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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Goa is famous for it's stunning beaches and relaxed way of life. However, most visitors forget (or never come across) those living in the 'slum' areas of this wonderful state, mostly made up of migrant workers making their own temporary settlements. By working on a mobile 'school' bus that travels to the poorest areas and helping the underprivileged children living there you'll be making a real difference to the lives of these disadvantaged kids. By helping to teach them English and maths, and also participating in a range of activities and games you'll not only be playing a part in their education but also helping brighten up their lives. This is a stunning local initiative and one that it is a privilege to be part of.
Welcome to Goa! Today you will be met at the airport and taken directly to your accommodation which will be your home for the duration of your stay. You will have the rest of the day to rest and recover from your journey.
If you aren’t able to arrange a flight to get you into Goa on the specified arrival date we’d recommend you fly in a day early. We can arrange an early airport pick-up for you including one night’s accommodation. Please call us for more information.
After a hearty Indian-style breakfast you will be picked up and taken to your orientation. You will be taken through what it’s going to be like at your project, dos and don’ts and how to stay safe on your trip. This is your prime opportunity to ask any burning questions that you haven’t yet had answered and to meet your fellow volunteers!
If you are feeling adventurous you can head out in the afternoon and start exploring your surroundings!
Today you’ll be up bright and early for your first day with the children! Today is all about settling in and getting to know the staff and children at the mobile school. The i-to-i team will introduce you to the teachers at the school who will be your day-to-day contacts. You’ll spend the rest of your day learning the ropes and starting to get to know the children!
It’s time to get stuck into life as a mobile school volunteer! You’ll be travelling around with the bus picking up children, before stopping to teach a lesson that will open doors to enable them to achieve the bright future they deserve!
This is your chance to venture out and explore all of the exotic sights and sounds that Goa has to offer! Whether it’s a river cruise on the Mandovi River, shopping at Panjim, lazing on the beach at Calangute or Baga or venturing further afield to the famous Dudhsagar water falls or spice plantations where you can go for an elephant ride or an elephant wash. Goa is your oyster so get out there and enjoy it!
Your next weeks will follow the pattern of working with the mobile school Monday to Friday, with weekends free to spend as you choose. Your days with the mobile school will be from 8:30am until 5pm with evenings free to relax. As you get to know the children and teachers better you can get more adventurous with the activities you plan for them!
Having said goodbye to all your new friends, taken your final photos and packed your bag full of souvenirs you’ll travel back to the airport. The return transfer from your accommodation to Goa airport is not covered within your project fee, but the in-country team will be able to make recommendations and help you to arrange it, the costs will be around 1000 Rupees (US$25).
The mobile school project is an initiative of the 'Salesians of Don Bosco' in collaboration with the government of Goa and takes education to the door steps of the poor children of migrant workers living in the slum areas of Goa, providing them with the education that they otherwise would miss out on.
The project started in 2006 and is aimed at children aged between 6 to 14 years and caters for around 170 children in North Goa. The mobile bus itself forms a classroom and moves from area to area picking up the children then stopping and giving a 3 and a half hour educational session. At the end of each school year the mobile school provides examinations which means that the children, with luck, are then able to enter regular schools in the local area, making a huge difference to their future potential. The project is located at Odxel, in Panjim which really is Heaven on Earth, right next to the sea with a simply beautiful view.
This is a school unlike any you’ve experienced before! Without the project these slum children would receive no education so the opportunity it provides is priceless. This project is perfect for anyone who has a passion for working with children and a passion for teaching combined with a desire to really learn about life in India. Goa is a very friendly state and justifiably famous amongst culture vultures and beach lovers alike. However, by participating in this project you'll also get to learn about and make a difference to some of the most disadvantaged young people in the area. Whilst challenging, this project is immensely rewarding and - in our view - one of the best ways to really experience India and to make a difference.
