ABOUTASIA SCHOOLS

Supporting Children and Schools in Cambodia

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At ABOUTAsia Schools we believe in responsible volunteering. We know that to volunteer in a place like Siem Reap is an amazing chance for committed individuals to really make a difference and have the experience of a lifetime. We also recognise our responsibility to ensure a quality service for the schools and children we support.

The aim of our programme is not simply to replace local teachers with "free", untrained volunteers who know nothing of the Cambodian culture or how to be effective in the classroom here.

We feel strongly that, in order for their efforts to be justified, volunteers mustseek to provide the highest calibre of educational opportunities and need to be trained accordingly.

Through proper training, not only will the children make real and lasting progress, but volunteers will be able to feel part of something that is genuinely advancing educational opportunities and outcomes here in Cambodia.

To this end, from May 2013, ABOUTAsia Schools is excited to announce that all volunteers will be enrolled on a 4-day initial training, orientation and activity course prior to starting their projects. This professionally developed course will be specific to teaching in a limited resource environment, and, crucially, will be specific to the Cambodian context.

A brief outline of sessions to be covered can be found below:

• Cultural introduction: Understanding Cambodia, its people, and the education system
• Introduction to teaching English as a foreign language: task setting, giving clear instructions etc.
• Classroom management: behaviour and effective use of learning space
• Promoting engagement and interactive learning: activity design, useful tips and resources
• Measuring progress: Effective assessment, monitoring and feedback (AFL)
• Micro teaching: chance to practice delivery and share ideas/ resources with fellow volunteers

In addition to this, we will offer volunteers the chance to experience some of the awe-inspiring sights of the Angkor Kingdom with an excursion package provided through our sponsor ABOUTAsia Travel.

For more information about the placements we have on offer and their start dates, please check our available opportunities page on www.aboutasiaschools.org before applying.

Benefits and Costs

ABOUTAsia doesn't believe that people sharing their time and experience should be charged any sort of "admin fee" from organisations for their volunteering. For the past 6 years we have kept our volunteering programme 100% free.

With the introduction of the 4-day training package, we have reached the conclusion that it would be almost neglectful of us not to ask volunteers for a very small fee of $200 in return for the professional training opportunity they will be gaining. This is still such a comparatively small amount when you consider other volunteering organisations (most of whom provide little or no training) and is guaranteed to go 100% to financing the development of our English Teaching Programme, training and employing local Cambodian teachers to run free English classes in rural Primary Schools.

This way, not only will your volunteering make a short term difference to the lives of the students you meet, but will also help provide jobs for local teachers and make a sustainable impact on the access to quality teaching for children here for years to come.

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Join Us To Support The Education of Cambodian Children

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