Voluntary Project Overview

Career break volunteers teaching in Nepal on this project work in small villages in the Kathmandu valley, mainly near the small town of Dhulikhel. Although only 40km east of Kathmandu, Dhulikhel is rich in Nepalese culture and the surrounding villages retain their unspoilt, rustic charm. The location of this career break project also offers stunning views of the Langtang Himalayas on the horizon.

Resources at the schools in this rural area are minimal and volunteers travelling to teach English in Nepal can help to support the small number of teachers. Schools on this volunteer teaching project really value the support and input of MondoChallenge volunteers, who can help to compensate for deficiencies in basic resources and improve the quality of the children’s education.

The Volunteer Abroad Role

As a volunteer in Nepal your primary role will be to teach English to children aged 6-14 years old. By providing tuition in conversational English, volunteers will be able to raise understanding of the language among staff and students. Volunteers teaching on a career break in Nepal will also teach children about basic health and sanitation and can incorporate other subjects depending on their own areas of interest, including sport, music or drama.

Volunteering to teach English abroad can be a challenging experience and the physical conditions of the schools in Nepal make this voluntary project no exception. Teaching in Nepal with such limited equipment can appear daunting, but the children are eager to learn and volunteers comment on how rewarding and enjoyable the work can be.

Volunteer Work Impact

By providing English language classes and fun-based, interactive learning activities, career break volunteers can contribute to schools that struggle to provide adequate education in rural Nepal. Given the poverty of many of the children at the schools, volunteers travelling to teach in Nepal can make a real difference to the lives of genuinely needy and disadvantaged children.

Teaching English overseas is an incredibly rewarding way to spend your career break and because our volunteer projects are well-organised, you can make a significant contribution in a relatively short amount of time. Volunteer teachers can provide invaluable cross-cultural interactions with local students and staff, and you will gain a unique insight into Nepalese culture by living and working in the local community.

Other Volunteer Abroad opportunities

While this volunteer project is full-time, there are opportunities for volunteers to get involved with extra-curricular activities at the schools and in the villages. This could include providing personal language tuition and adult literacy classes, or running sports clubs for the children.

A career break in Nepal is the perfect opportunity to do some trekking and explore the foothills of the world’s highest peaks. Volunteers teaching English abroad on this volunteer programme can also travel to Kathmandu, where they can discover a fascinating city with a rich cultural heritage.

Voluntary Programme Requirements/Eligibility Criteria

As a volunteer teaching in Nepal you should be enthusiastic, resourceful and open-minded, as well as have an interest in education and an affinity for children. Prior teaching experience is not essential; however we do arrange regular weekend TEFL programmes that can give you ideas and help prepare for your time teaching abroad.Volunteering abroad on a career break is always challenging and at the same time rewarding, we believe you always need good communication skills and a good sense of humour to make the most of this voluntary programme in Nepal.

Volunteer Accommodation and Living arrangements

Volunteers travelling to teach in Nepal stay with local families in villages near the rural schools. While one of the delights of volunteering in Nepal is clearly the dramatic scenery, another is the Nepali villagers themselves. They are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality, and career break volunteers are often struck by the welcoming nature and generosity of their hosts.

The lifestyle is understandably simple and volunteers should be prepared for a more basic level of accommodation than they are used to at home. However, Kathmandu is not far away and you can easily combine village life with weekend visits to the city on your career break abroad.

What’s included in your Programme Fee?

• Project selection and placement - Our in-country teams work constantly to identify and select projects that are doing exemplary work in developing countries but need your skills and effort. Our staff are in dialogue with you to ensure that we choose a project that really needs you, where you will use your skills and contribute, because at MondoChallenge, we believe that a great volunteering experience is largely dependant on matching you with the right project
• Pre Departure Briefing - Before you leave, we will arrange for a pre departure briefing where we help you with small but extremely helpful details on your chosen destination. Things like: what to pack, local culture and customs, food, safety and precautions if any - simple things to make your life easier!
• Guidance for processing visa - MondoChallenge will arrange for any relevant documents and guide you through the visa process.
• Airport Pick Up - Arriving in a new city and not knowing where to go and how to go can be quite unnerving. A MondoChallenge representative will meet you at the airport and take you to your place of stay where you can put your feet up after a long flight.
• In country Orientation and Welcome Pack - When you arrive at your location, you will be given an orientation where you could meet other volunteers from MondoChallenge, learn all about your location, how to find your way around, where to get SIM cards for the phone, small bits that you will need help sorting out in the first few days.
• In Country Support - Our local co-ordinators are there to guide you through out your stay. They will make sure that you are settled at your project, are comfortable with your accommodation and provide guidance on local culture and customs to ensure that you have a memorable and rewarding experience.
• Accommodation - In most cases you stay with a local host family. It gives you a taste of the daily life of a local. You will be sharing a room with another volunteer, however if you prefer to have a single room to youself, this can be arranged but a cost supplement may apply. If you prefer totally independent accommodation, this maybe possible in certain areas at an additional cost and our Programme Managers will be able to assist you with this.
• Breakfast and Dinner - Local home cooked food, will be provided at the home stays. This gives you a chance to experience local dishes.
• Optional Contribution to the Education Grant - The Educational Grant helps projects like the one you will volunteer with, to get basic infrastructure and resources. Open air schools need a roof, some need tables or chairs and some need books for children. We identify needs and constantly work at improving the conditions at our partner projects. We also encourage you to identify needs at your project and let our local management know of any specifics that you feel may help. The grants are made through our registered charity, FutureSense Foundation (Charity No: 1132101). In the project fee above we recommend an optional contribution towards these grants. If you would like to fund raise or contribute further amounts towards this directly to the foundation we can assist you through the process.

Not Included:

• International Flights
• Visa and Travel insurance Costs
• Vaccination
• Local Transport and Travel
• Personal Expenses

Project photos

Testimonials