOUR ACCOMMODATION
You'll either stay in a house with other volunteers, in a privately run hostel, or with a host family depending on your preferences/availability. Staying with a host family or in the hostel does mean a small supplementary fee - please see the prices page for details of this.

The house is located in a tourist area, 'La Mariscal', near to where all Spanish lessons are held and where there is plenty of nightlife, restaurants and internet cafes. The house has 7 rooms and accommodates 13. There is a large, fully equipped kitchen, a TV room with a DVD player, wireless internet, 2 safety boxes and a garden with hammocks and a BBQ area. All bathrooms have hot water and there is a cleaning lady 5 days a week.

The hostel is located in the same area, just a 5 minute walk from the house. The cosy backpackers hostel has double rooms with private bathrooms and a small restaurant.

Accommodation with host families means that Travellers volunteers get to eat, sleep, work, socialise and generally live like an Ecuadorian! Many of our volunteers remain friends with their host families long after they leave Ecuador and in some cases they return to the country later especially to visit their family.

Whichever accommodation you choose you're sure to enjoy a great stay in Quito!

TRAVEL:
You'll fly into Ecuador where you'll be met on arrival. From the airport you'll be taken to your work and your accommodation and introduced to your hosts. Prepare yourself for a friendly welcome!

You have the option to arrange your own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Limited, ATOL No. 6856. Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving for your placement.

Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket.

To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.

We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing!

Start Dates

All year round - you choose your start and finish dates! Our placements are flexible and can be tailored to match your preferences. For availability please contact the office.

Costs / Benefits

Costs vary depending on length of placement, but starts at £775 for three weeks.

Included is full support from the moment of booking and throughout your placement to your return home. There are support staff 24/7 in all our destinations worldwide and a 24 hour emergency international telephone line direct to the Head Office. All meals are provided, unless otherwise stated. Accommodation is provided (whether a rented house, a hotel/hostel, homestay, apartment or flat).

You’ll be met at the nearest airport on your arrival by our in-country manager who will take you to your accommodation and give you a full induction into the area. He/she will also be on call 24/7 and you’ll see them frequently.

Pre-departure you’ll receive comprehensive information about every aspect of your placement and necessary preparations, ranging from what to pack, to visa information, to what to do on your weekend travel in the country. Your safety, well being and happiness throughout your placement are our primary concerns and we will keep in touch with you throughout. International flights not included.

Requirements

None, just enthusiasm and energy. You'll need a little Spanish to do this project, but we've got that covered! If you have no knowledge of Spanish at all, you can combine your project with two weeks of Spanish.

All our projects are open to all nationalities.
Anyone aged 17 - 70+