About i-to-i What i-to-i trips and TEFL are, how and why we do what we do!
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About i-to-i What i-to-i trips and TEFL are, how and why we do what we do!
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China is definitely the place to be at the moment. It’s hard for a country of over a billion people to sneak up on anyone but it has suddenly become the subject of fevered conversation and interest, and the next 100 years has already been christened ‘China’s century’. This is your chance to separate the myth from the fact and see for yourself what the future looks like, while making a huge difference to the lives of orphaned, underprivileged or special needs children throughout Xi'an. You’ll be responsible for giving general care, playing games, singing songs and taking simple lessons.
When you book this trip US$75 of your fee is used to purchase soft toys, packages of diapers, pairs of shoes, books or equivalent through our Big Giving programme.
Today you’ll fly into Xi’an airport and be collected by our local i-to-i team who will be waiting in the arrivals hall holding our logo!
You’ll be transferred to our volunteer house in Xi’an centre, and it will take up to one hour to get there. This will be your home during your trip with us and whilst you receive your orientation and you are in a great location to explore the city and see the sights of Xi’an!
Tonight though, you’ll most likely need a good night’s sleep, so relax and we’ll check in with you in the morning.
Today is the day you’ve been waiting for! You’ll be accompanied to your project and introduced to the staff and children – don’t worry about remembering everyone’s name!
Take time to get to know everyone and the aims of the project; it’s your quickest route to feeling settled in, safe in the knowledge that you’re part of something amazing!
The rest of the week will be spent getting settled in and finding your own routine as you live as a local with your new friends and new lifestyle!
Hurray! The weekend is here and it’s time to get out and see more of this fantastic country! Amongst many others, we recommend the Terri-cotta Armies Museum, Han Yang Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, The big goose pagoda, the small goose pagoda, the Tang Theme Park…need we go on?
However long you are booked to stay here, the following weeks will pass by in a blur, so make the most of every day, every opportunity, and every person you meet and make lots of memories to keep with you, long after your trip has finished.
You’ll fall in love with the children and establish a routine with them over the weeks of your stay. You’ll find your way around Xi’an, using local public transport and start to feel like a local!
Oh no! It’s your last day of the trip already! Wherever you are heading on from here, we hope you’ve had an amazing time and are already making plans to come back one day!
The return airport transfer is not included in your trip fee, but our team can help you to arrange this when you are in China don’t worry. Please budget around US£15 for a taxi back to the airport.
We work with a number of different projects which you can volunteer at in Xi'an. These are at a municipal orphanage, a foster home and two day care centres for children with special needs which are aimed at educating the children and providing assistance to their parents.
The municipal orphanage is a large, government run centre. There are currently 110 staff and 470 orphans. Since 1994, this orphanage has helped to re-home almost 300 orphans to both Chinese and foreign families. This orphanage looks after babies to children aged up to 16.
Once the children turn 16, many start to work at the orphanage and look after younger children. Children who do not have special needs go to local schools during the day. Volunteers are required to look after babies aged 0 to 3 years. During the summer you may also have chance to teach English to the older children who are on their summer holidays.
The Home of the Star is a day care centre which provides care for special needs children aged between 6 and 19 years of age. The aim of the centre is to brighten the life of the children with play, singing songs, games, teaching basic English, in fact some of the children have musical talents so the centre has set up a band which play in various cities to raise funds for the centre! They may get your toes tapping during your stay! The centre is approximately 40 minutes by bus from the volunteer apartment.
The home of the Sunshine is a day care centre that looks after children aged between 6 and 19 years of age all of whom have special needs. You will be helping the staff to look after the children on a daily basis, brightening up their routine with singing songs, playing games, drawing, and teaching basic English. As they develop the main aim of the centre is to help integrate them back into society.
Starfish is a foster home which was started in September 2005 by the director Amanda who opened up her home to look after disabled children. It is a project with up to 20 babies and toddlers aged from newborn to 3 years old that need individual baby care. The project works with two orphanages and accepts babies with disabilities such as spina bifida, heart conditions and also cleft palate conditions who are waiting for surgery. After a nutrition program to get the babies strong and healthy, surgical operations are then arranged. Starfish also works very hard to prepare the babies’ dossiers for adoptions so there is always a change in children at the centre.
