International Volunteering: Working with Children

Working with children as a volunteer is one of the most rewarding and life-changing things you can do in your spare time: it is fun, inspirational and, perhaps most importantly, it can allow you to improve the lives of children dramatically. Every year, thousands upon thousands of people go abroad to take part in a variety of volunteer abroad programs that involve working with children in some capacity. There are so many different, exciting and diverse programs available to take part in that it would be impossible to list them all here, but allow me to give you a general overview of working with children overseas.

What kinds of opportunities are available to work with children overseas?

Whether you decide to be a volunteer in Africa or head to Asia instead, or anywhere else on earth for that matter, there are a great number of children in need of assistance, so your efforts will be gratefully applauded wherever you end up. The first decision you will need to make is, probably, to decide exactly which country you want to work/live in. Many people decide to volunteer abroad to see and experience more of a particular region they love, so make sure you consider the location carefully. Next, you need to decide what type of project you would like to work on. These projects generally fall under the following topics:

·      Working in schools as a general teaching assistant, helping with basic tasks like reading, numeracy, etc. The beauty of this is that no formal training or qualifications are required!

·      Teaching English to children across a wide variety of ages. Normally a TEFL or similar qualification is required, but a lot of schools or programs will only require that you speak English to a native level.

·      Running sports programs in different communities for children. If you are active, enthusiastic and passionate about helping kids through sport, this is for you.

·      Running music clubs and groups to help children learn new skills, develop teamwork skills and, hopefully, have a lot of fun.

How do you go about organising a volunteer abroad program?

As you can see, there are a huge number of volunteering opportunities available to you, depending on your personal interests. To organise a placement like this, or similar, speak to a volunteer abroad agency and they can help to place you in a community of your choice. Take a look online for an agency that looks good to you!