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Project Age Limit
Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health.
Project Requirements
All volunteers must have some knowledge of Spanish before starting their volunteer work, not only to get the most out of the project, but also to get around and integrate more easily with the local people. If you do not already speak Spanish, it is strongly recommended you take our language course prior to the start of the programme. These are available for 2 or 4 weeks and are easily combined with the project. Please speak to one of our travel advisors for further information.
Programme Information
The high demand for English teachers leads to a shortage of teachers in the poorer and more remote areas of the Galapagos. Volunteers are therefore needed to fill the void, and offer a new and refreshing approach to teaching English.
As many of the children don’t regularly attend school, they need to be taught basic Spanish, Mathematics, and English. Classes are prepared by the volunteers in relation to the children’s ability.
Volunteer activities
Volunteers can teach English to children between the ages of 6 to 18, depending on the age group you’d prefer to teach. Volunteers are offered a lot of flexibility in terms of teaching methods; for example, you may organize excursions outside of the classroom to add a new dimension to the learning process. It is recommended volunteers bring innovative materials with them that will add variety to the classes, such as:
- Board or card games
- Books
- Writing and drawing materials etc
Volunteers are not restricted to these roles and can become involved in other areas as and when required e.g. sports instruction, arts and crafts etc.
Project Duration
We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of 4 weeks, as this gives volunteers a chance to get to grips with the aims, objectives and methods of the park services
Project Support
Throughout your stay in Galapagos you will have the full support and guidance of the onsite coordinators. You will be provided with competent assistance and help with any questions or advice you may need during your stay.
In addition, you will have access to our 24-hour emergency number in the UK, so you can always contact a member of our UK team should you need to.
Accommodation and Meals
Volunteers and language school students stay with host families. Our onsite staff personally know all the families, and their homes must meet the high standards set by our onsite staff.
Staying with a host family will give you a unique and invaluable insight into the Ecuadorian culture. You will be provided with 2 meals a day and have your own room with a shared bathroom. All families have Western amenities such as showers and flushing toilets but hot water is not always guaranteed as some families do not have this facility simply because they live in a hot place. The host family sometimes provides a laundry service, but this varies from family to family.
The maximum walking distance from your host family to school will be 25 minutes. The cost of any bus journey to school is not included in the programme price.
Project Orientation
You will be given an orientation upon arrival. This will include detailed information about Galapagos and the surrounding area. The orientation will also cover all the relevant information about the project and the work that you will be doing, including safety issues, to ensure that you feel confident and happy in your new surroundings.
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