If you are a qualified teacher, an educated individual, experienced in a specific subject area or just seeking to lend a helping hand in a school setting, then our volunteer teaching abroad programs are what you are seeking. You have the option of volunteering in either elementary schools, middle schools/junior high or high schools, with students ranging from the ages of 3-19.
Many schools in Jamaica are overcrowded, with teachers sometimes being forced to work with limited supplies in classes that can hold anywhere from 30-50 students. As you can imagine, it is difficult to give each student the one-on-one attention that they deserve. Therefore, your help is needed on our teaching volunteer abroad projects, as you can assist the teacher with lessons, and get to know the students on a personal level while offering them individual assistance.
We also partner with several technical and trade schools to offer volunteer teaching abroad for qualified teachers in areas ranging from information technology, food preparation, carpentry, technical drawing and much more. These projects provide the perfect opportunity for you to pass on your knowledge and skills. It is also a great learning opportunity while traveling, as it gives you a chance to interact with Jamaicans daily and learn about our culture.
No qualifications or experience are required for general volunteer teaching abroad projects. That means if you wish to go to a school to assist, take part in lessons, teach/mentor students under the supervision of local teachers, as well as other guided tasks, then you will not need qualifications.
Volunteer teaching abroad for qualified teachers, however, requires that you will need to be certified by an accredited institution, as well as possess several years’ worth of experience teaching or working in the field you would like to teach in.
Pre-planning is the most important step towards ensuring that your volunteer teaching overseas project will be a success. Once you are accepted into this project, your Project Advisor will reach out to you to discuss your goals, what areas you would like to teach and the activities that you would like to do. You can brainstorm to think of some fun and informative games, and activities you can do to ensure your lessons get across to your students.
Some ideas you can mull over include:
These are just some examples. Feel free to discuss any other activities you would like to engage in during your project.
On the first day of your teaching volunteer abroad project, you will be taken to the school where you will be volunteering by our Project Advisor, and you will get the chance to look around the school, meet the other teachers and students and learn about lunch arrangements. You will also receive training and orientation from your supervisor.
On weekends, and some weekday afternoons, you can partake in our cultural immersion activities and excursions. You can see some of Jamaica’s top attractions, learn about our culture and have some mind-blowing adventures. Check out our tour and cultural immersion adventure page for our different tour packages that you can purchase to enhance your teaching volunteer abroad package.
At the end of your volunteer teachers abroad trip, we will award you with a Volunteer Certificate, signed by our Managing Director. We will also sign any documents that you need to certify volunteer/service hours completed on your trip.
You may collect or purchase cash or items back home that you can take along with you to Jamaica to help you during your teaching abroad volunteer programs, and to give the students as rewards. This includes books, pencils, pens, markers, crayons, calculators and more.
We will send you a list of needed resources for the school you are placed in, as well as some suggested items that are always in demand.
During your volunteer abroad teaching project you may choose to stay with Jomo, the owner of Jamaica International Projects and his family in a comfortable dorm room equipped with air conditioning.
This 3-star hotel just outside of Kingston is another accommodation option where you can stay while receiving our full support.
For groups, you will be able to choose from a wide list of guest houses or hotels in Kingston or St. Catherine to accommodate your members. You can choose from small guest houses to fancy business hotels, depending on your group’s budget. Of course, we can handle the booking of group accommodations for you if you desire.
Volunteer teachers abroad projects include daily breakfast and dinner. We cater to volunteers with special dietary requirements such as diabetes, allergies, vegans and more.
As a part of your volunteer teaching abroad project, we will include daily lessons on the Jamaican culture. These lessons are roughly 30 minutes each, and cover topics such as our food, government, history, traditions, norms, religion and more.
All volunteers joining this project will receive orientation and support documentation on your date of arrival. Once you are settled into your accommodation, you will be given your finalized itinerary and your orientation guide. During orientation, we will go over project dates and times, transportation, meal times, cultural/excursion activities and you will be given tips on Jamaica.
As a part of your volunteer teaching overseas package, you will also learn how to speak, write and understand Patois (pronounced Pat-Wah), which is our local dialect.
We also provide daily mentorship sessions for teenagers or a general review of your day’s activities for more experienced volunteers. You are free to discuss the challenges you faced that day, the activities and lessons you completed with your students, your plans for the following day and ask any questions you may have. This is roughly 30 minutes daily.
Your teaching volunteer abroad project includes pickup at the airport closest to your accommodation. Our driver will meet you at the airport with a sign and transfer you to your accommodation.
Each day, you will be transferred from your accommodation directly to your project by a team member. We will also pick you up at your project at the agreed upon time and transfer you either back to the accommodation, to change money/purchase supplies or to a cultural immersion activity/excursion, depending upon your itinerary.
For your tours, you will have a Project Advisor accompanying you to point out important landmarks and to function as a guide. You will be transferred to and from all excursions and outings.
At the conclusion of your volunteer abroad teaching project, we will take you back to the airport so you can catch your flight back home.
NB: All prices below are quoted in USD and are based per person
1 Time Payment – $300
(Per Person)
We arrange your volunteer project & provide you with pre-arrival support
Cost – Varies
We arrange a 1-day teaching volunteer abroad program if you are short on time but still want to give back
1 Week – $780
2 Weeks – $1,360
3 Weeks – $1,990
4 Weeks – $2,620
Extra Weeks – $550 per week
1 Person – $150
5 or more people – $100 per person
1 Week – $900
2 Weeks – $1,650
3 Weeks – $2,450
4 Weeks – $3,250
Extra Weeks – $800 per week
You can choose between 2 payment methods to secure your short-term volunteer teaching abroad trip:
Credit Card: If your package total is less than $8,000 USD, you may choose to pay with a credit card. All credit card payments will incur a 4% processing fee.
Wire Transfer: If your package is greater than $8,000 USD, you will have to pay via wire transfer. This method of payment will also incur a processing fee that you will be responsible to cover, which may vary depending on your bank of choice.
Once you have decided to join our teaching abroad volunteer programs, proceed to the booking form, enter the relevant info, select your preferred payment option (30% deposit or full payment) and submit. After submission, you’ll be sent a list of documents to be submitted, payment instructions and a link to the volunteer application form.
If you are interested but not ready to book, please contact us or submit a message using the enquiry form.
Note: By submitting the booking form you will NOT be making a binding commitment to join the project.
We will review your booking and application within 24 hours and reach out to you via your preferred means of contact. You will get to discuss your goals, the areas you are interested in teaching, and ask us questions. This is where you will learn of your acceptance into the program.
If you are accepted into our volunteer teaching overseas project, your documents will then become due for submission so that we can fully arrange your placement. These Include:
You will then be notified to clear up all outstanding fees and balances (if you made a 30% deposit or made any additional changes to your package).
I spent (only) 5 days at Reliance Basic School at Braeton and I can say it was one of the best experiences in my whole life. I was there as an Italian/English teacher but mostly I helped the teacher out with the program. The whole staff was very kind and supportive of me and the children were simply amazing. They called me Uncle David and they were so cute. I honestly think that five days were not enough but unfortunately, I couldn’t stay longer.
I definitely recommend this volunteering program to anybody who wants to have a great experience in a real Jamaican environment. It’s not just about teaching to them, but also about learning from them.
Thanks!
Davide.
WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. This was a life changing experience. The children were so great. They gave me and taught me so much more than I gave them. This was one of the most satisfying trips I’ve ever done. Jomo, his mother and Dwayne were great hosts and caretakers. Jamaica and its people will forever be in my heart.
Unforgettable experience! All of you should try it. It was only my first-time volunteering and I’d love to do it again through the same Jamaica International Projects.
