Fiji: Language & Cultural Exchange

Introduction

Fiji, an archipelago in the South Pacific comprised of 333 beautiful islands, is famous for its blue lagoons and sandy beaches. Fiji’s inhabitants among which are Indians, Europeans, Chinese and other Pacific islanders, live together peacefully while preserving their culture and identity. The majority of Fijian population inhabits the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

This project focuses on teaching children of various age groups in a relaxed and friendly environment. You can experience both rural and urban settings and see much more than any tourist would. The experience and teaching at the different public and private schools across the country varies greatly. You will have the opportunity to expose children to a different culture and to share teaching methods and techniques with the other teachers. A teaching background is not required as you will be assisting the regular school teacher. You will receive support and guidance, if needed, from our experienced teachers at the Teaching center. If you are an experienced teacher, you will have the freedom to be creative and design your own lesson plans.

You can make a significant and worthwhile contribution to the education of Fijian youth, all while experience this little slice of paradise.

Daily Life

Once you start volunteering, you will be working Monday to Friday teaching in local primary schools. During the weekdays you will focus on planning lessons, doing crafts, leading computer classes, English language classes, conversations, exams and dynamic activities. You also have an option to focus on Physical education, music, arts and crafts or other areas in which you have previous expertise or skills. Please note that you will spend part of your day in a formal teaching setting, which requires you to follow the Fijian Ministry of Education formal dress code.

If you are joining the project with no prior teaching experience you will follow a customized timetable as an assistant to the local teacher.

Travel & Accom.

Accommodation is provided in our centre in Suva. The rooms are dorm-style with 4-6 people per room and a shared bathroom with hot water. All rooms are equipped with wall fans to keep cool. There are refrigerators available for use by participants. Wi-fi is also available; however, the quality may not be as good as you expect and it may be slow or irregular at times. During your stay, you are expected to be environmentally aware and use all resources with restraint including water, paper and electricity. You are responsible for cleaning up after yourself and contributing to keeping the accommodation neat and tidy.

Three meals are served on weekdays and two meals on the weekends. Breakfast is western style and dinners consist of traditional Fijian meals.

There are many ATMs 5-10 minutes away from the Suva House centre. The local supermarket is 5 minutes away and you can buy a personal SIM card at the local shop. Suva is 20 minutes away by car/bus from the centre. There are multiple health and medical centres within a 20 minutes car ride radius from the centre.

Suva, the capital of Fiji and its most cosmopolitan city, is located on the southeast coast of Viti Levu. Built on the peninsula, Suva is a harbour city with approximately 86,000 inhabitants. With its unique combination of nature and culture, Suva is a great place to explore nature as well as Fijian arts, rituals and festivals.

Requirements

• Minimum age 18.
• Genuine interest in education and enthusiasm and patience to work with children.
• Intermediate English language skills.
• Minimum 2 weeks commitment 
• CRB Police check (or equivalent) showing that you have no previous criminal convictions
• Necessary vaccinations, flight & visas.
• Full travel & medical insurance – full assistance provided in arranging everything you will need if you choose our Premium Support

Costs

€500 Euros per week

* Check the latest currency conversions with xe.com
** All payments incur a 5% bank transfer fee
*** Placements are confirmed with a 1 week deposit, minimum 2 weeks booking

What’s Included:

Project Fee includes food, accommodation, airport pickup, orientation, in-country support and project activities.

Private rooms are available for an additional €100 per week.

What’s not included:

Flights, insurance, visas (if applicable) and vaccinations. Full assistance will be provided in getting all these arranged if you choose our Premium Support.

Premium Support Upgrade

We understand there’s a great deal to plan and organise for your trip. When booking a Placement, many of our participants choose to purchase our Premium Support Upgrade to benefit from the expertise, knowledge and experience of our Project Coordinators.

We can provide the personal advice you need to ensure your trip is organised with excellence and planned with efficiency; ensuring the very best experience possible. Read more about how we can help you.