The main focus will be on teaching English and maths to the children on the mobile bus. You may also be able to assist the project in other activities such as basic hygiene tuition, communication skills, games, outdoor activities and food preparation. From time to time the mobile school also runs field trips and excursions that you may get involved in, and if you have computer skills you may be asked to share these with the older family members of the children who attend the school. The key with this project is to be flexible and pitch in with whatever is required by the project.
You will be picked up by the Mobile bus from Panjim bus stop at around 8.30 am where the bus will take you and the children to Odxel. The classes here begin at 9 until 12, if you want to continue then you can take a short break and continue teaching other children who come to this center from 3pm to 5pm. If you prefer however you can leave at 12pm on the Mobile school bus with the children and get dropped back to Panjim Bus stop where you can then get a bus to take you back to Calangute. Since your day starts early, the project will not mind if you leave at 12pm but you are more than welocme to spend more time with the children! The rest of your day you can either take a nap, laze on the beach or think of some ideas for the mobile school the following day!
If you would like to make a donation to the project then you may like to bring creative supplies from home such as craft or drawing items, games or musical instruments or, even better, purchase some resources locally when you arrive. Buying locally means your money goes further, saves you space in your luggage and also benefits the local economy.
As you will be a role model for the children, it is important that you ensure your dress is neat and modest whilst at the project - this means long skirts or trousers with a modest top for women and trousers and a polo shirt / short sleeved shirt for men.
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 be sharing a twin room in homestay accommodation. Homestays are a great opportunity to really get to know local people and the local way of life. You’ll be treated like part of the family during your time in a homestay, but as there is a separate volunteer entrance you will have your own space when you want it too – it’s the best of both worlds!
3 traditional Indian meals will be provided each day. 70% of people in India eat a vegetarian diet so vegetarians are easily catered for, and all you carnivores should be prepared to enjoy some veggie feasts!
Each bedroom has 2 beds, which each have their own cupboard to keep your personal belongings safe. There’s a lounge area with tv, and some of the rooms also have a balcony with a beach view!
The homestays do have electricity so you’ll be able to bring along your mobile phone and i-pod charger! The shared bathroom facilities include hot water, shower, a bath and western style toilets – what luxury awaits!
There are commercial laundry facilities nearby, or if you prefer the homestay family are willing to do your laundry for you for a small fee of approximately 200 Rupees per week.
The accommodation is located in Calangute which is in the North of Goa. It is a1 hour journey from the airport, and the closest rail station is Thivim which is half an hour’s journey from the homestay.
Calangute is a tourist hub of Goa and most visitors love to stay here as it has the “Queen of all Beaches” to enjoy! As well as the stunning beach, Calangute is also very close to other popular tourist locations like Baga (15-minute, 150 Rupee ride by a taxi) on one side and Candolim (10-minute, 100 Rupee ride by a taxi) on the other side.
Calangute, Baga and Candolim are all full of restaurants, bars, discos and pubs as well as shopping opportunities for clothes, jewellery, artefacts and all sorts of other loveliness! Most local restaurants serve all kinds of cuisines which include Goan, Indian and Continental.
This is a fantastic place to stay while volunteering, and you’ll never be bored in the place you’ll soon start to see as a home away from home!
The project is based in Odxel, Panjim and you’ll take a bus journey of 45 minutes to an hour followed by a 15 minute auto rickshaw journey or be picked up by the Mobile School bus from Panjim Bus stop to reach it.
For over 5000 years the subcontinent of India, has seen the rise and fall of a succession of great empires, regional states and colonial powers. The first great Indian empire-builders were the Harrapans (The Indus Valley Civilisation) who flourished across parts of modern-day India and Pakistan from around 3500BC. The Harrapans opened up trade routes with Mesopotamia, built carefully planned cities and developed a pantheon of deities that over the years morphed into the Hindu deities Shiva and Kali. After the Harrapans came the Aryans who developed the caste system and wrote the sacred Vedas (including the Upanishads and the Brahamanas). These philosophical teachings were instrumental in the development of Buddhism and Hinduism – the religious foundation stones of the Indian cultural psyche.
