We have just completed a successful week of training with our volunteers who are going overseas this summer, as part of the workshop we ask volunteers to think about teaching and planning lessons. We had some great suggestions from different people throughout the week that we thought it would be nice to share, check them […]
Volunteer Update: Bob in Sri Lanka IV
You may have been following Bob’s blogs, he is currently in Sri Lanka and in his last week he arranged an English concert at the school to celebrate all the hard work the students had put in over the last six weeks. You can catch up on his previous blogs here. Today’s blog is the […]
Volunteer Update: Bob in Sri Lanka III
You may have seen some of our past updates from Bob who is in Sri Lanka at the moment on a long term placement (for the third year in a row!), if not you can check them out here. Bob is coming to the end of his placement and has e-mailed to tell us about […]
Volunteer Case Study: Pauline: First Week in India
This is part two of Pauline’s six week trip to India in September 2013, if you missed part one check it out here! Here Pauline reflects on her first week at her project; meeting her host family, exploring the village and starting in school. End of week one and highlights so far: We are staying […]
Volunteer Update: Bob in Sri Lanka II
You may have seen our last instalment from Bob, who is currently in Sri Lanka (for the third time with VESL!), if not make sure you check it out here! We received a lovely email from Priyanthi, the English Teacher, at the school Bob has been placed in just after Bob’s last update: He [Bob] […]
Volunteer Case Study: Kru Kim
“These past few weeks have definitely taught me a lot about myself and having taught a variety of ages from 4-15 years, I have verified that I can teach and more than this, that I enjoy teaching. I have spent a long period of time in a foreign country and I felt at home; I […]
Volunteer Case Study: Memories
Tazreen Kassim-Lowe from Keele University has written a second blog (first blog can be found here) for us, reflecting on her experience and memories after spending four weeks in Northern Thailand teaching English. Tazreen and her project partner, Kate, were placed at a rural primary school between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, having returned to […]
Volunteer Case Study: Excerpts from a Diary
Ola Smuklerz is a student at Manchester Metropolitan University and she spent four weeks this summer in Kerala, India volunteering in a school in a Muslim community just south of Trivandrum. Ola has put together a collection of excerpts from her diary that reflect on her experience, from meeting her host family full of nerves […]
Volunteer Case Study: Give It Your All
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 […]
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. […]
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: 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
Teaching Advice: Ice breakers
Having a number of icebreakers up your sleeve can be incredibly useful! They can be used initially to warm up a class or to form a ‘break’ between sections of a lesson. They can be used as a way to introduce yourself to a new class or to introduce a new topic. Entering a new […]
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Past Volunteer Feedback
- Travel Advice: Homesickness April 23, 2014
- Volunteer Co-ordinator: Dhanya April 15, 2014
- Teaching Advice: New Ideas April 14, 2014
- Volunteer Co-ordinator: Renata April 8, 2014
- Volunteer Co-ordinator: Ola April 1, 2014