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International Volunteer Work Teaching English in Jamaica
As a Projects Abroad volunteer teaching in Jamaica you will have the opportunity to significantly contribute to the welfare of Jamaica’s education system and get an amazing new perspective on this incredible country. You can gain invaluable development work experience without any previous qualifications and you are not required to have undergone TEFL training. Whether you are coming to volunteering during your gap year, career break, or an extended vacation, you will have a role to play in one of the schools that we work with and will be able to make a real difference.
Jamaica is a country of extremes – wealthy Jamaicans enjoying a modern, western lifestyle, frequenting shopping malls and exclusive golf clubs. The poorest people in society, some 16% of Jamaicans, remain living below the poverty line. The wealth distribution reflects Jamaica's slave-plantation heritage and the descendants of black slaves tend to be among the poorest classes in Jamaica. Yet it was the end of slavery that heralded the start of education for all and the government is currently investing in improving and modernizing the education system throughout the country.
- Name: Mr. Daniel Monteith
- Title: Principal
- School: Bethabara Primary and Junior High School
The volunteers are excellent, they are very helpful in assisting our students in physical education, reading and just being a part of the school family. Keep sending them!
Volunteer Opportunities Teaching English in Schools with Projects Abroad
Projects Abroad Jamaica is based in the University town of Mandeville. Although Jamaica's official language is English, many children grow up speaking Jamaican Creole (patois) at home. Jamaican Standard English (a mix of American and British English) is taught in schools and is key to getting a sought after job in business or within the tourist industry.
Volunteer teachers work alongside the Jamaican staff to help improve the pronunciation of Standard English. By running lessons in Standard English and making them fun and inclusive you can really help to develop the pupils' confidence. They will be interested in you and your life, which is a great opportunity to get them talking to you and with each other.
In most schools you will begin as a classroom assistant, supporting the teachers in their lessons. However, as you get to know the children better and start to grow in confidence you may want to take on more responsibility.
Volunteering on a Teaching Project in Jamaica
If you are interested in teaching other subjects you will have an opportunity to do so. You can teach dance, drama, mathematics, art, sports, Dutch, French, German, Spanish or Social Studies. If you speak good French it is even possible to teach French as a full-time placement.
Whatever your skills or interests, as a volunteer in Jamaica you will make an important contribution by improving students' spoken English as well as their understanding of these subject areas and giving them the confidence that comes from being able to communicate more easily. You will also help to increase cultural awareness, which is one of the main aims of the government's current educational campaign.
The Community Literacy Project provides volunteers with an opportunity to offer adult literacy education programs. Volunteers work with individuals and small groups of no more than 10 to 15 adults in an assigned community. Community based literacy programs and one-on-one interaction are known to improve literacy levels. It is with this in mind that the community literacy project is being promoted. Volunteers are provided with materials used by agencies that offer adult literacy education programs.
We also have a teaching placement in a centre for deaf children aged from 4 to 20 years old. This placement is ideal for anyone who knows American Sign Language. Volunteers work as assistant teachers or substitute teachers, teaching math and English. There is also the option to teach crafts, sports, and agriculture.
The impact you have on the lives of your students will be long lasting. In addition, you will also be part of a much larger volunteer network, which is making a really positive contribution to the wider community. It will be an experience you’ll never forget!
You can also teach music in Jamaica on our Music Project, where you will teach music to children, teenagers, and possible adults.
Being in the classroom gives me so much joy, to their smiling faces and the questions they ask is something one has to experience for themselves. Read more...