After a brief incursion by Alexander the Great in 326BC, the Mauryan Empire gained control of much of central, eastern and western India. The first Indian empire to embrace Buddhism, the Mauryan civilisation reached it’s peak under the guidance of Emperor Ashoka and a long period of political stability enabled the caste system to flourish and allowed many cultural and technological advancements to be made. During this time envoys were sent to Sri Lanka and Nepal to spread the word of Buddhism.
Over the next 1000 years many empires gained control of regions of India – the Gupta’s in central India, the Chola’s and The Vijayanagar Empire in the south – but it wasn’t until the emergence of the Islamic empire of the Mughals that the whole of India came under the control of one power.
The Mughals ushered in a golden age of art and architecture, and have left us with many of the most recognisable symbols of Indian grandeur and architectural excellence – Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal, Agra’s Red Fort and Hamuyan’s Tomb in Delhi. They ruled from the early 16th century until the rise of the British East India Company and the advent of European control of the Indian subcontinent.
After much jostling for position, the British emerged as the dominant colonial force in India. While Portugal held sway over parts of Goa and Kerala and the French had small colonies such as Pondicherry, British influence spread from the verdant valleys of Kashmir to southern shores of Tamil Nadu. India was now under British rule and would stay that way for over 150 years – the British Raj had been born.
The European colonisers exploited the many natural resources found in India and the excesses of the Raj were many and spectacular. Every summer, as the heat in the central plains grew unbearable and the streets of Delhi shimmered in the heat haze, the entire apparatus of government was moved more than 300km north to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. To this day Shimla - a strange little town perched high in the foothills of the Himalaya - resembles nothing quite so much as a Victorian English village - complete with parish church and fun fair!
The excesses of British rule created widespread resentment across India and a succession of uprisings and civil disputes lead to independence from British rule in 1947 and the partition of India and Pakistan. Following independence much blood was spilled as Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims tried to ensure their place in the uncertain future of the subcontinent. Many wars have since been fought between Pakistan and India and to this day the Kashmiri borders are still disputed and fought over. The pristine valleys and glacial lakes still reverberate to the sound of gunfire and army convoys ply their trade across the mountain passes of the Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s recent history has seen relative peace and since the recent earthquake that hit Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, relations between the two countries have greatly improved. Although poverty and deprivation are still endemic in India, economic strides are being made and India now has a reputation as one of the world’s leading e-business nations.
Due to the sheer size and the complex geography of the subcontinent, Indian weather is as complex as Indian history. While the people of the central plains are searching for shade and respite from the heat, the inhabitants of the Jammu and Kashmir are waiting for the last snows of winter to recede.
From as early as February the whole continent gradually begins to heat up and by May temperatures of 45C are commonplace. As the hot season drags on the country takes a collective deep breath and waits in anticipation of the south-west monsoon. When the monsoon finally hits, the hot, dry and dusty conditions are gradually replaced by intermittent heavy downfalls. It doesn’t rain all the time during monsoon, but it rains every day – heavy tropical showers are punctuated by warm sunshine that turns the parched subcontinent into something of a mudbath.
When the rains have finally cleared the country experiences a brief but beautiful spell of warm sunny weather. The period from October until around early February sees much of the country experiencing comfortable conditions that are ideal travelling weather for foreign visitors. That being said, in the far north (Kashmir, Ladakh and parts of Himachal Pradesh) winter has taken hold, snow covers the mountains and passes up into the Himalayan Plateau shut down as early as September 16th.
Travel in India is unlike anywhere else on the planet, the distances are huge, booking tickets can be tricky and comfort is often at a premium. If you are short on time or just don’t want the many hassles of travelling through India, flying can be a good option. Local airlines such as Deccan, Kingfisher, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines offer services to destinations across the country.
India is home to the world’s largest railway system and offers the resilient traveller some of the greatest rail journeys known to man. Journeys can be long - Delhi to Chennai comes in at around 30 hours – but when you travel by train in India you get to see the vast complexity and natural beauty of the subcontinent roll past in all its glory.
