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.
- Gain practical classroom experience whilst helping to raise the literacy levels of your students.
- You’ll work alongside professional teachers in a primary or secondary school.
- You can teach teenagers and adults how to read and write on our community literacy program.
- You can also teach French or special educational needs.
Details
- Work with children, teenagers, or adults during classes to improve literacy
- Work with teachers to prepare lessons with clear goals
- Assist teachers with extracurricular activities such as music, sport, French, German and art
- Teach in a special needs school or teach sign language at a center for deaf children
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
This project is perfect for anyone interested in getting practical classroom experience, while also supporting teachers in a developing country. You’ll work with professional teachers who will guide you, then give you more responsibility as you gain confidence.
This volunteer opportunity will give you plenty of hands-on teaching work experience in Jamaica, which you can use to boost your resume. This is a great way to kick start your career in teaching. You’ll also learn skills like planning and leadership, which you can apply to any career.
No experience? No problem! You’ll work with a local teacher in the classroom, and Projects Abroad staff are there to guide you. We also hold regular workshops for all our Teaching and Care volunteers to give you ideas and help you overcome any challenges.
If you’re interested in teaching other subjects, contact Project Abroad’s Experts. They’ll advise you on what subjects you can teach in Jamaica, and whether you can teach those subjects part-time or full time.
This project runs throughout the year, and you can join at any time from a minimum of three weeks. Please note that to volunteer as a teacher in Jamaica, you need an intermediate level of English.
You’ll work in a primary or secondary school. You can also volunteer in our community literacy programme for adults. You’ll get involved in work such as:
- Work with children, teenagers or adults during classes to improve literacy
- Work with teachers to prepare lessons with clear goals
- Assist teachers with extracurricular activities such as music, sport, French, German, and art
- Teach in a special needs school or teach sign language at a centre for deaf children
At the start of each day, you’ll eat breakfast with your Jamaican host family. Dressed smartly, you will travel to your teaching placement using a shared taxi. On your first day, we’ll show you the easiest way to get to your placement.
Depending on your placement, you will work for between 5 – 7 hours a day, Monday to Friday. You’ll have a lunch break.
As a sign of respect for your students and your placement, punctuality and professionalism are important. We also encourage you to observe or take part in the school’s morning devotion time, but it’s not required.
Depending on your schedule, you will then lesson plan with a supervising teacher, or take part in classes. Extracurricular activities run as part of a set timetable, which you can discuss with your supervisor.
Class sizes vary in schools, and remedial classes have much smaller groups. A big part of your role will be to work with small groups in remedial classes that run parallel to regular classes. These classes focus on improving reading, writing, and comprehension skills. If you’re working with adults, you’ll have more independendence with planning and running classes.
You can explore the beautiful island of Jamaica in your free time and over the weekends.
Mandeville
All of our volunteer teaching placements in Jamaica are in the university town of Mandeville. You’ll live and work in an area known for its friendly people, beautiful surroundings, and warm weather.
Depending on your interests, you will work in a public primary or secondary school, or be based in the community literacy programme. At the schools, students come from varied backgrounds, but a large number are from disadvantaged homes.
There is a high illiteracy rate in rural Jamaica. Classes are oversized and there are no teacher assistants. There is also a gap between the quality of education in underprivileged communities, and slower learning or disadvantaged children are often left behind. Working here will give you direct insight into the challenges people face with education in developing countries.
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.
