Teaching in schools - Sri Lanka

Product Details

English is considered to be one of the most important subjects in the school curriculum. A knowledge of the language opens the doors to many employment opportunities and is a highly sought-after skill. Tamil and Sinhalese are spoken in Sri Lanka. They have completely different structures and English is often used to communicate. Exams in English have to be passed before students enter tertiary education. Regrettably there is a chronic shortage of English teachers, particularly in the village schools. In addition to teaching this you may also be asked to teach subjects that you have studied at A level.

The school day runs from 8am until 2pm. In the afternoons you would be encouraged to organise and co-ordinate extra-curricular activities. If you have an interest in any sports (cricket is the national game), art, craft, drama, music, dance or just about any hobby you would have an enthusiastic club of young supporters. There are very few extra-curricular activities organised for the children and like most young people they crave stimulation.

Food / accommodation / time off

You would be accommodated with other volunteers in an Outreach International house close to the ocean. This would normally be a private house but we also have agreements with the owners of guesthouses who allow volunteers to use their facilities at quiet times of year. You would have your own private room, plenty of space and easy access to the miles of sandy beaches that run along the coast.

Weekends are normally free for swimming, surfing or exploring other parts of Sri Lanka. Public transport is cheap and reliable but slow because the roads are bumpy and pot-holed! The local diet consists of fish brought in every day by the fishermen, an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Coconuts, mangoes, bananas, limes, tomatoes, papayas and pineapples are all grown locally.