Teach in Kenya - rural or urban schools

We work with schools throughout Kenya alongside our charity Moving Mountains.

We specifically work with five schools in Western Kenya close to Lake Victoria, Two slum schools in Nairobi and two disadvantaged schools in the Eastern province. All of the schools offer differing setups. We will have a chat to see which one will suit you best and where your skills can be best utilised.

• Work in a primary school supported by Moving Mountains
• Give private tuition to children directly sponsored by Moving Mountains
• Teach children English, maths, science, geography and history
• Live locally in your own house, shop in the markets and prepare your own meals
• Help us monitor the schools we support by carrying out surveys on academic performance and quality of life

The house in Nairobi is very comfortable with a living room and sofas, a TV, two double bedrooms, a flush toilet, a shower and a fully equipped kitchen with fridge, toaster and gas cooker. It will be your job to keep the place clean and tidy although we do have a housegirl to help.

Upcountry the house is not as luxurious but it is clean and tidy and you will have a bedroom, lounge, kitchen, western toilet, a shower and all that you need. Less than at home, for sure, but enough to live quite happily. The house is next door to our staff and close to all the schools we work with. We now have electricity up in Western Kenya which is our main area and the house can accommodate up to 8 people.

The food will be local but you will have a chance to go into town on occasion and feast on western foods such as burgers, pizzas and so on. Kenyan food is very tasty but the range is limited. Boiled maize meal called ugali is stodgy and difficult to stomach without a sauce but the stews are very tasty. The fresh fruit and vegetables are cheap and delicious.

Much of the Kenyan diet is vegetarian and up-country you will eat a lot of githeri, which is a bean stew and very tasty. There is also pilau rice, chapattis; lots of fruit and boiled vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, cake and of course the usual teas, coffees, bread, eggs etc. You will want to buy some stores for yourselves like jam, cordial, sugar, tea bags etc as well as toilet paper, soap, matches and insect spray.

On safari you can pretty much buy what you like according to your budget. Most western food is available in Nairobi and Kisumu, it’s just a matter of going shopping in the big supermarkets called Uchumi or Nakumatt. We do like you to shop locally though, to provide income for the stall holders.

Transport will be with our vehicles initially but then you will take the bus to school in the morning or walk if it is up in Western Kenya. We have a 9 seater Nissan and our drivers are all qualified and insured, very experienced and also qualified mechanics.

During the weekends you can use the Nissan for going on short safaris but we have a system regarding costs for this. You must note this carefully because it will affect how much funds you are going to need for your time in Kenya. This applies to any safari you organise after your placement in the school, if you plan to stay on for independent travel. If you wish to go away for the weekend during your placement then you may have the vehicle for nothing if it is available. If you wish to hire the vehicle after your placement then we charge £30 per day. Camping fees and safaris fees are extra in both cases.