The projects that we work with are very under resourced in terms of items they need, but are overflowing with cheeky, happy and healthy children looking for attention! They are based in different areas around Xi’an and they all make the most of the space that they have available to them. Resources at the project are very limited, so you may wish to bring some resources along with you, such as books, music, tapes, toys, paints, clothes, utensils, and toothbrushes for orphans.
Volunteers are needed at all of these projects to help care for the disadvantaged children. Although there are full time members of staff, they are over stretched and under-resourced, so your help is desperately needed.
The work at these projects will be a general care role. You will be playing with the kids and helping with games, songs and simple lessons and helping teach basic English. You can also help with meal times and day-to-day routines, such as nappy changing and bathing. Sometimes you may also take the children out into the community to get them used to doing everyday activities, allowing them to get to know their surroundings and society.
If this project sounds like your kind of thing you need to love working with children! Two of the projects are working with children with special needs so you may also find this challenging but so rewarding!
Resources at the project are very limited, so you may wish to bring some resources along with you; such as books, music, tapes, toys, paints, clothes, utensils, and toothbrushes for orphans.
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….
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 how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.
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 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
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
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
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.
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
You will arrive on the Arrival date - Friday and you will be met at the airport on that day. You will be taken to your main accommodation for your stay (the Volunteer apartment -see contact details below) where you will have your first day/night to recover from your flight.
Your orientation will take place the day after, on the Saturday and you will meet your project and start your volunteering on the Monday.
Volunteer apartment:
Room 6-1-201,
Rong Qiao Xin Yuan,
No. 2 Dian Zi Xi Jie,
Xian City,
Shaanxi Province
Telephone + 86-(0) 29-888 33358
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 >>
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 a
The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 41.00
This accommodation consists of a large apartment with 12 beds, situated on the 2nd floor of an 11th century building in the pretty neighbourhood of ‘Rong Qiao Xin Yuan’, on a road named ‘No. 2 Xian Zi Xi Jie ’, in the south of the city. The accommodation does have a lift and is in a secure apartment building.
In your volunteer apartment there are two large bedrooms, with two containing three bunk beds. There are two bathrooms with Western-style toilets and showers and unlimited hot water. One bathroom is located in the bedroom for 6, the other bathroom is shared and located within the apartment.
There is a lounge room with a couch, television and DVD player, an office with computer, fax and internet facilities. There is a kitchen with gas stove, microwave and toaster, a dining room and an additional computer, also with internet access. We’ve also got bookshelves abundant with English books (fiction and non-fiction) and teaching resources.
There are lamps and air conditioners in each room but please be energy efficient and turn off when not in use! There is a lockable cupboard for each volunteer in the main room.
All of your meals are provided for you, there is always bread, jam and tea available for breakfast, and other meals are Chinese food and prepared by Mr Yu the Chinese chef.
There is a water machine available for hot and cold water, a washing machine in one of the bathrooms which is used by the staff for sheets but volunteers can also use this. An iron and ironing board is also available.
Bed linen is changed once a week but please advise staff if you require this more often. There is internet access for volunteers to use for emailing and also a phone that family and friends can contact you on. Outgoing calls require a phone card.
Our volunteer apartment is in close proximity to banks, convenience stores, coffee shops and a large variety of restaurants.
Transport to the orphanage and the Starfish project will be by public bus, taking two buses, this can take approximately 1.5 hours so you will be rising early in the mornings. For the “Home of Star" and “Home of Sunshine" projects these will also be by bus but will take less time. Each bus will cost around less than US$1 per journey.
Colossal in size and from an historical perspective, China is believed to embody 5,000 years worth of heritage beginning with the Xia dynasty. For centuries it was the world’s leading civilisation and a series of dynasties shaped the country, notably the Tang dynasty which came to the fore at a time that is widely considered to be China’s Golden Age. It was during this period (618-907) that the arts flourished, Buddhism became the main religion and trade prospered. Dynasties like the Song, Yuan and Ming followed, each laying their imprints and evolving the country.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in the early 16th century but it wasn’t until the 18th century that the trade routes were fully exploited by European interests which inevitably led to tensions. The Opium Wars, a dispute over opium trade between China and Britain, raged during the mid-19th century culminating in the signing of treaties which led to China conceding, though later reclaimed, Hong Kong to Britain. China’s land mass and colonial power was further diminished when other countries followed suit and forced treaties to increase trade with China; European colonists took over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, while Japan occupied Korea and Taiwan.
