Teach English abroad and share your
interests in sports, music or art with children in this village school
On your gap year abroad if you are looking for something
different, the opportunity to experience a new culture and make a difference, then
Palampur is your ideal gap year destination. You will be teaching in a village
school with, in the countryside, surrounded by ancient woods and endless picturesque
tea gardens. This gap year destination is also very close to the home of the
Dalai Lama, so you will undoubtedly experience a bit of Tibetan culture during
your time as a volunteer teacher here.
Your volunteer role: On this gap year project you will be helping at a small, but
well established rural school situated a short bus ride out of town. The school
has 250 students taught by only 8 full time staff, so help from gap year volunteers
is hugely necessary. As a volunteer teacher here you will have the chance to really
influence these children’s lives.
Normal curriculum is taught until 2.30pm and after that you
have the chance to teach something that you are especially interested in. Be it
football, music or painting, as long as you bring the relevant materials you can
use this time to teach whatever you like…within reason! Volunteer input and
enthusiasm here is important for creating an enjoyable school experience and
enabling children the chance to do something they wouldn't normally do. We find
that gap year volunteer run activities increase attendance and are something
the children very much look forward to. So this is a time when you can really
help make a difference sharing your knowledge, experience and passion. Be sure
to think about what you could bring to this time and plan well so that you can take
the right materials and equipment with you.
Your experience: Palampur is a popular gap travel destination; you will be
staying with other volunteers in our volunteer house situated in a peaceful
part of the town a 30 min bus ride from the school. You can make the most of
your gap year in India by using the weekends to travel with other volunteers to
other parts of this beautiful Himalayan region and getting involved in local
festivals and celebrations. Nearby McLeod Ganj is where the Dalai Lama settled
after leaving Tibet, there are Buddhist temples and monasteries there that are well
worth a visit, and if you are lucky you may even see his holiness the Dalai
Lama himself! This area is also full of adventure sports like trekking,
paragliding and white water rafting if you fancy a bit of gap year adventure!