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Individuals over the age of 18
Our Teaching Internships and other volunteer opportunities offer adults the opportunity to experience a meaningful exchange of culture, knowledge, and friendship in a rural community in Africa, Asia, or Latin America.
Teaching Internship
Throughout the world thousands of children lack the basic necessities of education, including resources and teachers. Global Routes Teaching Interns are invited to become a dynamic part of addressing some of these needs by lending your curiosity, excitement, and many other skills to a classroom full of eager students. This placement is perfect for individuals who are ready to dive into an independent experience and take the personal initiative required to engage in a new culture, community, and classroom on your own. No teaching experience is required.
The setting for your teaching placement is in a rural village where you assist or teach in the community’s primary or secondary school. You may teach English, math, science, social studies, or environmental education. You may also coach sports, tutor, or lead art and music workshops.
While your primary responsibility in the community is teaching, we ask all volunteers to initiate an Independent Project. This is yet another way to integrate into the community in a unique and personal way. These projects may take on many different forms: building a library or playground for your school, facilitating health education workshops, painting a world map mural, organizing an after-school program, starting a reforestation project, or initiating a recycling program. What you choose to do is dependent upon the needs of your community and your own interests and motivation for fundraising prior to the placement.
Onsite Support
Volunteers are supported during this time by Global Routes field staff who are local to the area and have an abundance of experience working with Global Routes participants. The support they provide includes meeting the volunteer at the airport, city of arrival, or city/town where the staff member resides; orienting the volunteer to the area; accompanying the volunteer to the placement site and introducing them to the host family and teachers or administrators; and being available be cell phone for emergencies or other issues that may arise during the placement.
Homestay
Involvement in a local school is a wonderful way to integrate into the daily life of a community and is complemented by living with a host family. Past volunteers have noted that the moments they spent sharing stories, meals, and experiences with their families were some of the greatest highlights. You may choose to spend some weekends venturing out of the village to explore local sites of interest and other weekends in your community, going to the market, attending nearby festivals, working on your Independent Project, or simply relaxing at home with your host family.
Locations
Global Routes offers Teaching Internships in Thailand, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Belize, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Other Volunteer/Internship Opportunities
In addition to teaching internships, Global Routes offers several other volunteer placements in India, Ecuador, Thailand, and Tanzania.
In Ecuador,
we partner with an Ecuadorian-run nonprofit organization committed to reforestation, ecotourism, and sustainable community development and enterprise. This organization is very excited to collaborate with people from all over the world. You can participate in the growth of organic farmers' cooperatives for sugar cane and cacao, assist with ecotourism trips to local communities, integrate into ongoing community development projects, or help market the organization by linking it to more English-speaking foreign tourists and constituents.
In Thailand,
you can volunteer at a small, well-respected orphanage. Play with the children, teach or tutor different subjects, and assist with different projects such as their organic farm and their handicrafts initiative. If you like animals, you may prefer to work with elephants! During your stay at the nature park, you can help feed and bathe the elephants, observe them in their natural habitat, and learn about elephant communication, disease, and behavior.
In Tanzania,
we offer a placement at a thriving children’s home for persons 22 years of age or older who are interested in volunteering for 6-12 months. Volunteers may teach, tutor, or assist with IT support, marketing, or medical care.
Any of these volunteer or intern placements can be combined with a homestay for some or all of the experience.
Onsite Support
Teaching Interns and Volunteers are supported during this time by Global Routes in-country coordinators who are local to the area and have an abundance of experience working with Global Routes participants. The support they provide includes meeting the volunteer at the airport, city of arrival, or city/town where the staff member resides; orienting the volunteer to the area; accompanying the intern/volunteer to the placement site and introducing them to the host family and teachers or administrators; and being available be cell phone for emergencies or other issues that may arise during the placement.
Placement Length
The minimum amount of time for a teaching internship is one month due to the nature of the placement and the expectations of the school and community. The longer the intern is in the community, the more responsibilities he or she will be able to take on in the classroom. The minimum amount of time for the other internship or volunteer opportunities varies from placement to placement. Please contact us for more details.
Other Volunteer/Internship Opportunities
In addition to teaching internships, Global Routes offers several other volunteer placements in India, Ecuador, Thailand, and Tanzania.
Costs
The placement fee is $1,400. Volunteers also pay a fee of $40 per week for room and board. Airfare and personal expenses are not included.