Sophie Ramshaw a trainee teacher from Hull University spent 4 weeks of her summer teaching English in a rural school in Chiang Rai. Sophie has written an insightful blog about her experience, from bonding with her host Mum to teaching her classes outside… Travelling over to Thailand filled me with excitement, for some reason I […]
VESL Volunteer Blog
India: A Volunteers Guide From Start To Finish: Part Five: Weekends
Becky’s fifth and final instalment covering her trip to India touches on travelling, whether at weekends or before/after your project, Kerala (and the rest of India!) has some amazing places that you can visit! Remember if you have missed her other posts, you can start from part one by clicking here! If you go travelling […]
India: A Volunteers Guide From Start To Finish: Part 4: Teaching & The School Environment
“I would definitely encourage anybody to take part in this volunteering project. It has been an amazing experience and I have learnt so much from it. It feels so good to be a part of something that gives to communities that have very little, but appreciate every little thing they have and are always smiling. […]
India: A Volunteers Guide From Start To Finish: Part Three: Host Family
Meeting your host family can seem like a very daunting part of your project, in her third instalment of ‘India: A volunteers guide from start to finish’ Becky describes her worries and how living with a host family was one of the best parts of her trip. Read her post below to put your worries […]
INDIA: A VOLUNTEERS GUIDE FROM START TO FINISH: PART TWO: PACKING
Today is day two of Becky’s ‘India: A Volunteers Guide From Start To Finish’ and today she talks about packing and lists five essential things that she found very useful on her trip. If you missed Becky’s post yesterday, you can check it out here. Remember to come back tomorrow for the next instalment where […]
India: A Volunteers Guide From Start To Finish: Part One: Fundraising
Becky McMullin has recently returned from a four week project in Kerala, India where she was volunteering in a primary school in coastal village near Trivandrum. Becky has written a great series of posts which we will be bringing you over the next four days about her experiences including fundraising, packing, meeting her host family, […]
Volunteer case study: a home away from home
Chandni volunteered in a rural primary school in a remote part of Chiang Rai for four weeks this summer, here she reflects on her experience having recently returned to the UK, from living with a host family to trying the new food! On the 26th July 2013 I left home to teach English in a […]
Volunteer Case Study: Making A Small But Measureable Difference
Alison Leighton, a volunteer from Edinburgh University, volunteered with VESL in Kerala, India this summer for six weeks, here she describes getting over her initial nerves and the amazing experience of living with a host family. On 12th July 2013 I left the UK to teach English in a small village near Trivandrum in Kerala, […]
Student Leader Blog: Check List
One of our Student Leaders, Lucy Allcock, from Edge Hill University is spending just over six weeks in India supporting her team of volunteers, she has put together an excellent check list for future volunteers going to India, check it out below! So the volunteers are just beginning their 3rd week of teaching and are […]
Student Leader Blog: Running an English Camp
Check out this blog post written by Student Leader, James Hallworth, about running an English in Phayao Province in Thailand. We encourage volunteers to assist in running one camp as part of their project whether that is for students or for teachers, here James talks about running a camp for over 180 teachers! During your […]
Volunteer Case Study: Every Day Brings New Experiences
“The children are so loving and are so keen to learn English. When you really make a breakthrough it reminds you why you are our here and gives you the confidence that you are making a difference.” Emma & Becca, Thailand 2013
Why are Student Leaders Important Overseas?
What is a Student Leader? Our Student Leader programme helps support our summer volunteers and enable them to have extra support whilst overseas, the programme was developed in 2012 and we are now in our second year. Student Leaders’ role starts in the UK in the Autumn/Winter before a summer project, and they recruit a […]
Travel advice: living with a host family
Living with a host family is a really unique way to get to know and experience the local culture, taste the local food and have a rare opportunity to become fully welcomed into a new family. Most volunteers come back from their projects and see their host family as their second family, but it can […]
So you’re wondering what to teach…?
James Hallworth is currently a Student Leader, he is supporting a team of seven volunteers from Edge Hill University in Thailand. James has put together this blog post to help current and future volunteers with teaching, as even the most experienced teacher can freeze and panic in an unfamiliar environment! So give his tips a […]
