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About i-to-i What i-to-i trips and TEFL are, how and why we do what we do!
Pour in plenty of crystal blue waters, a liberal pinch of golden sand, remove all tourists and bake in the sun for 24 hours and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a tropical paradise. The picturesque coastal village of Canggu remains largely ignored by all but the cleverest tourists and you’ll only have to share the beach with the children on the project, who you will help teach. The kids won’t be the only ones doing the learning though as free surfing lessons are included in the project along with enough free time in the afternoons to practice. TEFL certification is included in the price to give you a head start in the classroom, but we’re afraid your success at surfing is totally up to you!
Project details:
This project is based at a public school in Bali where funding is not available to provide native English teachers. English classes are currently held, but these mostly cover grammar (not a favourite subject amongst the students!) and there is no resource for conversational practice. Volunteers are therefore needed to help teach the children English and motivate them through more fun methods and conversation. Other teachers in the school are also eager to learn English and to learn new teaching methods or you could teach English at the local women&rquo;s organisation. There would also be the possibility to get involved in sports classes for those interested.
As there are many great spots for surfing in this area, this is a perfect opportunity to combine teaching English with learning to surf! 3 surf lessons are included in your project, which will take place in Kuta during your first week. Following each 2.5 hour lesson you will have the afternoon free to practice. This should be sufficient to get you surfing on your own, so you&rquo;ll have a great way to spend your free time! Extra lessons are available at your own expense.
Why the project needs volunteers:
Although Bali has a booming tourist industry, many families do not receive any benefits from it and many struggle month by month to meet the basic needs of their family. The 2002 bombing in Bali worsened this economic situation, and as a result there are now hundreds of children and adults not benefiting from the education they deserve. By volunteering as an English teacher you will be helping to enhance the lives of Balinese children and adults through the provision of education. You will be opening up more opportunities to them - particularly as tourism is an important industry.
What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
Volunteers at this project should have a genuine love of children and an interest in education. Although you do not require any special skills, any experience working with children would be valuable. To give you a head start with your English Teaching you will be provided with an i-to-i online TEFL course included in the price of this project. Volunteers should be patient, hard-working, resourceful and imaginative and willing to join in a wide range of activities.
You do not need to be able to surf as 3 beginners lessons are included with your project. However, you must be a good swimmer to do this project. A fun and positive attitude will come in handy too!
Important: It is vital to follow bathing advice at the beaches. Some areas are subject to riptides and strong currents and you should exercise caution, particularly while learning to surf.
Your role as a volunteer:
You may become involved in teaching English to the children and the teachers through a variety of methods, including formal learning using textbooks, conversation classes, games, songs and story-telling. You could also get involved with teaching English at a local women&rquo;s organisation or try your hand at a little sports coaching if you wish.
Where the project is based:
This project is based in Canggu, with homestay or guesthouse accommodation within easy reach by foot (10 - 15 minutes walk) or bicycle (available for hire). The 3 surfing lessons will be held at a beach in Kuta, approximately 40 minutes away by car (equipment and transport there and back included, although if you wish to stay at the beach after your classes you will need to make your own way back). After three lessons most volunteers will be able to surf at the beach nearest to the homestay or guesthouse (5km away - you can arrange a car and driver for approximately ?5 to transport you). There are many surf-spots within 1 - 1.5hour drive of the homestay or guesthouse and extra lessons or escorted trips to different beaches can be easily arranged - your In Country Coordinator will explain the different options and prices. The homestay is in a quiet area, with a small shop and local restaurant nearby. More choice of shops and restaurants can be found at the beach.
There are the Galungan holidays from 19th, 20th and 21st August 2008 in which holidays may last for a week and may affect the project. Please note that this holiday is every 210 days and so will be at a different time each year and may affect your time at the project.
Hari Nyepi is the Balinese New Year and occurs on 07 March 2008, on this day no one leaves the house, there are no lights allowed, no noise, and no planes landing or taking off. This is so the Balinese people can enter the New Year with prayer. This day happens in March or April each year.
Please book your flight to arrive into Denpasar (airport code DPS) on the advertised arrival date to ensure your airport pickup.
Please note that if you want to stay longer than 8 weeks in Indonesia then you will need to leave the country and re enter on an arrival visa. The nearest place to travel to would be Singapore.
N.B. Please use this information as a guide only. While we make every effort to ensure our details are up to date, changes at our projects sometimes occur which are beyond our control.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 for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.
Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….
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
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.
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 project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.
If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-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
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.
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 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
Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's 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
Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More
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. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More
We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More
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.
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
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.
If you have already booked but still need insurance then you may still be able to take our tailored policy. If, however it was more than a few days ago then try the links below:
Australian customers - find out more here >>
All other customers - find out more here >>
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.
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 accommodation is included in this payment; if you require more than one night please inform the team.
