At a glance
- This is a volunteer opportunity with Projects Abroad. Devxchange will assist you in choosing the right fit, raising funds with your own campaign page, issuing tax receipts to donors if project meets CRA criteria as a charitable activity. Devxchange will also assist you in onboarding with Projects Abroad.
- Develop the sporting skills of the next generation, and inspire children to become involved in different activities.
- You will help to develop students’ self-esteem, teach them important life skills, and promote healthy lifestyle habits.
- Most of all, you will help make it a fun, inspiring experience for the children.
Details
- Run students through all aspects of sports training
- Teach off-field sports information such as nutrition and game rules
Includes/Excludes
Food and accommodation
- Food (three meals a day)
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- Full induction and orientation by an experienced staff member on arrival
- Transport to and from your work placement
- In-country support and 24-hour back-up from our team of full-time local staff
- Emergency assistance from our international emergency response team
- Project equipment and materials, including access to our database with thousands of resources
- Training and workshops from our experienced local staff
- Regular social events and community activities with other volunteers and interns
- Access to our local office with internet connection
- Certification of project completion
- Access to our alumni services and discounts
- Visa support and advice
- Fundraising support, including your own personalized fundraising website with DevXchange
- Tax Receipts for your donors if activity meets CRA criteria for charitable activity.
- Pre-departure preparation by your own specialist Volunteer Advisor
- Personalized MyProjectsAbroad website, with all the information you need about your project, accommodation and destination
- A free cultural awareness course
- Membership to our volunteer social media groups, to share information and to get in touch
- Support to help you complete registration or internship documents, if applicable
Not Included
- Flights
- Visa Costs (where applicable)
- 10% Admin fee for donations involving tax receipts.
Itinerary
Are you passionate about sports and fitness? Do you enjoy working with children? Looking for an international sports coaching experience? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this volunteer project is the right one for you.
Not only will you be helping children in disadvantaged communities to develop their skills, but you will also gain valuable work experience in a different cultural setting. Volunteering as a sports coach in Jamaican schools is a great addition to your CV, particularly if you’d like to pursue a career in the field.
You don’t need previous coaching experience to join. This can be professional coaching experience, or simply personal experience participating in certain sports and athletic activities. Bear in mind that you will be working fairly independently, so you will need at least an intermediate knowledge of a few different sports. You will also receive a thorough induction upon arrival, so that you arrive at your placement prepared.
You do need to be at least 18 years old to join this project, and stay for a minimum of two weeks. This project is available year-round. Start and end dates are flexible, so you can choose a time that suits you. However, we do encourage volunteers to stay for longer, as you can make a greater impact during your stay. Please be aware that schools close from late June to to August and in December.
English is the official language, and is used in schools. As such, you need to be comfortable having a conversation in English.
Your main role is to help with physical education classes and sports training at local schools. Here are some of the things you can get up to:
- Teach children a variety of different sports
- Run students through all aspects of sports training
- Teach off-field sports information such as nutrition and game rules
You can coach children in a variety of different sports on this placement. These include:
- Athletics
- Football
- Basketball
- Netball
- Cricket
- Tennis
- Hockey
Please note that some of these sports run at different times of the year. For example, athletics takes place from from January to March. Cricket is from March to mid-June, and football and netball run from September to November.
You’ll help students to develop their skills, and learn about the game. For example, hockey is a fairly new addition to the sports schedule, so you may also end up teaching the local staff. You might also take on the role of assistant coach for different school teams during their home and away games.
After enjoying breakfast at the home of your friendly host family, you’ll travel to your placement via a shared taxi. On your first day, a Projects Abroad staff member will accompany you to show you the way. You will either be working at a primary, junior high or high school in the area.
A typical day on the sports coaching programme runs from 8am – 2pm, Monday to Friday. If you would like to work on after school training sessions and attend matches, you will stay until 5pm. You will have your weekends and evenings free to travel or relax.
You’ll spend your day running physical education classes for different groups of children. The activities you do will vary according to the season. For example, cricket in spring and summer and football and netball in autumn and winter. Many of the schools have limited resources, so you may need to be creative.
When you’re not coaching specific sports, you may find yourself helping to prepare for sports days or school competitions. There is also the opportunity to combine this work with a Teaching Project. Teaching will let you spend part of your day in a classroom, helping students improve their literacy.
Once you’re done for the day, it’s time to learn more about the local way of life. Spend time getting to know your host family, or join in on one of our regular volunteer socials. These events are a great way to get to know your fellow volunteers and Projects Abroad staff. During your time off, you can bask on the idyllic beaches, sample traditional cuisine such as jerk chicken or ackee and saltfish, and take part in activities such as mountain trekking and scuba diving.
Mandeville
You will be based in Mandeville, a centrally located town for convenient travel to other areas of interest. It is around a two to three hour drive from the capital Kingston. While a fairly small town, it has all the amenities you might need. These include convenience stores, restaurants and banks.
You’ll work in local primary, junior high, or high school in disadvantaged parts of the town. Our main partner is a local high school with around 700 students, but only four physical education teachers.
During your leisure time on weekends, we encourage you to take advantage of all that the island has to offer. There is something for everyone, whether you enjoy culture and history, or adrenaline sports and spending time in nature. Why not explore some of Jamaica’s incredible waterfalls, beaches and lagoons?
Food and accommodation
You’ll stay with a host family in Mandeville. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Jamaica and have a truly unique experience.
We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.
Your programme fee includes three meals a day.
Free Time and Leisure Activities
When you think of the tropical Caribbean, Jamaica is one of the first countries that comes to mind. With its white-sand beaches and vibrant culture, this island nation has a lot to offer. It’s an amazing location to volunteer in, and explore during your free time.
The local cuisine is definitely worth trying, with tasty dishes like Jamaican patties and jerk chicken. You can enjoy these at seaside restaurants and then head down to the sea for a cooling swim in the ocean.
With a rich culture and friendly locals, exploring markets and museums is a must-do. Visiting the famous Bob Marley Museum in Kingston makes for an enlightening weekend trip. While you’re there, you can also tour Fort Charles and the National Heroes Park.
There will be other volunteers working on different projects in Jamaica while you’re there. This means you can choose to explore independently or connect with other volunteers and travel as a group.
