Overview

Want to see somewhere really different?

The Galapagos Islands lie 1000 miles off the coast of Ecuador, but it feels like a million. The islands’ isolation has produced a natural world like nowhere else on Earth. They are a wonderful place to visit, with picturesque ports lined with sailboats, a countryside filled with wildlife and locals armed with a welcoming smile for every traveller. The Galapagos Islands attract a lot of tourists and it’s therefore extremely important for the children of the islands to learn English, so they can find work locally. The public kindergardens rely on volunteers help because they lack the financial or human resources to hire enough teachers. 

Trip Highlights:

Helping raise the level of English language of the community on these incredible islands

Being part of the community - rather than just another visitor!

Exploring the islands during your time off

 

Itinerary & Details

Project details:
This is a publicly funded project that works with children mainly aged 4 to 5 years old. The project works with 4 different kindergardens on the Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands. There are five staff in the programme and 4 teachers who work in the different schools. This is a great opportunity for volunteers to make a positive impact on the children's education as well as volunteer in one of the world's most precious habitats. Please note that one of the projects that we work with is for female volunteers only.

Why the projects need volunteers:
This project is funded by the national government but lacks the funds to hire staff and buy resources. Volunteers play an important role in brightening and improving the lives of these island children.

What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
You need to really enjoy working with children, be patient, determined, imaginative and compassionate! It can be emotionally draining at times, but ultimately extremely rewarding. It would help if you are reasonably independent as this project is quite isolated, and conditions are basic. Also, the more Spanish you know, the better you will get on, as the children do not speak English.

Your role as a volunteer:
These projects offer participants a great chance to have a positive influence on young children's lives. The activities will vary and you will generally provide a welcome assistance to the teacher along with assisting in general school activities. You may even get involved in the weekly staff meetings - depending on how good your Spanish is! Note: A love for children is needed for this project, especially given their liveliness! This is working with young children so you may need to help with feeding and cleaning, and you should also be prepared to get dirty at times.

Where the project is based:
You will need to arrive at Quito International Airport (UIO) on the specified arrival date. The flight from Quito to Santa Cruz is 1.5 hours, this flight will be booked for you and the cost will be added to your statement at the time of booking.

The rainy season goes from December to mid May. It is extremely hot and very sunny all day long. The rest of the year is temperate. August may be a bit cold. There is only one bank in Santa Cruz, Banco del Pacifico. Some ATM cards do work in this bank, however, it is always advisable that volunteers bring some traveller cheques.

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you fora the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching project then a 60-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time - especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects every year through a grant scheme for tangible long-term initiatives. In the last 3 years we have distributed over US$250,000 to our most needy projects to help them in the great work they do. 

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

Next Steps

What we will do after you've booked:

Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account

We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know

Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course

Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant)

We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.

We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with confirmation of your project and accommodation 2 weeks after you've booked

We will ask you to complete your forms and pay your final balance if they are still due when required

We are available for any questions you may have on +44 1132 050 076 or support@i-to-i.com

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

Book your flights

Arrange suitable travel insurance

Fill out some extra details through our online interface:

1. Application from
2. Travel details
3. Insurance details
4. Medical information
5. Emergency contacts

Complete your police check if requested

Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)

Make final payment at least 90 days before you go

Make sure you have a visa for your trip if it's needed

Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention

Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip

Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!

Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

Having arrived on the Monday, you will be taken to your orientation accommodation in Quito, this will be in a comfortable homestay and likely to be a shared room with another volunteer. You will have a group orientation meeting with the in-country coordinator on the Tuesday morning, and a trip to Mitel del Mundo in the afternoon. Your flight to the Galapagos will be booked to leave on Wednesday morning and arrive in to start your project on Thursday.

If you choose to take the language lessons add-on you will spend the remainder of the week in Quito - please contact the us for more information on what this involves. You will then start your placement the following Monday, travelling on Saturday if outside of Quito.

Flights & Insurance

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

EU Customers – find out more here >>

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Early Airport Pick-up

If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night a

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is €52.00