By 1911, imperial rule was brought to a grinding halt when the Qing dynasty was ousted from power and the country was declared a republic. The period was littered with disruption and a lack of political presence with warlords ruling their respective territories. By the 1920s, dominant political forces emerged in the form of the Kuomintang (KMT or Nationalist Party) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). After a brief union to ward off Japanese threats, the KMT and CCP’s stiff opposition escalated into civil war from 1945 to 1949. Under Mao Zedong, the CCP were the victors and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was declared in 1949, while the central government of the Republic of China (ROC) retreated to Taiwan.
In the early days of the communist regime, successful economic and land reforms were carried out to resurrect the country’s economy with a focus on industrial production. Attention was turned to agricultural output and bringing the economy up a gear with the implementation of agricultural communes with plans to abolish money and private property. Rural workers were also encouraged to increase steel production from backyard furnaces which proved futile in strengthening the economy. This in addition to droughts and floods hampered production, while Soviet aid to China ceased in 1960, rendering the effort a large scale catastrophe resulting in widespread famine. The Cultural Revolution (1966-1970) sought to re-establish Chairman Mao’s weakened position within the Communist Party and ward off opponents. A militia group, the Red Army, was installed and Mao’s little red book of quotations became the main ideological framework. The Revolution amounted to upheaval on a large scale and administered the persecution of intellectuals and artists, enforced strict codes of conduct and millions of people were killed or imprisoned.
Post-revolution, the focus was on modernising the economy and an ‘open door policy’ which helped to lay the foundations for China’s current economic boom. Political change and freedom has not been so forthcoming; the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 underpinned the government’s stance on dissent and appeals for democracy. State control and bureaucracy remains deeply ingrained and there are disparities between the booming urban areas and the rural economies. Nevertheless, China has reinvented itself over the past few decades and has a firm footing on the world stage with membership to the World Trade Organisation and is host to the 2008 Olympic Games.
While a Siberian chill lingers in the northeast and sub-tropical notes hit the southwest, China’s climate is as diverse as its landscape. As a general guide, spring (April and May) and autumn (September and October) are the most weather-friendly seasons to visit. The north, including Beijing, experiences harshly cold winters from December to March, while the summer months hot up to temperatures exceeding 30ËšC. In the central region, including Shanghai and around the Yangzi River, there is a higher percentage of rainfall year round with extreme temperatures during winter and summer. The south is hot and humid with November to February bringing welcome relief with a drop in temperature. Hong Kong is mild from mid-September to the end of February, with May to mid-September making air-conditioning feel like the greatest gift on earth.
As much as weather can affect the enjoyment factor for some, peak times may also be a consideration depending on your tolerance for high levels of tourist congestion at the visitor hotspots and on public transport. The busiest time to visit is during Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), the actual date depends on the lunar cycle but usually takes place around February, with the celebrations lasting a couple of weeks before and after the given day. The week long Labour Day holiday, which runs from May 1, and the National Day Holiday, from October 1 (each lasts a couple of days or less in Hong Kong and Macau), sees a large influx of domestic visitors to the main attractions so it’s best to visit the well-known sights before these holidays kick off.
The China Yuàn Renminbi is China’s unit of currency. The current exchange rate is: $1 to Y7.87200. Check www.xe.com or equivalent for the most up to date exchange rate.
The average costs of life’s little essentials are as follows:
In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Dollar is the unit of currency. The current exchange rate is: $1 to HK$7.77841. Check www.xe.com or equivalent for the most up to date exchange rate.
The average costs of life’s little essentials are as follows:
It takes a huge dose of patience, stamina and a love of long distances to rely solely on ground transportation to cover China’s monumental distances, if planning to explore the country to the hilt that is. To get an idea of the distances involved, flights from Beijing to Shanghai are around 2 hours, Xi’an from Beijing or Shanghai is also 2 hours, while Beijing to Hong Kong is over 3 and a half hours. In accordance with its economic good fortune, China is equipped with relatively new or renovated airports together with an extensive airline network that serves the mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macau. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) oversees the country’s main domestic airlines which include Air China, China Eastern and China Southern. It’s best to book domestic flights after you arrive as it can often work out cheaper buying from an agent in China; booking a few days in advance is advisable to get the best price. Discounted rates are also available in-country on select flights.
