Project Overview

Teaching English in Nepal – Community Schools

“I really loved teaching English in Nepal with VIN. This was my first overseas volunteering experience and it was unforgettable! The community I worked with was wonderful and I have fallen in love with the culture of Nepal. I was a bit nervous at first but my fears were instantly erased when I met VIN’s program director and my host family. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. I loved getting to know the students in my classes and discovering my hidden teaching skills. During school holidays in March, I completed the Annapurna Circuit and my appreciation for this beautiful country grew even more. Volunteering is such an enriching experience and I believe that VIN has a program to make use of anyone’s talents. This is a great organization that I would recommend to anyone interested in getting involved in Nepal. I plan on being a VIN member for life.”

Corinne Shipley, USA, March, 2007

Teaching English Overview

In this day and age of an increasingly global, interdependent world, knowledge of additional languages is always a benefit to a person’s career and personal life, and this is especially so for a language as prevalent as English. All members of Nepali society are bettered in their educational and professional endeavors by a proficiency in English, as it opens doors to being able to apply for jobs via the Internet, and such skills are additionally looked upon with great favor by local employers. As the most ideal window for language acquisition begins during one’s early childhood years and extends into adolescence, VIN has partnered with local community schools to increase students’ fluency in English language.

Whether you are a veteran teacher or have no experience other than fluency in the English language, VIN would love to partner with you to increase children’s proficiency in one of the world’s most widely spoken languages. Volunteers will teach multiple language classes per day, typically to children ranging from 6 to 13 years of age, and depending upon one’s expertise, may teach courses in additional academic subjects as well. Each school has its own English teachers who will assist the volunteer with teaching methods, offer advice on solving communication barriers, and provide suitable curricula for the classroom. Additional responsibilities include overseeing and facilitating co-curricular activities and community centers designed to supplement students’ education and raising awareness regarding issues ranging from hygiene and public health to career and life skills.

If you would like to make a difference not only in individual lives, but also grant a new generation of children opportunities of which their elders were unfortunately deprived, apply to serve as one of VIN’s English language instructors in a local community school! We promise you will not be disappointed!

Key Programs

• Facilitation of Children’s Centers: valuable community assets where constructive co-curricular activities take place.
• Formal Education: teaching English language and other courses to school-aged children.
• Health Awareness: with an emphasis on preventative measures, sanitation, and hygiene.
• Life and Career Skills Development: along with English language instruction, serves to further the opportunities available to Nepali youth.

Roles of Volunteers

• Teaching English language courses to school-aged Nepali youth (2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week).
• Instructing and / or overseeing work in other disciplines (Mathematics, Sciences, International History, Computer Science, Art, Music, Sports, P.E., etc.), as deemed suitable by the background of the volunteer.
• Organizing co-curricular activities for the students with the aim to foster and develop important life and career skills.
• Facilitating of community children’s clubs for a similar purpose.
• Disseminating information on children’s rights, sanitation and hygiene, and adolescent health issues.
• Organizing various additional informal activities for the children such as debates, quizzes, contests, art and elocution competitions, folk song competitions, rallies, street dramas, etc.
• Assisting Nepali teachers in collating teaching resources and in designing effective lesson plans.