Teaching Projects: Coastal and Mountains - Mexico

Product Details

There are numerous opportunities for volunteers interested in working in remote and humble schools in the areas around Puerto Vallarta. These schools are in coastal fishing communities, in hill villages and in busier coastal towns with a tourist population. Some are only accessible by boat and are set right on the coast with thick tropical jungle and mountains immediately behind them. Others are in the hills where there is a combination of sub-tropical vegetation and pine forests.

The schools are basic, often lacking materials and stimulating activities. Volunteers can make an important contribution by teaching English, basic computer skills, arts and sport. As the school is an essential part of the community the volunteers should expect to have high exposure to village life and become involved in extra-curricular activities.

The extent of your involvement will depend on your abilities and motivation and your relationship with the head teacher, members of staff and students from the villages and surrounding hamlets. The communities are normally traditional and rarely if ever visited by westerners. The projects will offer you a unique opportunity to become fully immersed in vibrant, traditional Mexican culture, fiestas, charros, weddings, horse riding and family life. By implication you will become good at speaking Spanish.

Schools

Chacala (1) and El Refugio: Traditional hillside villages overlooking the Pacific with small secondary and primary schools. Volunteers would work in both schools. Horses are more common than cars.

Chimo and Villa del Mar: Traditional fishing villages more accessible by boat than car. Small secondary and primary schools in stunning, remote locations. Wonderfully ‘lost in time’...

Rincon de Guabitos and Penita: Pretty coastal towns dominated by incredible golden beaches. The abundance of whales, dolphins and turtles attract Mexican tourists, particularly at weekends. Volunteers will divide their time between the small primary and secondary schools.

Bucerias: Pretty, coastal town within the Bay of Banderas, 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. The gorgeous, sandy beaches and restaurants overlooking the Bay are popular with tourists. There is a large secondary school, tiny kinder schools and also a project teaching the market children in the local library.

Higuera Blanca: Traditional coastal village with one school for children aged 5 – 14. One hour from Puerto Vallarta but rarely visited by tourists. This is also the base for one of our turtle conservation projects.

Chacala(2): Village north of Puerto Vallarta on Pacific coast. Varied project that includes teaching children aged 6-14. Also helping on a community/social development programme. Warm, welcoming community

Puerto Vallarta: There are also several placements in PV teaching deaf children, special needs children, disabled children and street children. These would be ideal for volunteers wanting a demanding project, surrounded by the ‘creature comforts’ of a relatively sophisticated town.

Accommodation / food / language / time off

Volunteers will normally be accommodated with a Mexican family within the village, linked in some way to the school. Close, warm relationships always develop with the host family and their friends. Food will be provided by the family and will be whatever the local tradition and conventions enjoy. This is normally a healthy diet of fresh fish spiced up with chilli, vegetables and fruit. Meat is eaten on special occasions but vegetarians are respected and catered for.

Volunteers in Bucerias, Rincon and Penita unless they especially wish to stay with a family, will live in comfortable, self catering apartments overlooking the ocean. The accommodation will be rustic but in spectacular locations dominated by beach, jungle, forest and mountains. Normally 1-2 hours by bus or boat from Puerto Vallarta. The communities have telephones and power.

These projects offer volunteers the highest possible exposure to Mexican village life, language and culture. There will be a schedule to follow in terms of basic responsibilities but volunteers should expect to have weekends off. Trips can easily be planned to meet with other OI teaching volunteers during their stay. Puerto Vallarta is a thriving metropolis with internet cafes, restaurants, bars, supermarkets etc. which may be a pleasant counterpoint for volunteers who find their placements remote at times! If you are interested in this placement, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

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Our users say...
"It was easily the most challenging yet enjoyable three months of my life - I had a fantastic time! I stayed with a family and another volunteer, and we made up the only English-speaking pair in the entire village! Our Spanish wasn’t that impressive, so at first it was very difficult to communicate, but soon enough we got to grips with the language. I absolutely loved the teaching. The worst part is walking in, whilst a group of curious eyes stares silently at you. But once you say the first sentence, and you realise they’re actually listening, then the first hand goes up and you realise that they may be interested as well, then all the fear vanishes. I loved the Mexican way of life, everything from the food to the constant stream of fiestas! The help that the Outreach Internatioal rep provided ensured we made the most of our trip; she encouraged us to travel and recommended the best ways to go about it. The excursions were also an important aspect of such a brilliant time; I enjoyed both the whale watching and the canopy touring thoroughly, and think its great that they were incorporated into the trip" - Sarah Daly.

"It was on that first journey that we got our first flavours of rural Mexico, seeing pickup trucks filled with Mexicans, long-eared cows, wandering along the road, and men on horseback, wearing sombreros with one hand on their hips and accompanied by their dogs. At times it felt like a movie set.

I certainly was truly immersed in Mexican culture, the village was very different from the city, pick-up trucks or horses were the normal form of transport, and dogs and chickens have the free run of the village. It takes a while to get used to the roosters which crow incessantly, and to the loud braying of the donkeys, but I-m going to miss them here in England. The village itself is in an idyllic setting high up in the mountains overlooking the ocean. They keep cows and grow sweetcorn, maize and mezcal plants, from which they make tequila. The fields themselves are reached on horseback and are nestled among the trees covering the mountains.

The teaching was hard work and great fun at the same time. It became easier as I picked up more Spanish (I went knowing none and left being able to hold a conversation with any friendly Mexicans I met, and they are mostly friendly)" - Hannah Ilett.

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