WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?
Teaching in Tanzania
Tanzania's sophisticated education system was severely affected in the 1980s by economic difficulties, and the literacy and school attendance rates have since plummeted. Government programmes are in place to have all primary school-aged children in school by 2006, particularly girls, to address the poor attendance rate. In addition, only 5% of secondary school-aged children currently attend school.
You could be working at a variety of institutions, interacting with students from 12 years old and upwards, teaching basic conversational English. Lots of people will be keen to learn English and practise speaking with you. To teach, you will need to be patient, flexible, a confident communicator and able to use your initiative and imagination.
Don't worry if you don’t speak any Swahili – you will have plenty of opportunities to learn! Lessons will be fun and interactive, developing the students' confidence and conversational skills.
Other Teaching Activities
Students will be interested in life where you come from. You may be able to get involved teaching other activities such as sports, music or science, if you are interested and have the relevant skills; this will obviously depend upon the students' needs. There may also be the possibility of linking up with our marine conservation programme to arrange collaborations for environmental education.
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
Whilst on your placement you will work with the local primary school in the village of Utende. Duties will include teaching English and potentially other subjects, depending on need and experience. You will usually have your own class for English lessons and may also be required to assist other teachers in class as well. Normal school hours are 8am–3pm, apart from Wednesdays, when school finishes at 12:30pm, and Fridays, when there is an extra long lunch break for those students attending the mosque. Outside of the formal school hours, teaching volunteers are encouraged to arrange extracurricular activities such as sports and games and lead environmental education days in conjunction with the Frontier marine conservation project.
Please consider these dates when booking your placement, although alternative placements may be available outside of these dates so be sure to ask one of our recruitment advisors for further information. During the holidays, volunteers have an excellent opportunity to really make a difference by holding holiday classes, particularly in English, and working with the Frontier marine project to implement community environmental education and workshops.
Although their lives have been harsh, the local children are extremely cheerful and friendly and will be eager to learn, as well as finding out more about you and where you come from. After a busy and rewarding week of teaching you will have a well deserved weekend break. You can spend time relaxing on the stunning beach close to camp, or venture further afield to explore Kilondoni and enjoy the various clubs and nightspots in town, especially the famous and aptly named Project Club!
What Next? Apply Now!