The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 57.00
From a bird’s eye view, the Indonesian archipelago could pass for an abstract painting with its glorious mish-mash of land mass interspersed with lashings of ocean. Comprising over 17,000 islands with Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya the main islands, Indonesia has long been defined by a diverse mix of settlers, explorers and traders who have flocked to its shores attracted by its natural resources and convenient location. Fossils found indicate that Java Man or homo erectus, walked the land nothing short of 500,000 years ago. Around 3,000BC, migrants from South East Asia settled and kingdoms sprang up from the 7th century onwards. The kingpins were the Buddhist Sriwijaya who flourished through strong trade links in Sumatra, but disintegrated into smaller kingdoms by the 12th century. The Buddhist Saliendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties, meanwhile, rose to power in central Java between the 8th and 10th centuries until power shifted to east Java and the Majapahit Kingdom, the last great Hindu kingdom, thrived from the end of the 13th century and succeeded in infiltrating most of the archipelago. They fell from dominance as Islam swept through the country from the 14th century.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to gain control in the early 16th century but were usurped by the Dutch who made colonisation inroads from the 17th century and exerted their influence for around 300 years. The Japanese occupied Indonesia during WW II before independence was achieved in 1945. Achmed Soekarno became president of the new republic and by 1957 had declared martial law and the system that followed was pitted with tension and turbulence. The economy was in a poor state of affairs with the gap widening between rich and poor and the country had alienated itself from much of the western world, while conflict between the army and Soekarno’s communist party PKI grew. An attempted coup threatened to bring down Soekarno and a counter coup led by General Soeharto brought the latter into power by 1966. His New Order programme set to bring about economic reform and progress but was dogged by corruption and authoritarian values. In 1998, Soeharto was forced to resign amid a series of protests and the country was on course for a new democratic system but not without a series of presidential reshuffles.
In recent years, Indonesia has had to contend with economic woes and natural disasters, and is building itself back up from the catastrophic affects of the 2004 Tsunami. Current president Megawati Sukarnoputri has sought to bring stability and economic growth as the country continues to face challenges from separatist guerrillas and the threats of terrorism.
Indonesia is blessed, or cursed depending on your temperature threshold, to hot and humid temperatures year round. The coastal regions are the hottest with temperatures hovering in the low 30ËšsC while inland areas are a few degrees cooler. Its annual weather system is distinguished by a wet season (October to April) and dry season (May to September). The wet season affects certain areas more than others; an umbrella is handy in the mountainous regions of Maluku and Irian Jaya and travelling around can be hindered by rainfall, but the central islands of Bali and Sulawesi are usually afflicted with short sharp periods that rarely threaten travel. Western Indonesia, meanwhile, which encompasses Java and Sumatra isn’t clearly defined by wet and dry seasons since rainfall is common year round. As a safe bet, the May to October is the best time to visit to avoid the worst of the wet weather.
The most congested times to visit are at the end of Ramadan, during the Christmas period, particularly in Bali, as well as mid June to mid July when school children are let loose, and during July and August when plane loads of European tourists kick off their vacations.
In recent years, the country’s airline industry has diversified to accommodate budget tastes and there’s a gaggle of domestic airlines vying for the would-be flyer’s attention. Garuda Indonesia is the national airline and serves the major destinations including Denpasar (Bali), Jayapura and Padang, while other large airlines include Lion Air and Mandala Air; Jakarta is the main flight hub. There’s an abundance of low-cost carriers, namely Adam Air, Air Efata and Batavia Air to name a few. Merpati also offers an extensive network that also serves more off-the beaten track locations, albeit with a less than sparkling reputation for reliability with cancellations an all too common occurrence. The airline industry as a whole has a reputation for overbooking and re-confirmation of flights are essential, as is arriving at the airport a couple of hours before departure; latecomers have been known to be bumped off flights.
Indonesia’s islands are connected by various ferry operators, Pelni being the main company covering an extensive network with its fleet of luxurious passenger ships that include two-bed cabins. The main ports are in Jakarta, Bali, Medan and Batam. Buses, meanwhile, take care of long distance overland travel for the most part. Luxury air-conditioned buses are available and are worth the extra cost, particularly when inevitable traffic jams add a couple of hours onto the journey time; Jakarta to Bali takes around two days depending on traffic. The cheapest buses, known as Ekonomi, are slower than their Express counterparts but it’s not unknown for both types to carry various livestock to liven things up a bit. Java boasts some of the best roads in the country, with Bali and Sumatra also featuring roads of respectable quality. During the wet season, however, some roads get flooded and can be rendered impassable. Car rental is only worthwhile (and relatively safe) if you hire a driver as well since driving on the country’s roads can be a stressful experience. Outside of the major cities, a 4 wheel drive vehicle is needed.
Travel by train is confined to Java and Sumatra, with Java possessing a more extensive and regular network and Jakarta the main departure point; Sumatra’s railway lines are concentrated in the north and south of the island. Air-conditioned trains are available, though comfort does vary between the three classes of trains with first class limited to the main express lines. It’s best to book train tickets a day in advance.
To traverse short distances, there’s a hotch potch of colourful vehicles that chug around the towns and cities. Bajajs (motorised rickshaws), becaks (pedicabs; unavailable in Jakarta), ojeks (motorbike taxis) and dokers (horse-drawn carriages) make up the transport mix. Bemos, small buses, are also available but Jakarta is the only city with an established bus service and double-deckers also operate. Taxis are readily available and the reputable Blue Bird Group operates taxis in Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya. Whichever taxi company comes your way, it’s always best to negotiate a fee before the journey begins.
Being part of an i-to-i project is a totally unique experience. You’ll join a global network of volunteers working side-by-side with local people and experience things that you’ve never dreamed of.
Be Part of this or any project and help us reach our goal of 400yrs combined volunteer help this and many other projects around the world.
We work in partnership with hundreds of established projects that are run by local communities. The information on our website comes directly from the projects and we work with them to ensure this information is as accurate as possible. However, due to the very nature of the projects themselves the exact details of what happens on a daily basis can change with little or no notice. If you have travelled with us and have any updates to this information, please let us know.
* We can be held responsible for any starry-eyed and amazing journeys of enlightenment, discovery and thorough enjoyment...
