The program needs foreign volunteers with an understanding of English as there is no one in Gengma who speaks English. This small English Language Center is in need of volunteers specifically because in the history of the county, the town has never been able to afford to pay a foreign teacher. The economy of the area is very poor and cannot support such a salary. Chinese students are trained to be disciplined in the school, and they show great respect to teachers. Volunteers make a difference in Gengma as this town has never had foreigners before. Almost every student in the Center has had no exposure to English or the Western world aside from the media. It is a chance to introduce the local people to how life truly is in the West, and to improve their English abilities. After studying with us, all of our students have improved scores on their school English exams and therefore are able to attend better college institutions, and possibly study abroad in a Western country.
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Where will I be volunteering?
The English Center is located in the small, rural town of Gengma. The town of Gengma is located in Gengma County, Lincang Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Within China, Yunnan is on the southwestern edge of the country, and Gengma is on the southwestern edge of Yunnan, near the border of Myanmar. The Center is located in the capital town of the county, and outside the town Gengma county is entirely small townships and farm villages.
What will I be doing?
Your primary goal will be to teach English to the students. You will create and implement daily lesson plans for each class. You will mainly be teaching vocabulary, conversational and practical English language use.
What is required to volunteer on this project?
- Language Requirement: Intermediate English
- Must be 18 years or older.
What will my schedule be like?
uVolunteer believes that you should have a well balanced work and play schedule. This means you will only be required to work a maximum of 20 hours per week. Volunteers will work 2 - 5 hours per day, generally 3 - 5 days per week. Weekdays are generally 2 hours every evening, weekend hours are longer.
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Will I be able to communicate with family and friends?
Volunteers will have access to internet, skype and email in their accommodation.There is also internet, email, fax and international phones in town. If you need to fax or want to use an international phone in town the cost for fax is 1RMB per page, and international phone calls 1RMB per minute.
What can I do in my free time?
Volunteers can study Mandarin, TaiChi, help out on nearby farms, learn to cook Chinese food, play MaJiang, go hiking, swimming, fishing, and visit nearby Wa and Dai ethnic minority villages.
- Program Name: Volunteer China
- Project Name: Volunteer Teaching English in Yunnan Province, China
- Project Category: Teaching
- Project Location: Gengma
- Program Fee: A 4 week experience starts from $550; add $0 for each additional week
- Program fees include:
- Airport Pickup Service
- Welcome Orientation and debriefing
- Accommodation
- Program Activities
- In-country coordination support
- 24/7 emergency hot line
- Letter of Recommendation
- Certificate
- Items not included: Flights, travel insurance, visa costs, in-country transportation and any other expense not listed above
- Project Transport Arrangements: The project site is within walking distance of the accommodation.
- Suggested transportation budget: None
- Working Schedule: A maximum of 20 hours per week.
- Project Closed Dates:
- New Year Jan 1-3
- Chinese New Year 7 days - Jan/Feb
- Winter Break 1 month - February
- Summer Break 1 month - August Plus local national holidays as shown in your Volunteer Handbook
- Language Requirement: Intermediate English
- Accommodation Type: Home Stay
- Meals: No Meals Included
- Start dates: Fortnightly, on Mondays
- Volunteer Gender: Male & Female
- Minimum age: 18
- Minimum project length: 4 Weeks
- Maximum project length: 52 Weeks
- Maximum number of volunteers: 4
- Resume or CV required: No
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