If you decide to travel by train, the complex issue of booking a ticket must be addressed. First you’ll need to decide what class you wish to travel in: this can be tricky. There are 6 classes: 1st Class air-con (1A), 2-tier air-con (2A), 3-tier air-con (3A), chair car (CC), Sleeper (SL) and Second (II). For short journeys second is adequate, unless it’s really hot then it’s well worth paying for chair car. For longer journeys sleeper offers a cheap option with the added bonus of being able to mingle with the Indian masses. When the majority of Indians travel long distances by train, sleeper is their class of choice. Much has been said and written about the pitfalls of travelling by sleeper, but in my experience, it is the best way to truly experience Indian rail travel. 1A, 2A and 3A are more comfortable, but significantly more expensive and you’re less likely to strike up conversation with ordinary Indians. Whatever class you decide to travel in, you will need to pop down to the train station and book yourself a ticket. I won’t go into to much detail, but suffice to say, it’s probably best to put half a day aside for this little errand. Ah, the many joys of India!
Travelling India by bus and coach can require an almost saintly forbearance and an extremely hard backside. Short journeys by bus are great (if a little hair-raising) but for longer distances I’d suggest you jump on a train or a plane. The journey from Leh to Manali will see you sat in a rickety old bus for 2 whole days negotiating some of the highest motorable passes in the world on roads that seem more suitable for mountain goats that mass transport. That being said it is a spectacular journey and is will leave you feeling that you have really travelled.
When travelling within a state, bus travel is fine. Buses serve all major cities and often stop off at small towns and villages (and at shops owned by friends of the driver) along the way. On long journeys you may well be charged around ten rupees for having your baggage stored inside the bus. Although this is a little cheeky and can be a little annoying (the charge seems to apply only to foreign travellers), it is important to remain polite and to remember that the baggage handlers on the buses have much less money than you do.
Many buses have a small shrine to their deity of choice perched precariously on the dashboard and often make stops at roadside temples to make offerings. If asked for a few rupees to help with the offering, my advice would be to dig deep and hand over a few coins; bus travel in India can be a dangerous business and it can’t hurt to have a little divine protection!
Travelling by tuk-tuks, cabs and rickshaws is a great way to travel around cities, although care must be taken. It is imperative that you agree on a price before you set off and don’t be afraid to haggle: if your driver says the price is 100 rupees, knock them down to about 70 and you’ll be getting a half decent foreigner-price. Travel by taxi is the most expensive, tuk-tuks are a little cheaper (but just as fast) and bicycle rickshaws are cheap and slow. Drivers will often try to take you to shops, hotels and restaurants where they receive a commission. Unless you really like the driver and don’t mind being over-charged, it’s best to refuse firmly but politely. When travelling in Mumbai, travel by taxi can be tricky. Taxi journeys are metered, but the meters are very out of date. Ensure that the meter is at zero when you start and make sure that the driver has an official tariff card in the car. When you arrive at your final destination, you’ll need to work out the price by comparing the price on the meter with the tariff card. It’s a pretty simple operation, but unscrupulous drivers often try to overcharge unsuspecting tourists and will insist that they don’t know what the tariff card is. As with all things in India, be polite and remain calm.
Lonely Planet are leaders in the travel guide sector and their website is a great source of travel information.
www.fco.gov.uk
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s website provides up-to-date political news, travel advice and information on visas.
State owned domestic airline which offers competitively priced flights to destinations across India.
300 daily flights to 44 destinations across the country. Also good for flights to Sri Lanka.
Good quality budget airline. Nice food on the flights too.
www.indianrail.gov.inTrain information, ticket reservation and general info for train travel in India. The reservation service saves a lot of time and hassle… when it works!
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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* We can be held responsible for any starry-eyed and amazing journeys of enlightenment, discovery and thorough enjoyment...
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