Train travel is the next best thing. It’s a relatively speedy and safe way to get to the main cities and overnight services are common given the distances involved. Comfort levels depend on which class you choose, for long, overnight journeys, the soft sleeper option is the best. It features four bunks in compartments that are sealed off with a door for privacy, a shared western-style toilet and other mod-cons. Hard sleepers cost considerably less but usually hold 6 bunks, lack the privacy of a closed door compartment and are separated by partitions; a squat toilet is situated at the each end of the carriage which becomes vomit inducing as the journey progresses. For shorter distances, the cheapest way to travel is to opt for the hard seat class. It gets very crowded and the soft seat option is much more pleasant and is available on express trains.
Sleeper buses aren’t as comfortable as their train counterparts but there is a good network of long distance bus services available, mainly along the east coast and between the major cities, that aren’t necessarily back-crunching and leg-numbing experiences. Buses also venture out to remote villages and towns that are inaccessible by train. Bus services in rural areas, however, can seem primitive in comparison and the roads aren’t nearly as smooth as in more developed areas.
Getting around by car is not a feasible option if you want to explore the country at your heart’s desire. Foreign visitors are restricted to driving rented vehicles within Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong only. It’s possible to rent a car with a driver but this works out expensive for long stays.
China is the place for cycle enthusiasts. It boasts more bicycles than any other country and rental is widely available. Buying a bike is also worthwhile if you plan to spend a length of time in the country and it’s possible to re-sell it and recoup part of the cost before you leave. There are designated parking spots for bikes in most towns and cities. Long-distance buses don’t usually charge to carry bikes, unlike trains and airlines.
There’s no shortage of taxis, motorcycle taxis and pedicabs on the city roads. In most cases, it helps to have a map to hand or your destination written in Chinese characters if you don’t speak the language. In addition, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou boast underground rail systems that are an efficient and cheap way of getting around. Beijing’s subway system is being developed further in time for the Olympics and currently has 4 lines that cover the main parts of the city with signs in English. The city also has a convenient bus network but negotiating the extensive routes can be hard work for non-Chinese speakers. Rickshaws are also available but tend to cost more than using a taxi.
Shanghai’s metro system comprises a subway and elevated light railway. It’s easy to use, (with signs in English) cheap and a speedy way to travel across the city, especially during rush hour when the roads are rammed. Like Beijing, bus travel during rush hour is best avoided, particularly between 7.30am and 10am and 5pm and 7pm. Taxis are readily available and the companies operating them are identifiable by colours; turquoise and orange taxis are considered to be among the most reliable and are run by the respective companies Dazhong and Qiangsheng. Unlike other parts of China, Shanghai isn’t as accommodating to bike riders as it once was. In line with the city’s mass development of recent years, motorised vehicles now clog up the roads.
Hong Kong is a breeze to get around thanks to a highly efficient transport system and widely used English language signs and street names. There’s an extensive bus network which includes double-deckers and minibuses; the buses are far-reaching and travel to parts of Kowloon, the New Territories and south of Hong Kong Island where other modes don’t venture. Outside of the populous areas, it is common practice to flag down buses rather than relying on them to stop at designated points. A good way to take in the scenes is to travel on Hong Kong’s major tram line that runs east to west along the northern part of Hong Kong Island. For a quicker way to get around, the underground railway network (in Hong Kong the term subway is used for underground walkways not railways) services the main hot spots and also boasts an express line that links the airport (situated on Lantau Island) to Hong Kong Island. There are also regular train services that work the commuter routes, while the Kowloon-Canton Railway links Kowloon to mainland China. The Light Rail Transit (LRT), meanwhile, connects routes in the western part of the New Territories.
Criss-crossing Victoria Harbour, ferries are a popular and cheap way of travelling between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. There are several ferry companies but the Star Ferry Company is perhaps the best known. The trip is a snip at 7 minutes total duration and ferries depart every 5 to 10 minutes depending on the time of day. There are also a number of ferry services to the outlaying islands, which can get crowded during weekends. If spending a few days in Hong Kong, it’s probably cheaper to purchase an Octopus card which allows unlimited travel for a set price on trains, trams, subways, as well as on most buses and ferries; buses and ferries require exact fares so it also avoids the need to carry around oodles of change.
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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.
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