Teaching English

Volunteer to teach English to young Sri Lankan student and help them advance with educational opportunities and brighter futures.

The growth in international trade and tourism has made English a very important language to master in Sri Lanka. English is also used in commerce and communications. But not all Sri Lankan children are lucky enough to learn from qualified teachers in the schools. The children from disadvantaged families attend schools that are resource poor and the school is not able to afford teachers with skills and experience. As a result, the children risk not getting into good universities and may potentially face life of hardship. When you volunteer in the teaching project in Sri Lanka, you will help the children improve their English and brighten their future. You will also find the students extremely eager to learn from an international volunteer and generally well behaved.

Join the project and be part of the school's effort at giving young Sri Lankan children a better future. You will find the experience fun, fulfilling and life changing.

Your Responsibility as a Volunteer:

You will teach English to the children between the age of 6 and 16. You will teach according to the official curriculum, but you can also use your own methods to make the class very interactive and fun. You can for instance hold debates and discussions as this will often encourage the students to speak and understand English better. It will also encourage student participation.

You can start by teaching on your own or you can start by assisting the local teachers. Volunteers can also organize or be part of extra-curricular activities, like games and plays. Other activities include helping the administration of the school and being part of fund raising efforts to improve the infrastructure of the school.

You will teach between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. You won't work during the weekends. In the flat terrain of Sri Lanka, most volunteers prefer to travel on a cycle or Tuk Tuk to and fro from work and host family.

Project skills required:

English is widely spoken and understood by most Sri Lankans. Therefore, as English teaching volunteer, you must have a very good knowledge of English language and be fluent English speak, although not necessary be a native English speaker. If you do not have prior teaching knowledge and if you are not confident enough to teach the whole class on your own, you can start as an assistant teacher. Volunteer should also be flexible, self-motivated and should be willing to learn new things.

Project Location

Our projects are located in a beautiful town of Galle, about 5 hours drive south of Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. There are many beautiful villages near Galle that you can explore and get a glimpse of Sri Lankan culture and way of life. Kalutara Temple in Galle is one of the must visit places. Other places to visit in Galle include Peace Pagoda, Galle Fort and one of the turtle hatcheries in the coastal area. There are many good places to go out to eat and drink in Galle.

Volunteers can also travel to other historical cities like ancient capital cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, where you can explore ruins built by the ancient Kings. If you hike to "SIGIRIYA ROCK" you can witness spectacular scenery from the top. North East of Sri Lanka contains many famous beaches like Arugam Bay beach as well as monasteries, temples, parks, churches, museums and art galleries.